Finding cures is the ultimate goal of research on autoimmune diseases. Pemphigus is an autoantibody-mediated autoimmune skin disease in which specific autoantibodies target desmogleins 1 and 3 as autoantigens. The condition leads to painful blisters and erosions in the skin and oral mucosa, impacting patients’ ability to eat and other daily activities, significantly affecting quality of life. The molecular mechanisms by which these pathogenic autoantibodies induce blisters have been extensively studied and understanding has advanced considerably. However, many critical questions remain, such as the exact cause of the disease, the mechanisms that normally prevent autoimmunity, and the pathogenic cells involved, other than autoantibodies. This article focuses on the role of autoreactive T cells in pemphigus and uses the pemphigus model to answer some of these questions. Research into pemphigus has enhanced our understanding of both the pathogenic and regulatory mechanisms involved, not only in pemphigus but also in other skin diseases caused by cellular autoimmunity. The growing body of scientific evidence on pemphigus has made it a model disease, paving the way for the development of novel therapeutic approaches, including antigen-specific immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammatory disorders.

The aim of this study was to identify ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT) parameters that could predict the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer before and after undergoing chemoradiation therapy. We retrospectively reconstructed images under the same conditions for patients who underwent pre- and post-treatment ¹⁸F-FDG-PET for chemoradiation therapy for esophageal cancer. Correlations between 2-year survival rates and pre-treatment values, differences between pre- and post-treatment quotients, and their ratios were examined for various standardized uptake values (SUV), metabolic tumor volumes (MTV), and each SUVmean (Mean SUV)*MTV (Vol.mean). We enrolled 29 patients who underwent pre-and post-treatment ¹⁸F-FDG-PET. The median overall survival was 21.4 months (range, 3.6–100.9 months). Pre-treatment MTV had the most favorable hazard ratio (HR) for survival. However, the MTV product (Vol.meanQ), SUV corrected for basal metabolic rate using Mifflin-St Jeor estimation (BMR.ms), Vol.mean (SUVmeanQ) using the qPET method, SUVmean, and HR using Vol.meanQ corrected for body weight were nearly equivalent. No significant results were obtained for the pre- and post-treatment quotients. The pre- and post-treatment Vol.meanQ is a useful prognostic parameter that considers the effect of age-related loss of lean body mass. The use of parameters, including metabolism, will facilitate more appropriate use of ¹⁸F-FDG-PET before and after chemoradiation therapy.

It is desirable for community pharmacists to be involved in promoting and maintaining the oral health of local residents. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of Japanese community pharmacists to understand the actual conditions and the attitudes of these pharmacists regarding oral healthcare advice. A web-based anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was completed by community pharmacists from March 26 to 29, 2021. We received responses from 324 pharmacists. A majority of respondents (66.0%) regarded dealing with “daily oral health issues and oral care” as a role of community pharmacists. Respondents also reported being consulted by patients or customers about mouth ulcers (70.1%) and xerostomia (54.6%). However, the frequency of consumer inquiries about these oral conditions was less than once per week. Just over half of the respondents (52.2%) said they were confident about dealing with mouth ulcers, whereas less than 40% were confident about handling other oral problems. The most common anxiety was a “lack of knowledge about appropriate responses to oral symptoms” (60.2%). The respondents desired education and training (75.6%) to better promote oral health-related activities. Japanese community pharmacists believe that they have a role to play in oral health issues and oral care, but their level of confidence in their ability to respond to oral health issues is low. Pharmacists are concerned about their lack of knowledge about oral healthcare and they desire more opportunities for education and training so that they can perform pharmacy-based maintenance and promotion of oral healthcare for local residents.

A 0.04% mitomycin C (MMC) ophthalmic solution is not commercially available and is prepared in hospitals as required. The physical properties and stability of the MMC ophthalmic solution have not been clarified because of a lack of data. This study aimed to assess the stability of the MMC ophthalmic solution under various storage conditions. The MMC ophthalmic solution was prepared by dissolving 2 mg of MMC in 5 mL of saline solution. Each batch of ophthalmic solution was stored under three conditions [cold/shaded light, room temperature/shaded light, and room temperature/scattered light (approximately 4000 lx)], and MMC concentration was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography on days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21. The expiry date was calculated based on the results of the degradation analysis. pH measurements and bacterial culture tests were conducted for each storage condition. The MMC concentrations on day 21 under cold/shaded light, room temperature/shaded light, and room temperature/scattered light were 340, 287, and 227 µg/mL, respectively. MMC concentrations decreased over time, and the decrease was highest when the samples were stored at room temperature and exposed to light, and lowest under cold conditions and protected from light. The pH of MMC solutions was 5.8 after preparation, which increased to 6.9 with time under all storage conditions. Culture tests did not detect any bacteria under any storage conditions. The MMC ophthalmic solution was most stable under cold/shaded conditions, and our study clarifies its expiry date for clinical use.