Enhancing social-emotional skills in early childhood: intervention study on the effectiveness of social and emotional learning.

Background: Social and emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for developing skills such as emotional regulation, cooperation, and goal achievement. Deficits in these skills are linked to later academic and behavioral problems. While SEL interventions have been widely implemented internationally, few have been tested in early childhood settings in Japan, and their effectiveness remains unclear.

Spirituality, Quality of Life, and Health: A Japanese Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Current reports suggest a positive association between spirituality and quality of life (QoL) in elders. While most studies are qualitative studies and there has been little validation in quantitative studies using scales to measure spirituality. Hence, we aimed to study the effect of spirituality on mental health and QoL in older people residing in Kumejima Town in Japan.

Vegetable Extracts as Therapeutic Agents: A Comprehensive Exploration of Anti-Allergic Effects.

Food allergies are common worldwide and have become a major public health concern; more than 220 million people are estimated to suffer from food allergies worldwide. On the other hand, polyphenols, phenolic substances found in plants, have attracted attention for their health-promoting functions, including their anti-allergic effects. In this study, we examined the potential inhibitory effects of 80% ethanol extracts from 22 different vegetables on the degranulation process in RBL-2H3 cells.

Potential for Improvement of Gut Microbiota Deterioration Caused by a High-fat, High-sucrose Diet through Administration of Acylated Steryl-β-glycosides.

Consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) is associated with an increased risk of metabolic diseases, cancer, and neurological disorders, which are major global health concerns. In the present study, mice were fed a HFD containing 40% fat and 0.5% or 1.

Fructooligosaccharide feeding during gestation to pregnant mice provided excessive folic acid decreases maternal and female fetal oxidative stress by increasing intestinal microbe-derived hydrogen gas.

Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) is fermented by intestinal microbes to generate intestinal microbe-derived hydrogen gas (IMDH). Oxidative stress increases during gestation, whereas hydrogen gas has antioxidant effects with therapeutic benefits. We have previously reported that the offspring from a pregnant, excessive folic acid mouse model (PEFAM) had abnormal glucose metabolism after growth.

Near-Physiological Concentrations of Extracellular Pyruvate Stimulated Glucose Utilization along with Triglyceride Accumulation and Mitochondrial Activity in HepG2 Cells.

Pyruvate, a key intermediate in energy and nutrient metabolism, probably plays important roles in these regulations. In previous reports using cell lines, extracellular pyruvate of supraphysiological concentrations inhibited the glucose uptake by myotubes while being stimulated by adipocytes. As the effect of pyruvate on the glucose utilization is unclear in cultured hepatocytes.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a social and emotional learning program among preschool children in Japan: an experimental cohort study.

Background: Research on school maladjustment has increasingly focused on social skills, such as the ability to control emotions, collaborate with others, and achieve goals. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is one approach to nurturing social skills. However, few preventive interventions to promote SEL have been conducted among young children, particularly in Asian countries, including Japan.

Application to Butterbur Products of a Suggested Daily Intake-Based Safety Evaluation of Individual Herbal Supplements with Cytochrome P450 Expression as a Major Index.

The present paper first proposes a method for ensuring the safety of commercial herbal supplements, termed the suggested daily intake-based safety evaluation (SDI-based safety evaluation). This new method was inspired as a backward analog of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) derivation from the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL), the basis of food additive risk analysis; namely, rats are dosed with individual herbal supplement products at the SDI for human use multiplied by 100 (the usual uncertainty factor value) per body weight for 8 d. The primary endpoint is the sign of adverse effects on liver, especially gene expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms.

A Novel Single-Tube Eicosaplex/Octaplex PCR System for the Detection of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases, Plasmid-Mediated AmpC β-Lactamases, and Integrons in Gram-Negative Bacteria.

We developed two multiplex polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) for the detection of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases, gene, and integrase genes (, , and ) in class 1, 2, and 3 integrons in Gram-negative bacteria. We evaluated the PCRs using 109 Gram-negative isolates from non-organic (ANO) and organic (AO) vegetables and fruits. Screening of ANO substances identified five SHV, one TEM-1, one CTX-M, 20 AmpC-CS, and two positives.

Complete genome sequences of two clinical isolates from Egypt carrying on IncP and IncX4 plasmids.

Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic used in the treatment of multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria. However, the activity and efficacy of colistin has been compromised by the worldwide spread of the mobile colistin resistance genes ( to ). In this study, two clinical strains, named CAI51, and CAI73, harbored , showed multidrug-resistant phenotypes (with colistin MIC = 4 μg/ml), and belonged to phylogroup D: multilocus sequence type 1011 (ST1011) and phylogroup A: ST744, respectively.

Effectiveness of school-based brief cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness in improving the mental health of adolescents in a Japanese school setting: A preliminary study.

Background: Emotional regulation is important for adolescents' adaptive development. Preventive interventions for anxiety and depression are necessary for reducing the development of disorders later in life, and emotional regulation is a potentially relevant factor.

Objective: We investigated the effects of a mindfulness-based psychological education and prevention program [the Mindfulness and Awareness Program (MAP)] on the mental health of junior high school students in Japan.

Effects of COVID-19-Related Anxiety and Sleep Problems on Loneliness and Feelings of School Refusal in Adolescents.

Background: COVID-19-related anxiety, sleep problems, and loneliness may be risk factors for school refusal in children and adolescents. However, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which these risk factors cause school refusal. This study examined the process by which COVID-19-related anxiety, sleep problems, and loneliness cause school refusal, using structural equation modeling.

Stress upregulates 2-arachidonoylglycerol levels in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and hindbrain, and it is sustained by green nut oil supplementation in SAMP8 mice revealed by DESI-MSI.

The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2AG) is an important modulator of stress responses. Its level in the brain increases in response to stress, but region-specific effects of stress on brain 2AG are not well known yet. Moreover, green nut oil (GNO), oil extracted from the seeds of Plukenetia volubilis has several health benefits, but its effects on brain 2AG levels are unknown.

Effectiveness of Textured Soybean Protein on Blood Biochemistry in Vietnamese Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been increasing rapidly in Vietnam as well as world-wide. One of the major causes of the condition is low fiber intake. It is difficult to eat large amounts of vegetables every day to reach a sufficient amount of fiber but Textured Soybean Protein is rich in fiber.

Testing of a model for risk factors for eating disorders and higher weight among emerging adults: Baseline evaluation.

Although a range of risk factors have been identified for disordered eating and weight status, the breadth of risk factors have been rarely considered within a single, comprehensive model. The robustness of these findings across countries also remains an open question. The present study sampled 6272 participants aged 18-30 years from eight countries in an attempt to evaluate combined and unique predictors for these two conditions, and to explore possible cross-country differences in these models.

A Putative Amidase Endolysin Encoded by St13 Exhibits Specific Lytic Activity and Synergizes with the Muramidase Endolysin Psm.

is an often-harmful intestinal bacterium that causes various diseases ranging from food poisoning to life-threatening fulminant disease. Potential treatments include phage-derived endolysins, a promising family of alternative antimicrobial agents. We surveyed the genome of the st13 strain and identified an endolysin gene, , in the phage remnant region.

X-ray structures of Clostridium perfringens sortase C with C-terminal cell wall sorting motif of LPST demonstrate role of subsite for substrate-binding and structural variations of catalytic site.

Pili of Gram-positive bacteria are flexible rod proteins covalently attached to the bacterial cell wall, that play important roles in the initial adhesion of bacterial cells to host tissues and bacterial colonization. Pili are formed by the polymerization of major and minor pilins, catalyzed by class C sortase (SrtC), a family of cysteine transpeptidases. The Gram-positive bacterium Clostridium perfringens has a major pilin (CppA), a minor pilin (CppB), and SrtC (CpSrtC).

Vegetable-Derived Carbapenemase-Producing High-Risk Klebsiella pneumoniae ST15 and Acinetobacter baumannii ST2 Clones in Japan: Coexistence of , , , and an AbaR4-Like Resistance Island in the Same Sample.

This study was conducted to characterize carbapenemase-producing and isolated from fresh vegetables in Japan. Two isolates (AO15 and AO22) and one isolate (AO22) were collected from vegetables in the city of Higashihiroshima, Japan, and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing, conjugation experiments, and complete genome sequencing using Illumina MiniSeq and Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing platforms. The two isolates were clonal, belonging to sequence type 15 (ST15), and were determined to carry 19 different antimicrobial resistance genes, including Both the isolates carried on a self-transmissible IncFII(K):IncR plasmid of 122,804 bp with other genes conferring resistance to aminoglycosides [, , and ], β-lactams (, , and ), fluoroquinolones [], and quinolones ().

Risk of bladder cancer in male Japanese workers exposed to ortho-toluidine and other aromatic amines.

Purpose: Nine bladder cancer (BCa) cases were reported among aromatic amine-exposed male workers at a factory manufacturing organic dye/pigment intermediates in Japan. We aimed to evaluate the characteristics of aromatic amine-exposed workers by cross-sectional observation, and the risk of BCa by assessing the standardized incidence ratio (SIR).

Methods: In the cross-sectional study, our subjects were: 9 BCa patients, 36 aromatic amine-exposed non-patients, and 79 non-exposed workers from 3 factories.

Assessing positive body image, body satisfaction, weight bias, and appearance comparison in emerging adults: A cross-validation study across eight countries.

Positive body image refers to individuals' ability to conceptualize their bodies with love, respect, and appreciation. The study of positive body image is relatively new, and instruments used to investigate this multi-faceted construct have received limited use in non-English speaking countries. Thus, the aim of this investigation is to consider four measures that are associated with positive body image across eight different countries.

Psychometric properties of measures of sociocultural influence and internalization of appearance ideals across eight countries.

The aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of two well-established measures of sociocultural influence and internalization of the thin/low body fat ideal and muscular ideal. Data from 6272 emerging adults (68.9 % female), aged 18-30 years from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the U.

Cross-Country Measurement Invariance and Effects of Sociodemographic Factors on Body Weight and Shape Concern-Related Constructs in Eight Countries.

The aim of this study was to examine the cross-country invariance of five well-established measures of body weight and shape concern-related attitudes and behaviors (i.e., drive for leanness, drive for muscularity, strategies to increase muscle, strategies to lose weight, and weight and shape concerns).

A cross-country examination of emotional eating, restrained eating and intuitive eating: Measurement Invariance across eight countries.

This study examined the measurement invariance of three scales that assessed emotional eating, restrained eating, and intuitive eating across eight countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States) in order to determine their suitability for cross-country body image research. A total of 6272 young adults took part in this study. Participants completed an online survey including the Emotional Eating subscale of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-Revised 21, the Restraint subscale of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, and the Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues subscale of The Intuitive Eating Scale-2.