Indications and classes of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in Japan: A descriptive study using the national database of electronic health insurance claims, 2012-2015.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate condition-specific antibiotic prescription rates and the appropriateness of antibiotic use in outpatient settings in Japan. METHODS: Using Japan's national administrative claims database, all outpatient visits with infectious disease diagnoses were linked to reimbursed oral antibiotic prescriptions. Prescription rates stratified by age, sex, prefecture, and antibiotic category were determined for each infectious disease diagnosis. The proportions of any antibiotic prescription to all infectious disease visits and the proportions of first-line antibiotic prescriptions to all antibiotic prescriptions were calculated for each infectious disease diagnosis. RESULTS: Of the 659 million infectious disease visits between April 2012 and March 2015, antibiotics were prescribed in 266 million visits (704 prescriptions per 1000 population per year). Third-generation cephalosporins, macrolides, and quinolones accounted for 85.9% of all antibiotic prescriptions. Fifty-six percent of antibiotic prescriptions were directed toward infections for which antibiotics are generally not indicated. The diagnoses with frequent antibiotic prescription were bronchitis (184 prescriptions per 1000 population per year), viral upper respiratory infections (166), pharyngitis (104), sinusitis (52), and gastrointestinal infection (41), for which 58.3%, 40.6%, 58.9%, 53.9%, and 26.1% of visits antibiotics were prescribed, respectively. First-line antibiotics were rarely prescribed for pharyngitis (8.8%) and sinusitis (9.8%). More antibiotics were prescribed for children aged 0-9 years, adult women, and patients living in western Japan. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic prescription rates are high in Japan. Acute respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, which received the majority of the antibiotics generally not indicated, should be the main targets of antimicrobial stewardship intervention.

Antibiotic prescription among outpatients in a prefecture of Japan, 2012-2013: a retrospective claims database study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate oral antibiotic prescribing patterns and identify factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions, with the aim of guiding future interventions to reduce inappropriate prescribing. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Database of public health insurance claims in Kumamoto prefecture (Japan). PARTICIPANTS: Beneficiaries of the national or late elders' health insurance system between April 2012 and March 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Of the 7 770 481 outpatient visits, 682 822 had a code for antibiotics (860 antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 population). Third-generation cephalosporins (35%), macrolides (32%) and quinolones (21%) were the most frequently prescribed. Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs), including viral upper respiratory infections (URI) (22%), pharyngitis (18%), bronchitis (11%) and sinusitis (10%) were the most frequently diagnosed for antibiotic prescribing, followed by gastrointestinal (9%), urinary tract (8%) and skin, cutaneous and mucosal infections (5%). Antibiotic prescribing rates for viral URI, pharyngitis, bronchitis, sinusitis and gastrointestinal infections were 35%, 54%, 53%, 57% and 30%, respectively. In multivariable analysis for ARTIs and gastrointestinal infections, patient age (10-19 years especially), patient sex (male) and facility scale (free-standing clinics or small-scale hospital-based clinics) were associated with increased antibiotic prescribing. CONCLUSIONS: Broad-spectrum antibiotics constituted 88% of oral outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. Approximately 70% of antibiotics were prescribed for ARTIs and gastroenteritis with modest benefit from antibiotic treatment. The quality of antibiotic prescribing needs to be improved. Antimicrobial stewardship interventions should target ARTIs and gastroenteritis, as well as young patients and small-scale institutions.

Volumetric and functional assessment of ventricles in pulmonary hypertension on 3-dimensional echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive assessment of volume and function on the right ventricle (RV) for pulmonary hypertension (PH) is limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with PH (n=23) underwent 3-dimensional (D) echocardiography (3DECHO), with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to confirm its precision, and right heart catheterization. On linear regression analysis the RV end-systolic volume index (ESVI) was positively correlated with pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP; R=0.42 and 0.46, P=0.03 and 0.03, respectively). The RV end-diastolic volume index (EDVI) was positively correlated with mPAP (R=0.41, P<0.05). The left ventricular (LV) EDVI was inversely correlated with PVR (R=-0.48, P=0.02). The RV ejection fraction was inversely correlated with PVR and mean right atrial pressure (mRAP; R=-0.57, and -0.45, P=0.004, and 0.03, respectively). RVEDVI/LVEDVI and RVESVI/LVESVI (the diastolic and systolic remodeling indices, respectively) had a significantly positive linear relationship with PVR (R=0.67 and 0.55, P=0.0005 and 0.006, respectively), and the former had a significantly positive linear relationship with mRAP (R=0.42, P<0.05). During the recovery process in 1 specific case, the remodeling indices maintained a significant linear relationship with the hemodynamic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Novel indices provided by 3DECHO may be utilized as alternative indicators of hemodynamic changes in PH patients.

Mid-term results and costs of coronary artery bypass vs drug-eluting stents for unprotected left main coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: The optimal revascularization strategy for unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease in the era of drug-eluting stents (DES) has become more controversial between coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS: Since April 2004, 89 patients underwent CABG, including 82 (92.1%) off-pump procedures and 63 patients underwent PCI with DES for ULMCA disease. Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE: death, acute myocardial infarction, stroke and repeat revascularization) and hospitalization costs were compared. Patients in the CABG group were likely to have multivessel disease and higher euroSCORE. The mean follow-up was 2.2+/-1.1 years in the CABG group and 1.6+/-0.8 years in the DES group (P<0.001). The overall survival rate did not differ (P=0.288) between the groups (CABG: 93.4% and DES: 91.9% at 2 years). The MACCE-free survival rate was better (P=0.033) in the CABG group (CABG: 82.2% and DES: 62.6% at 2 years). Total hospitalization costs were lower (P=0.013) in the CABG group (median: 3,225 thousand yen) than in the DES group (median: 4,192 thousand yen). CONCLUSIONS: CABG might be associated with cost-effectiveness and could be still the first revascularization strategy for ULMCA disease.

Changes in waist circumference and body mass index in relation to changes in serum uric acid in Japanese individuals.

OBJECTIVE: Studies have shown that obesity is associated with an increase in serum uric acid; and few data are available on the relationship between changes in measures of obesity and changes in uric acid concentrations. We investigated the relationship among percentage changes in waist circumference (%dWC), body mass index (%dBMI), and serum uric acid (%dUA). METHODS: The data of 3153 individuals [1968 men, 1185 women (536 premenopausal, 649 postmenopausal)] who underwent general health screening over a 2-year period and were not taking antihyperuricemic medication were analyzed. RESULTS: Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that %dBMI was associated positively with %dUA in postmenopausal women and men, and the association retained statistical significance after adjustment for changes in blood pressure and in renal function. Association between %dBMI and %dUA was not significant in premenopausal women. In men, %dWC was a predicting factor for %dUA, although it did not remain significant when %dBMI was used as a covariate in the statistical model. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of the association between the lowest %dBMI quartile (%dBMI < -1.86) and the lowest %dUA quartile (%dUA < -7.41) was 2.04 (95% CI 1.35-3.07) in postmenopausal women and 1.46 (95% CI 1.14-1.86) in men. CONCLUSION: Weight loss may represent an effective nonmedical strategy for reducing serum UA levels, especially in postmenopausal women and men.

The Japanese national health screening and intervention program aimed at preventing worsening of the metabolic syndrome.

Similar to the healthcare systems in other industrialized countries, the Japanese healthcare system is facing the problem of increasing medical expenditure. In Japan, this situation may be primarily attributed to advanced technological developments, an aging population, and increasing patient demand. Japan also faces the problem of a declining youth population due to a low birth rate. Taken together, these problems present the healthcare system with a very difficult financial situation. Several reforms have been undertaken to contain medical expenditure, such as increasing employee copayment for health insurance from 10% to 20% in 1997 and from 20% to 30% in 2003 in order to curb unnecessary visits to medical institutions. Since the aging of the Japanese population is inevitable, a suitable method to contain medical expenditure may be to screen individuals who are likely to develop lifestyle-related diseases and conduct early intervention programs for them to prevent the development of diseases such as myocardial infarction or stroke that are costly to treat. If this goal is attained, it may contribute to the containment of medical expenditure as well as to improving the quality of life of the elderly. Therefore, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to introduce a nationwide health screening and intervention program specifically targeting the metabolic syndrome commencing April 2008. Here, we discuss (1) the background of the Japanese healthcare system and the problems facing it, (2) the underlying objective and details of the new screening program, and (3) the expected impact of the program.

Assessment of central chemosensitivity and cardiac sympathetic nerve activity using I-123 MIBG imaging in central sleep apnea syndrome in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: Iodine-123 MIBG imaging has been used to study cardiac sympathetic function in various cardiac diseases. Central sleep apnea syndrome (CSAS) occurs frequently in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and is reported to be associated with a poor prognosis. One of the mechanisms of its poor prognosis may be related to impaired cardiac sympathetic activity. However, the relationship between chemosensitivity to carbon dioxide, which is reported to correlate with the severity of CSAS, and cardiac sympathetic activity has not been investigated. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess cardiac sympathetic function and chemosensitivity to carbon dioxide in CHF patients. METHODS: The oxygen desaturation index (ODI) was evaluated in 21 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (male/female: 19/2, LVEF < 45%, 65 +/- 12 yr). Patients with an ODI > 5 times/h underwent polysomnography. Patients with an apnea hypopnea index > 15/h but without evidence of obstructive apnea were defined as having CSAS. Early (15 min) and delayed (4 hr) planar MIBG images were obtained from these patients. The mean counts in the whole heart and the mediastinum were obtained. The heart-to-mediastinum count ratio of the delayed image (H/M) and the corrected myocardial washout rate (WR) were also calculated. The central chemoreflex was assessed with the rebreathing method using a hypercapnic gas mixture (7% CO2 and 93% O2). RESULTS: Ten of the 21 patients had CSAS. The H/M ratio was similar in patients both with and without CSAS (1.57 +/- 0.18 vs. 1.59 +/- 0.14, p = 0.82). However, the WR was higher in patients with CSAS than in patients without CSAS (40 +/- 8% vs. 30 +/- 12%, p < 0.05). ODI significantly correlated with central chemosensitivity to carbon dioxide. Moreover, there was a highly significant correlation between WR and central chemosensitivity (r = 0.65, p < 0.05). However, there was no correlation between ODI and the WR (r = 0.36, p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac sympathetic nerve activity in patients with CHF and CSAS is impaired. However, central sleep apnea might not directly increase cardiac sympathetic nerve activity. We suggest that central chemosensitivity, which is considered to be one of the mechanisms of CSAS, is correlated with cardiac sympathetic nerve activity.

Establishment of a method of anonymization of DNA samples in genetic research.

As the number of the genetic studies has rapidly increased in recent years, there has been growing concern that the privacy of the participants in such studies can be invaded unless effective measures are adopted to protect confidentiality. It is crucial for the scientific community to establish a method to anonymize DNA samples so that the public will trust genetic researchers. Here, we present a reliable and practical method of making DNA samples used in the genetic research anonymous. It assures complete anonymity by coding samples and personal information twice. Since it does not require equipment, such as bar-code readers or a software package, its cost is nominal compared with the laboratory costs. All institutions engaged in genetic research may wish to take measures such as the one described here to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the participants in their genetic studies.