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Aim: We aimed to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in high‐risk pregnant women. Methods: Pregnant women who underwent GeneTech NIPT, the most commonly used NIPT in Japan, between January 2015 and March 2019, at Japan NIPT Consortium medical sites were recruited for this study. The exclusion criteria were as follows: pregnant women with missing survey items, multiple pregnancy/vanishing twins, chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus other than the NIPT target disease, and nonreportable NIPT results. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated from the obtained data, and maternal age‐specific PPV and NPV were estimated. Results: Of the 45 504 cases, 44 263 cases fulfilling the study criteria were included. The mean maternal age and gestational weeks at the time of procedure were 38.5 years and 13.1 weeks, respectively. Sensitivities were 99.78% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 98.78–99.96), 99.12% (95% CI: 96.83–99.76), and 100% (95% CI: 88.30–100) for trisomies 21, 18, and 13, respectively. Specificities were more than 99.9% for trisomies 21, 18, and 13, respectively. Maternal age‐specific PPVs were more than 93%, 77%, and 43% at the age of 35 years for trisomies 21, 18, and 13, respectively. Conclusion: The GeneTech NIPT data showed high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of fetal trisomies 21, 18, and 13 in high‐risk pregnant women, and maternal age‐specific PPVs were obtained. These results could provide more accurate and improved information regarding NIPT for genetic counseling in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transdermal fentanyl patch (TDF) can be used when switching from other opioids; therefore, little is known about the efficacy and safety of TDF patches applied for opioid initiation. However, TDF patches have been applied for opioid initiation in gastrointestinal cancer patients with gastrointestinal obstruction. In this study, we retrospectively investigated 12 gastrointestinal cancer patients to evaluate the efficacy and frequency of adverse effects of TDF patches compared to oral oxycodone (OXY) for opioid initiation. The frequency of adverse effects such as nausea, somnolence, and constipation in the TDF patch group was 25%, 41.7%, and 8.3%, respectively. No severe adverse effects were observed, and there was no significant difference between the TDF patch and OXY groups. Moreover, according to the numerical pain rating scale(ranging from 0 [no pain] to 10 [worst possible pain]), the pain intensity in the TDF patch group decreased from 5.42 on the first day to 3.33 after 3 days (p=0.0377), and 2.67 after 7 days (p=0.0089), with no significant difference between groups. Our study results suggest that TDF patches applied for opioid initiation may be useful for gastrointestinal cancer patients with gastrointestinal obstruction.

By the investigation of our study group 595 HIV infected pregnant women have been confirmed in Japan since 1984. In recent years, around 40 pregnant women a year were diagnosed as HIV positive. These HIV infected pregnant women were not concerned with a value of CD4 and received antiretroviral therapy such as zidovudine (AZT) monotherapy or highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) starting from the second trimester of pregnancy. According to recommendations and current data, cesarean delivery before the onset of labor is performed around 37 weeks of pregnancy and prophylactic AZT syrups are given to infants starting 8-12 hrs after birth for 6 weeks. These preventive managements such as antiretroviral therapy, elective cesarean delivery and formula feeding significantly reduced mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. The transmission rate of HIV fell to 0.5% in Japan, but the problem of the teratogenicity of antiretroviral drugs remain unclear. Further studies are needed.