Relationship Between the Japanese Physical Fitness Test and the 3-Minute Burpee Test.

Background Japan has conducted a national physical fitness survey every year since 1964, when the first Tokyo Summer Olympics were held. The survey is a test that evaluates eight physical fitness components: speed, total body endurance, instantaneous force, dexterity, muscle strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and agility, but it requires specialized equipment and space, and it takes time to measure them all. Aims The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the 3-minute burpee test (3MBT), which has been reported to be associated with various physical fitness components, and a "new physical fitness test.

Support to prevent older people from becoming housebound through mutual aid among residents: a qualitative study.

Background: As Japan faces super-aging of the population and a declining birthrate, the shortage of caregivers for older people who require support in the country and a decrease in their quality of life, have become prominent issues. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recommends mutual aid among local residents in providing such support.

Aims: To qualitatively analyse issues at hand with a focus on individual visits by welfare commissioners as part of the support to promote early detection and prevention of houseboundness in older people through mutual aid among residents.

Water balance in Japanese male kendo college athletes during training: a pilot study assessing seasonal differences with adjusted energy expenditure.

Background: Due to various factors, water balance may vary across seasons. These effects may be particularly prominent in athletes and dependent upon energy expenditure during training.

Methods: Japanese male kendo college athletes participated in this study during their training sessions.

Status of school health programs in Asia: National policy and implementation.

Background: The WHO's Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework is based on an understanding of the reciprocal relationship between health and education, and the need to take a holistic approach to health promotion in schools. We aim to clarify the degree to which the HPS framework is reflected in the national policies of eight target countries and the issues surrounding its successful implementation.

Methods: Date were collected through two expert workshops with participants from eight Asian countries: Cambodia, China, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Nepal, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Eleven microsatellites in an emerging invader, Phytolacca americana (Phytolaccaceae), from its native and introduced ranges.

Premise Of The Study: To facilitate population genetic analyses, microsatellite markers were developed for pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), a large, weedy, perennial herb native to eastern North America that is emerging as a significant invasive species in China.

Methods And Results: We mined 1,100,538 Illumina MiSeq reads from genomic DNA for microsatellites and identified 58 primer pairs. We screened these primers for polymorphism in two native and two invasive populations.