HBV‐ and HCV‐ Infected Workers in the Japanese Workplace, Rie Narai, et al. Department of Environmental Health, University of Occupational and Environmental Health—Around three million Japanese are persistently infected with HBV or HCV. Though most of them work in various industries, little is known about the actual conditions in their workplaces. To clarify the workplace conditions of workers with hepatitis, three kinds of questionnaire surveys, answered by occupational health physicians and workers with hepatitis, were carried out. The rates of workers recognized as workers with hepatitis B or C by occupational health physicians were 0.82% and 0.48% of 130,092 workers, respectively. About 30% of workers with hepatitis were engaged in “hazardous work”. The percentage of workers engaged in various types of hazardous work among workers with hepatitis was nearly the same as that among all Japanese workers. About 30% of occupational health physicians witnessed exacerbation of hepatitis in the workers at their workplaces, and 22% of workers with hepatitis experienced exacerbation of hepatitis. The rate of workers with hepatitis who had experienced exacerbation was not significantly different between workers with and without hazardous work. Workers with hepatitis have strong concerns about the relationship between work and exacerbation. As causes of exacerbation, occupational health physicians cited “unknown”, “drinking” and “quit treatment” while workers with hepatitis answered “work‐related causes”, besides “unknown” and “drinking.”

Background: Intractable vascular anomalies (VAs), including vascular tumors and venous, lymphatic, and mixed malformations, often have severe symptoms and a poor prognosis, highlighting the need for new treatments. We conducted a prospective trial of sirolimus (tablet and granule forms) for the treatment of VAs. Methods: In this open‐label, single‐arm, multicenter trial across four Japanese institutions, patients with VAs received oral sirolimus daily, targeting a trough concentration of 5–15 ng/mL. We evaluated response rates (radiological volume changes in lesions), skin lesions, performance status, respiratory function, visceral symptoms (bleeding, pain), laboratory data, quality of life, and safety at 12, 24, and 52 weeks. Results: Thirteen patients with VAs were treated with sirolimus. Seven patients (53.8%; 95% confidence interval: 25.1%–80.8%) showed a partial radiological response at 24 weeks, with no complete responses, and 61.5% had a partial response by 12 weeks, with little subsequent change in patients who had stable disease thereafter. Improvements in skin lesions, blood coagulation, and activities of daily living were noted. Common adverse events included stomatitis, dermatitis, diarrhea, and fever. Conclusions: Sirolimus may reduce VA tissue volume and potentially improve symptoms and activities of daily living in patients with VAs.

BACKGROUND: Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) analogs are used clinically to enhance nutrient absorption in patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS); however, the precise mechanism remains unclear. To address this, the study aimed to clarify the dynamics of intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells in patients with SBS treated with GLP-2 analogs. METHODS: Five male patients diagnosed with SBS, all of whom received treatment with the GLP-2 analog teduglutide, were included in the study. We conducted longitudinal single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) analysis of intestinal tissue from patients with SBS over a year, integrating microbiome composition analysis. RESULTS: After treatment, the α-diversity of the gut microbiome increased, indicating a more varied microbial environment. ScRNA-Seq analysis revealed a reduction of T helper 2 cells and an increase in regulatory T cells, suggesting a shift toward an immunoregulatory intestinal environment. Additionally, nutrient-absorbing enterocyte-Top2 and middle clusters expanded, enhancing the absorption capacity, whereas major histocompatibility complex class I/II–expressing enterocyte-Top1 cells declined, potentially modulating immune responses. CONCLUSION: The study findings indicate that GLP-2 analogs reshape intestinal immunity and microbiota, fostering a less inflammatory environment while promoting nutrient uptake efficiency. These insights offer a deeper understanding of the role of GLP-2 analogs in gut adaptation and provide a foundation for refining clinical strategies for SBS treatment. FUNDING: This work was supported by Sakaguchi Memorial Foundation, Grants-in-Aid from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (21K18272, 23H03665, 23H02899, 23K27590, 25K22627, 23K08037), JST FOREST(21457195), and the Takeda Japan Medical Office Funded Research Grant 2022.

No standard diagnostic method or surgical treatment for congenital isolated hypoganglionosis (CIHG) has been established. This study aimed to analyze the clinical outcomes of patients with CIHG and identify the best surgical interventions provided thus far. Data on surgical interventions in 19 patients were collected between 1992 and 2020, including the type of enterostomy, type of revision, and length of the intestines. Ganglion cells in the myenteric plexus were enumerated using Hu C/D staining. The ratio of the length of the small intestine to its height was defined as the intestinal ratio (IR). The outcomes were assessed using the stoma output, growth parameters including the body mass index (BMI), and parenteral nutrition (PN) dependency. All patients required a diverting enterostomy. The IR ranged from 0.51 to 1.75 after multiple non-transplant surgeries. The stoma types were tube-stoma, end-stoma, Santulli-type, and Bishop–Koop (BK)-type. Patients with Santulli- or BK-type stomas had better BMIs and less PN dependency in terms of volume than those with end-stomas or tube-stomas. Two patients with BK-type stomas were off PN, and three who underwent an intestinal transplantation (Itx) achieved enteral autonomy. The management of CIHG involves a precise diagnosis using Hu C/D staining, neonatal enterostomy, and stoma revision using the adjusted IR and Itx if other treatments do not enable enteral autonomy.