Conflict of interest
Hiroshi Saeki (Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University), who is the Research Director of this study, is not in a state of conflict of interest with the Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. Head Office. Y. Kakeji has received an honorarium from Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. N. Izawa received research grants from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sanofi K.K., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., and honoraria from Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. E. Oki received honoraria from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. M. Ota received honoraria from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. All remaining authors have declared no conflicts of interest.