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Objective We compared the incidence rates of hospitalized infections (HIs) between tocilizumab (TCZ) and other biological/targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in adults aged ≥75 years with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods We used a Japanese claims database from Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd (Tokyo, Japan) to perform a retrospective longitudinal population-based study in patients with RA who were prescribed b/tsDMARDs between 2014 and 2019. We calculated adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) for HIs in three age groups ( Results Of 5506 patients, 2265 (41.1%) were Conclusion In patients with RA aged ≥75 years, b/tsDMARDs have a similar risk of HIs to tocilizumab except for etanercept.

Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in rheumatoid arthritis. Methods We conducted three analyses: a lifetime analysis with a cohort model (Study A) and two short-term analyses (Studies B and C). Study A evaluated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained from costs of standard treatments. Study B evaluated yearly costs per person achieving American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response (ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70), and Study C evaluated costs per person achieving previously defined claims-based effectiveness (equivalent to 28-joint Disease Activity Score ≤ 3.2). The proportion of ACR responders to the drugs of interest were determined by mixed treatment comparisons. Studies B and C estimated costs using a claims database. Results In Study A, ICERs of all b/tsDMARDs were lower than 5.0 million Japanese yen (JPY) per QALY. In Study B, yearly costs per person with ACR50 response were lower for subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ-SC; 1.9 million JPY) and SC abatacept (2.3 million JPY). In Study C, costs per person were lower for TCZ-SC (1.3 million JPY) and intravenous TCZ (1.6 million JPY) and effectiveness rates were higher for intravenous TCZ (45.3%) and infliximab (43.0%). Conclusion The b/tsDMARDs with lower prices showed higher cost-effectiveness.

This real-world study evaluated whether long-term use of eldecalcitol (ELD) increases the risk of adverse events (AEs), namely, hypercalcemia, acute kidney injury (AKI), and urolithiasis, and analyzed the ELD-induced risk of rare AEs such as osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and atypical femoral fracture (AFF).Patient records were retrieved from Medical Data Vision (MDV) and Japan Medical Data Center (JMDC) databases. The ELD-treated osteoporosis patient cohort (ELD cohort) was analyzed to determine the incidence rate of the aforementioned AEs. The patient cohort that was prescribed active vitamin DIncidence rates of hypercalcemia, AKI, and urolithiasis in the ELD cohort were 0.942, 0.517, 2.465 events per 100 person-years, respectively, in the MDV dataset, and 0.687, 0.155, 3.785, respectively, in the JMDC dataset. The incidence rates of these AEs in the ELD cohort remained relatively constant throughout ELD treatment. A small number of patients experienced ONJ or AFF during ELD or AVD treatment. The number of ONJ and AFF cases in the both cohorts decreased over time. The two cohorts showed no difference in the concomitant use of anti-bone resorptive agents such as bisphosphonates and denosumab.The risk of hypercalcemia and AKI associated with ELD use observed in this retrospective analysis is similar to that reported previously in the Japanese post-marketing surveillance of ELD. Furthermore, ELD, similar to AVD, may not increase the risk of ONJ and AFF.

BACKGROUND Combination therapy comprised of fluoropyrimidine plus irinotecan with an angiogenesis inhibitor is widely used as a second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS This retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of fluorouracil and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus ramucirumab (RAM); FOLFIRI plus aflibercept (AFL); irinotecan and S-1 (IRIS) plus bevacizumab (BEV); and capecitabine and irinotecan (CAPIRI) plus BEV, with FOLFIRI plus BEV serving as the control among mCRC patients who failed treatment with fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin plus BEV. Data were collected from a medical claim database provided by Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan). The primary outcome was time to treatment failure (TTF). Secondary outcomes were time to first subsequent therapy (TFST), overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS Among 3,136 patients assessed, TTF was significantly shorter with FOLFIRI plus RAM (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-1.56; P < .001) and FOLFIRI plus AFL (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.09-1.66; P = .002), and significantly longer with IRIS plus BEV (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70-0.92; P = .002). TFST was significantly shorter with FOLFIRI plus RAM (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.17-1.49; P < .001); no significant difference in OS was observed. The incidences of neutropenia requiring granulocyte colony-stimulating factor were significantly lower with IRIS plus BEV and CAPIRI plus BEV. CONCLUSION Regarding TTF, BEV seemed to be a favorable option compared with RAM and AFL when combined with FOLFIRI, and IRIS might be preferable compared to FOLFIRI when combined with BEV for patients who failed to respond to fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and BEV.

Objective To determine the convergent validity and responsiveness of the work functioning impairment scale (WFun) in workers with musculoskeletal disorder-related pain. Methods Participants were extracted from an internet user study and prospectively examined using the pain intensity numerical rating scale (pain-NRS), the work ability numerical rating scale (productivity-NRS), and the WFun at baseline, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months. The convergent validity and responsiveness of the WFun were examined by multilevel regression analysis. Results A total of 786 workers participated and 593 completed all surveys. The WFun score gradually increased and decreased as the pain-NRS and the productivity-NRS increased, respectively. Changes in the WFun score steadily increased and decreased as changes in the pain-NRS and the productivity-NRS increased, respectively. Multilevel analyses showed that all linear associations were significant. Conclusions The convergent validity and responsiveness of the WFun were consistent with the expected direction and magnitude.

Introduction: FVIII prophylaxis for hemophilia A (HA) has reduced the bleeding frequency in patients and enabled the prevention of hemophilic arthropathy and severe bleeding. However, the treatment/disease burden remains a concern, as evidenced by requiring intravenous injections two/three times a week; regular hospital visits to receive a prescription for medication, as drug delivery is not a provision in Japan; and frequent hospital visits because of complications, like bleeding. Moreover, there is no national patient registry for hemophilia in Japan, and few studies have examined the state of medical care and patient burden due to symptoms and medical practices. Herein, data from medical information databases (DBs) were assessed to investigate the state of medical care and patient burden for HA patients in Japan. Methods: The DBs of health insurance subscribers provided by JMDC Inc. (JMDC-DB) and of electronic medical care records provided by Real World Data Co., Ltd. (RWD-DB) were reviewed. Two DBs were used because the differences between them, such as data source for HA patients, may lead to intergroup differences in the characteristics and traceability of each patient. The targets of analysis were HA patients (ICD-10 code: D66) prescribed FVIII concentrates, emicizumab, or bypassing agents. The definition of targets in this analysis was deemed appropriate in a separate validation study. The occurrence rates of intracranial hemorrhage, ischemic heart disease, hospitalizations, emergency visits, and outpatient visits were calculated to evaluate patient burden. Further, data on the number of hospitals visited and prescribed amounts of FVIII concentrates per month were tabulated and descriptive statistics, applied. Table 1 shows the outcome measures. Results: The number of patients included, based on the target period and inclusion criteria, was 459 from JMDC-DB (January 2005 to March 2020) and 229 from RWD-DB (January 1985 to March 2020). Both DBs had a large proportion of patients aged 0-9 years (23.09% in JMDC-DB and 47.16% in RWD-DB) and a small proportion of patients aged ≥60 years (2.61% in JMDC-DB and 5.68% in RWD-DB). The mean (standard deviation [SD]) and median values for the monthly prescribed amount of FVIII concentrate were 10526.36 IU (11260.42) and 8594.91 IU in JMDC-DB and 12569.11 IU (54846.02) and 1514.35 IU in RWD-DB, respectively. The yearly trends of monthly prescribed amounts of FVIII concentrate for patients in JMDC-DB were analyzed. The median values for every 3 years since 2007 were as follows: 1916.67 IU (2007), 3375.00 IU (2010), 7229.17 IU (2013), 8614.58 IU (2016), and 10000.00 IU (2019), indicating an increasing trend in recent years. The occurrence rates (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of intracranial hemorrhage, ischemic heart disease, and hospitalizations were 2.61% (1.36-4.52), 0.00%, and 32.68% (28.40-37.18) in JMDC-DB and 4.42% (2.14-7.99), 0.44% (0.01-2.44), and 57.08% (50.35-63.62) in RWD-DB, respectively. The age-stratified occurrence rates (95% CIs) of intracranial hemorrhage in JMDC-DB and RWD-DB were 9.43% (4.62-16.67) for 0-9 years, 1.67% (0.04-8.94) for 40-49 years, and 4.00% (0.10-20.35) for 50-59 years and 3.70% (1.02-9.21) for 0-9 years, 13.04% (2.78-33.59) for 10-19 years, 9.09% (1.12-29.16) for 30-39 years, and 6.67% (0.17-31.95) for 40-49 years, respectively. The overall occurrence rates of intracranial hemorrhage were similar in the two DBs: 2.61% (JMDC-DB) vs. 4.42% (RWD-DB). Additional results of our analysis will be presented at the conference. Conclusions: The prescription of FVIII concentrates for Japanese patients with HA is increasing, probably because FVIII prophylaxis in the clinical setting has become more common. The widespread use of FVIII has many benefits for HA patients. However, there are still treatment burdens that should be considered, such as the need for several drug prescriptions and severe bleeding, such as intracranial hemorrhage. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Nagao: CHUGAI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi K.K.: Honoraria; Fujimoto Pharmaceutical Corporation: Honoraria; KM Biologics Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Japan Blood Products Organization: Honoraria; Novo Nordisk Pharma Ltd.: Honoraria; CSL Behring K.K.: Honoraria. Ioka: Chugai Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd.: Current Employment. Nakamura: Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Current Employment. Murakami: Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Current Employment. Makishima: Chugai Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd.: Current Employment. Okada: Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Current Employment. Sakai: Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd.: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novo Nordisk Pharma Ltd.: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; CSL Behring K.K.: Speakers Bureau; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.: Speakers Bureau; CHUGAI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Speakers Bureau; Sanofi K.K.: Speakers Bureau.

We aimed to evaluate the convergent validity and responsiveness of the work functioning impairment scale (WFun) in patients with depression, a major disease causing presenteeism.Baseline testing was performed using WFun, the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) in 37 outpatients with major depression or bipolar disorder who were working. The QIDS and WFun scores were measured several times for responsiveness evaluation.Regression analyses showed significant positive correlations between baseline WFun and HAM-D and MADRS scores. Changes in WFun and QIDS scores were positively correlated for QIDS scores.Our results suggest that WFun is convergently valid and responsive for determining the clinical severity of depression in workers treated as psychiatric outpatients.

(2008). Paleoenvironmental record of Lake Hovsgol (Mongolia) in northeast Eurasia. SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010: Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 318-322.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical found in the environment. To assess the metabolic modulation of estrogenic activity of BPA after ingestion, we investigated whether the incubation of BPA with rat liver S9 fraction results in metabolic activation or inactivation of estrogenic activity using a recombinant yeast expressing human estrogen receptor and MCF-7 transfected firefly luciferase plasmid for a reporter assay. When 0.1 mM BPA was incubated with rat liver S9 for 1 h, the estrogenic activity was increased about two to five times compared with that of the control, in which the S9 was inactivated prior to incubation. This metabolic activation was inhibited by SKF 525-A, an inhibitor of cytochrome P450. With increasing incubation time, the estrogenic activity increased time-dependently. Interestingly, however, the metabolic activation did not proceed with either microsomes or cytosol alone and was restored by a recombination of both fractions. The active metabolite was eluted at later retention time than that of BPA on HPLC with a reversed-phase column. Bisphenol B and methoxychlor were also activated by incubation with rat liver S9, whereas 4-tert-octylphenol and 4-nonylphenol, as well as 17beta-estradiol, were metabolically inactivated. The present results clearly indicate that BPA is metabolically activated in terms of estrogenicity under the conditions existing only with combined rat liver microsomes and cytosol.

We previously demonstrated that the estrogenicity of either bisphenol A [BPA; 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane] or bisphenol B [BPB; 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane] was increased several times after incubation with rat liver S9 fraction (Yoshihara et al., 2001). This metabolic activation, requiring both microsomal and cytosolic fractions, was observed with not only rat liver, but also human, monkey, and mouse liver S9 fractions. To characterize the active metabolites of BPA and BPB, we investigated the structures of the isolated active metabolites by negative mode LC/MS/MS and GC/MS. The active metabolite of BPA gave a negative mass peak at [M-H](-) 267 on LC/MS and a single daughter ion at m/z 133 on MS/MS analysis, suggesting an isopropenylphenol dimer structure. Finally, this active metabolite was confirmed to be identical with authentic 4-methyl-2,4-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)pent-1-ene (MBP) by means of various instrumental analyses. The corresponding peaks of the BPB metabolite were [M-H](-) 295 and m/z 147, respectively, suggesting an isobutenylphenol dimer structure. Further, coincubation of BPA and BPB with rat liver S9 afforded an additional active metabolite(s), which gave a negative mass peak at [M-H](-) 281 and two daughter ion peaks at m/z 133 and m/z 147 on MS/MS analysis. These results strongly suggest that the active metabolite of either BPA or BPB might be formed by recombination of a radical fragment, a one-electron oxidation product of carbon-phenyl bond cleavage. It is noteworthy that the estrogenic activity of MBP, the active metabolite of BPA, is much more potent than that of the parent BPA in several assays, including two reporter assays using a recombinant yeast expressing human estrogen receptor alpha and an MCF-7-transfected firefly luciferase plasmid.