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Objective: To externally validate the performance of the new European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria set for idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) with a Japanese cohort.Methods: This study included 420 IIM and 402 non-IIM cases. Probability of having IIM in each patient was calculated using the collected data set. The cut-off probability was set at 55%, as recommended by EULAR/ACR. Patients classified as IIM by the criteria were further subclassified with classification trees.Results: When the probability cut-off was set at 55%, the sensitivity/specificity of the new criteria to diagnose IIM were 89.3%/91.0% in the total cohort, 88.1%/95.1% without muscle biopsy data and 90.4%/65.5% with biopsy data. The cohort included 12 overlap syndrome patients with biopsy data, who were included as non-IIM cases in accordance with traditional Japanese methods. When they were included in the IIM cases, the specificity in patients with biopsy increased to 74.4%. The sensitivity/specificity of the new criteria to diagnose polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) plus juvenile and amyopathic DM in the Japanese cohort was 87.4%/92.4%, which were greater than those of the Tanimoto's criteria revised to enable classification of amyopathic DM (ADM) (71.2%/87.8%) and were comparable with those of Bohan & Peter's criteria to diagnose those diseases except for ADM (88.4%/88.3%).Conclusions: Our study externally validated high specificity of the new criteria for the first time, although with several limitations, including low percentage of child patients. The new criteria have higher sensitivity and/or specificity in classification of PM/DM than the previously reported criteria, demonstrating its usefulness for interethnic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Text: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use has penetrated the daily lives of individuals as well as the activities of public organizations. We examined the cross-sectional association between ICT use and participation in community support activities in the elderly aged 65-74 for building community social capital in the current active aging policy of Japan. Methods Text: The target population was all residents aged 65-74 years without disabilities in a municipality, Japan. The self-administered questionnaires were mailed to 5,163 individuals in 2018. A Total of 2,283 persons responded (response rate, 44.2%). Participants provided information on basic characteristics, ICT use, and intention to participate in community support activities for the elderly. Results Text: A total of 1,089 (47.7%) persons showed positive intention to participate in community support activities for the elderly. Respondents who used a smartphone daily were 768 (33.6%). The proportion of participants with positive intention to participate in community support activities was 55.9% for those who used smartphones daily, whereas 42.8% for those who did not. Respondents who used the website, LINE, or QR codes were more likely to participate in community support activities than those who did not. Conclusions Text: Elderly people who utilize ICT frequently were more likely to participate in community support activities. ICT use among the elderly may be useful for building relationships of mutual assistance in the community. Key messages Text: ICT helps mutual assistance among the elderly in communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (JIIM) in Japan for each myositis-specific autoantibody (MSA) profile. Methods A multicentre, retrospective study was conducted using data of patients with JIIM at nine paediatric rheumatology centres in Japan. Patients with MSA profiles, determined by immunoprecipitation using stored serum from the active stage, were included. Results MSA were detected in 85 of 96 cases eligible for the analyses. Over 90% of the patients in this study had one of the following three MSA types: anti-melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) (n  = 31), anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1 alpha and/or gamma subunits (TIF1γ) (n  = 25) and anti-nuclear matrix protein 2 (NXP2) (n  = 25) antibodies. Gottron papules and periungual capillary abnormalities were the most common signs of every MSA group in the initial phase. The presence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) was the highest risk factor for patients with anti-MDA5 antibodies. Most patients were administered multiple drug therapies: glucocorticoids and MTX were administered to patients with anti-TIF1γ or anti-NXP2 antibodies. Half of the patients with anti-MDA5 antibodies received more than three medications including i.v. CYC, especially patients with ILD. Patients with anti-MDA5 antibodies were more likely to achieve drug-free remission (29 vs 21%) and less likely to relapse (26 vs 44%) than others. Conclusion Anti-MDA5 antibodies are the most common MSA type in Japan, and patients with this antibody are characterized by ILD at onset, multiple medications including i.v. CYC, drug-free remission, and a lower frequency of relapse. New therapeutic strategies are required for other MSA types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To assess the performance of the EULAR/ACR idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) classification criteria to classify juvenile IIMs (JIIMs) in an Asian paediatric population. Methods Sixty-eight JIIM patients and 49 non-JIIM patients diagnosed at seven major paediatric rheumatology centres in Japan between 2008 and 2015 were enrolled. Retrospective data were collected, and each patient's data form was submitted. The expert group reviewed the forms and re-examined the diagnoses. The EULAR/ACR criteria were then applied and the probability of having JIIM was determined for each case. The sensitivity and specificity of the EULAR/ACR criteria were compared with those of other existing criteria. Results The sensitivity/specificity of the EULAR/ACR classification criteria were 92.1/100% with muscle biopsy data (n  = 38); 86.7/100% without muscle biopsy data (n  = 30) and 89.7/100% in our total cohort (n  = 68). The sensitivity of Bohan and Peter's criteria and Tanimoto's criteria were 80.9 and 64.7% in our total cohort, respectively. Among 68 physician-diagnosed JIIM patients, seven cases (three JDM and four overlap myositis) were not classified as JIIM because the probability did not reach the cut-off point (55%). The three JDM patients all presented with only one of the three skin manifestations that are listed in the criteria: Gottron's sign. Conclusion Our validation study with Japanese JIIM cases indicates that the EULAR/ACR classification criteria for IIM generally perform better than existing diagnostic criteria for myositis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rates of newly diagnosed cases of sexually transmitted diseases, including genital chlamydial infection and gonorrhea, are important for prevention and control of these diseases. However, nationwide rates are not reported in Japan.Methods: We used the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported by nationwide sentinel surveillance in 2015, together with the number of all disease outpatients in September 2014 at all medical institutions, drawn from the Survey of Medical Institutions of Japan. The number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the total population was estimated using the ratio estimation method with the number of all disease outpatients as auxiliary information. This method is currently used for estimating influenza cases from sentinel surveillance data in Japan.Results: The estimated number of newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 population in 2015 in Japan was 244 (95% confidence interval 211-277) for genital chlamydial infection, 87 (95% confidence interval 74-100) for genital herpes, 61 (95% confidence interval 29-93) for condyloma acuminatum, and 89 (95% confidence interval 64-113) for gonorrhea.Conclusion: We estimated the nationwide number of newly diagnosed cases of sexually transmitted diseases in Japan from sentinel surveillance data. This provides useful information for public health policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Abstract Template is flexible to accommodate Empirical Results or Narrative style submission types. First, determine whether your presentation content fits within the Empirical Results style or Narrative style. Next, remove the section from the below template that does not fit your submission type and complete the appropriate section of the template accordingly. Please ensure that you follow the below format and instructions for your submission. Background Text: 'Ikigai', subjective well-being which is the Japanese concept to a good life plays important role for a long and active aging. We examined the cross-sectional association between 'Ikigai' and participation in community support activities in the elderly aged 65-74 for building community social capital in the current active aging policy of Japan. Methods Text: The target population was all residents aged 65-74 years without disabilities in a municipality, Japan. The self-administered questionnaires were mailed to 5,163 individuals in 2018. A Total of 2,283 persons responded (response rate, 44.2%). Participants provided information on basic characteristics, 'Ikigai', perceived health, and intention to participate in community support activities for the elderly, the children care, and the disabled. Results Text: A total of 1,089 (47.7%) persons showed positive intention to participate in community support activities for the elderly. Respondents who had 'Ikigai' were 1,796 (78.7%). Respondents who had 'Ikigai' were more likely to participate in community support activities for the elderly than those who did not. The same trends were shown in community support activities for the children care or the disabled. Conclusions Text: Elderly people who had 'Ikigai' were more likely to participate in community support activities. 'Ikigai' may have an important role for making mutual ties and good life for active aging in the community. Key messages Text: 'Ikigai' may have an important role for active aging in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To characterize the epidemiology of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), including prevalence, disease type, extra-glandular involvement, satisfaction of diagnostic criteria sets, and treatment used in Japan. Methods. The Research Team for Autoimmune Diseases, the Research Program for Intractable Disease by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare conducted primary and secondary surveys on epidemiology of SS in 2011. The primary survey covered 4,729 out of 14,095 Japan-wide Hospital Departments to investigate the prevalence of SS. The secondary survey encompassed 214 Hospital Departments that agreed to the survey, to characterize disease type, extra-glandular involvement, satisfaction of diagnostic criteria sets, and treatments. Results. The number of patients with SS in Japan estimated by the primary survey was 68,483. The secondary survey involving data collected from 2,195 SS patients from 98 Hospital Departments showed that the mean age of patients was 60.8 ± 15.2 years, male/female ratio was 1/17.4, primary/secondary SS was about 60%/40% and glandular/extra-glandular form in primary SS was about 70%/25%. The satisfaction rate was 53.8% for the 1999 revised Japanese Ministry of Health criteria for the diagnosis of SS, 47.7% for the 2002 American-European Consensus Group classification criteria for SS and 49.6% for 2012 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for SS. Corticosteroids were used by 752 of 2,195 patients (34%), immunosuppressants by 358 patients (16%), biologics by 68 patients (3%) and secretagogues by 695 patients (32%). Conclusion. The surveys provided valuable information on the epidemiology of SS including prevalence, disease type, extra-glandular involvement, satisfaction of diagnostic criteria sets and treatments used today in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To estimate the number of patients with polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) in Japan and the prevalence rate and incidence rate of the disease. Methods. The electronic database in the nationwide registration system on intractable diseases from 2003 to 2010 was utilized to identify the number of prevalent and incident cases of PM/DM. The electronic data entry rate was used to establish the total number of registered cases. Results. The estimated total number of patients with PM/DM and the prevalence rate in Japan in 2010 were 17,000 and 13.2 per 100,000 population, respectively. The prevalence of PM/DM ranged from 10 to 13 per 100,000 population with a trend toward increasing over time. The incidence of PM/DM was estimated within the range 10-13 per 1,000,000 person-years, except for 2003. Conclusions. We report the prevalence and incidence of PM/DM recently in Japan for the first time at the nationwide population level. Because the prevalence seems to be increasing recently, continued monitoring of these epidemiologic features is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe age, gender distribution, and age at onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), and systemic sclerosis (SSc) in Japan. Methods: We used epidemiological information on 21,405, 6,327, and 10,058 patients with SLE, PM/DM, and SSc, respectively, in a Japanese nationwide registration database of patients with intractable diseases. Results: All three diseases occur predominantly in women, with the female-to-male ratio being 8.2:1, 2.6:1, and 7.7:1 for SLE, PM/DM, and SSc, respectively. The most susceptible age for SLE is 15-44 and 20-39 years for males and females, respectively. For PM/DM it is 45-64 and 40-64 years and for SSc, 50-69 and 40-59 for men and women, respectively. Conclusions: The basic descriptive epidemiological characteristics of SLE, PM/DM, and SSc in Japan, such as gender distribution, present age, and age at onset, were surveyed nationwide for fiscal 2007. It was found that these characteristics were similar to those in Western populations. Our finding provides new information on the natural history of disease development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]