Sequential Peg-IFN after bepirovirsen may reduce post-treatment relapse in chronic hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: Bepirovirsen, an antisense oligonucleotide, induces sustained reductions in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA to below the lower limit of quantification (
Methods: In this phase IIb, multicentre, open-label trial, participants on stable nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) therapy were randomised 1:1 to bepirovirsen 300 mg once weekly (plus loading dose on Days 4 and 11) for 24 (Arm 1) or 12 (Arm 2) weeks followed by Peg-IFN 180 μg once weekly for up to 24 weeks, with up to 36 weeks follow-up.

Real-world treatment costs of first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer: a survey of the JCOG colorectal cancer study group.

Background: Although treatment outcomes for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) have dramatically improved over the past few decades, drug costs have also significantly increased. This study aimed to investigate which first-line treatment regimens for mCRC are actually used (frequency) in Japanese practice and at what cost.

Methods: We collected data on patients with mCRC who received first-line treatment at 37 institutions of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group Colorectal Cancer Study Group from July 2021 to June 2022, and calculated the cost of regimens.

Clinical Features and Vaccination Effects among Children with Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 in Taiwan.

Background: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) affects patients after recovering from acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study investigates the impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on PASC symptoms in children in Taiwan during the Omicron pandemic.

Methods: We enrolled children under 18 years with PASC symptoms persisting for more than 4 weeks.

Coexistence of Sjögren's Syndrome-associated Interstitial Nephritis and Hypokalemic Nephropathy in a Patient with Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis: A Case Report.

A 42-year-old woman presented with muscle weakness and hypokalemic distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA). Investigations revealed concurrent Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis contributing to hypokalemic dRTA. A renal biopsy revealed focal tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) suggestive of SS-related renal involvement, along with distinctive ischemic glomerular changes and tubular alterations consistent with hypokalemic nephropathy.

Hemodynamic Evaluation of Coronary Artery Lesions after Kawasaki Disease: Comparison of Fractional Flow Reserve during Cardiac Catheterization with Myocardial Flow Reserve during N-Ammonia PET.

Coronary artery lesions (CALs) after Kawasaki disease present complex coronary hemodynamics. We investigated the relationship between coronary fractional flow reserve (FFR), myocardial flow reserve (MFR), and myocardial blood flow volume fraction (MBF) and their clinical usefulness in CALs after Kawasaki disease. Nineteen patients (18 men, 1 woman) who underwent cardiac catheterization and N-ammonia positron emission tomography, with 24 coronary artery branches, were included.

Homogenization of word relationships in schizophrenia: Topological analysis of cortical semantic representations.

Aim: Patients with schizophrenia typically exhibit symptoms of disorganized thought and display concreteness and over-inclusion in verbal reports, depending on the level of abstraction. While concreteness and over-inclusion may appear contradictory, the underlying psychopathology that explains these symptoms remains unclear. In the current study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging with an encoding modeling approach to examine how concepts of various words, represented as brain activity, are anomalously connected at different levels of abstraction in patients with schizophrenia.

Prevalence and characteristics of postoperative and nonoperative chronic hypoparathyroidism in Japan: a nationwide retrospective analysis.

Hypoparathyroidism is a rare endocrine disorder characterized by low serum calcium and elevated serum phosphorus levels. Patients who do not recover parathyroid function after surgeries or have nonsurgical causes involving congenital and metabolic diseases, require long-term use of active vitamin D and calcium supplementation as conventional therapy in Japan. This study aimed to estimate prevalence of chronic hypoparathyroidism and investigate its disease etiology, patient characteristics, and treatment in Japan, using a health insurance claim database.

Real-time feedback for CPR quality - A scoping review.

Background: Previous systematic reviews have failed to find an association between the use of real-time feedback during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and patient outcomes. However, these reviews excluded studies examining feedback with other system changes. As part of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) continuous evidence evaluation process, we conducted a scoping review to examine the current state of this literature and the use of real-time feedback in this form.

Obstetric outcomes of transabdominal cerclage: A retrospective observational study in Japan.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the obstetric outcomes of transabdominal cerclage (TAC) in Japan.

Methods: Questionnaires on TAC were sent to 183 institutions performing high-quality perinatal management in Japan. As a first-step questionnaire, we asked whether TAC was performed between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2022.

Preoperative Abnormal Posture Improves After Total Knee Arthroplasty: Knee-Hip-Spine Syndrome.

Background: Spinal, pelvic, and lower extremity alignment is crucial for maintaining a healthy body posture. However, with aging, this posture becomes challenging to maintain due to muscle weakness and skeletal degeneration. Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee can also lead to abnormal posture, known as hip-spine and knee-spine syndrome.

Gelsolin alleviates rheumatoid arthritis by negatively regulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Despite numerous biomarkers being proposed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a gap remains in our understanding of their mechanisms of action. In this study, we discovered a novel role for gelsolin (GSN), an actin-binding protein whose levels are notably reduced in the plasma of RA patients. We elucidated that GSN is a key regulator of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages, providing a plausible explanation for the decreased secretion of GSN in RA patients.

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.

Role of desmoplakin in supporting neuronal activity, neurogenic processes, and emotional-related behaviors in the dentate gyrus.

Desmoplakin (Dsp) is a component of desmosomal cell-cell junctions that interacts with the cadherin complex and cytoskeletal intermediate filaments. In addition to its function as an adhesion component, Dsp is involved in various biological processes, such as gene expression, differentiation, and migration. Dsp is specifically expressed in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) in the central nervous system.

Clinical features and risk factors for delayed rupture of traumatic cerebral aneurysm: A case series.

Background: Traumatic cerebral aneurysms (TA) are a subset of traumatic cerebrovascular injury (TCVI). Misdiagnosis of TA can be fatal. To investigate factors that predict TA formation and the optimal timing for searching, we present four suspected cases of delayed TA rupture during hospitalization.

Novel evaluation of pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic lung disease using perfusion SPECT/CT: A pilot study.

In pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with chronic lung disease (CLD), identifying patients who would benefit from pulmonary vasodilators is a significant clinical challenge because the presence of PH is associated with poorer survival. This study evaluated the severity of pulmonary circulation impairment in patients with CLD-PH using pulmonary perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT). This single-center, observational study enrolled patients with CLD-PH who had a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) ≥ 25 mmHg, as confirmed by right heart catheterization.