The Noma horse is a Japanese breed from the Noma region of Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture. To obtain reference hematological and biochemical values, we performed examinations in 39 clinically healthy, mature Noma horses managed at the Imabari public ranch. Hematological and biochemical results of Noma horses were close to the normal ranges of horses in the U.S.A. The erythrocyte parameters and hepatobiliary enzyme levels in Noma and Kiso horses were lower than those in Japanese racehorses. Noma horses showed higher erythrocyte parameters and triglyceride concentrations and a lower creatinine concentration compared with those in Kiso horses. These data represent the first report of reference values for Noma horses and may be useful to improve their management.

This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effectiveness and safety profiles of baricitinib and explore factors associated with improved short-term effectiveness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical settings. A total of 113 consecutive RA patients who had been treated with baricitinib were registered in a Japanese multicenter registry and followed for at least 24 weeks. Mean age was 66.1 years, mean RA disease duration was 14.0 years, 71.1% had a history of use of biologics or JAK inhibitors (targeted DMARDs), and 48.3% and 40.0% were receiving concomitant methotrexate and oral prednisone, respectively. Mean DAS28-CRP significantly decreased from 3.55 at baseline to 2.32 at 24 weeks. At 24 weeks, 68.2% and 64.1% of patients achieved low disease activity (LDA) and moderate or good response, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that no previous targeted DMARD use and lower DAS28-CRP score at baseline were independently associated with achievement of LDA at 24 weeks. While the effectiveness of baricitinib was similar regardless of whether patients had a history of only one or multiple targeted DMARDs use, patients with previous use of non-TNF inhibitors or JAK inhibitors showed lower rates of improvement in DAS28-CRP. The overall retention rate for baricitinib was 86.5% at 24 weeks, as estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis. The discontinuation rate due to adverse events was 6.5% at 24 weeks. Baricitinib significantly improved RA disease activity in clinical practice. Baricitinib was significantly more effective when used as a first-line targeted DMARDs.

Background There are no established biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of first‐line pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with high programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) expression. In this study, we investigated whether the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and body mass index (BMI) can be used to evaluate the effect of first‐line pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who express high levels of PD‐L1. Methods We reviewed data from 142 patients with high PD‐L1 expression who underwent first‐line pembrolizumab monotherapy for NSCLC at six Japanese institutions between February 2017 and June 2019 and assessed the prognostic value of the GPS, NLR, and BMI. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine differences in progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The GPS, NLR, and BMI were calculated using C‐reactive protein and albumin concentrations, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, and body weight and height, respectively. Results The GPS independently predicted the first‐line pembrolizumab monotherapy efficacy, as a good GPS (GPS 0–1) was associated with a significantly better PFS and OS compared to a poor GPS (GPS 2) (PFS: 11.8 vs. 2.9 months, p < 0.0001; OS: not reached vs. 8.3 months, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, BMI independently predicted efficacy, as patients with high BMI (BMI ≥21.4) exhibited significantly better OS compared to those with low BMI (BMI <21.4) (OS: not reached vs. 14.1 months, p = 0.006). Conclusions Among patients with high PD‐L1 expression undergoing first‐line pembrolizumab monotherapy for NSCLC, the GPS is significantly correlated with both PFS and OS, and BMI with OS, indicating that they could be used to predict treatment outcome in these patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the relationship among the GPS, NLR, and BMI and survival among patients with high PD‐L1 expression undergoing first‐line pembrolizumab monotherapy for NSCLC.

BackgroundThe effects of first‐line chemotherapy on overall survival (OS) might be confounded by subsequent therapies in patients with small‐cell lung cancer (SCLC). Therefore, the objective of our study was to determine the relationships between progression‐free survival (PFS) or post‐progression survival (PPS) and OS after first‐line chemotherapy in elderly patients with extensive disease‐SCLC (ED‐SCLC), using individual level data.MethodsBetween July 1998 and December 2014, we analyzed 57 cases of elderly patients with ED‐SCLC who were treated with carboplatin and etoposide as first‐line chemotherapy. The relationships between PFS and PPS with OS were analyzed at an individual level.ResultsSpearman rank correlation and linear regression analyses showed that PPS was strongly correlated with OS (r = 0.92, P < 0.05, R 2 = 0.83) and PFS was moderately correlated with OS (r = 0.76, P < 0.05, R 2 = 0.25). The best response at second‐line treatment and the number of regimens after progression beyond first‐line chemotherapy were both significantly associated with PPS (P < 0.05).Conclusions PPS has a stronger impact on OS than PFS in elderly ED‐SCLC patients after first‐line chemotherapy. In addition, the response at second‐line treatment and the number of additional regimens after first‐line treatment are significant independent prognostic factors for PPS. These results suggest that OS in elderly ED‐SCLC patients may be influenced by treatments subsequent to first‐line chemotherapy; however, this remains to be verified with prospective studies.

Background/Aim: To describe real clinical outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who have uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review from 15 medical institutes that cover a population of three million people from April 2008 to March 2019. Results: There were 102 patients with uncommon EGFR mutation. Progression-free survival (PFS) tended to be longer in patients receiving afatinib compared with first-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. PFS in patients treated with afatinib or osimertinib was significantly longer than in patients treated with gefitinib or erlotinib (p=0.030). Multivariate analysis also revealed the contribution of afatinib or osimertinib to increased survival. In patients with exon 20 insertions, chemotherapy was efficacious. Conclusion: In treating patients with uncommon EGFR mutations, our results indicate longer-term survival might be achieved with second-generation or later TKIs and cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs.The treatment of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been revolutionized by the development of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (1-3). The most common types of EGFR mutation are exon 19 deletions and 5757