Bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced people with HIV: 12-month virologic effectiveness and safety outcomes in the BICSTaR Japan cohort.

BICSTaR (BICtegravir Single Tablet Regimen) is an ongoing, observational cohort study assessing the virologic effectiveness and safety of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) in treatment-experienced (TE) and treatment-naïve (TN) people with HIV across 14 countries over 24 months. We present 12-month outcomes from participants in the BICSTaR Japan cohort. Retrospective and prospective data were pooled from people with HIV aged ≥20 years receiving B/F/TAF within routine clinical care in Japan.

Research team diversity impacts scientific output in allergy and immunology programs.

Background: This study examined the relationship between the disciplinary diversity of research teams and research output (RO) in allergy and immunology programs funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, Medical Research Council (MRC) in the United Kingdom, and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

Methods: Using a dataset containing 1243, 3645, and 1468 articles funded by the NIH, MRC, and JSPS, respectively, we analyzed the correlation between disciplinary diversity and RO in allergy and immunology programs that received grants from 2017 to 2021. Diversity was measured using All Science Journal Classification codes counts, Shannon-Wiener index, and newly developed Omnidisciplinary index (o-index).

A Prospective Phase II Trial of First-line Osimertinib for Patients with EGFR Mutation-positive Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Poor Performance Status (OPEN/TORG2040).

Introduction: Osimertinib is the first-line treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have EGFR mutations and favorable performance status (PS). Despite increasing clinical data on osimertinib, evidence in patients with an impaired PS remains limited. Therefore, a multicenter phase II trial (OPEN/TORG2040) was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line osimertinib for patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC and poor PS.

A Phase II, Open Label, Single-Arm Study on the Efficacy of Cabozantinib in Patients With Advanced/Metastatic Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Harboring MET Exon 14 Alterations who Developed Acquired Resistance to Tepotinib or Capmatinib (CAPTURE Trial).

Background: MET gene exon 14 skipping was identified as a potential driver mutation that occurs in approximately 3%-4% of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), typically in the absence of other driver mutations. Capmatinib and tepotinib were the first MET- tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MET-TKIs) approved by the FDA and PMDA, specifically for patients with metastatic NSCLC. Several studies have reported acquired resistance after MET-TKI treatment for MET mutation-positive NSCLC.

Superimposed Wavefront Imaging of Diffraction-enhanced X-rays: sparsity-aware CT reconstruction from limited-view projections.

Purpose: In this paper, we describe an algebraic reconstruction algorithm with a total variation regularization (ART + TV) based on the Superimposed Wavefront Imaging of Diffraction-enhanced X-rays (SWIDeX) method to effectively reduce the number of projections required for differential phase-contrast CT reconstruction.

Methods: SWIDeX is a technique that uses a Laue-case Si analyzer with closely spaced scintillator to generate second derivative phase-contrast images with high contrast of a subject. When the projections obtained by this technique are reconstructed, a Laplacian phase-contrast tomographic image with higher sparsity than the original physical distribution of the subject can be obtained.

Seroprevalence in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Gastroesophageal reflux disease is prevented by infection and is a predisposing factor for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, the prevalence of infection in RA patients with ILD has not been sufficiently investigated.

Utility of adding oesophageal to endobronchial endosonography when staging lung cancer: a randomised trial.

Introduction: Both combined endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) and transoesophageal bronchoscopic ultrasonography (EUS-B) and EBUS alone have been recommended for preoperative mediastinal staging of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, no randomised study comparing these two methods has been published. The purpose of the present study was to compare the sensitivity of EBUS and that of combined EBUS and EUS-B (EBUS/EUS-B) in terms of detecting N2/N3 disease during staging of NSCLC.

Serum Anti-Aminoacyl-Transfer Ribonucleic Acid Synthetase Antibody Levels Are Involved in Rheumatoid Arthritis Complicated with Interstitial Lung Disease.

A common complication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is interstitial lung disease (ILD). Antibodies (Abs) to anti-aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase (ARS) are linked to ILD in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). There have been limited studies of anti-ARS Abs in RA.

JCCG ALL-B12: Evaluation of Intensified Therapies With Vincristine/Dexamethasone Pulses and Asparaginase and Augmented High-Dose Methotrexate for Pediatric B-ALL.

Purpose: The JCCG ALL-B12 clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of unvalidated treatment phases for pediatric ALL and develop a safety-focused treatment framework.

Patients And Methods: Patients age 1-19 years with newly diagnosed B-ALL were enrolled in this study. These patients were stratified into standard-risk (SR), intermediate-risk (IR), and high-risk (HR) groups.

Long-term quality of life after open and laparoscopic total gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer: A prospective multi-institutional study (CCOG1504).

Background: Little information is available from prospective clinical trials on the influences of surgical approaches on postoperative quality of life (QOL). We aimed to prospectively compare chronological changes in postoperative body weight and QOL between laparoscopic and open total gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer (GC).

Methods: We conducted a multi-institutional prospective study (CCOG1504) of patients who undergo laparoscopic or open total gastrectomy.

Clinical characteristics in adolescents and young adults with polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia in Japan.

We report the first large-scale retrospective cohort study on adolescent and young adult (AYA) polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) in Japan, a subgroup analysis using Japanese multicenter registry data (JSH-MPN-R18). This study included patients with PV (n = 31) or ET (n = 141) aged 20 to 39 years at the initial visit. Hemorrhage-free survival (HFS) was better in AYA ET than in non-AYA ET (5-year HFS: 100% vs.

Long-Term Outcome of Eltrombopag With First-Line Immunosuppressive Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Severe Aplastic Anemia.

Background: To investigate whether the addition of eltrombopag (EPAG) to rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)-based immunosuppressive therapy (IST) for newly diagnosed severe aplastic anemia (SAA) improves outcomes and affects the cumulative incidence of clonal evolution (CE), we conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis.

Methods: Data were collected from 101 patients, aged 15 - 65 years, undergoing initial IST.

Results: No significant imbalance in age, sex, or severity was observed between the EPAG (n = 20) and non-EPAG (n = 81) groups.

Smartphone-based distress screening, information provision, and psychotherapy for reducing psychological distress among AYA cancer survivors: protocol for a fully decentralized multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial.

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common and distressing condition among adolescents and young adults (AYAs). This study aims to investigate the efficacy of digital interventions, including distress screening-based information provision and smartphone problem-solving therapy, on common psychological distress, especially FCR, in AYA patients with cancer. Participants will be 224 AYA outpatients with cancer aged 15-39 years who will be randomly assigned to either an 8-week smartphone-based intervention or a waitlist control group.

Treatment of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children: an observational study of the Japan Children's Cancer Group.

The Japan Children's Cancer Group Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Committee conducted a prospective observational study (ALL-R14) to explore promising reinduction therapy regimens for relapsed ALL to investigate in future trials. In Japan, clofarabine- and bortezomib-based regimens were of interest since they were newly introduced for ALL in the study period (2015-2018). Seventy-five pediatric patients were enrolled in total.

Baseline genetic abnormalities and effectiveness of osimertinib treatment in patients with chemotherapy-naïve EGFR-mutated NSCLC based on performance status.

Background/aim: For patients treated with osimertinib as first-line therapy, there have been no studies comparing both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) according to performance status (PS). Furthermore, no studies have examined differences in baseline genetic abnormalities between patients with poor and good PS. Therefore, we aimed to investigate differences in baseline genetic abnormalities and treatment effects between patients with poor and good PS who received osimertinib as the primary treatment.

Results of the JRS-I LRA0401 and LRB0402 Japan Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group trials for low-risk embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma.

Background: Failure-free survival (FFS) rates of low-risk patients with rhabdomyosarcoma improved in Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study IV after the escalation of cyclophosphamide total dose to 26.4 g/m. However, this dose may increase the risk of adverse events, including infertility, in some patients.

Association of rare single nucleotide variant MUC5B rs35705950 with interstitial lung disease in Japanese rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is sometimes complicated by interstitial lung disease (ILD) with a poor prognosis. A single nucleotide variant (SNV) in MUC5B was associated with ILD in European RA patients. However, associations of this SNV were not found in Japanese RA patients, because its frequency in Japanese populations is very low.