New Fresnel lens loupe for nystagmus observation suitable for use by medical staff in emergency departments.

Background: Reduction of spontaneous nystagmus by fixation, a characteristic feature of peripheral nystagmus, is important for differentiating between peripheral and central vestibular disorders. In the emergency room, Frenzel goggles are recommended to observe spontaneous nystagmus for the differential diagnosis of acute vestibular syndrome. We developed a portable loupe with a Fresnel lens to observe nystagmus.

Interventional study of the effect of trunk support provision on the body pressure and ventilation volume in the prone position in healthy young and older women.

[Purpose] This study aimed to determine and compare the effects of prone trunk support on facial and chest pressures and ventilation volumes between young and older women. [Participants and Methods] This study included 12 healthy young women and 10 healthy older women. We recorded the maximum body pressures on the face and chest, tidal volume, and lung capacity in three different prone positions and compared the results between the two age groups.

Healthy Warrior Effect With Deployment to United Nations Peacekeeping Operation: A Longitudinal Study Among Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces.

Introduction: The "healthy warrior effect" (HWE), in which deployed military personnel are healthier than those not deployed, is known to be associated with deployment. However, the HWE associated with deployment to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations (PKO) has not been examined. This study examined the HWE associated with deployment to UN PKO by examining the impact of pre-deployment mental health on the likelihood of deployment and whether this difference persisted after deployment.

Interventional study of comparing body pressure in different prone positions in healthy young women.

[Purpose] Although prone positioning is used to increase oxygenation in various respiratory conditions, this positioning can lead to facial and limb pressure ulcers. The aim in this study was to investigate body pressure variations in the prone position for different facial orientations and upper extremity positions. [Participants and Methods] Nineteen healthy young women participated in this study.

School Refusal Behaviors: The Roles of Adolescent and Parental Factors.

School refusal behaviors in adolescents have deleterious immediate and long-term consequences and are associated with mental ill-health such as anxiety and depression. Understanding factors that place youth at higher risk of school refusal behavior may assist in developing effective management approaches. We investigated parental and adolescent factors that may be associated with school refusal behaviors by specifically focusing on the role of parental and adolescent emotion dysregulation, their anxiety and depression, and parental rearing style.

Nonlinear age-related differences in probabilistic learning in mice: A 5-armed bandit task study.

This study explores the impact of aging on reinforcement learning in mice, focusing on changes in learning rates and behavioral strategies. A 5-armed bandit task (5-ABT) and a computational Q-learning model were used to evaluate the positive and negative learning rates and the inverse temperature across three age groups (3, 12, and 18 months). Results showed a significant decline in the negative learning rate of 18-month-old mice, which was not observed for the positive learning rate.

Association between smoking and duration of regional anesthesia - A propensity score matching study.

Background: Previous studies have shown shorter duration of general anesthesia in smokers but it is unclear in regional anesthesia among smokers. We investigated the association between smoking status and the duration of regional anesthesia.

Methods: A total of 77 patients with a mean age of 47.

[A longitudinal study of the association between physical activity and apathy among community-dwelling older adults].

Aim: This study clarified the association between the amount of physical activity and apathy after one year among community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Two hundred community-dwelling older adults (mean age: 74.3±5.

Development of a Subjective Visual Vertical Test System Using a Smartphone With Virtual Reality Goggles for Screening of Otolithic Dysfunction: Observational Study.

Background: The subjective visual vertical (SVV) test can evaluate otolith function and spatial awareness and is performed in dedicated vertigo centers using specialized equipment; however, it is not otherwise widely used because of the specific equipment and space requirements. An SVV test smartphone app was developed to easily perform assessments in outpatient facilities.

Objective: This study aimed to verify whether the SVV test smartphone app with commercially available virtual reality goggles can be used in a clinical setting.

Age-Related Differences in the Effectiveness of Rehabilitation to Improve Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Stroke: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: This study aimed to reveal differences in the effectiveness of rehabilitation in improving activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with acute stroke across age groups and propose age-appropriate rehabilitation strategies.

Methods: This observational study analyzed nationwide administrative data of inpatients admitted to hospitals with acute stroke between April 1, 2018, and March 31, 2020. The data included the average length of daily rehabilitation sessions, weekly frequency of rehabilitation sessions, and initiation of rehabilitation within 3 days.

Analysis of the characteristics of anticipatory postural adjustments in older adults using smartphones: Association between cognitive and balance functions.

Objectives: Using smartphones, we aimed to clarify the characteristics of anticipatory postural adjustments (APA) in older adults and examine the relationship between cognitive and balance functions.

Methods: The study participants were 10 young and 13 older adults. An accelerometer built into a smartphone was attached to the lower back (L5) of the participant, and acceleration in the mediolateral direction was measured using a one-leg stance (OLS).

BK channel dysfunction disrupts attention-controlled behaviors and altered perseverative responses in murine instrumental learning.

This study examined the effect of knockout of KCNMA1 gene, coding for the BK channel, on cognitive and attentional functions in mice, with an aim to better understand its implications for human neurodevelopmental disorders. The study used the 3-choice serial reaction time task (3-CSRTT) to assess the learning performance, attentional abilities, and repetitive behaviors in mice lacking the KCNMA1 gene (KCNMA1) compared to wild-type (WT) controls. Results showed no significant differences in learning accuracy between the two groups.

Assessing fall risk and equilibrium function in patients with age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma: An observational study.

Background: Falls in older adults are a significant public health concern, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma have been identified as potential visual risk factors. This study was designed to assess equilibrium function, fall risk, and fall-related self-efficacy (an individual's belief in their capacity to act in ways necessary to reach specific goals) in patients with AMD and glaucoma.

Methods: This observational study was performed at the Otorhinolaryngology Department of Shinseikai Toyama Hospital.

Performance of GPT-4V in Answering the Japanese Otolaryngology Board Certification Examination Questions: Evaluation Study.

Background: Artificial intelligence models can learn from medical literature and clinical cases and generate answers that rival human experts. However, challenges remain in the analysis of complex data containing images and diagrams.

Objective: This study aims to assess the answering capabilities and accuracy of ChatGPT-4 Vision (GPT-4V) for a set of 100 questions, including image-based questions, from the 2023 otolaryngology board certification examination.

Can we spot fake public comments generated by ChatGPT(-3.5, -4)?: Japanese stylometric analysis expose emulation created by one-shot learning.

Public comments are an important opinion for civic when the government establishes rules. However, recent AI can easily generate large quantities of disinformation, including fake public comments. We attempted to distinguish between human public comments and ChatGPT-generated public comments (including ChatGPT emulated that of humans) using Japanese stylometric analysis.

Longitudinal effects of disaster-related experiences on problem drinking among Fukushima nuclear plant workers.

Background: In the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster of March 11, 2011, plant workers were exposed to various traumatic events and reported a subsequent increase in alcohol use. To determine the relationship between disaster-related experiences and problem drinking, we conducted a three-year follow-up study.

Methods: Problem drinking among the nuclear plant workers was assessed annually from 2012-2014 using a modified version of the CAGE questionnaire that asked about current, rather than lifetime, drinking.

Development of an educational program for healthcare professionals who provide appearance care for patients with cancer: Feasibility study of an e-learning program.

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and utility of an e-learning training program to improve healthcare professionals' knowledge about providing appearance care to patients with cancer. Healthcare professionals who provide appearance support were invited to participate voluntarily and complete a survey before and after the program. Participation request letters were distributed to 133 individuals, including 75 from four facilities invited via professional connections, and agreed to participate in the study and 58 participated in the National Cancer Center's appearance care training and indicated an interest in participating in the study.

Time course of effective connectivity associated with perspective taking in utterance comprehension.

This study discusses the effective connectivity in the brain and its time course in realizing perspective taking in verbal communication through electroencephalogram (EEG) associated with the understanding of Japanese utterances. We manipulated perspective taking in a sentence with the Japanese subsidiary verbs and , which mean "to give". We measured the EEG during the auditory presentation of the sentences with a multichannel electroencephalograph, and the partial directed coherence and its temporal variations were analyzed using the source localization method to examine causal interactions between nineteen regions of interest in the brain.

Neural Coupling between Interhemispheric and Frontoparietal Functional Connectivity during Semantic Processing.

Interhemispheric and frontoparietal functional connectivity have been reported to increase during explicit information processing. However, it is unclear how and when interhemispheric and frontoparietal functional connectivity interact during explicit semantic processing. Here, we tested the neural coupling hypothesis that explicit semantic processing promotes neural activity in the nondominant right hemispheric areas, owing to synchronization with enhanced frontoparietal functional connectivity at later processing stages.

Development of a Prototype Video Head Impulse Test System Using an iPhone for Screening of Peripheral Vestibular Dysfunction.

Introduction: Head impulse, nystagmus, and test of skew (HINTS) is more accurate for the early diagnosis of occipital fossa stroke than magnetic resonance imaging. However, the head impulse test (HIT) is relatively challenging to perform, as it is subjective. Herein, we developed a prototype video HIT (vHIT) system using an iPhone (Apple, Cupertino, CA, USA) that is compact, easy to operate, and analyzable by our iPhone application.

Effect of the post-learning period on the accuracy and self-efficacy of measuring the joint range of motion.

[Purpose] To verify the effects of the differences in the post-learning period on the accuracy and self-efficacy of measuring the range of passive flexion of the knee and elbow of students. [Participants and Methods] Thirty-six physical therapy students were classified into three groups (short-term, medium-term, and long-term) based on the interval since learning to measure the range of motion. Participants were asked to self-evaluate their efficacy in appropriately measuring the range of motion for knee and elbow flexion using a 10-point Likert scale.