Expert consensus on vaccination in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in Japan.

Immunosuppressive therapies can affect the immune response to or safety of vaccination in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The appropriateness of vaccination should be assessed prior to the initiation of IBD treatment because patients with IBD frequently undergo continuous treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. This consensus was developed to support the decision-making process regarding appropriate vaccination for pediatric and adult patients with IBD and physicians by providing critical information according to the published literature and expert consensus about vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) [excluding cervical cancer and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)] in Japan. This consensus includes 19 important clinical questions (CQs) on the following 4 topics: VPDs (6 CQs), live attenuated vaccines (2 CQs), inactivated vaccines (6 CQs), and vaccination for pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding (5 CQs). These topics and CQs were selected under unified consensus by the members of a committee on intractable diseases with support by a Health and Labour Sciences Research Grant. Physicians should provide necessary information on VPDs to their patients with IBD and carefully manage these patients' IBD if various risk factors for the development or worsening of VPDs are present. This consensus will facilitate informed and shared decision-making in daily IBD clinical practice.

Anxiety and behavioral changes in Japanese patients with inflammatory bowel disease due to COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey.

BACKGROUND: Given the increasing health concerns for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated the impact of the pandemic on the anxiety and behavioral changes in Japanese patients with IBD. METHODS: We analyzed 3032 questionnaires from patients with IBD, aged 16 years or older visiting 30 hospitals and 1 clinic between March 2020 and June 2021. The primary outcome was the score of the anxiety experienced by patients with IBD during the pandemic. RESULTS: Participants reported a median age of 44 years; 43.3% of the patients were women. Moreover, 60.6% and 39.4% were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, respectively, with a median disease duration of 10 years. Participants indicated an average of disease-related anxiety score of 5.1 ± 2.5 on a ten-point scale, with a tendency to increase, 1 month after the number of infected persons per population increased. The top three causes for anxiety were the risk of contracting COVID-19 during hospital visits, SARS-CoV-2 infection due to IBD, and infection by IBD medication. Factors associated with anxiety were gender (women), being a homemaker, hospital visit timings, mode of transportation (train), use of immunosuppressive drugs, and nutritional therapy. Most patients continued attending their scheduled hospital visits, taking their medications, experienced the need for a family doctor, and sought guidance and information regarding COVID-19 from primary doctors, television, and Internet news. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with IBD experienced moderate disease-related anxiety due to the pandemic and should be proactively informed about infectious diseases to relieve their anxiety.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Supply Chain: A Discussion on Decentralization of the Supply Chain and Ensuring Interoperability

Focusing on reconstruction of the Global Supply Chain (GSC), which has been accelerated by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study considers how COVID-19 has impacted the GSC and the appropriate approach to Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) in the future. Due to the spread of COVID-19, manufacturing industries across the world, including those in Japan, have faced difficulties in procurement and continuation of production. Under these circumstances, the Japanese Government has implemented measures to support the supply chain. This study reviews the decentralization and complication of the GSC triggered by the changing environment around it and the support measures undertaken. Considering a more decentralized and complicated GSC in future and its SCRM, the authors will continue to examine the effectiveness of the introduction of a management system based on standardized rules in the region concerned.

OxCGRT-Based Evaluation of Anti-COVID-19 Measures Taken by Japanese Prefectures

Particularly in the early stages of infection spread in spring 2020, mass infection to COVID-19 occurred mainly in densely populated areas. In order to control the spread of the disease while minimizing its impact on economic activities, response and awareness-raising were required not only at the national level but also at the prefectural level. In this study, we attempted to compare and verify the characteristics of the decision-making process and the effectiveness of the prefectural response by quantitatively evaluating the changes in the measures taken by each prefecture in Japan over time.

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine for novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

No one expected that the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) would spread globally at the time of overshooting in Wuhan, China. In Japan, it has not spread all at once from the initial infection phase of the Diamond Princess, a returnee from Wuhan, but recently the danger of overshoot has been alarmed. For unknown infections, specialists in infectious diseases and respiratory organs are trying various drugs in clinical settings, and basic researchers are devoted to elucidating the onset mechanism and developing new drugs and vaccines. I've thought it plausible to mention Kampo medicine. However, as the spread of infection became apparent, there were more opportunities to be asked about Kampo treatment by people who were transferred overseas, who had a family of returnees, or who had an underlying disease. At the request of Mr. Lu Xin Xin of National Chinese Medicine Administration Bureau, which is a government agency specializing in traditional Chinese medicine, we interviewed Wumatsu 1st Secretary and Party Shikatsu 2nd Secretary who are in charge of science and technology of the Chinese Embassy. The role of Kampo in Japan was discussed. First of all, it is necessary to understand the situation in each country, and the members of the Cabinet Secretariat research study “Survey of demonstrability for the preparation of evidence of Oriental medicine for the realization of the“ Asia health concept ”in China and South Korea in 2019・ I decided to get information from a traditional medicine expert in Taiwan. At that point, the guidelines of traditional medicine for COVID-19 in each country were immediately sent. Especially in China, traditional medical treatment is incorporated into the guidelines of government agencies. In this paper, I would like to summarize the contents and describe what Kampo medicine can do as a countermeasure against COVID-19 in Japan.