A change in the timing of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination in 2013 was associated with an increase in the incidence rate of infants with latent tuberculosis infection.

Background: A change in the timing of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination among infants in Japan appears to be associated with an increase in the incidence rate of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).

Methods: Data on both active and latent tuberculosis (TB) infections from 2007 to 2019, which were reported by the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, were statistically analyzed by comparing TB incidence rates in 2007-2012 and 2013-2019.

Results: Although the incidence rate for active TB disease did not statistically increase nor decrease in the infant age group for either sex (and in fact decreased for some of the other age groups), the incidence rates of LTBI for both sexes were increased in the infant age group, while the incidence rates decreased in the other age groups.

Influence of aging on the color visual field in humans: A cross-sectional study.

Age-related narrowing of the visual field is observed in the elderly, which leads to reduced cognitive and psychomotor functions. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to determine the influence of aging on the visual field for color vision in humans, with respect to angular thresholds for object detection and color detection.The subjects were divided into the elderly group (mean 76.

An Entropy-Based Tool to Help the Interpretation of Common-Factor Spaces in Factor Analysis.

This paper proposes a method for deriving interpretable common factors based on canonical correlation analysis applied to the vectors of common factors and manifest variables in the factor analysis model. First, an entropy-based method for measuring factor contributions is reviewed. Second, the entropy-based contribution measure of the common-factor vector is decomposed into those of canonical common factors, and it is also shown that the importance order of factors is that of their canonical correlation coefficients.

Age- and Sex-Related Differences in Morbidities of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Children.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are causes of public health burden globally. The purpose of this study is to document age-specific and sex-related changes in the morbidity of four representative STDs in children. Japanese national surveillance data from 1999 to 2017 on morbidities of the following four STDs were analyzed by age and sex: (NG), (CT), condylomata acuminate (CA), and genital herpes simplex virus (GHSV).

Re-employment of people with chronic stroke: A single-centre retrospective study.

Background/aim: Re-employment is the goal of rehabilitation for many patients after stroke. This study retrospectively examined previously employed stroke survivors who were unable to return to work at time of discharge from hospital and identified factors which were correlated with successful re-employment following a rehabilitation programme involving occupational therapy at a support facility. Factors correlated with reactivation of drivers' licence after stroke were also investigated.

An Entropy-Based Approach for Measuring Factor Contributions in Factor Analysis Models.

In factor analysis, factor contributions of latent variables are assessed conventionally by the sums of the squared factor loadings related to the variables. First, the present paper considers issues in the conventional method. Second, an alternative entropy-based approach for measuring factor contributions is proposed.

Tooth loss, swallowing dysfunction and mortality in Japanese older adults receiving home care services.

Aim: Severe tooth loss and swallowing dysfunction occur more frequently in dependent older adult populations. Poor oral health and functional status are expected to have a negative impact on general health. We examined whether mortality is related to the number of teeth and swallowing function in dependent older Japanese individuals receiving home care services.

Three cases of pigmented cosmetic dermatitis-like eruptions associated with primary Sjögren's syndrome or anti-SSA antibody.

Pigmented cosmetic dermatitis-like (Riehl's melanosis-like) pigmentation was reported in three of 27 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. But case reports of such eruptions are rare. We describe three cases of such eruptions associated with primary Sjögren's syndrome or anti-SSA antibody and possible associations with specific types of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and infiltrating lymphocytes.

Results of second-stage screening for skin cancers in Oita Prefecture, Japan.

We performed skin cancer screenings for 2 or 3 days annually from 2006 through 2013 in Oita Prefecture, Japan. Screening of approximately 3000 people in total allowed us to identify and treat several skin cancers, including five cases of malignant melanoma, four of squamous cell carcinoma, 16 of basal cell carcinoma, 11 of Bowen's disease, 17 of actinic keratosis, one of extramammary Paget's disease and one of metastatic breast carcinoma. The sensitivity and specificity for the category defined by an identified lesion associated with risk of cancer and requiring further examination (category C) were 92.

Dental plaque development on a hydroxyapatite disk in young adults observed by using a barcoded pyrosequencing approach.

Dental plaque is a dynamic microbial biofilm ecosystem that comprises hundreds of species including difficult-to-cultivate bacteria. We observed the assembly of a plaque bacterial community through 16S rRNA gene analysis. Plaque samples that accumulated on a hydroxyapatite disk for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 days with saliva on day 0 were collected from 19 young adults using a removable resin splint.

Relationship between increases in BMI and changes in periodontal status: a prospective cohort study.

Aim: The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to investigate whether body mass index (BMI) and oral health behaviour are related to changes in periodontal status in Japanese university students.

Materials And Methods: Students (n = 224) who were interested in receiving oral health examinations before entering university and before graduation were included in the analysis. Subjects were investigated regarding the correlations of oral health behaviours and increases in BMI with the percentage of bleeding on probing (%BOP) and Community Periodontal Index (CPI) scores as indicators of changes in periodontal status.

Gender differences in the association between metabolic syndrome and periodontal disease: the Hisayama Study.

Aims: Periodontal disease and metabolic syndrome (MS) are more prevalent in males than in females. However, whether there is a gender difference in the association between these health conditions has not yet been investigated. This study examined the gender difference in this association, considering the definition of periodontal disease.

Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation affects seizures and cognition in fully amygdala-kindled rats.

This study evaluated the effects of weak transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a new non-invasive brain stimulation technique, on amygdala-kindled rats. The seizure severity, i.e.

Diurnal cortisol changes in newborn infants suggesting entrainment of peripheral circadian clock in utero and at birth.

Background: In the rodent and human fetus, a diurnal cortisol rhythm is observed that is entrained in antiphase to the maternal rhythm. However, after birth, the adrenal circadian rhythm becomes unsynchronized with the clock time, and an adult-type, 24-h rhythm is observed only after a few months. Little is known about when and how the fetal adrenal circadian rhythm is synchronized with the day-night cycle.

Phase III randomized trial of toremifene versus tamoxifen for Japanese postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer.

Background: Toremifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, is used as adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal patients with breast cancer in Japan. For Japanese patients, however, only limited data are available on the efficacy and safety profile of toremifene. To establish the long term efficacy and safety of toremifene for Japanese patients, we conducted a prospective, multicenter, randomized phase III trial comparing toremifene and tamoxifen.

Compositional stability of a salivary bacterial population against supragingival microbiota shift following periodontal therapy.

Supragingival plaque is permanently in contact with saliva. However, the extent to which the microbiota contributes to the salivary bacterial population remains unclear. We compared the compositional shift in the salivary bacterial population with that in supragingival plaque following periodontal therapy.

Age-specific sex-related differences in infections: a statistical analysis of national surveillance data in Japan.

Background: To prevent and control infectious diseases, it is important to understand how sex and age influence morbidity rates, but consistent clear descriptions of differences in the reported incidence of infectious diseases in terms of sex and age are sparse.

Methods And Findings: Data from the Japanese surveillance system for infectious diseases from 2000 to 2009 were used in the analysis of seven viral and four bacterial infectious diseases with relatively large impact on the Japanese community. The male-to-female morbidity (MFM) ratios in different age groups were estimated to compare incidence rates of symptomatic reported infection between the sexes at different ages.

Multivariate evaluation of the technical difficulties in performing laparoscopic anterior resection for rectal cancer.

Background: Although the laparoscopic approach is accepted for the treatment of colon cancer, its value for low rectal cancer is unknown. We sought to evaluate the technical feasibility of laparoscopic low anterior resection (Lap-AR) by determining short-term clinical outcomes and identifying the corresponding predictive factors.

Methods: A retrospective single-institution study was carried out on 82 patients in whom Lap-AR had been attempted for rectal cancer during the period spanning April 2001 to December 2009.

Analysis of 256 cases of basal cell carcinoma after either one-step or two-step surgery in a Japanese institution.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a common skin cancer that arises from the cells of the basal layer of the epithelium or from the external root sheath of the hair follicle. In the present report, 256 cases treated surgically between 1999 and 2008 in our department were retrospectively analyzed. The most frequent BCC locations included the face (77.

Diagnostic utility of C-reactive protein combined with brain natriuretic peptide in acute pulmonary edema: a cross sectional study.

Introduction: Discriminating acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) from cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE) using the plasma level of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) alone remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic utility of combination measurements of BNP and C-reactive protein (CRP) in critically ill patients with pulmonary edema.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study.

Sex- and age-related differences in morbidity rates of 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus of swine origin in Japan.

Background: The objective of the present study was to determine whether the morbidity rates of the 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus (pdmH1N1) varied by age and/or sex.

Methods And Findings: Retrospective analysis of 2,024,367 cases of pdmH1N1 was performed using the national surveillance data from influenza sentinel points in Japan. The male-to-female morbidity ratios (M/F ratios) in nineteen age groups were estimated as the primary outcome.