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In this study, nanostructures were introduced into bulk Si, and the P content in Si was increased. Arc melting, ball milling, and spark plasma sintering were used to prepare excess P-doped Si samples (Si1−xPx, x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12). In Si0.94P0.06, thermal conductivity decreased to 18 W m−1 K−1 at room temperature, which is about 10% of that of bulk Si. Transmission electron microscopy observation of Si0.94P0.06 revealed a linearly localized alignment, in addition to the nanostructures observed in the previous studies of P-doped Si samples. Linear alignments were composed of Si-P nanoprecipitates and defects linearly localized around dislocations. These sub-microstructures can reduce thermal conductivity; as a result, ZT at 973 K increased to 0.43, which is approximately three times higher than that of single-crystal Si. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To examine disease and target engagement biomarkers in the RISE-SSc trial of riociguat in early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis and their potential to predict the response to treatment. Methods Patients were randomized to riociguat (n  = 60) or placebo (n  = 61) for 52 weeks. Skin biopsies and plasma/serum samples were obtained at baseline and week 14. Plasma cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) was assessed using radio-immunoassay. α-Smooth muscle actin (αSMA) and skin thickness were determined by immunohistochemistry, mRNA markers of fibrosis by qRT-PCR in skin biopsies, and serum CXC motif chemokine ligand 4 (CXCL-4) and soluble platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (sPECAM-1) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results By week 14, cGMP increased by 94 (78)% with riociguat and 10 (39)% with placebo (P  < 0.001, riociguat vs placebo). Serum sPECAM-1 and CXCL-4 decreased with riociguat vs placebo (P  = 0.004 and P  = 0.008, respectively). There were no differences in skin collagen markers between the two groups. Higher baseline serum sPECAM-1 or the detection of αSMA-positive cells in baseline skin biopsies was associated with a larger reduction of modified Rodnan skin score from baseline at week 52 with riociguat vs placebo (interaction P -values 0.004 and 0.02, respectively). Conclusion Plasma cGMP increased with riociguat, suggesting engagement with the nitric oxide–soluble guanylate cyclase–cGMP pathway. Riociguat was associated with a significant reduction in sPECAM-1 (an angiogenic biomarker) vs placebo. Elevated sPECAM-1 and the presence of αSMA-positive skin cells may help to identify patients who could benefit from riociguat in terms of skin fibrosis. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02283762. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to describe baseline characteristics and adherence among patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR‐CM) treated with tafamidis (VYNDAQEL®) in Japan using the Japanese Medical Data Vision (MDV) database. Methods and results: This study was a non‐interventional, retrospective cohort study of adult (≥18 years old) patients in the Japanese MDV claims database diagnosed with ATTR‐CM and with at least two tafamidis prescriptions of dose strength 4 × 20 mg/day between 1 March 2019 and 31 August 2021. The date of the first prescription was defined as the index date, with follow‐up time defined as the time between the first and last prescription plus the days' supply from the last refill. Baseline characteristics were assessed during a 12 month pre‐index period. Adherence was measured using two metrics: (i) the modified medication possession ratio (mMPR), calculated by taking the sum of days supplied for all fills within the follow‐up period, divided by the number of days of follow‐up, and reported as a percentage, with patients classified as adherent with an mMPR of ≥80%, and (ii) the proportion of days covered (PDC), calculated by taking the total number of days' supply dispensed during the follow‐up period divided by the number of days of follow‐up, adjusting for any days' supply overlap. A total of 210 patients were identified; the mean (standard deviation) age of the cohort was 77 (5.9) years, and the majority (89%) were male. The most common baseline cardiovascular comorbidities were heart failure (85%), ischaemic heart disease (66%), hypertensive diseases (49%), and diabetes (35%); 75% of patients received heart failure medications in the 12 months prior to index, with the most common being beta‐blockers (49%), diuretics (48%), angiotensin receptor blockers (30%), angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (22%), and sodium–glucose cotransporter‐2 inhibitors (8.1%). Over an average 14 month follow‐up, mean mMPR was 96% with a median of 100% [inter‐quartile range (IQR): 97–101%]; 93% of patients were adherent (defined as an mMPR ≥ 80%). In the same follow‐up period, mean PDC was 93.6% with a median of 99% (IQR: 93–100%). Persistence was high with 78% of patients having a 0 day gap between prescription refills. Conclusions: This study found high adherence rates to tafamidis in this real‐world Japanese patient population. Adherence rates in this study were similar to those reported by the tafamidis clinical trial and a previously published US commercial claims adherence analysis. Further studies should be conducted to assess the impact of real‐world adherence on real‐world outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of the study is to assess real-world, long-term safety/effectiveness of mepolizumab for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) in Japan. Methods: The Mepolizumab long-term study to Assess Real-world Safety and effectiveness of EGPA in Japan (MARS) (GSK ID: 213684/NCT04551989) is an ongoing 96-week study of patients with EGPA who received four-weekly mepolizumab 300 mg subcutaneously for ≥96 weeks before study entry (baseline) and continued treatment. This interim analysis included safety from baseline to Week 48 (observation period) and clinical outcomes before mepolizumab and during the observation period. Results: Of 118 patients enrolled, 29% (34/118) experienced adverse events (AEs), of which 13% (15/118) experienced serious AEs; none were considered mepolizumab related. The median oral corticosteroid (OCS) dose decreased from 6.9 (pre-mepolizumab) to 3.0 (baseline) and 2.0 mg/day (Weeks 45–48); the proportion of patients receiving no OCS increased from 8% to 32% and 38%, respectively. Patients experiencing clinical symptoms decreased from 94% (pre-mepolizumab) to 73% (baseline) and 67% (Week 48). During the observation period, 5% of patients experienced EGPA relapse; the rates of EGPA-related hospitalisations, EGPA-related emergency room/unscheduled visits, and asthma exacerbations were 0.05, 0.09, and 0.08 event/person-year, respectively. Conclusions: The results of mepolizumab treatment for ≥144 weeks (before baseline plus observation) were consistent with the known safety profile and allowed OCS dose reduction while improving disease control versus pre-treatment among patients with EGPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To efficiently detect somatic UBA1 variants and establish a clinical scoring system predicting patients with pathogenic variants in VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome. Methods Eighty-nine Japanese patients with clinically suspected VEXAS syndrome were recruited [81 males and 8 females; median age of onset 69.3 years (interquartile range 62.1–77.6)]. Peptide nucleic acid–clamping PCR (PNA-PCR), regular PCR targeting exon 3 clustering UBA1 variants and subsequent Sanger sequencing were conducted for variant screening. Partitioning digital PCR or targeted amplicon deep sequencing was also performed to evaluate the variant allele frequency (VAF). We developed our clinical scoring system to predict UBA1 variant-positive and -negative patients and assessed the diagnostic value of our system using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. Results Forty patients (44.9%) with reported pathogenic UBA1 variants were identified, including a case having a variant with VAF of 1.7%, using a highly sensitive method. Our clinical scoring system considering age >50 years, cutaneous lesions, lung involvement, chondritis and macrocytic anaemia efficiently predicted patients with UBA1 variants (the area under the curve for the scoring total was 0.908). Conclusion Genetic screening with the combination of regular PCR and PNA-PCR detected somatic UBA1 variants with high sensitivity and specificity. Our scoring system could efficiently predict patients with UBA1 variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop a proposal for giant cell arteritis remission criteria in order to implement a treat-to-target algorithm. Methods: A task force consisting of 10 rheumatologists, 3 cardiologists, 1 nephrologist, and 1 cardiac surgeon was established in the Large-vessel Vasculitis Group of the Japanese Research Committee of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for Intractable Vasculitis to conduct a Delphi survey of remission criteria for giant cell arteritis. The survey was circulated among the members over four reiterations with four face-to-face meetings. Items with a mean score of ≥4 were extracted as items for defining remission criteria. Results: An initial literature review yielded a total of 117 candidate items for disease activity domains and treatment/comorbidity domains of remission criteria, of which 35 were extracted as disease activity domains (systematic symptoms, signs and symptoms of cranial and large-vessel area, inflammatory markers, and imaging findings). For the treatment/comorbidity domain, ≤5 mg/day of prednisolone 1 year after starting glucocorticoids was extracted. The definition of achievement of remission was the disappearance of active disease in the disease activity domain, normalization of inflammatory markers, and ≤5 mg/day of prednisolone. Conclusion: We developed proposals for remission criteria to guide the implementation of a treat-to-target algorithm for giant cell arteritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case of relapsing polychondritis (RP) with pulmonary arteritis that was treated successfully with prednisolone (PSL), MTX and infliximab. Topics include medical history of the patient evaluated in the study, treatment given to the patient, and effectiveness of high-dose corticosteroids and biological agents for RP associated with large-vessel vasculitis (LVV).