Effect of Annual Leave Days on Presenteeism - a Cohort Study in Employees of a Japanese Corporate Group.

Objective: This study investigated the association between leave use and improvement of work functioning impairment affecting presenteeism.

Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted among 5,752 employees in a single corporate group in Japan to analyze the number of days of leave taken over a one-year period and changes in work functioning impairment.

Results: As the number of leave days increased, work functioning impairment improved significantly.

Contemporary fluid management, humidity, and patent ductus arteriosus management strategy for premature infants among 336 hospitals in Asia.

Objectives: The management of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a critical concern in premature infants, and different hospitals may have varying treatment policies, fluid management strategies, and incubator humidity. The Asian Neonatal Network Collaboration (AsianNeo) collected data on prematurity care details from hospitals across Asian countries. The aim of this study was to provide a survey of the current practices in the management of PDA in premature infants in Asian countries.

Variations in medical practice of retinopathy of prematurity among 8 Asian countries from an international survey.

Advances in perinatal care have led to the increased survival of preterm infants with subsequent neonatal morbidities, such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). This study aims to compare the differences of neonatal healthcare systems, resources, and clinical practice concerning ROP in Asia with review of current literature. An on-line survey at the institutional level was sent to the directors of 336 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in 8 collaborating national neonatal networks through the Asian Neonatal Network Collaboration (AsianNeo).

Job stress and loneliness among desk workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: focus on remote working.

Background: Previous studies have reported an increase in loneliness since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but there are few data on the relationship between job stress and loneliness. This study aimed to assess the relationship between job stress and loneliness among desk workers, with a focus on the impact of remote working.

Methods: This study was part of the Collaborative Online Research on the Novel-coronavirus and Work (CORoNaWork) project in Japan.

Efficacy and safety of permissive hypercapnia in preterm infants: A systematic review.

Context: In adults, permissive hypercapnia reduces mortality and ventilation duration. However, in preterm infants, the findings from past research regarding the efficacy and safety of permissive hypercapnia are controversial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of permissive hypercapnia versus normocapnia in preterm infants on mechanical ventilation.

Prospective cohort study of bedroom heating and risk of common cold in children.

Background: In countries with mild winter climates and inadequate heating, the relationship between housing conditions and health outcomes in winter have not been well studied. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between heater type and temperature factors in the bedroom and incidence of the common cold among children in Japan.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we distributed baseline questionnaires and temperature loggers in December 2019 and administered follow-up questionnaires in March 2020.

Difference in pyruvic acid metabolism between neonatal and adult mouse lungs exposed to hyperoxia.

Objective: Neonatal lungs are more tolerant to hyperoxic injury than are adult lungs. This study investigated differences in the response to hyperoxic exposure between neonatal and adult mouse lungs using metabolomics analysis with capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE- TOFMS).

Methods: Neonatal and adult mice were exposed to 21% or 95% O2 for four days.

Validation of the Japanese version of the CDC HRQOL-4 in workers.

Background: We set out to investigate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the CDC core healthy day measures assessing health-related quality of life (CDC HRQOL-4) in Japanese workers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1360 Japanese workers of one Japanese company located in Kyushu. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to evaluate the internal consistency of CDC HRQOL-4 items.

The role of viral co-infections in the severity of acute respiratory infections among children infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the predominant viral cause of childhood pneumonia. Little is known about the role of viral-coinfections in the clinical severity in children infected with RSV.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of publications comparing the clinical severity between RSV mono-infection and RSV co-infection with other viruses in children under five years (<5y).

Attenuation of Hyperoxic Lung Injury in Newborn Thioredoxin-1-Overexpressing Mice through the Suppression of Proinflammatory Cytokine mRNA Expression.

The role of thioredoxin-1 (TRX), a small redox-active protein with antioxidant effects, during hyperoxic lung injury in newborns remains undetermined. We investigated TRX impact on hyperoxic lung injury in newborn TRX transgenic (TRX-Tg) and wildtype (WT) mice exposed to 21% or 95% O for four days, after which some mice were allowed to recover in room air for up to 14 days. Lung morphology was assessed by hematoxylin/eosin and elastin staining, as well as immunostaining for macrophages.

A Prospective Cohort Study of Bedroom Warming With a Heating System and Its Association With Common Infectious Diseases in Children During Winter in Japan.

Background: Customarily, bedrooms in Japan are left unheated. Although several studies have reported that the use of a heating system has positive outcomes on respiratory infection and asthma, the preventive effect of heating systems against infectious diseases in children is not well known.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study using two questionnaire surveys, one before the winter season in November, 2018 and the second after winter in March, 2019.

Defining the reference range of regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation using a new portable near-infrared spectroscopy device for term infants.

Background: The arterial oxygen saturation of infants requiring resuscitation can be monitored using a pulse oximeter. However, the device cannot provide information about cerebral oxygenation. Thus, we used a new portable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device that can monitor regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (crSO) with a probe attached to the examiner's finger.

Management of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in Japan: A 10-year nationwide survey.

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common complication in very preterm infants. Despite advances in perinatal medicine, the number of BPD patients is increasing in Japan. The aim of this study was to conduct a nationwide survey of the strategies used for the prevention or treatment of BPD.

Impact of High Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy on Oral Feeding in Very Low Birth Weight Infants with Chronic Lung Disease.

Previous studies on high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs) focused on comparing HFNC with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) to determine the usefulness of HFNC as a backup in the case of extubation failure and nasal trauma; however, the studies did not consider oral feeding. This retrospective case-control study aimed at elucidating whether HFNC could prevent the delay in feeding and achievement of full oral feeding in VLBWIs with chronic lung disease (CLD). Forty five VLBWIs were enrolled in this study: an HFNC group (n = 11) that was supported by HFNC at oral feeding initiation, and a non-HFNC group (n = 34) that could start oral feeding without HFNC.

An in vitro evaluation of the influence of neonatal endotracheal tube diameter and length on the work of breathing.

Background: Neonates, particularly premature babies, are often managed with endotracheal intubation and subsequent mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate pulmonary gas exchange. There is no consensus on the standard length of endotracheal tube. Although a short tube reduces resistance and respiratory dead space, it is believed to increase the risk of accidental extubation.

Low-Dose Intravenous Paracetamol for Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Indomethacin-Resistant or Contraindicated Preterm Infants: Three Cases Reports.

 Although indomethacin (IND) is the standard treatment for hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) in Japan, it may be associated with renal impairment and gastrointestinal complications. The use of paracetamol for hsPDA closure has recently increased. Unlike IND, paracetamol does not have a peripheral vasoconstrictive effect and can be given to infants with contraindications to IND.

Measurement of brain tissue oxygen saturation in term infants using a new portable near-infrared spectroscopy device.

Background: A small oximeter with the probe attached to the examiner's finger has been developed. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of measuring regional oxygenation of the brain tissue using this device in healthy term infants immediately after birth.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study.

Analysis of the Physiological Variation in Neutrophil CD64 Expression during the Early Neonatal Period.

 Several biomarkers for the diagnosis of sepsis are elevated during the early neonatal period due to physiological variations. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological variation in neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) expression during the early neonatal period and the change in nCD64 expression in neonates with noninfectious diseases.  Of 71 neonates enrolled in this prospective study, 5 and 51 were diagnosed as having bacteremia and noninfectious diseases, respectively.

Circulating PCSK9 levels correlate with the serum LDL cholesterol level in newborn infants.

Background And Aims: Protein convertase subtilisin/Kexin type-9 (PCSK9) is a substantial player in lipoprotein metabolism. This study was designed to elucidate the role of PCSK9 in the regulation of lipoprotein during the fetal period.

Study Design And Subjects: This study was a cross-sectional study.

West syndrome in a patient with Schinzel-Giedion syndrome.

Schinzel-Giedion syndrome is a rare recognizable malformation syndrome defined by characteristic facial features, profound developmental delay, severe growth failure, and multiple congenital anomalies. The causative gene of Schinzel-Giedion syndrome, SETBP1, has been identified, but limited cases have been confirmed by molecular analysis. We present a 9-month-old girl affected by West syndrome with Schinzel-Giedion syndrome.

Urine screening for patients with developmental disabilities detected a patient with creatine transporter deficiency due to a novel missense mutation in SLC6A8.

Creatine transporter deficiency (CTD) is an example of X-linked intellectual disability syndromes, caused by mutations in SLC6A8 on Xq28. Although this is the second most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disabilities in Europe or America after Fragile X syndrome, information on the morbidity of this disease is limited in Japan. Using the HPLC screening method we have established recently, we examined samples of urine of 105 patients (73 males and 32 females) with developmental disabilities at our medical center.