There is little evidence regarding the association between hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronicity and HLA-DP among the HIV-infected Vietnamese population. To study this, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis and a prospective study involving an HIV-infected Vietnamese cohort. The association between HBV chronicity and HLA-DP single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of rs3077 and rs9277535 among Vietnamese patients with previous HBV exposure was first evaluated. In addition, treatment-naive patients with chronic HBV infection were followed between 2012 and 2017 for HBV clearance after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). A total of 820 subjects with previous HBV exposure were included in the cross-sectional study. Among them, 147 (17.9 %) had chronic HBV infection, and 673 (82.1 %) achieved HBV clearance. The proportions of minor allele homozygotes of rs3077 and rs9277535 were 10.9 % and 15.2 % (p = 0.481) and 4.1 % and 11.7 % (p = 0.003), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that rs9277535 minor homozygote was a significant protective factor against chronic HBV infection (odds ratio [OR], 0.271; 95 % confidence interval [CI]; 0.114-0.642, p = 0.001). Further, none of the 43 patients in the prospective study, who received ART possessed the rs9277535 minor homozygote. The average follow-up period was 4.8 years, and 10 subjects (23.3 %, 4.9 %/person-years) achieved HBV clearance. Univariate analysis revealed that the SNPs were not significantly associated with HBV clearance. In conclusion, our study confirmed that the rs9277535 minor allele homozygote was significantly associated with HBV clearance among HIV-infected Vietnamese patients.

We investigated the impact of medical collaboration between the Chiba Eating Disorder (ED) Treatment Support Center (CSC) in Chiba Prefecture and the ED treatment center at Kohnodai Hospital. We calculated the number of consultations performed by the CSC and referral rate to other medical facilities from October 2017 to March 2020, as well as the clinical characteristics of the patients treated at our hospital from April 2016 to March 2020. Data on duration of hospitalization and increase in body mass index (BMI) during hospitalization were recorded. Patients were divided into all of the Japan and Chiba Prefecture groups. Data were evaluated by Poisson's regression analysis or one-way analysis of variance. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. The 2019 data served as reference values. Our data demonstrated that while the number of CSC consultations increased (2017:201, 2018:547, 2019:552) annually, the number of hospitalizations for EDs decreased (197, 194, 134, respectively). In comparison, the number of outpatient consultations for EDs across all of Japan peaked in 2018 and decreased significantly thereafter (2016:110, 2017:139, 2018:193, 2019:142). After the CSC was established, the number of patients treated in our department decreased as expected. Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) who were treated on an outpatient basis across all of Japan were younger in 2019 (27.0 ± 1.2) than in 2018 (31.9 ± 1.2). Severe cases had better outcomes, and there was a significant increase in BMI of inpatients with AN in both groups. Overall, the activities of such ED treatment support center promoted successful treatment of severe ED cases.

This study evaluated the clinical characteristics of mental health of child and adolescent psychiatric patients during temporary school closure throughout the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan using the Questionnaire - Children with Difficulties (QCD) and other useful psychological rating scales. The participants were those who visited the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kohnodai Hospital. From those 1,463 participants, case and control groups were selected: 92 patients who visited the hospital during the temporary school closure from March 2020 to May 2020 (case group) and randomly sampled sex- and age-matched 92 patients during the pre-COVID period from April 2017 to March 2020 (control group). QCD is a parent-assessed questionnaire designed to evaluate the difficulties of children along the course of a day, right from waking up in the morning to retiring to bed at night. Lower scores indicate stronger difficulties. QCD scores were compared between the two groups in each of the following age groups: elementary school (6-12 years of age) and junior high school (12-15 years of age). In elementary school students, scores "during school" of QCD indicating functioning or disabilities during school hours were 3.31 ± 2.52 and 4.52 ± 2.33 in case group and control group, respectively (p < 0.05). In junior high school students, scores "Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ADHD-RS)" indicating ADHD symptoms were 16.78 ± 12.69 and 11.80 ± 10.40 in case group and control group, respectively (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that the closure of schools due to the pandemic might worsen difficulties among elementary school patients, and hyperactivity and impulsivity might increase among junior high school patients. The long-term impact of stress caused by school closure on child and adolescent psychiatric patients needs to be investigated in the future.

This study aimed to clarify changes in parental involvement with their children and parental perceptions related to parenting in both fathers and mothers of young children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A cross-sectional observational design was used. Data were collected using a web-based questionnaire from 28 fathers and 115 mothers between October 1 and November 30, 2020. Parents answered questions regarding themselves, basic sociodemographic variables, perceived changes in involvement with their children, the presence or absence of abusive behavior (e.g., violence toward children), and parental perceptions related to parenting. Many parents indicated that they did not experience major changes in their involvement or perceptions compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of the fathers considered themselves to be in more physical contact or communication with their children; there was a significant difference between fathers and mothers regarding eating meals with their children (p = 0.00). Fathers felt tired due to parenting (35.7%) or a lack of free time (42.9%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. While significantly more mothers than fathers responded that their partners took care of their children (p = 0.03), significantly greater number of mothers than fathers also reported feeling overburdened (p = 0.00). Family support workers should help fathers maintain involvement with their young children without high stress levels and support mothers to reduce their heavy burden of parenting continuously. This would contribute to young children’s growth and development despite a public health crisis.

Preventing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks and the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from urban areas to less populated remote islands, many of which may have weak medical systems, is an important issue. Here, we evaluated the usefulness of pre-boarding, saliva-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening tests to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 from Tokyo to the remote island of Chichijima. The infection rate on the island during the study period from September 1, 2020 to March 21, 2021 was 0.015% (2/13,446). Of the 8,910 individuals tested before ship boarding, seven tested positive for COVID-19 (PCR tests of saliva samples). One was confirmed positive by subsequent confirmatory nasopharyngeal swab testing. Based on the testing results, positive cases were denied entry onto the ship to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from Tokyo to Chichijima. This study demonstrated that implementing pre-boarding PCR screening tests is a useful strategy that can be applied to other remote islands with vulnerable medical systems.

Capecitabine plus oxaliplatin, CAPOX, therapy is one of the standardized options for adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer, but the efficacy and the safety of CAPOX in elderly patients are unclear. In this study, we investigated the relative dose intensity (RDI) and reasons for dose reduction in patients over the age of 70 (elderly group) (n = 12) and those under the age of 70 (non-elderly group) (n = 24) receiving adjuvant CAPOX therapy for colorectal cancer. The median RDIs were 71.1% in the elderly group and 67.9% in the non-elderly group for oxaliplatin (p = 0.416), and 81.6% and 86.4% for capecitabine (p = 0.166), respectively. The rate of peripheral neuropathy which was the reason for dose reduction of oxaliplatin was approximately 4.5-fold higher in the non-elderly group than in the elderly group. In addition, hematologic toxicity was the most common reason for dose reduction at 50.0% in the elderly group. The results of this study suggested that a similar therapeutic intensity can be maintained in elderly patients relative to non-elderly patients by appropriate dose reduction and discontinuation of drug treatments. Elderly patients are more susceptible to hematologic toxicity than to peripheral neuropathy.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematopoietic malignancy characterized by monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells. MM features bony radiolucencies called punched-out lesions (POLs), which require appropriate diagnosis due to increased risk of surgically-related adverse events. Although dental surgeons can identify dental focal infections (DFIs) in MM patients, the prevalence and characteristics of POLs in the jawbone of MM patients have not been investigated. We examined the prevalence of POLs in the mandible of MM patients, evaluated its relationship with MM International Staging System progression, and examined panoramic radiographs as a diagnostic reference for POLs in a single center in Japan. We identified 98 patients (55 men, 43 women) with a median age of 63 (range, 34 to 91) years. Of these, 18 patients (18.4%) had POLs in the mandible, including two patients in stage I (2/37; 5.4%), six in stage II (6/43; 14.0%), and ten in stage III (10/18; 55.6%). The prevalence of POLs significantly increased with MM stage progression (p < 0.0001). POLs confirmed on computed tomography (CT) were also detected on panoramic radiographs. The Hounsfield unit value at the site of POLs was nearly the same or lower than that of the mental foramen. Although the prevalence of POLs in the mandible is low, dental surgeons need to differentiate POLs as radiological findings when examining DFIs in MM patients. Confirmation of POLs in the mandible is possible by CT and panoramic radiography, and the mental foramen is likely to be a reference for discrimination.

We conducted a study to investigate the proportion of patients with asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected with the Delta variant compared with those infected with the wild-type strain at the time of confirmation. A total of 504 patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by viral transmission through household contact in Ibaraki, Japan were included. The proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients at the time of confirmation was compared between patients infected with L452R mutation strain from June to September 2021 and those infected with the wild-type strain from November 2020 to January 2021, and was found to be 14.2% and 28.8%, respectively (relative risk, 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.70). The proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients by viral transmission through household contact was lower among the Delta variant than those among the wild-type strain at the time of confirmation. It might contribute to attenuation of transmission.

International medical evacuation, which is an option to receive better medical care for travelers with emergencies staying in low- and middle-income countries, has been more challenging during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We herein discuss our experience with four Japanese patients with COVID-19 who required medical evacuation from Asian countries during the pandemic. Of these, none of the patients had received a COVID-19 vaccine; three patients needed oxygen therapy on admission to our hospital; and one patient died due to respiratory failure on day 50 after hospitalization. It was observed that multidrug-resistant organisms were colonized in two patients after obtaining culture results based on active surveillance. Strict infection control measures against multidrug-resistant organisms should be implemented during the care of patients with COVID-19 who require medical evacuation from high-risk countries. Further, it is important to communicate timely updates regarding the patient's condition with travel assistance agencies as the patient's condition may rapidly change during the course of arranging the evacuation.

Numerous difficulties unique to remote island regions exist in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). For example, in the Yaeyama Medical Region (Okinawa, Japan), there are only clinics without beds on constituent islands. As medical resources are limited on remote islands, a single outbreak can put the entire medical system at risk. In addition, local governments need to maintain economic support while taking measures to contain outbreaks. For future COVID-19 countermeasures, it is essential to establish a response team in the regional hospital to conduct on-site epidemiological surveys as early as possible in a pandemic. In addition, distributing effective oral antivirals to remote islands may reduce the spread of infection and the number of severe cases requiring off-region transfer.