Gap between the concerns of healthcare professionals and parents' perceptions regarding dietary habits for 18-month- and 3-year-old children in Japan.

Background: A gap has been reported between healthcare professionals' (hereafter "professionals") recognition of preschool children's diets and parents' perception of concern. This study investigated the gap between the concerns reported by professionals and parents' perceptions regarding health and dietary habits by age (18 months and 3 years) and gender in Japan.

Methods: The study design consisted of a cross-sectional, multilevel survey.

An Inclusive Early Childhood Intervention Program for Children With Disabilities: Possible Effects on Children and Nursery Teachers.

Inclusive early childhood intervention provides opportunities for children with disabilities to receive education with typically developing children. The present study examined the effects of the AI-AI STEP Program, which is designed to help nursery teachers learn the methods of inclusive early childhood intervention for children with disabilities. This study involved 37 managers of 37 nursery schools in Japan, 48 nursery teachers, and 48 children with disabilities.

[Analysis of sweet snack eating habits and lifestyle using a health check for toddlers].

Objectives　In Japan, medical questionnaires on diet and lifestyle are administered during health checkups for children. Since the rate of health checkup participation is high, the information obtained from these questionnaires can be used for regional diagnoses. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between sweet snack eating habits (SSEHs) and lifestyle habits in toddlers using data from the questionnaires.

Multi-professional meetings on health checks and communication in providing nutritional guidance for infants and toddlers in Japan: a cross-sectional, national survey-based study.

Background: Health personnel must provide continuous support in response to problematic results from health checks of infants and toddlers (hereinafter "infant[s]"). Among this support, it is important for health personnel to provide nutritional guidance to families as a collaborative effort between the staff from multiple disciplines and community organizations. This study aimed to clarify the factors affecting collaboration with community organizations in providing nutritional guidance to families following health checks for infants in Japan.

[The relationship between parenting anxiety in mothers and the resources from which they routinely sought advice: The final "Healthy Parents and Children 21" survey].

Objectives　This study aimed to examine the relationship between parenting anxiety in mothers and the resources from which they routinely sought advice.Methods　Data consisted of the 75,662 survey responses from parents of children who had undergone health checkups between April and August of 2013. A logistic regression analysis was performed using parenting anxiety (computed using the responses to the two survey items "I don't feel confident as a parent" and "I wonder if I'm mistreating my child") as the response variable.

Awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among parents of 3-year-old children.

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in infants or toddlers mainly occurs at home. Therefore, parents should be able to perform immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when they witness OHCA. The status of knowledge regarding CPR among parents, however, remains unclear.

[Current situation and issues using maternal and child health-related information in the "Healthy parents and children 21" campaign across municipalities in Japan].

Objectives The use of maternal and child health-related information is an issue faced by the "Healthy parents and children 21" campaign, a national campaign to improve the health standards of mothers and children in Japan. This study described the current situation and issues faced by municipalities across Japan that use this information.Methods Data across municipalities selected for the current survey of promoting the "Healthy parents and children 21" campaign in 2013 were analyzed in this study.

Hemodynamic responses to simulated weightlessness of 24-h head-down bed rest and KAATSU blood flow restriction.

The KAATSU training is a unique method of muscle training with restricting venous blood flow, which might be applied to prevent muscle atrophy during space flight, but the effects of KAATSU in microgravity remain unknown. We investigated the hemodynamic responses to KAATSU during actually simulated weightlessness (6 degrees head-down tilt for 24 h, n = 8), and compared those to KAATSU in the seated position before bed rest. KAATSU was applied to the proximal ends of both the thighs.

Hemodynamic and neurohumoral responses to the restriction of femoral blood flow by KAATSU in healthy subjects.

The application of an orthostatic stress such as lower body negative pressure (LBNP) has been proposed to minimize the effects of weightlessness on the cardiovascular system and subsequently to reduce the cardiovascular deconditioning. The KAATSU training is a novel method to induce muscle strength and hypertrophy with blood pooling in capacitance vessels by restricting venous return. Here, we studied the hemodynamic, autonomic nervous and hormonal responses to the restriction of femoral blood flow by KAATSU in healthy male subjects, using the ultrasonography and impedance cardiography.

Serial MR imaging and 1H-MR spectroscopy of unidentified bright objects in a case of neurofibromatosis type 1.

Serial study using MR imaging and 1H-MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of unidentified bright objects (UBO) in a 9-year-old boy with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is described. UBO was indicated in the left globus pallidum at 3 years old, then appeared in the right globus pallidum at 5 years old along with left hemiconvulsion. These UBO gradually disappeared over several years.

New rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies against bacterial surface antigens using filtration plates.

An easy and rapid ELISA system, Filtration ELISA, to detect antibodies against bacterial cell surface antigens was developed using a 96-well filtration plate fitted with a 0.22microm membrane (MultiScreen-GV, Millipore). Bacterial whole cells were used as antigens without fixing the cells with formalin etc.