Publications by authors named "Shuhei Nomura"
Tribasodes kamedai Nomura, 2012 was described based on specimens collected in a limestone cave in Okinawa-jima Island. We demonstrate that this species is not a strict troglobite, but presumably a trogloxene, as it was recently collected in new localities from forest leaf litter and hollow trees. Tribasodes kamedai is redescribed in detail, with the first illustrations of female genitalia, notes on interspecific variability, and new distributional records.
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- The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in healthcare use in Japan, especially during its later stages (2022-2023), which had not been thoroughly studied before.
- A quasi-Poisson regression model was used to analyze trends in inpatient and outpatient healthcare utilization in Japan, revealing that inpatient volumes remained consistently lower than pre-pandemic levels and that psychiatric care saw a decline in occupancy rates.
- The findings indicate that the pandemic has led to lasting changes in healthcare patterns, with reduced inpatient volumes and prolonged psychiatric hospital stays, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring of healthcare services.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding environmental factors in disease transmission. This study aims to explore the spatial association between nighttime light (NTL) from satellite imagery and COVID-19 mortality. It particularly examines how NTL serves as a pragmatic proxy to estimate human interaction in illuminated nocturnal area, thereby impacting viral transmission dynamics to neighboring areas, which is defined as spillover effect.
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- The study aims to compare factors influencing knowledge and attitudes about sodium (Na) intake across seven countries to understand their effects and relationships.
- Using data from a cross-sectional study with over 7,000 participants, researchers found a strong link between knowledge about Na intake and positive attitudes, especially in the UK, France, and the USA.
- The findings suggest that public health interventions should be culturally and socially tailored, as socioeconomic conditions also play a role in shaping knowledge and attitudes towards Na intake.
Objective: This paper provides an in-depth examination of public attitudes towards salt reduction across seven culturally diverse countries: the USA, the UK, France, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, and Brazil.
Design: Cross-sectional regression analysis with questionnaire data.
Setting: An analysis of questionnaire study in seven countries.
Introduction: Metabolic comorbidities are involved in the development and progression of noncommunicable diseases. There is convincing evidence that lifestyles are important contributors to metabolic comorbidities. This study measured the metabolic comorbidity score of South Asian adults and identified its relationship with lifestyles.
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- The study investigates how cancer patients in disaster-affected Fukushima (2011) seek health information online, comparing their behavior with non-cancer patients.
- 404 patients (263 with cancer and 141 without) were surveyed about their internet use and health information-seeking habits from October 2016 to January 2017.
- Results showed similar online health information-seeking rates between both groups, but cancer patients who used smartphones and tablets daily were significantly more likely to search for health information; trust in institutional websites was also crucial for them.
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- The study investigates what influences parents in Japan to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, especially with pediatric vaccines becoming available.
- An online survey was conducted in February 2022 with 2,419 respondents to gauge their attitudes towards vaccination, using multinomial logistic regression to analyze factors like gender, education, and perception of vaccine benefits and risks.
- Key findings reveal that male parents, those with higher educational levels, and those who view the benefits of vaccination as significant are more likely to support COVID-19 vaccinations for their children, along with the number of credible information sources they consider.
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- Approximately half of Japanese men aged 20-49 have engaged with commercial sex work (CSW), but detailed data on this behavior is limited.
- An online survey involving 4,000 men revealed that the median number of paid sexual partners over a lifetime was six, with significant links to factors like age, marital status, income, education, and self-rated attractiveness.
- The high prevalence of CSW use is attributed to its accessibility and low stigma, highlighting the need for public health initiatives focused on promoting safe practices and STI screening for CSW users.
The increasing burden of lifestyle-related diseases highlights the need to address unhealthy dietary habits. This study aims to explore the latest dietary patterns in Japan following the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on trends in health-promoting food choices. A web-based survey was conducted among 27,154 Japanese adults, selected via quota sampling to mirror national demographics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Trust in governments and public institutions as a determinant of public health outcomes has gained increased attention since the COVID-19 pandemic. Provided historically low confidence in vaccines in Japan, investigating the role of trust in information sources and actual COVID-19 vaccination uptake behavior will be invaluable for future vaccine promotion policymaking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to elucidate the determinants of COVID-19 vaccination uptake and evaluate the relationship between trust in different information sources and COVID-19 vaccination behavior in Japan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we aimed to use the loss of happy life expectancy (LHpLE), an indicator that enables risk assessment considering wellbeing, to compare the risks of environmental carcinogenic chemicals in Japan. First, we surveyed Japanese people to determine their emotional happiness by age and sex and evaluated whether cancer incidence reduced emotional happiness. Questionnaires were administered to a general population panel and a panel of patients with cancer in 2022, recruiting a predetermined number of responses of 5000 and 850, respectively.
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- Intestinal parasitic infections are a major health issue for pregnant women globally, who need more nutrients, making deworming essential and supported by the WHO with a target of 75% coverage by 2030.
- Research using data from 56 low- and middle-income countries found that while some progress has been made, only 11 countries are on track to meet the WHO's goal.
- To improve deworming rates, the study highlights the need for better access to antenatal care, safe water, and higher wealth levels, alongside increased investment in health programs and policies to ensure inclusivity.
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- - The study examines end-of-life care for dementia patients in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on where these patients died (homes, medical facilities, or nursing homes).
- - Analyzing data from over 279,000 dementia-related deaths, the study found a shift in death locations, with a rise in deaths at home and nursing facilities, especially during the peak of the pandemic restrictions.
- - The findings indicate that care access was strained due to COVID-19, leading to changes in preferred death locations; the study urges healthcare professionals to discuss end-of-life preferences with patients more actively.
Background: Globally, women experience healthcare inequalities, which may contribute to excessive mortality rates at various stages of their lives. Though Bangladesh has achieved excellent progress in providing healthcare, the country still has some critical challenges that need immediate attention. The objective of this study is to examine the association between social determinants and barriers to accessing healthcare among ever-married women aged 15-49 in Bangladesh.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Self-tracking smartphone apps have emerged as promising tools to encourage healthy behaviors. In this longitudinal study, we used gym use data from members of a major fitness club that operates gyms throughout Japan from January 2014 to December 2019.
Objective: Our objective was to assess the extent to which a health and fitness self-tracking mobile app introduced to gym members on January 1, 2018, contributed to their weight loss.
This study explored the factors associated with healthcare avoidance behavior for menstrual disorders and menopausal symptoms among women in Japan. Using data from a nationally representative cross-sectional online survey conducted in September 2022, responses from 4,950 women aged 25-59 were analyzed. This study applied binomial logistic regression models specifically to participants who reported having ever felt the need to seek healthcare assistance due to health issues related to menstruation and menopause.
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- The COVID-19 pandemic in Japan affected how cancer patients chose to receive end-of-life care, leading to a notable shift from hospitals to home settings for deaths.
- Analysis of national mortality data revealed that while total cancer deaths increased over time, there was uncertainty regarding an overall rise in excess cancer deaths during the pandemic.
- The percentage of deaths occurring in medical institutions dropped significantly, while home deaths rose, indicating changes in care preferences and necessitating further investigation into the pandemic's impact on cancer care decisions.
Strategies for Strengthening the Resilience of Public Health Systems for Pandemics, Disasters, and Other Emergencies.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep
September 2023
Objective: The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize strategies for strengthening public health system resilience for pandemics, disasters, and other emergencies using a scorecard approach.
Methods: The United Nations Public Health System Resilience Scorecard (Scorecard) was applied across 5 workshops in Slovenia, Turkey, and the United States of America. The workshops focused on participants reviewing and discussing 23 questions/indicators.
Accurately estimating the timing of pathogen exposure plays a crucial role in outbreak control for emerging infectious diseases, including the source identification, contact tracing, and vaccine research and development. However, since surveillance activities often collect data retrospectively after symptoms have appeared, obtaining accurate data on the timing of disease onset is difficult in practice and can involve "coarse" observations, such as interval or censored data. To address this challenge, we propose a novel likelihood function, tailored to coarsely observed data in rapid outbreak surveillance, along with an optimization method based on an -accelerated EM algorithm for faster convergence to find maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs).
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