Public Library of Science Acta Medica Okayama 1932-6203 19 2 2024 Changes in the place of death before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan e0299700 EN Masashi Shibata Department of General Medicine, Iizuka Hospital Yuki Otsuka Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hideharu Hagiya Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshihiro Koyama Department of Pharmaceutical Biomedicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hideyuki Kashiwagi Department of Transitional and Palliative Care, Iizuka Hospital Fumio Otsuka Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Background<br> In the global aging, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have affected the place of death (PoD) in Japan, where hospital deaths have dominated for decades. We analyzed the PoD trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. <br> Methods <br> This nationwide observational study used vital statistics based on death certificates from Japan between 1951 and 2021. The proportion of PoD; deaths at home, hospitals, and nursing homes; and annual percentage change (APC) were estimated using joinpoint regression analysis. Analyses were stratified by age groups and causes of death. <br> Results <br> After 2019, home deaths exhibited upward trends, while hospital death turned into downward trends. By age, no significant trend change was seen in the 0-19 age group, while hospital deaths decreased in the 20-64 age group in 2019. The trend change in home death in the >= 65 age group significantly increased since 2019 with an APC of 12.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.0 to 15.7), while their hospital death trends decreased by -4.0% (95% CI: -4.9 to -3.1) in 2019-2021. By cause of death, home death due to cancer and the old age increased since 2019 with an APC of 29.3% (95% CI: 25.4 to 33.2) and 8.8% (95% CI: 5.5 to 12.2), respectively. <br> Conclusion <br> PoD has shifted from hospital to home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. The majority of whom were older population with cancer or old age. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Public Library of Science Acta Medica Okayama 1932-6203 19 2 2024 Fluorescence-guided assessment of bone and soft-tissue sarcomas for predicting the efficacy of telomerase-specific oncolytic adenovirus e0298292 EN Koji Uotani Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroshi Tazawa Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Joe Hasei Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Tomohiro Fujiwara Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Aki Yoshida Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yasuaki Yamakawa Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshinori Omori Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kazuhisa Sugiu Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Tadashi Komatsubara Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroya Kondo Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Takuya Morita Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Masahiro Kiyono Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Suguru Yokoo Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshiaki Hata Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshiyuki Kunisada Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Ken Takeda Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yasuo Urata Oncolys BioPharma, Inc. Toshiyoshi Fujiwara Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshifumi Ozaki Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Bone and soft-tissue sarcomas are rare malignancies with histological diversity and tumor heterogeneity, leading to the lack of a common molecular target. Telomerase is a key enzyme for keeping the telomere length and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression is often activated in most human cancers, including bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. For targeting of telomerase-positive tumor cells, we developed OBP-301, a telomerase-specific replication-competent oncolytic adenovirus, in which the hTERT promoter regulates adenoviral E1 gene for tumor-specific viral replication. In this study, we present the diagnostic potential of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing oncolytic adenovirus OBP-401 for assessing virotherapy sensitivity using bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. OBP-401-mediated GFP expression was significantly associated with the therapeutic efficacy of OBP-401 in human bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. In the tumor specimens from 68 patients, malignant and intermediate tumors demonstrated significantly higher expression levels of coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR) and hTERT than benign tumors. OBP-401-mediated GFP expression was significantly increased in malignant and intermediate tumors with high expression levels of CAR and hTERT between 24 and 48 h after infection. Our results suggest that the OBP-401-based GFP expression system is a useful tool for predicting the therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy on bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Public Library of Science Acta Medica Okayama 1932-6203 19 2 2024 Japan-epiretinal membrane (J-ERM) registry: A prospective cohort study protocol investigating the surgical outcome of epiretinal membrane e0297347 EN Yuki Kanzaki Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Ryo Matoba Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kenji Ishihara Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine Tetsuro Morita Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yuki Muraoka Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine Shuhei Kimura Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Takashi Koto Kyorin Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University School of Medicine Ryo Kawasaki Division of Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Takayuki Baba Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine Fumiki Okamoto Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School Makoto Inoue Kyorin Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University School of Medicine Taiji Sakamoto Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Akitaka Tsujikawa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine Yuki Morizane Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Background<br> Epiretinal membrane (ERM) causes visual impairment such as reduction in visual acuity and metamorphopsia due to retinal traction. With the improvement of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and microincision vitrectomy surgery (MIVS), the surgery of ERM has significantly advanced. However, there have been no large-scale studies on the following: (1) how to evaluate visual impairment in ERM, (2) the relationship between OCT findings and visual function, (3) when is the optimal timing of surgery, and (4) the relationship between the surgical instruments as well as techniques and prognosis. The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence regarding these ERM surgeries.<br> Methods and design<br> This is a prospective, multicenter cohort study of ERM surgery in Japan from March 1, 2023, to March 31, 2027 (UMIN000048472, R-3468-2). Patients who underwent ERM surgery during the study period and agreed to participate in this study will be included. The goal is to have a total of 5,000 eyes surgically treated for ERM. The following data will be collected: age, gender, medical history, subjective symptoms, visual function before and 6 and 12 months after surgery, clinical findings, OCT data, surgical technique, instruments used in surgery, and complications.<br> Discussion<br> The results of this study will support the surgical decisions and procedures in ERM practices. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.