Association between use of heated tobacco products and long-term respiratory effects considering smoking history: internet-based cross-sectional study in Japan.

Background: With the use of heated tobacco products (HTPs) becoming more widespread in Japan, interest in the health effects of HTP has grown. Since the majority of HTP users are former smokers, information about the user's smoking history and health status before HTP use is needed when assessing the health effects of HTP use. The limited epidemiological studies available did not consistently consider this information adequately, therefore we conducted a cross-sectional study investigating the association between HTP use and respiratory chronic diseases and symptoms.

Those Who Have Continuing Radiation Anxiety Show High Psychological Distress in Cases of High Post-Traumatic Stress: The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.

Background: this cross-sectional study aimed to clarify the associations among media utilization, lifestyles, and the strong radiation anxiety that has persisted 9 years after the 2011 nuclear accident. Moreover, the relationships among psychological distress, post-traumatic stress, and strong radiation anxiety were examined.

Methods: for the multivariate regression analysis, the independent variables were radiation anxiety at the time of the accident and the current status, categorized as "continuing/emerging strong radiation anxiety".

Current Psychological Distress, Post-traumatic Stress, and Radiation Health Anxiety Remain High for Those Who Have Rebuilt Permanent Homes Following the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 produced psychological reactions among evacuees. Despite the harsh situation, subsequently, there has been gradual progress in reconstruction, with more than half of the evacuees returning after the evacuation. Our hypothesis is that evacuee mental health will now be better due to new stable living conditions.

Associated factors related to participation in general health checkup and survey of the effect of low-dose radiation exposure on health of residents of Fukushima Prefecture after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident caused radioactive contamination of the surrounding area. In addition to annual health checkups, a survey of the effects of low-dose radiation exposure on health among Fukushima Prefecture residents after the accident has been conducted. Despite health literacy (HL) being recognized as essential to health, its association with participation in these checkups and the survey remains unknown.

The Association between Utilization of Media Information and Current Health Anxiety Among the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster Evacuees.

The 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima was not only a health disaster, but also an information disaster. Although media can promote health communication following disasters, studies have revealed associations between media information and negative psychological reactions. To clarify the relationship between media utilization and current health anxiety due to radiation exposure, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in Fukushima.

Lingering health-related anxiety about radiation among Fukushima residents as correlated with media information following the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Following the March 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, many residents of Fukushima have faced anxieties about the health impacts of radiation exposure. Considering that source of information may influence resident anxiety, this study aimed to elucidate the correlation between the two. In addition, a health literacy query was included to examine a possible relationship between anxiety and health literacy skills.

[Deterioration of Healthcare Service Quality Provided by Occupational Physicians Due to Dumping by Health Checkup and Switching Health Checkup Organizations].

Introduction: From 2007, competitive bidding for procurement became widely employed by the Japanese Government, and health check providers for government workers are selected every year by this method. Deterioration of health check quality due to excessive price competition is a serious concern. The National Federation of Industrial Health Organization (Zeneiren) conducted an investigative research on the contracting of health check providers and occupational physicians in workplaces in 2015-2016 in an effort to prevent low-cost but low-quality health checks.

[Role of the Occupational Physician in Corporate Management of Health Risks: An Important Aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)].

Introduction: There are various risks involved in corporate activities conducted both within and outside the corporation. Among these, health risks are very important and should be managed effectively as an integral part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). A corporation is responsible for health impairments caused by its activities and suffers great moral and economic loss when they occur.

Changes in Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in the nasopharynx of Japanese children after inoculation with a heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

In this study, we prospectively investigated changes in Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes among Japanese children after heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) inoculation. We acquired nasopharyngeal swabs from the children at each routine PCV7 inoculation and again at least 2 months after the last PCV7 inoculation. We defined 2 periods with regard to each culture: the inoculation period as "the period of pre- or incomplete vaccination" and post-inoculation as "the period of post- or completed vaccination.

[Economic damage caused by lowered prices in the agro-food sector in areas contaminated by radioactive materials leaked from the nuclear power plant severely damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake--consideration from the viewpoints of epidemiology, economics and social psychology].

Introduction: Large amounts of radioactive materials were leaked into the environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) of the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which was severely damaged by the 2011 Tohoku Region Pacific Coast Earthquake and accompanying tsunami. Economic damage due to lowered prices and supplies of food products produced in the areas contaminated by the radioactive materials leaked from the damaged FDNPP to the agro-food sector in the affected areas is notable. In Japanese, this is known as fuhyo higai.

Prevalence and risk factors of nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in healthy children in Japan.

The findings of this study revealed a 22% prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae among healthy children in Japan; the prevalence tended to increase with age. We identified attendance at day-care facilities and the presence of older siblings as the major risk factors associated with pneumococcal carriage. A significant decrease in pneumococcal colonization was observed among children during the summer; however, a seasonal variation was independent of various factors.

[Perspective on the nuclear power plant accident caused by the great east Japan earthquake and tsunami: health impairment risks due to pollution by radioactive materials from the damaged plant as recognized by experts and by the general population and role of the experts].

Introduction: Large amounts of radioactive materials were leaked into the environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) of the Tokyo Electric Power Company damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and accompanying tsunami. Increased health impairment risks due to the leaked radioactive materials are of concern over a long period of time and over a wide geographical area. From the results of epidemiologic studies conducted after the Chernobyl accident, the health risks are not anticipated to be very marked.

Clinical experience treating Paecilomyces lilacinus keratitis in four patients.

Background: Paecilomyces lilacinus is a saprobic fungus that occasionally causes keratitis in infected patients. Voriconazole, a triazole antifungal agent, is often administered to treat P. lilacinus keratitis, because it is resistant to many antifungal agents.

Ocular disorders due to eyelash extensions.

Purpose: Eyelash extensions are a beauty treatment in which individual synthetic extensions are applied, lash by lash, to natural eyelashes. The procedure is becoming popular worldwide because they seem more natural and last longer than other types of false eyelashes. However, partly because a bonding agent (glue) containing organic substances is applied near the eyes, consultations with ophthalmologic clinics and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan have increased annually.

Effect of a group health education program in the workplace at the age of 35: a population approach.

Using a population approach, we investigated whether a group health education program exerted a preventive effect on checkup items at five years later. Workers turning 35 years old before the initial implementation of the program were entered in the control group (n = 422) and those turning 35 years on this date or after were entered in the intervention group (n = 206). These groups were compared using data obtained from routine health checkups at 35 and 40 years of age.

Health impairment of system engineers working on projects with heavy workload.

It has been reported that many system engineers must work hard to produce computer systems, and some of them suffer from health impairment due to their hard work. The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the situation of impaired health status of system engineers in projects with high job strain. Countermeasures against health impairment of the subjects in the projects with high job strain in practices of occupational health fields are discussed.

Economic analysis of use of counterfeit drugs: health impairment risk of counterfeit phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor taken as an example.

Objectives: The size of the market for counterfeit drugs throughout the world is considerable. Many cases of health impairment due to counterfeits have been reported. The market share of counterfeits in drug markets in developed countries is smaller than that in developing countries.

Relationship between environmental exposure to cadmium and bone metabolism in a non-polluted area of Japan.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of environmental low-grade cadmium exposure on bone in the population of a non-polluted area. We investigated the relationship between environmental cadmium exposure (via rice intake) and bone metabolism in middle-aged and elderly women living in a non-polluted area in Japan.

Methods: Four hundred and twenty-nine women over the age of 39 years (54.

Symptoms related to glaucomatous visual field abnormalities among male Japanese workers in a population-based setting.

Purpose: To identify symptoms potentially related to glaucomatous visual field abnormalities (VFAs) in a population-based setting, and to assess the applicability of using these symptoms to identify persons at risk of developing glaucoma.

Methods: In this study, 10,214 Japanese male general workers (mean age, 45.3±8.

A second national questionnaire survey of TMA.

A second questionnaire survey of Japanese patients with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) was carried out to investigate the frequency, laboratory abnormalities and outcome in 2004 and 2005. The first and second surveys evaluated 397 patients including 19 with familial TMA and 378 with acquired TMA. The patients with acquired TMA included 165 with Escherichia coli O-157 infection-related TMA (O-157 TMA), 70 with ADAMTS13-related TMA (ADAMTS13 TMA) and 38 with other types of TMA (other TMA).

Additional candidates to conventional genes susceptible for lung cancer and changing trend in Japan.

The polymorphism of CYP1A1*2A or CYP1A1*2B, and the linkage of CYP1A1*2A, CYP1A1*2B, GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms have been established as susceptible genes or gene-gene interactions of tobacco-related lung cancer. New candidate genes susceptible for lung cancer such as NQO1 (NAD(P)H:quinine oxidoreductase), NAT2 (N-acetyltransferase 2), and several others have been reported. In the present review we focus on new candidate genes susceptible for lung cancer, then examine all Japanese references by meta-analysis on susceptible genes over the past 20 years, and discuss whether new candidates and changing trend in Japan could be caused by environmental change.

National questionnaire survey of TMA.

A questionnaire survey of Japanese patients with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) was carried out to investigate the frequency, laboratory abnormalities, and outcome in 2004. Out of 185 patients, there were 13 with familial TMA and 172 with acquired TMA. In acquired TMA, there were 66 with Escherichia coli O-157 infection (O-157)-related TMA, 35 with ADAMTS13-related TMA, and 22 with other types of TMA.

Expansion of the phenotypic spectrum of SCA14 caused by the Gly128Asp mutation in PRKCG.

Two cases of spinocerebellar ataxia type 14 (SCA14) with a G128D mutation in the protein kinase C gamma gene (PRKCG) without a definite family history have been reported previously. Here, we describe the first familial cases of SCA14 with a G128D mutation in PRKCG. Among three family members, the chief complaints varied and included ataxic gait, cervical dystonia, and positional vertigo.

Relationship between low evaluation by recipients under 40 years old of health interviews by occupational health nurses and deterioration in health checkup results over one year.

Improvement of an unhealthy lifestyle decreases the risk of incidence and mortality from lifestyle-related disease. One method for the improvement of an unhealthy lifestyle is interviewing for health and consultation regarding a healthy lifestyle to recipients of health checkups by public health nurses. Original articles in occupational health for recipients' evaluation in health checkups as longitudinal studies are rare.

Phase I/II trial of combination therapy with S-1 and weekly paclitaxel in patients with unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer.

Purpose: We aimed to examine the safety and antitumor effects of a combination of S-1 and paclitaxel in patients with unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer in a phase I/II setting.

Patients And Methods: The study was designed as a phase I/II clinical trial. In phase I portion, the dose of paclitaxel was escalated to estimate the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD) of paclitaxel with fixed dose of S-1.