The relationship between long COVID, labor productivity, and socioeconomic losses in Japan: A cohort study.

Objectives: We examined shifts in labor productivity and their economic ramifications among adult patients with long COVID in Japan.

Methods: A total of 396 patients were categorized into three groups based on symptom progression: non-long COVID, long COVID recovered, and long COVID persistent. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed at three time intervals: 3, 6, and 12 months after COVID-19 diagnosis.

Prolonged viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in an immunocompromised patient.

The duration of viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 is usually less than 10 days. We experienced a COVID-19 case with prolonged viral shedding for 2 months. His cell mediated immunity has been depressed (CD4T cell <100/μl) due to advanced malignant lymphoma and chemotherapy which had been completed 4 months prior to the onset of symptoms of COVID-19.

The Role of Family Variables in the Length of Stay of Psychiatric In-patients.

Background: In Japan, the number of beds and average length of stay in a psychiatric ward are greater than in other developed countries.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the association between family variables and the length of stay of patients with mental and behavioural disorders in a private psychiatric hospital in Japan.

Methods: The medical records of patients discharged during a one-year period (n=56: men 50.

Molecular cloning and characterization of oocyte-specific Pat1a in Rana rugosa frogs.

The Pat1 gene is expressed in the immature oocytes of Xenopus, and is reportedly involved in regulating the translation of maternal mRNAs required for oocyte-maturation. However, it is still unknown when Pat1a first appears in the differentiating ovary of amphibians. To address this issue, we isolated the full-length Pat1a cDNA from the frog Rana rugosa and examined its expression in the differentiating ovary of this frog.

[An autochthonous outbreak of dengue type 1 in Tokyo, Japan 2014].

Objectives: An outbreak of autochthonous dengue fever was reported in August 2014, with cases suspected mainly from Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. This is the first epidemic of dengue fever in Japan since 1945.

Methods: From August to October 2014, the following measures were taken to control the outbreak: 1) risk communication and information sharing; 2) active case finding; 3) vector surveillance in affected sites; and 4) laboratory testing.

Gene polymorphism of β-defensin-1 is associated with susceptibility to periodontitis in Japanese.

Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease associated with genetic and environmental factors. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with susceptibility to common diseases such as diabetes and periodontitis. Although the oral cavity is exposed to various organisms, the conditions are well controlled by innate and acquired immune systems.

Advanced glycation end-products enhance calcification in cultured rat dental pulp cells.

Introduction: Amorphous calcification frequently appears in dental pulp tissues of diabetic patients; however, its pathologic process has not been fully elucidated. We previously found that pulp stones and thickened predentin occurred more frequently in diabetic rats. Recent findings demonstrated that accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGE) might be involved in vascular calcification complicated with diabetes.

Computational prediction of O-linked glycosylation sites that preferentially map on intrinsically disordered regions of extracellular proteins.

O-glycosylation of mammalian proteins is one of the important posttranslational modifications. We applied a support vector machine (SVM) to predict whether Ser or Thr is glycosylated, in order to elucidate the O-glycosylation mechanism. O-glycosylated sites were often found clustered along the sequence, whereas other sites were located sporadically.

[Two severe tetanus cases infected in an urban area of Kawasaki City].

We report two cases of severe tetanus infection. Case 1: A 73-year-old non-vaccinated man who fell in a local park developed a wound on the left little finger. The wound was debrided and a tetanus toxin shot given on day 4 following the injury.

CYP2C8 haplotype structures and their influence on pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel in a Japanese population.

Objective: CYP2C8 is known to metabolize various drugs including an anticancer drug paclitaxel. Although large interindividual differences in CYP2C8 enzymatic activity and several nonsynonymous variations were reported, neither haplotype structures nor their associations with pharmacokinetic parameters of paclitaxel were reported.

Methods: Haplotype structures of the CYP2C8 gene were inferred by an expectation-maximization based program using 40 genetic variations detected in 437 Japanese patients, which included cancer patients.

Treatment of natto, a fermented soybean preparation, to prevent excessive plasma vitamin K concentrations in patients taking warfarin.

The purpose of this study is to find a method of cooking natto that prevents the appearance of high-plasma vitamin K concentrations after the consumption of natto, so that patients taking warfarin can benefit from eating natto. Five cooking methods were examined to determine which could most effectively decrease the count of the living Bacillus subtilis in natto. Volunteers ate natto or treated natto, and their plasma vitamin K level was measured at 5, 8, 24 and 48 h thereafter.

Impact of the haplotype CYP3A4*16B harboring the Thr185Ser substitution on paclitaxel metabolism in Japanese patients with cancer.

Objective: Paclitaxel is one of the most important anticancer drugs for the treatment of various tumors such as non-small cell lung cancer. We investigated the association between CYP3A4 haplotypes and pharmacokinetic parameters of paclitaxel metabolism.

Methods: This study enrolled 235 Japanese patients with cancer who were receiving paclitaxel.

Polymorphic tandem repeat sequences of the thymidylate synthase gene correlates with cellular-based sensitivity to fluoropyrimidine antitumor agents.

Purpose: Thymidylate synthase (TS) is one of the target molecules for the antitumor effects of fluoropyrimidine drugs. The cellular thymidylate synthase level is one of the determining factors for the antitumor activity of fluoropyrimidines. TYMS, which encodes TS, has been reported to possess 28-bp tandem repeat sequences in its 5'-untranslated region, the number of which varies.

Haplotype structures of EPHX1 and their effects on the metabolism of carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide in Japanese epileptic patients.

Objective: Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is an enzyme that detoxifies reactive epoxides and catalyzes the biotransformation of carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZ-epoxide) to carbamazepine-10,11-diol (CBZ-diol). Utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the EPHX1 gene encoding mEH, we identified the haplotypes of EPHX1 blocks and investigated the association between the block haplotypes and CBZ-epoxide metabolism.

Methods: SNPs of EPHX1 were analyzed by means of polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing using DNA extracted from the blood leukocytes of 96 Japanese epileptic patients, including 58 carbamazepine-administered patients.

Five novel single nucleotide polymorphisms in the EPHX1 gene encoding microsomal epoxide hydrolase.

Five novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in the EPHX1 gene from 96 Japanese epileptic patients. The detected SNPs were as follows: 1) SNP, MPJ6_EX1009; GENE NAME, EPHX1 ACCESSION NUMBER, NT_004525.12; LENGTH, 25 bases; 5'-CCTCACTTCAGTG/ACTGGGCTTTGCC-3'.

Eleven novel single nucleotide polymorphisms in the NR1I2 (PXR) gene, four of which induce non-synonymous amino acid alterations.

Eleven novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in the NR1I2 (PXR/SXR) gene from 205 Japanese subjects. The detected SNPs were as follows: 1) SNP, MPJ6_1I2001; GENE NAME, NR1I2; ACCESSION NUMBER, AF364606; LENGTH, 25 bases; 5'-TTTCTACCTCTAC/TTATTGAAAGGGC-3'. 2) SNP, MPJ6_1I2004; GENE NAME, NR1I2; ACCESSION NUMBER, AF364606; LENGTH, 25 bases; 5'-AGGCCCAAATGTG/AAGTGATGCATAG-3'.

Six novel nonsynonymous CYP1A2 gene polymorphisms: catalytic activities of the naturally occurring variant enzymes.

Six novel nonsynonymous nucleotide alterations were found in the cytochrome P450 1A2 gene in a Japanese population, which resulted in the following amino acid substitutions: T83M, E168Q, F186L, S212C, G299A, and T438I. These individuals were heterozygous for the amino acid substitutions. The potential functional alterations caused by the amino acid substitutions were characterized by a cDNA-mediated expression system using Chinese hamster V79 cells.

Cytosolic and microsomal activation of doxifluridine and tegafur to produce 5-fluorouracil in human liver.

Purpose: The enzymatic formation of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) from two fluoropyrimidine prodrugs, doxifluridine (5'-DFUR) and tegafur (FT), was compared in vitro in order to determine whether there are differences between the metabolic profiles of the two prodrugs.

Methods: Conversion of the two fluoropyrimidine prodrugs to 5-FU was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography at a concentration of 500 micro M using the microsomal and cytosolic fractions of 12 human livers. The degree of correlation between the 5-FU-forming activities was determined using various cytochrome P450-dependent reactions.