Association between iron intake and excessive daytime sleepiness in the community-dwelling Japanese: the Toon Health Study.

Purpose: Brain iron deficiency is known to cause dopaminergic dysfunction in people with restless legs syndrome. Considering the role that dopamine plays in the wake-promoting system, we speculated that iron deficiency may contribute to the development of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Therefore, we conducted the present study to examine the association between iron intake and EDS in the general population.

Evaluation of Difference in Emergency Care Quality by Years of Physician Experience at the Emergency Department.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of emergency medicine training credentials and years of medical experience on various clinical parameters in emergency medicine practice.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Juntendo University Nerima Hospital between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020. All patients who were transported by ambulance, were examined by emergency physicians, and underwent computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the emergency department were included.

An Investigation into the Prevention of Turnover of Medical Interpreters.

Objective: Since there have been no studies for the prevention of job turnover among medical interpreters, this study examined the effects of social support, professional career maturity and stress coping on their attitudes toward job continuity intentions.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the relationships between social support, professional career maturity, stress coping and job continuity intentions.

Methods: Stress coping was measured by using a simplified stress coping scale (with 9 items and 1 factor structure).

Relationship between Ikigai and longitudinal changes in serum HDL cholesterol levels: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Background: Having positive psychological well-being has been associated with serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), but no longitudinal study to date has examined the association between Ikigai and serum HDLC. Therefore, we examined the association between Ikigai and change in serum HDLC over time using a cohort dataset spanning 2010-2018.

Methods: The study included 471 men and 776 women aged 40-74 years who underwent a cardiovascular examination in 2010 and were asked their levels of Ikigai.

Relationship between Illness Perception and the need for Professional Medical Interpretation for International Patients in Japan.

This study aimed to conduct a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of foreign patients to analyze the impact of patients' illness perceptions on their need for professional medical interpreters. From February 2022 to May 2023, an online questionnaire was distributed to 4,962 individuals aged 18 years or older who were non-native speakers of Japanese. These individuals were enrolled in organizations such as international exchange associations and Japanese language support classes and had utilized medical institutions in Japan due to their own illness or injury or that of their children.

Longitudinal effects of disaster-related experiences on problem drinking among Fukushima nuclear plant workers.

Background: In the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster of March 11, 2011, plant workers were exposed to various traumatic events and reported a subsequent increase in alcohol use. To determine the relationship between disaster-related experiences and problem drinking, we conducted a three-year follow-up study.

Methods: Problem drinking among the nuclear plant workers was assessed annually from 2012-2014 using a modified version of the CAGE questionnaire that asked about current, rather than lifetime, drinking.

Illness Perception Accorded by Language Assistance in Non-Japanese-Speaking Patients.

Background and objective While over half of foreign residents in Japan need language assistance during medical consultations, no extant studies have clarified illness perception accorded by language assistance in non-Japanese-speaking patients. This cross-sectional study conducted an online questionnaire survey to investigate the illness perception of non-Japanese-speaking patients and analyze the factors related to illness perception. Methodology The survey was conducted twice, from February to May 2022 and from February to April 2023, targeting non-Japanese-speaking individuals.

Relationship Between Patient-Provider Language Discordance and the Need for Professional Medical Interpretation for International Patients in Japan.

Background: Language barriers between patients and healthcare providers pose significant challenges in medical care in Japanese hospitals. Inadequate patient understanding of discussions with healthcare providers because of patient-provider language discordance has been reported in previous studies. There are growing expectations of professional medical interpreters to address these challenges.

Perceived Level of Life Enjoyment and Risk of Developing Disabling Dementia: The Japan Public Health Center-Based Study.

Objectives: Life enjoyment, linked to the ability to engage pleasurably with one's environment, may be related to the risk of developing dementia. This prospective cohort study examined the association between level of life enjoyment and disabling dementia incidence among Japanese community residents.

Methods: The participants were Japanese, aged 45-74 years old at 5-years follow-up, in the Japan Public Health Center-based Study (N = 38,660).

Longitudinal Changes in Arterial Stiffness Associated with Physical Activity Intensity: The Toon Health Study.

Aims: Several studies have revealed an association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and arterial stiffness, which is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, a few studies have considered the difference in the longitudinal effect of its intensity in a large general population. Therefore, we examined the effect of MVPA intensity on longitudinal changes in arterial stiffness.

Continuous positive airway pressure alleviates insomnia in workers sleeping near other workers with sleep apnea after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster.

Objectives: To examine the efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure for improving the sleep of all individuals residing in a temporary shelter.

Methods: Workers at a nuclear power plant using a gymnasium as temporary shelter were divided into two groups: 15 workers with obstructive sleep apnea received continuous positive airway pressure treatment, and 107 workers without obstructive sleep apnea received no treatment. We assessed subjective sleepiness among the workers with obstructive sleep apnea before and after continuous positive airway pressure treatment, and evaluated insomnia in all workers before and after workers with obstructive sleep apnea were given continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

Serum folate and risk of disabling dementia: a community-based nested case-control study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine associations between serum folate levels and risk of disabling dementia that required care under the national insurance (disabling dementia).

Methods: We performed a nested case-control study in a community-based cohort, the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study, involving 13,934 Japanese individuals aged 40-84 years at the baseline period of 1984-2005. Serum folate was measured in 578 cases of incident disabling dementia, and in 1,156 controls whose age (±1 years), sex, area of residence, and baseline year were matched with the cases.

Adolescent Loneliness in 70 Countries Across Africa, America, and Asia: A Comparison of Prevalence and Correlates.

Purpose: Emerging studies address adolescent loneliness a public health problem due to its negative associations with adverse health. However, evidence concerning adolescent loneliness and its correlation in nonwestern, low- and middle-income countries is scarce. This study examined the prevalence of loneliness and its correlates (i.

Nocturnal Intermittent Hypoxia and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease among Japanese Populations: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Aims: Information is limited about the influence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Asian community-dwelling populations. We examined the association between nocturnal intermittent hypoxia as a surrogate marker of OSA and the risk of CVD in a Japanese community-based cohort study.

Methods: We used baseline surveys from 2000 to 2008 to study the cohort data of 5,313 residents from three Japanese communities who were between the ages of 40 and 74 years and initially free from ischemic heart disease and stroke.

Longitudinal Trends in Blood Pressure Associated with The Changes in Living Environment Caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011, forcing Fukushima Prefecture residents to change their living environment. Such sudden changes possibly have long-term effects on cardiovascular-related diseases. We therefore sought to identify temporal relationships between living environment changes and blood pressure levels over three years following the earthquake.

An association between cancer type and delirium incidence in Japanese elderly patients: A retrospective longitudinal study.

Objective: There is not a known elevated prevalence of delirium in older adult cancer patients. However, it is unknown if the incidence of delirium varies by cancer type among older adult patients. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between the incidence of delirium and cancer type among older adult patients using a Japanese hospital-based administrative claims database.