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In summer 2018, brown stripe symptoms were observed on leaf blades of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) used as a turfgrass in an athletic field in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Bacterial ooze exuded from lesions, from which a pathogenic bacterium was isolated. Inoculation of blades of perennial ryegrass with the isolates reproduced the same symptoms. Pathogenicity and bacteriological properties of the isolates were almost identical to those of Acidovorax avenae, and the identification was supported by phylogenetic analysis. This is the first report of the brown stripe on perennial ryegrass caused by A. avenae (= A. avenae subsp. avenae) in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate perinatal outcomes in pregnancy after high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) therapy for early stage endometrial cancer (EC) and atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and to determine whether pregnancy after MPA therapy is at a higher risk of placenta accreta. Methods: Data of 51 pregnancies in 46 women who received MPA therapy for EC or AEH and delivered after 22 weeks of gestation at Keio University Hospital were reviewed. A retrospective matched case–control study was performed to determine the risk of placenta accreta in pregnancy after MPA therapy compared with singleton pregnancies without any history of maternal malignancy treatments. Results: The incidence of placenta accreta was higher in the MPA group than in the control group (15.7 vs. 0%, p = 0.0058). However, no differences in other perinatal outcomes were observed between groups. While gestational weeks at delivery in the MPA group were later than those in the control group (p = 0.0058), no difference in the incidence of preterm delivery was recorded between groups. In the MPA therapy group, the number of patients who underwent ≥ 6 dilation and curettage (D&C) was higher in the placenta accreta group than in the non-placenta accreta group (50.0 vs. 14.0%, p = 0.018). Patients with ≥ 6 D&Cs demonstrated a 6.0-fold increased risk of placenta accreta (p = 0.043, 95% CI 1.05–34.1) than those receiving ≤ 3 D&Cs. Conclusion: Pregnancy after MPA therapy is associated with a high risk of placenta accreta. In cases in which the frequency of D&C is high, placenta accreta should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Olaparib maintenance therapy for platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer has been approved in Japan since April 2018. Here, we report the experience administering this therapy in our hospital, with the aim of evaluating efficacy and safety in the Japanese population. Methods: The study included 52 patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer. All patients started olaparib at a dose of 300 mg twice daily. Information about treatment efficacy and adverse effects was collected retrospectively from medical records. Results: Median age was 58 years old (range: 33–80), and 82.7% of the patients were diagnosed with high-grade serous carcinoma. Sixteen patients (30.8%) possessed the BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant (15 germline and 1 tissue), 3 (5.8%) possessed variants of unknown significance (2 germline and 1 tissue), 16 (30.8%) possessed wild type, and 17 (32.7%) were not analyzed. Median progression-free survival was 15.3 months (95% CI 9.0–21.6). Patients with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants showed significantly longer PFS than patients with wild-type BRCA1/2 (p = 0.007). Disease progression caused 34 cases to discontinue olaparib. Eighteen (34.6%) individuals exhibited ≥ grade 3 anemia, although they recovered in response to appropriate management. One patient discontinued olaparib because of prolonged renal dysfunction. Another patient presented with grade 3 fatigue, but recovered after 2 weeks of interruption and continued olaparib treatment. Conclusion: Olaparib maintenance therapy for platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer in the Japanese population is sufficiently safe and no less effective than reports from previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ARID1A mutation is frequently found in clear cell ovarian cancer (CCC) and endometrioid ovarian cancer (EC). Anti-PD-1 monotherapy has been found to have limited efficacy in epithelial ovarian cancer; however, anti-PD-1 therapy showed significant clinical benefit in some CCC. We sought to define the relationship of ARID1A mutation/ARID1A expression to the immunogenic profile of different histologic subtypes of ovarian cancer. We performed next-generation sequencing of 160 cancer-related genes. Also, we analyzed the immunohistochemical status of ARID1A, PD-L1, and CD8 with survival in different histologic subtypes of ovarian cancer in a total of 103 cases. ARID1A mutation was found in 0% of the high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) (n = 36), 41.5% of the CCC (n = 41), 45.0% of the EC (n = 20), and 33.3% of the mucinous ovarian cancer (MC) (n = 6) cases. ARID1A loss was found in 19.4% of the HGSC, 75.6% of the CCC, 60.0% of the EC and 0% of the MC cases. ARID1A mutation was found to be associated with high PD-L1 (p < 0.001) or CD8 levels (p < 0.001) in CCC but not in other histologic subtypes. Meanwhile, ARID1A loss was associated with high PD-L1 or CD8 levels in CCC (p < 0.001) and HGSC (p < 0.001) but not in EC and MC. In addition, ARID1A mutation was associated with high tumor mutation burden in CCC (p = 0.006). ARID1A mutation/ARID1A expression is associated with immune microenvironmental factors in CCC but not in EC. ARID1A status can be a biomarker for selecting candidates for immune checkpoint blockade in CCC. • ARID1A mutation was identified in 41.5 and 45.0% of clear cell and endometrioid ovarian cancer patients, respectively. • ARID1A mutation/ARID1A loss is associated with positive PD-L1 or CD8 levels in clear cell ovarian cancer. • ARID1A mutation is associated with a high tumor mutation burden in clear cell ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We investigated the effectiveness of removing lost intrauterine devices (IUDs) that had been in place for over 10 years, using Lin's biopsy grasper in an office setting. Methods:This single-centre, retrospective study conducted between March 2006 and June 2018 included 49 women who had had an IUD in place for contraception for more than 10 years and who underwent removal of the lost IUD using Lin's biopsy grasper under transabdominal sonography without use of a tenaculum, anaesthesia and analgesia, after dilation of the cervical os and hysteroscopy. Results: The women's median age was 52 years (range 34-80 years) and the median duration of insertion was 17 years (range 10-43 years). Forty-eight (98%) women had their lost IUD removed using Lin's biopsy grasper. Among the removed IUDs, there were eight FD-1 IUDs with a string, 13 FD-1 IUDs without a string, 13 Chinese IUDs, seven Ota ring IUDs, three KS ring IUDs, two Saf-T-Coil IUDs, two Lippe loop IUDs and one Wing IUD. All women tolerated the procedure and there were no major operative complications. Conclusions: Lin's biopsy grasper was effective in removing IUDs that had been in place for a long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]