Retraction: Murine hypothalamic destruction with vascular cell apoptosis subsequent to combined administration of human papilloma virus vaccine and pertussis toxin.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep36943.

Psychometric assessment of the Japanese version of the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire: reliability and validity.

AIM: To assess the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (JFIQR) in fibromyalgia (FM) patients. METHOD: The reliability and validity of the JFIQR were assessed using online data collected from Japanese FM patients. Reliability was evaluated based on test-retest reliability results and internal consistency; validity was evaluated on the basis of concurrent and known-group validity. RESULTS: A total of 105 patients completed the online questionnaire. Intra-class correlation coefficients for test-retest were 0.91 for the JFIQR total score with a range of 0.84-0.90 in three domains: function, overall impact and symptoms. Internal consistency results indicated a Cronbach's alpha of 0.90 for the total score with a range of 0.83 and 0.85 for the domains. Concurrent validity results showed that the total score was correlated to all external criteria (Japanese version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, Fibromyalgia Activity Scale-31, Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form health survey) from a moderate to strong degree with most indicating a strong correlation. Results of known-group validity showed that the JFIQR total score is capable of discriminating between FM and the other groups, such as rheumatic arthritis and no chronic pain (P < 0.0001 for all pairwise comparisons). CONCLUSION: The current psychometric assessment of the JFIQR demonstrated that it is a reliable and valid questionnaire in Japanese patients with FM. Usefulness of the JFIQR in clinical studies and medical practice for Japanese-speaking populations is expected.

High prevalence of anti-TSH receptor antibody in fibromyalgia syndrome.

AIM: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is defined as chronic widespread pain that cannot be accounted for by any other medical disorder. Our aim was to explore the prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in patients with FMS. METHODS: For determining thyroid function in 207 FMS patients, we tested for the titers of free tri-iodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) and anti-TSH receptor antibody (TRAb). RESULTS: Twenty-five patients who had either subclinical hyper- or hypothyroidism, or overt hypothyroidism were excluded. Sixty-nine FMS patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) (37.9%, 69/182) were identified. The prevalence of positivity for TRAb, TgAb and TPOAb was 20.3% (n = 37), 16.5% (n = 30) and 13.2% (n = 24), respectively. Compared to control populations in previous studies, the prevalence of TRAb positivity was high, and titers of TRAb were low (1.0-1.5 IU/L). The prevalence of TPOAb and TgAb positivity was not significantly higher than that reported in FMS patients in previous studies. Clinical symptom profiles were identical for FMS patients with and without AITD. CONCLUSION: We found a high prevalence of AITD among 207 patients with clinically defined FMS, with TRAb being especially prominent among these patients. Further study is needed to evaluate changes in thyroid function among FMS patients with AITD.

Murine hypothalamic destruction with vascular cell apoptosis subsequent to combined administration of human papilloma virus vaccine and pertussis toxin.

Vaccination is the most powerful way to prevent human beings from contracting infectious diseases including viruses. In the case of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, an unexpectedly novel disease entity, HPV vaccination associated neuro-immunopathetic syndrome (HANS), has been reported and remains to be carefully verified. To elucidate the mechanism of HANS, we applied a strategy similar to the active experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) model - one of the most popular animal models used to induce maximum immunological change in the central nervous system. Surprisingly, mice vaccinated with pertussis toxin showed neurological phenotypes that include low responsiveness of the tail reflex and locomotive mobility. Pathological analyses revealed the damage to the hypothalamus and circumventricular regions around the third ventricle, and these regions contained apoptotic vascular endothelial cells. These data suggested that HPV-vaccinated donners that are susceptible to the HPV vaccine might develop HANS under certain environmental factors. These results will give us the new insight into the murine pathological model of HANS and help us to find a way to treat of patients suffering from HANS.

An epidemiologic internet survey of fibromyalgia and chronic pain in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the epidemiologic features and symptom characteristics of fibromyalgia (FM) in Japan, and compare them with those for other chronic pain (CP) diagnoses. METHODS: An internet survey was conducted in June and July 2011. The questionnaire consisted of 111 questions, including assessments of the Japanese version of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for FM, the Japanese Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and additional questions regarding pain and lifestyle. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 20,407 male and female respondents in all prefectures of Japan. Of the survey population, 2,524 respondents (12.4%) reported symptoms consistent with CP; of these, 425 (2.1%) reported symptoms consistent with FM. Among respondents with FM and CP, 61% and 53%, respectively, were women. Pain severity and Widespread Pain Index scores were significantly higher in respondents meeting the diagnostic criteria for FM than in those meeting the criteria for CP. In terms of symptom severity scores, the proportions of respondents reporting the 3 major symptoms as "highly applicable" and greater numbers of 41 somatic symptoms were higher among respondents with FM than among those with CP. The incidence of FM in the present survey was similar to that reported (1.7%) in a study of FM in Japan in 2003, despite the use of the newer, easier to use 2010 diagnostic criteria. CONCLUSION: Because FM usually presents with more severe and more widely distributed pain, as well as more nonpainful symptoms than CP, our results suggest that FM is a different clinical phenotype of CP.

Development of the Japanese version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (JFIQ): psychometric assessments of reliability and validity.

AIM: To perform a psychometric assessment of the Japanese version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (JFIQ). METHODS: Data for the psychometric assessment were collected from Japanese fibromyalgia (FM) patients who visited a clinic. Analyses were performed to examine the reliability and validity of the JFIQ. RESULTS: A total of 56 patients were included in the analysis. There was no remarkable floor or ceiling effect for the JFIQ item or total scores. In the analysis of reproducibility, the interclass correlation coefficients of each item score and total score ranged from 0.61 to 0.95. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.92. For the concurrent validity, the total score and most of the item scores correlated to every domain of Short Form-36 or Beck Depression Inventory-II to a moderate or great extent. The results of the known-group comparisons indicated that the total score tended to increase with the increase in severity of FM and pain (P-values for trend < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This psychometric assessment demonstrated good reliability and validity of the JFIQ for use with Japanese FM patients. In the future, we expect that this questionnaire will be used in clinical studies and medical practice, and will be beneficial in the development of new therapies as well as for the comprehensive evaluation of patients' conditions in Japan.