Risk of Death in Older Japanese Adults with COVID-19 Caused by the Omicron Variant: a Population-Based Study.

We assessed case fatality rates (CFRs) in adults aged ≥70 years in 10 prefectures in Japan (14.8 million residents) diagnosed between January 2022 and March 2023, when the Omicron variant was dominant in Japan. We selected incident reports on 283,052 cases from participating public health centers reported according to the Infectious Diseases Control Law.

Validation of an automated iron stain process for use with bone marrow aspirate smear slides.

The assessment of bone marrow iron stores is typically performed on an aspirate smear slide that has been manually stained by a technologist using a commercially available kit. This approach can contribute to inconsistent results and limit the broad use of iron staining in bone marrow specimens, particularly when laboratories have low staffing and/or high specimen volumes. Here, we describe the adaptation and validation of the Ventana Benchmark automated stainer and iron stain kit for routine clinical use of staining iron in bone marrow aspirate smear slides.

Key issues in Japan's public health centers to prepare for future pandemics: a text mining study using a topic model.

Background: In Japan, over 450 public health centers played a central role in the operation of the local public health system in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to identify key issues for improving the system for public health centers for future pandemics.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire.

Evaluating the cross-cultural competence instrument for healthcare professionals (CCCHP) among nurses in Okinawa, Japan.

Background: To provide better quality healthcare services to patients with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, the cross-cultural competence of medical professionals is important. However, assessing and improving the cross-cultural competence of healthcare professionals is difficult in Japan, as there is no standardized scale to measure the competence. This study's purpose was to translate the Cross-Cultural Competence instrument for Healthcare Professionals (CCCHP), which was developed and used in Europe, and to examine its reliability and validity among Japanese nurses.