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PURPOSE To determine the predictive value of International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes for identifying infantile eye diagnoses. METHODS Population-based retrospective cohort study of all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota diagnosed at ≤1 year of age with an ocular disorder. The medical records of all infants diagnosed with any ocular disorder from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2014, were identified. To assess ICD-9 code accuracy, the medical records of all diagnoses with ≥20 cases were individually reviewed and compared to their corresponding ICD-9 codes. Main outcome measures included positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity, and specificity of ICD-9 codes. RESULTS In a cohort of 5,109 infants with ≥1 eye-related ICD-9 code, 10 ocular diagnoses met study criteria. The most frequent diagnoses were conjunctivitis (N = 1,695) and congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (N = 1,250), while the least common was physiologic anisocoria (N = 23). The PPVs ranged from 8.3% to 88.0%, NPVs from 96.3% to 100%, sensitivity from 3.0% to 98.7%, and specificity from 72.6% to 99.9%. ICD-9 codes were most accurate at identifying physiologic anisocoria (PPV: 88.0%) and least accurate at identifying preseptal cellulitis (PPV: 8.3%). In eye specialists versus non-eye specialists, there was a significant difference in PPV of ICD-9 codes for conjunctivitis (26.8% vs. 63.9%, p

Background: We aimed to develop census-linked longitudinal mortality data for Japan and assess their validity as a new resource for estimating socioeconomic inequalities in health. Methods: Using deterministic linkage, we identified, from national censuses for 2000 and 2010 and national death records, persons and deceased persons who had unique personal identifiers (generated using sex, birth year/month, address, and marital status). For the period 2010–2015, 1,537,337 Japanese men and women aged 30–79 years (1.9% in national census) were extracted to represent the sample population. This population was weighted to adjust for confounding factors. We estimated age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) by education level and occupational class. The slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index inequality (RII) by educational level were calculated as inequality measures. Results: The reweighted sample population’s mortality rates were somewhat higher than those of the complete registry, especially in younger age-groups and for external causes. All-cause ASMRs (per 100,000 person-years) for individuals aged 40–79 years with high, middle, and low education levels were 1,078 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1,051–1,105), 1,299 (95% CI, 1,279–1,320), and 1,670 (95% CI, 1,634–1,707) for men, and 561 (95% CI, 536–587), 601 (95% CI, 589–613), and 777 (95% CI, 745–808) for women, respectively, during 2010–2015. SII and RII by educational level increased among both sexes between 2000–2005 and 2010–2015, which indicates that mortality inequalities increased. Conclusion: The developed census-linked longitudinal mortality data provide new estimates of socioeconomic inequalities in Japan that can be triangulated with estimates obtained with other methods.

Background Postpartum depression (PPD) has been associated with adverse health outcomes including maternal suicide. Mode of delivery has been suggested to be a risk factor for PPD, but no large cohort study has examined the association between mode of delivery and PPD. We aimed to examine the association between mode of delivery and risks of PPD at 1 and 6 months after childbirth. Methods In a nationwide study of 89,954 mothers with a live singleton birth, we examined the association between mode of delivery and risks of PPD. PPD was measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (≥13) at 1 and 6 months after childbirth. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of PPD were calculated using multivariable logistic regression analyses after adjustment of antenatal physical, socioeconomic, and mental factors. Results Among 89,954 women, 3.7% and 2.8% had PPD at 1 and 6 months after childbirth, respectively. Compared with unassisted vaginal delivery, cesarean section (CS) was marginally associated with PPD at 1 month, but not at 6 months; adjusted ORs were 1.10 (95% CI, 1.00-1.21) and 1.01 (95% CI, 0.90-1.13), respectively. The association with PPD at 1 month was evident in women with antenatal psychological distress: adjusted OR was 1.15 (95% CI, 1.03-1.28). The observed associations were attenuated after adjusting for infant feeding method. Conclusions Women who had antenatal psychological distress and underwent CS delivery may be regarded as a target for monitoring PPD.

Background Stress coping strategies are related to health outcomes. However, there is no clear evidence for sex differences between stress-coping strategies and mortality. We investigated the relationship between all-cause mortality and stress-coping strategies, focusing on sex differences among Japanese adults. Methods A total of 79,580 individuals aged 35-69 years participated in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study between 2004 and 2014 and were followed up for mortality. The frequency of use of the five coping strategies was assessed using a questionnaire. Sex-specific, multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for using each coping strategy "sometimes," and "often/very often" (versus "very few" use) were computed for all-cause mortality. Furthermore, relationships were analyzed in specific follow-up periods when the proportion assumption was violated. Results During the follow-up (median: 8.5 years), 1,861 mortalities were recorded. In women, three coping strategies were related to lower total mortality. The HRs (95% confidence intervals) for "sometimes" were 0.81 (0.67-0.97) for emotional expression, 0.79 (0.66-0.95) for emotional support-seeking, and 0.80 (0.66-0.98) for disengagement. Men who "sometimes" used emotional expression and sometimes or often used problem-solving and positive reappraisal had a 15-41% lower HRs for all-cause mortality. However, those relationships were dependent on the follow-up period. There was evidence that sex modified the relationships between emotional support-seeking and all-cause mortality (p for interaction = 0.03). Conclusions In a large Japanese population, selected coping strategies were associated with all-cause mortality. The relationship of emotional support-seeking was different between men and women.

Background The aim of this study was to review, systematically, evidence concerning the link between the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and the rates and severity of non-contact injuries and exercise-induced muscle damage in athletes and individuals enrolled in exercise training programs. Methods A computerized literature search was performed in the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus, from inception until November 2020. All included studies compared the epidemiological characteristics of non-contact injury between the different genotypes of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism. Results Our search identified 492 records. After the screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts, 13 studies examining the association between the ACTN3 genotypes and the rate and severity of non-contact injury were included in the analysis. These studies were performed in 6 different countries (Spain, Japan, Brazil, China, Republic of Korea, and Italy) and involved a total participant pool of 1093 participants. Of the studies, 2 studies involved only women, 5 studies involved only men, and 6 studies involved both men and women. All the studies included were classified as high-quality studies (≥6 points in the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale score). Overall, evidence suggests there is an association between the ACTN3 R577X genotype and non-contact injury in 12 investigations. Six studies observed a significant association between ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and exercise induced muscle damage: two with non-contact ankle injury, three with non-contact muscle injury, and one with overall non-contact injury. Conclusion The present findings support the premise that possessing the ACTN3 XX genotype may predispose athletes to a higher probability of some non-contact injuries, such as muscle injury, ankle sprains, and higher levels of exercise-induced muscle damage.

Background Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality among children all over the world. Many of the etiologic agents of the infections especially viral go undiagnosed for lack of requisite facility and the cost factors. We have used a commercially available platform for diagnosis of ARIs in children receiving inpatient and outpatient services in a tertiary care centre. Methods The framework of the study was prospective and observational. In this study, clinical samples of children suffering from ARIs were subjected to real-time multiplex PCR targeting both viral and bacterial pathogens. Results Of 94 samples received at our centre (49 male and 45 female), the positivity for respiratory pathogens was detected in 50 (53.19%) samples. Clinical symptoms of patients and age distribution have been elaborated in text. A single pathogen (n = 29/50), two pathogens (15/50) and three pathogens (n = 6/50) were detected by multiplex RT-PCR. Of 77 isolates detected, maximum numbers were of human rhinovirus (HRV) (n = 14) (18.18%) Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 14) (18.18%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (n = 10) (12.98%). Conclusion The epidemiology of ARIs considering viral etiologies is poorly understood due to less number of studies especially in Indian subcontinent. The advent of latest advanced molecular methods has made it possible to identify common respiratory pathogens and has contributed to cover the gap in existing knowledge.

Background Mapping disease rates is an important aspect of epidemiological research because it helps inform public health policy. Disease maps are often drawn according to local administrative areas (LAAs), such as counties, cities, or towns. In LAAs with small populations, disease rates are unstable and are prone to appear extremely high or low. The empirical Bayes methods consider variance differences among different LAAs, thereby stabilizing the disease rates. The methods of kriging break the constraints of geopolitical boundaries and produce a smooth curved surface in the form of contour lines, but the methods lack the stabilizing effect of the empirical Bayes methods. Methods An easy-to-implement stabilized kriging method is proposed to map disease rates, which allows different errors in different LAAs. Results Monte Carlo simulations revealed that the stabilized kriging method had smaller symmetric mean absolute percentage error than three other types of methods (original LAA-based method, empirical Bayes methods, and traditional kriging methods) in nearly all scenarios considered. Real-world data analysis of oral cancer incidence rates in men from Taiwan demonstrated that the age-standardized rates in the central mountainous sparsely-populated region of Taiwan were stabilized using our proposed method, with no more large differences in numerical values, whereas the rates in other populous regions were not over smoothed. Additionally, the stabilized kriging map had improved resolution and helped locate several hot and cold spots in the incidence rates of oral cancer. Conclusions We recommend the use of the stabilized kriging method for mapping disease rates.

BACKGROUND White rice is a staple food for Japanese, a population at high risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). We investigated the association between white rice intake and CRC among Japanese Americans in the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study. METHODS The Multiethnic Cohort Study is a prospective study established in Hawaii and California in 1993-1996. Usual dietary intake was assessed by a validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for quartiles of intake and to perform trend tests across sex-specific quartiles with adjustment for relevant confounders. RESULTS We identified 1,553 invasive CRC cases among 49,136 Japanese Americans (23,595 men and 25,541 women) during a mean follow-up of 19 years. White rice consumption was not associated with overall CRC incidence in men (p-trend = 0.11) or women (p-trend = 0.56). After excluding participants with a history of diabetes, the inverse associations were significant for CRC (p-trend = 0.03, HR for quartile 4 (Q4) vs. 1 = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.64-1.03) and tumors of the distal colon (p-trend = 0.006, HR for Q4 vs. Q1: 0.66; 0.44-0.99) among men but not women. CONCLUSIONS White rice consumption was not associated with an increased risk of overall CRC among Japanese Americans. An inverse association was observed with risk of CRC and distal colon cancer in men without a history of diabetes.

Background Anger has been suggested as a risk factor for stroke. Perceived social support (PSS) may relieve anger, thus reducing the risk of stroke; however, evidence supporting this is limited. We aimed to examine whether PSS modifies the risk of stroke associated with anger expression. Methods A cohort study was conducted among 1,806 community residents aged 40-74 years who received a cardiovascular risk survey including anger expression in 1997. A Cox proportional hazards model was applied to the participants with low and high PSS to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the risks of total stroke and its subtypes based on total anger expression after adjusting for known stroke risk factors. Results The median follow-up duration was 18.8 years, with 51 incident strokes. Among the participants with low PSS, anger expression had a positive association with the total stroke risk: The multivariable HR per SD increment of total anger expression was 1.43 (95% CI, 1.13-1.82). In contrast, no association was identified among those with high PSS. The corresponding HR was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.49-1.40), with a significant interaction between low and high PSS (p = 0.037). Similar associations regarding the risk of ischemic stroke were found. Conclusions We found an increased risk of stroke associated with anger expression among the participants with low PSS, but not among those with high PSS. Our results suggest that PSS might mitigate the risk of stroke associated with anger.

Background Many epidemiological studies have reported the association between various social factors and health status in mothers during and after pregnancy. However, little is known about their joint and longitudinal impact. We therefore examined the association of lack of social support and trust during pregnancy and at 2.5 years postpartum with health status in mothers. Methods To adequately address time-varying exposure, marginal structural models were fitted to a pseudopopulation constructed by inverse probability weighting. The model included records of 90,071 mothers participating in the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Social support and trust were measured using a 9-item questionnaire (Q1-9). Mental and physical health were measured using Mental and Physical Component Summary scores from the 8-item Short-Form Health Survey. Results For the Mental Component Summary, the magnitude of the effect estimate was largest when participants lacked close friends/neighbors (Q4) at only 2.5 years postpartum (= -6.23), followed by a lack in emotional support (Q2) at the same time point (= -4.94). For the Physical Component Summary, effect estimates were negligible. The magnitude of the effect estimates of lack of social support and trust tended to be larger when there was a lack at only 2.5 years postpartum than at both time points. Conclusions These findings suggest that, after childbirth, a loss in social support, particularly in a concrete or instrumental aspect, carries high risk, especially for mental health. Our results highlight the importance of supporting mothers for more than a few years after pregnancy.

BackgroundDevelopmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a cluster of hip development disorders that affects infants. The incidence of DDH-related dislocation (DDH-dislocation) is reportedly 0.1-0.3%; however, the nationwide incidence of DDH-dislocation in Japan has not been previously reported. The primary aim of this study was to report the nationwide incidence of DDH-dislocation in Japan using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan (NDB), and to examine its regional variation across Japan.MethodsThis was a retrospective birth cohort study using the NDB. Data on patients born between 2011 and 2013 and assigned DDH-dislocation-related disease codes during 2011-2018 were extracted. Among these, patients who underwent treatment for DDH-dislocation between 2011 and 2018 were defined as patients with DDH-dislocation.ResultsAcross the 2011, 2012, and 2013 birth cohorts, 2367 patients were diagnosed with DDH-dislocation, yielding the nationwide incidence of 0.076%. Region-specific incidence rates were almost similar across Japan. Secondary analyses revealed that 273 (11.5%) patients were diagnosed at the age of ≥1 year. The effect of birth during the cold months on the incidence of DDH-dislocation was significant (relative risk [RR]=1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.75-2.06). The risk of DDH-dislocation among girls was approximately seven times higher than that among boys.ConclusionsThis is the first study to report the nationwide incidence of DDH-dislocation in Japan, which was estimated at 0.076%. The regional variation was trivial and unlikely to be clinically significant. Thus, the incidence rates were approximately equal across all regions in Japan.

BACKGROUND Environmental and genetic factors are suggested to exhibit factor-based association with HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. However, the population-based effects of environmental and genetic factors have not been compared clearly. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study to evaluate the population-based impact of smoking, drinking, and genetic factors on low HDL-C. METHODS Data from 11,498 men and women aged 35-69 years were collected for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Sixty-five HDL-C-related SNPs with genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10-8) were selected from the GWAS catalog, and seven representative SNPs were defined, and the population-based impact was estimated using population attributable fraction (PAF). RESULTS We found that smoking, drinking, daily activity, habitual exercise, egg intake, BMI, age, sex and the SNPs CETP rs3764261, APOA5 rs662799, LIPC rs1800588, LPL rs328, ABCA1 rs2575876, LIPG rs3786247, and APOE rs429358 were associated with HDL-C levels. The gene-environmental interactions on smoking and drinking were not statistically significant. The PAF for low HDL-C was the highest in men (63.2%) and in rs3764261 (31.5%) of the genetic factors, and the PAFs of smoking and drinking were 23.1% and 41.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The present study showed that the population-based impact of genomic factor CETP rs3764261 for low HDL-C was higher than that of smoking and lower than that of drinking.

Objective Using data from the Ministry of Health of Colombia, we performed an analysis of prevalence and general demographic characteristics of patients with inflammatory myopathies, with data from 2012 to 2018. Design A descriptive cross-sectional study based on data from the Ministry of Health of Colombia. We used as key terms the diagnostic codes of the International Manual of Diseases related to the diagnosis of inflammatory myopathies. Results We founded 12,401 individuals with a diagnosis of inflammatory myopathy and estimated an overall prevalence of 25.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This diagnosis is more common in the age group of 65–69 years, and in the female population (64%), with a female-to-male ratio 1.79:1. In addition, we calculated a prevalence of 15.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for dermatomyositis and 7.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for polymyositis (based on a total population of 48,203). There is little information on the epidemiology of myopathies in Latin America, and records are essential to know their behaviour in populations. In Colombia, the Ministry of Health collects information from the health system, which has nearly universal coverage (around 95%). This information makes it possible to carry out epidemiological studies on different diseases. For the present study we analysed the available data on inflammatory myopathies in Colombia. Conclusion The present work describes for the first time the demographic characteristics of inflammatory myopathies in the Colombian population based on official data from the Ministry of Health, where the most frequent was dermatomyositis and a predominance in the female population was evidenced.

Background The study analyzed the relation between disaster exposure prior to pregnancy, maternal characteristics, and obstetric outcomes. Methods The participants were 13,148 pregnant women recruited from 2013 to 2017. The women were classified into three groups by the severity of housing damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011: group A, house was not destroyed/did not live in the disaster area; group B, half/part of the house was destroyed; and group C, house was totally/mostly destroyed. Maternal characteristics, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and gestational weeks were obtained by questionnaires and medical records. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the relation between disaster exposure and maternal characteristics, HDP, and GDM. A structural equation model was applied to investigate the relation between disaster exposure, and HDP and gestational weeks. Results The homes of about 11% of the women were totally/mostly destroyed. For groups B and C compared with those in group A, the adjusted ORs for HDP were 1.04 and 1.26 (P for trend = 0.01), and for GDM were 0.89 and 1.14 (P for trend = 0.9), respectively. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) mediated 23.2% of the relation between disaster exposure and HDP. Disaster exposure was associated with gestational weeks. Conclusion Disaster exposure at least 2.5 years before pregnancy was found to be associated with maternal characteristics and the prevalence of HDP. Pre-pregnancy BMI mediated the relation between disaster exposure and the prevalence of HDP, and gestational weeks were reduced through HDP.

Background Emerging epidemiological evidence suggests that compared to engaging in 1 activity mode alone, a combination of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA: brisk walking/jogging, cycling) and muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE: push-ups/sit-ups, using weight machines) has more favorable associations with optimal weight status. However, few studies have examined the dose-dependent and joint associations of MVPA and MSE with obesity. Methods Based on cross-sectional analyses of the European Health Interview Survey Wave 2 (2013–2014), we examined prevalence ratios (PRs) of joint and stratified associations between MVPA (4 categories: (i) 0 min/week, (ii) 1–149 min/week, (iii) 150–299 min/week, and (iv) ≥300 min/week) and MSE (3 categories: (i) 0 day/week, (ii) 1 day/week, and (iii) ≥2 days/week) with body mass index-defined obesity (body mass index of ≥30.0 kg/m2) using Poisson regression with robust error variance. PRs were examined unadjusted and adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics (e.g., sex, age, education, income, and smoking status). Results Data were available for 280,456 adults (≥18 years), of which 46,166 (15.5%) were obese. The interaction MVPA × MSE guideline adherence was statistically significant for obesity (p ≤ 0.05). The joint MVPA–MSE analysis showed that compared to the reference group (i.e., no MVPA and no MSE), the PRs followed a dose-dependent pattern, with the lowest observed among those reporting ≥150 MVPA min/week and ≥1 MSE days/week (PR: 0.43; 95% confidence interval: 0.41–0.46). When stratified across each MVPA strata, the PRs were mostly lower among those engaging in MSE 1 day/week, as compared to those doing MSE ≥2 days/week. Conclusion There was evidence for a dose-dependent association between joint MVPA–MSE with a reduced prevalence of obesity. Public health strategies for the prevention and management of obesity should recommend both MVPA and MSE.

Disseminated histoplasmosis is a life-threatening condition in immunocompromised patients. The majority of healthy persons have benign disease not requiring treatment. However, in persons living with HIV, mortality is high and accurate diagnosis is paramount. We present a case of a 48-year-old HIV-positive woman who presented with haematuria and flank pain. She had a history of recurrent urinary tract infection and nephrolithiasis with obstructive hydronephrosis. During cystoscopy, a bladder lesion was found. Pathological evaluation demonstrated abundant intracellular organisms with apparent budding. Subsequent urine histoplasma antigen was negative. Given the high index of suspicion for histoplasmosis based on the surgical pathology findings and epidemiological history, the patient was started immediately on antifungal therapy. One week later, PCR results of the bladder lesion confirmed the presence of Histoplasma capsulatum. This case highlights a rare presentation of genitourinary histoplasmosis and the utility of surgical pathology evaluation and PCR for diagnosis.

Purpose To determine if smartphone photography could be a useful adjunct to blindness prevalence surveys by providing an accurate diagnosis of corneal opacity. Methods A total of 174 patients with infectious keratitis who had undergone corneal culturing over the past 5 years were enrolled in a diagnostic accuracy study at an eye hospital in South India. Both eyes had an ophthalmologist-performed slit lamp examination, followed by anterior segment photography with a handheld digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera and a smartphone camera coupled to an external attachment that provided magnification and illumination. The diagnostic accuracy of photography was assessed relative to slit lamp examination. Results In total, 90 of 174 enrolled participants had a corneal opacity in the cultured eye and no opacity in the contralateral eye, and did not have a penetrating keratoplasty or missing photographs. Relative to slit lamp examination, the sensitivity of corneal opacity diagnosis was 68% (95%CI 58-77%) using the smartphone's default settings and 59% (95%CI 49-69%) using the SLR, and the specificity was 97% (95%CI 93-100%) for the smartphone and 97% (95%CI 92-100%) for the SLR. The sensitivity of smartphone-based corneal opacity diagnosis was higher for larger scars (81% for opacities 2 mm in diameter or larger), more visually significant scars (100% for eyes with visual acuity worse than 20/400), and more recent scars (85% for eyes cultured in the past 12 months). Conclusion The diagnostic performance of a smartphone coupled to an external attachment, while somewhat variable, demonstrated high specificity and high sensitivity for all but the smallest opacities.

To define the prevalence of medical eye disease diagnoses among children enrolled in commercial insurance plans in the United States and to evaluate differences among groups based on the US census region, race/ethnicity, and familial net worth.: Retrospective study of de-identified claims data from the OptumLab® Data Warehouse (OLDW) between 2007 and 2018. All children (19 years) in the OLDW with coverage were studied and those with a claim for a significant eye disease (strabismus, amblyopia, nystagmus or structural eye disorders) with minimum 6-months follow-up were studied. Baseline characteristics were extracted for the calculation of eye disease prevalence, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, region of residence, and family net worth. The prevalence of each type of eye disease was calculated among all children and by baseline characteristics.: 10,759,066 children met the study criteria. The presence of any significant eye diagnosis was 6.7%. Disease was diagnosed more often in whites (6.9%) than blacks (5.6%) and Hispanics (5.9%). The most common eye disease diagnosed was strabismus (3.2%) followed by amblyopia (1.5%). In the North-East region, there was a 10.6% prevalence of any significant eye disease diagnosis, whereas in the Mid-West, it was 7.4% followed by the South and West (5.9% and 5.3%, respectively) (: Diagnosis of significant eye diseases is relatively common in American children. The most common medical eye disease diagnosis is strabismus. Prevalence of eye disease diagnosis from claims data varies between geographical regions and different income groups. This may reflect differences in healthcare utilization rather than true disease prevalence.

Objectives Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes substantial morbidity and mortality in older adults. We assessed severe clinical outcomes among hospitalized adults that were associated with RSV infections. Methods We performed a nested retrospective study in 3 New York City hospitals during 2 respiratory viral seasons, October 2017–April 2018 and October 2018–April 2019, to determine the proportion of patients with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection who experienced severe outcomes defined as intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation, and/or death. We assessed factors associated with these severe outcomes and explored the effect of RSV-associated hospitalizations on changes in the living situations of surviving patients. Results Of the 403 patients studied (median age, 69 years), 119 (29.5%) were aged ≥80. Severe outcomes occurred in 19.1% of patients, including ICU admissions (16.4%), mechanical ventilation (12.4%), and/or death (6.7%). Patients admitted from residential living facilities had a 4.43 times higher likelihood of severe RSV infection compared with patients who were living in the community with or without assistance from family or home health aides. At discharge, 56 (15.1%) patients required a higher level of care than at admission. Conclusions RSV infection was associated with severe outcomes in adults. Living in a residential facility at admission was a risk factor for severe outcomes and could be a proxy for frailty rather than an independent risk factor. Our data support the development of prevention strategies for RSV infection in older populations, especially older adults living in residential living facilities.

Poor sleep and different patterns of marital status among Hispanics/Latinos have been documented, yet the extent to which marital status is associated with sleep health and the moderating role of gender in this association among Hispanics/Latinos is poorly understood.Demographic and sleep data were obtained from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL: n= 16,415), an epidemiological cohort study, and the Sueno Study (n= 2,252) that is an ancillary to HCHS/SOL. Sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, daytime sleepiness, napping, and snoring were self-reported and drawn from HCHS/SOL. Sleep efficiency, sleep fragmentation, and inter-day stability were objectively assessed in the Sueno Study.Complex sample analyses indicated that being married or cohabiting was associated with better sleep health in general, including having normal sleep duration, fewer insomnia symptoms, and higher sleep efficiency (F> 2.804, p< .044). These associations were more prominent in objectively measured sleep indices and among females.Findings suggest being in a committed relationship associated with better sleep health in Hispanics/Latinos in the US, a diverse and under-represented population. Findings may have implications for tailoring sleep health interventions to at-risk populations who may less likely to be in a committed relationship.

Background Gastric cancer is worldwide the fourth more common cancer type by incidence, and the third by mortality. We analyzed three missense variants of TAS2R38 gene: rs713598 (A49P), rs1726866 (V262A), and rs10246939 (I296V). These variants and their combination in haplotypes (proline, alanine and valine/tasters or alanine, valine and isoleucine/nontasters) and diplotypes are responsible for individual differences in bitter perception. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms and the related phenotypes are known to be associated with susceptibility to Gram-negative bacterial infections, such as Helicobacter pylori, and with risk of various cancer types. An association between intermediate tasters (as defined by TAS2R38 diplotypes) and increased risk of gastric cancer was reported in a Korean population. Methods We analyzed 2616 individuals of Latin American origin, representing the whole spectrum of lesions from gastritis to gastric cancer. Results Comparing cancer cases vs. noncancers we observed a decrease in risk associated with heterozygous carriers of rs10246939 (P = 0.006) and rs1726866 (P = 0.003) when compared with homozygotes of the more common allele. Also, the analysis of diplotypes/phenotypes reflected the same association, with super-tasters showing a borderline increased risk of developing gastric cancer compared to medium-tasters [odds ratio (OR) = 1.63; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-2.56; P = 0.033]. Also, nontasters showed an increased risk when compared to medium-tasters although not reaching statistical significance (OR = 1.58; 95% CI, 0.80-2.87; P = 0.203). We also tested the interactions between the TAS2R38 genotypes and H. pylori cagA status in a subset of samples and found no interaction. Conclusion In conclusion, our results suggest only a modest contribution of TAS2R38 gene genetic variability in gastric cancer etiology.

Background:Approximately 10% of patients report allergies to penicillin, yet >90% of these allergies are not clinically significant. Patients reporting penicillin allergies are often treated with second-line, non–β-lactam antibiotics that are typically broader spectrum and more toxic. Orders for β-lactam antibiotics for these patients trigger interruptive alerts, even when there is electronic health record (EHR) data indicating prior β-lactam exposure.Objective:To describe the rate that interruptive penicillin allergy alerts display for patients who have previously had a β-lactam exposure.Design:Retrospective EHR review from January 2013 through June 2018.Setting:A nonprofit health system including 1 large tertiary-care medical center, a smaller associated hospital, 2 emergency departments, and ˜250 outpatient clinics.Participants:All patients with EHR-documented of penicillin allergies.Methods:We examined interruptive penicillin allergy alerts and identified the number and percentage of alerts that display for patients with a prior administration of a penicillin class or other β-lactam antibiotic.Results:Of 115,081 allergy alerts that displayed during the study period, 8% were displayed for patients who had an inpatient administration of a penicillin antibiotic after the allergy was noted, and 49% were displayed for patients with a prior inpatient administration of any β-lactam.Conclusions:Many interruptive penicillin allergy alerts display for patients who would likely tolerate a penicillin, and half of all alerts display for patients who would likely tolerate another β-lactam.

Background Breastfeeding is said to prevent overweight and obesity in childhood but the evidence about its long-term impact on body size into adolescence and adulthood is scarce. We sought to examine the association between feeding types and subsequent physical size at the ages of 3, 6, 12, and 22 years. Methods The Ibaraki Children's Cohort (IBACHIL) Study, which began in 1992, involved a cohort of 4,592 Japanese children from 87 communities of a single prefecture whose parents answered health questionnaires about their child's health and life habits at the age of 3 years. Follow-up questionnaires were distributed to the same cohort when they were 6, 12, and 22 years old. Self-reported height and weight, body mass index (BMI), and overweight status at ages of 3 (n = 4,290), 6 (n = 1,999; proportion of participants analyzed = 47%), 12 (n = 2,227; 52%), and 22 (n = 1,459; 34%) years were compared according to feeding type (breastfeeding, formula feeding, and mixed feeding) during infancy. Results At the age of 3 years, multivariable adjusted-mean weight and prevalence of overweight were less for breastfed children than those formula-fed in both boys (weight: 14.6 kg vs 14.7 kg, P = 0.07, overweight: 6.3% vs 9.3%, P = 0.03) and in girls (14.0 kg vs 14.2 kg, P = 0.01 and 10.4% vs 13.6%, P = 0.06). However, there were no statistically significant differences in weight, BMI, and overweight at the ages of 6, 12, and 22 years according to feeding type. Conclusions Breastfeeding may prevent overweight in childhood, but its impact is not significant in adolescence and adulthood.

Background Impact of immeasurable time bias (IMTB) is yet to be examined in self-controlled designs. Methods We conducted case-crossover, case-time-control, and case-case-time-control analyses using Korea's healthcare database. Two empirical examples among elderly patients were used: 1) benzodiazepines-hip fracture; 2) benzodiazepines-mortality. For cases, the date of hip fracture diagnosis or death was defined as the index date, and the inherited date of their matched cases for controls or future cases. Exposure was assessed in the 1-30 day (hazard) and 61-90 day (control) windows preceding the index date. A non-missing exposure setting included in- and outpatient prescriptions and the pseudo-outpatient setting included only the outpatients. Conditional logistic regression was done to estimate odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), where the relative difference in OR among the two settings was calculated to quantify the IMTB. Results The IMTB had negligible impacts in the hip fracture example in the case-crossover (non-missing exposure setting OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.12-1.44; pseudo-outpatient setting 1.21, 1.06-1.39; magnitude 0.05), case-time-control (1.18, 0.98-1.44; 1.13, 0.92-1.38; 0.04), and case-case-time-control analyses (0.99, 0.80-1.23; 0.94, 0.75-1.18; 0.05). In the mortality example, IMTB had significant impacts in the case-crossover (1.44, 1.36-1.52; 0.72, 0.67-0.78; 1.00), case-time-control (1.38, 1.26-1.51; 0.68, 0.61-0.76; 1.03), and case-case-time-control analyses (1.27, 1.15-1.40; 0.62, 0.55-0.69; 1.05). Conclusions Although IMTB had negligible impacts on the drug's effect on acute events as these are unlikely to be accompanied with hospitalizations, it negatively biased the drug's effect on mortality, an outcome with prodromal phases, in the three self-controlled designs.

Background There is limited evidence regarding the relationship between Diabetes mellitus (DM) in middle age and mild cognitive impairment after a follow-up. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels in middle age and cognitive function (assessed using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J) in later life, following over 15 years of follow-up in the Aichi Workers' Cohort Study in Japan. Methods Participants were 253 former local government employees aged 60-79 years in 2018 who participated in a baseline survey conducted in 2002. Using baseline FBG levels and self-reported history, participants were classified into the normal, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and, and DM groups. Total MoCA-J score ranges from 0 to 30, and cognitive impairment was defined as MoCA-J score ≤25 in this study. A general linear model was used to estimate the mean MoCA-J scores in the FBG groups, adjusted for age, sex, educational year, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Results The mean MoCA-J score in the total population was 25.0, and the prevalence of MoCA-J score ≤25 was 49.0%. Multivariable-adjusted total MoCA-J scores were 25.2, 24.8, and 23.4 in the normal, IFG, and DM groups, respectively. The odds ratio of MoCA-J score ≤25 in the DM group was 3.29. Conclusions FBG level in middle age was negatively associated with total MoCA-J scores assessed later in life, independent of confounding variables.

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is an established causative factor of gastric cancer. Although the expansion of insurance coverage has led to an increase in the number of patients treated for H. pylori, the population impact of eradication treatment for H.pylori has been scarcely investigated. This study aimed to clarify the long-term responses of H. pylori antibody titer after eradication treatment using large scale cross-sectional data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study for the Next Generation (JPHC-NEXT Study). METHODS A total of 55,282 Japanese participants aged 40 to 74 years residing in 16 areas provided blood samples between 2011 and 2016. From these, treated (n=6,276) and untreated subjects who were seropositive for H. pylori or had serological atrophy (n= 22,420) formed the study population (n=28,696). Seropositivity was defined as an anti-H. pylori IgG titer of ≥10 U/mL. Antibody level was compared among subjects according to self-reported treatment history as untreated, and treated for less than one year (

Introduction Cancer-associated thrombosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in malignancy patients. Prophylactic anticoagulation is under-utilized and the cost of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and direct oral anticoagulants is a major barrier in developing countries. Material and methods A retrospective analysis was performed of all cancer-associated thrombosis patients attending the thrombosis clinic at a tertiary-level referral hospital based in North India between 2011 and 2015. Patient demographics and disease-related parameters were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 771 patients attended the thrombosis clinic during study period, of which 64 cases were malignancy-associated. Of these, 56% of the patients were female and 20% were bedridden. The median age was 48.5 years, adenocarcinoma (48%) being the most common histological subtype. Gynecological malignancies (30%) were the most common malignancies, followed by genitourinary (11%) malignancies. Most of the cases occurred during first year of diagnosis (51%), and only 14% occurred after 3 years. Most of the patients were on combined treatment. Almost 40% of the patients developed thrombosis within 30 days of surgical treatment. Lower limb thrombosis was the most commonly seen type (56%), while abdominal and pulmonary thrombosis were both seen in 5%. Patients were managed with LMWH and vitamin K antagonists (84.3%) and only 6.25% with LMWH alone. Direct oral anticoagulants were not commonly used during the study period. Discussion At the hospital studied, most of the cases occurred early in the disease course. Postoperative prophylaxis could have contributed towards reducing thrombosis in the peri-operative period. Early suspicion and prompt treatment can improve quality of life in such patients.

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in the United States have experienced severe COVID-19 outbreaks and elevated mortality rates, often following upon the inadvertent introduction of SARS-CoV-2. Following FDA emergency use approval, widespread distribution of vaccines has resulted in rapid reduction in COVID-19 cases in vulnerable, older populations. Yet, vaccination coverage remains incomplete amongst residents and healthcare workers. As such, mitigation and prevention strategies are needed to reduce the ongoing risk of transmission and mortality amongst vulnerable, nursing home populations. One such strategy is that of ‘shield immunity’, in which recovered individuals increase their contact rates and therefore shield individuals who remain susceptible to infection. Here, we adapt recent population-scale shield immunity models to a network context. To do so, we evaluate network-based shield immunity by evaluating how restructured interactions in a bipartite network (e.g., between healthcare workers and long-term care residents) affects SARS-CoV-2 epidemic dynamics. First, we identify a series of rewiring principles that leverage viral testing, antibody testing, and vaccination information to reassign immunized healthcare workers to care for infected residents while retaining workload balance amidst an outbreak. We find a significant reduction in outbreak size when using infection and immune-based cohorting as a weekly intervention. Second, we also identify a preventative strategy using shield-immunity rewiring principles, by assigning susceptible healthcare workers to care for cohorts of immunized residents; this strategy reduces the risk that an inadvertent introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into the facility via a healthcare worker spreads to susceptible residents. Network-based epidemic modeling reveals that preventative rewiring can control the size of outbreaks at levels similar to that of isolation of infectious healthcare workers. Overall, this assessment of shield immunity provides further support for leveraging infection and immune status in network-based interventions to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Background: The EU LifeCycle Project was launched in 2017 to combine, harmonize, and analyze data from more than 250,000 participants across Europe and Australia, involving cohorts participating in the EU-funded LifeCycle Project. The purpose of this cohort description is to provide a detailed overview of the major measures within mental health domains that are available in 17 European and Australian cohorts participating in the LifeCycle Project. Methods: Data on cognitive, behavioral, and psychological development has been collected on participants from birth until adulthood through questionnaire and medical data. We developed an inventory of the available data by mapping individual instruments, domain types, and age groups, providing the basis for statistical harmonization across mental health measures. Results: The mental health data in LifeCycle contain longitudinal and cross-sectional data from birth throughout the life course, covering domains across a wide range of behavioral and psychopathology indicators and outcomes, including executive function, depression, ADHD, and cognition. These data span a unique combination of qualitative data collected through behavioral/cognitive/mental health questionnaires and examination, as well as data from biological samples and indices in the form of imaging (MRI, fetal ultrasound) and DNA methylation data. Harmonized variables on a subset of mental health domains have been developed, providing statistical equivalence of measures required for longitudinal meta-analyses across instruments and cohorts. Conclusion: Mental health data harmonized through the LifeCycle project can be used to study life-course trajectories and exposure-outcome models that examine early life risk factors for mental illness and develop predictive markers for later-life disease.

Objective Guidelines for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) recommends that patients receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy with radical cystectomy as treatment over radical cystectomy alone. Though trends and practice patterns of MIBC have been defined using the National Cancer Database, data using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program have been poorly described. Methods Using the SEER database, we collected data of MIBC according to the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC). We considered differences in patient demographics and tumor characteristics based on three treatment groups: Chemotherapy (both adjuvant and neoadjuvant) with radical cystectomy, radical cystectomy, and chemoradiotherapy. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to compare likelihood ratios. Temporal trends were included for each treatment group. Kaplan–Meier curves were performed to compare cause-specific survival. A Cox proportional-hazards model was utilized to describe predictors of survival. Results Of 16 728 patients, 10 468 patients received radical cystectomy alone, 3236 received chemotherapy with radical cystectomy, and 3024 received chemoradiotherapy. Patients who received chemoradiotherapy over radical cystectomy were older and more likely to be African American; stage III patients tended to be divorced. Patients who received chemotherapy with radical cystectomy tended to be males; stage II patients were less likely to be Asian than White. Stage III patients were less likely to receive chemoradiotherapy as a treatment option than stage II. Chemotherapy with radical cystectomy and chemoradiotherapy are both underutilized treatment options, though increasingly utilized. Kaplan–Meier survival curves showed significant differences between stage II and III tumors at each interval. A Cox proportional-hazards model showed differences in gender, tumor stage, treatment modality, age, and marital status. Conclusions Radical cystectomy alone is still the most commonly used treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer based on temporal trends. Significant disparities exist in those who receive radical cystectomy over chemoradiotherapy for treatment.

Background Detailed data on intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy in Japan are lacking. Using a nationwide inpatient database in Japan, we aimed to assess ICU bed occupancy to guide critical care utilization planning. Methods We identified all ICU patients admitted from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018 to ICU-equipped hospitals participating in the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database. We assessed the trends in daily occupancy by counting the total number of occupied ICU beds on a given day divided by the total number of licensed ICU beds in the participating hospitals. We also assessed ICU occupancy for patients with mechanical ventilation, patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and patients without life-supportive therapies. Results Over the 4 study years, 1,379,618 ICU patients were admitted to 495 hospitals equipped with 5,341 ICU beds, accounting for 75% of all ICU beds in Japan. Mean ICU occupancy on any given day was 60%, with a range of 45.0% to 72.5%. Mean ICU occupancy did not change over the 4 years. Mean ICU occupancy was about 9% higher on weekdays than on weekends and about 5% higher in the coldest season than in the warmest season. For patients with mechanical ventilation, patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and patients without life-supportive therapies, mean ICU occupancy was 24%, 0.5%, and 30%, respectively. Conclusion Only one-fourth of ICU beds were occupied by mechanically ventilated patients, suggesting that the critical care system in Japan has substantial surge capacity under normal temporal variation to care for critically ill patients.

Background To clarify the association between psychosocial problems and frailty in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and to develop strategies for preventive long-term care in the community, we launched the Kesennuma Study in 2019. This report describes the study design and the participants' profiles at baseline. Methods The prospective study comprised 9,754 people (4,548 men, 5,206 women) randomly selected from community-dwelling independent adults aged 65 to 84 who were living in Kesennuma City, Miyagi. The baseline survey was conducted in October 2019. It included information on general health, socio-economic status, frailty, lifestyle, psychological factors (e.g. personality, depressive moods), and social factors (e.g. social isolation, social capital). A follow-up questionnaire survey is planned. Mortality, incident disability, and long-term care insurance certifications will also be collected. Results A total of 8,150 questionnaires were returned (83.6% response rate), and 7,845 were included in the analysis (80.4%, mean age [SD] 73.6 [5.5] years; 44.7% male). About 23.5% were considered frail. Regarding psychological and social functions, 42.7% had depressive moods, 29.1% were socially isolated, and only 37.0% participated in social activities at least once a month. However, 82.5% trusted their neighbours. Conclusions While local ties were strong, low social activity and poor mental health were revealed as issues in the affected area. Focusing on the association between psychological and social factors and frailty, we aim to delay the need for long-term care for as long as possible, through exercise, nutrition, social participation, and improvement of mental health.

Summary Objectives We aimed in the current cross-sectional study to evaluate rates and patterns of SD among drug naive women with mild to moderate depression against those receiving escitalopram. Study design Group (A) included 120 females diagnosed with mild to moderate depression. Group (B) served as controls included 60 age-matched volunteers. Main outcome measures Female participants were evaluated by the validated Arabic female sexual function index (ArFSFI), perceived stress situation scale (PSS), patient health questionnaire-9 scale (PHQ-9) and center for epidemiological studies-depression scale (CES-D). Results The study demonstrated that females with mild to moderate depression treated with escitalopram had better sexual function than those who were drug naive. Additionally, treated females got better scores of PSS, CES-D and PHQ-9 compared to those who were drug naive. The PSS and the CES-D and the PHQ-9 scales negatively correlated with the domains of desire, pain, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and total score of FSFI. Finally, a linear regression analysis after adjustment of FSFI as a dependent variable had revealed that the PSS scale, the PHQ-9 scale and the international index of erectile function-5 were significant independent predictors of the affected females’ sexual function. Conclusion Escitalopram is associated with lesser risk of SD in females with mild to moderate depression.

Background Enhanced nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to prevent the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have shown various levels of impact on common respiratory pathogens. We aimed to analyze the epidemiological changes seen in certain common respiratory viruses found in Taiwanese children (e.g., influenza virus, enterovirus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)) after the implementation of public health measures, as well as interpret the possible meaning of these changes. Methods This retrospective observational study examined the viral isolation from children younger than 18 years at a medical center in central Taiwan during the period January 2015 – December 2020, a time frame of six years. Viral isolations prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2015 – December 2019), along with those during the post-COVID-19 period (January – December 2020) were analyzed and compared. Results A total of 6,899 throat swab samples were collected during the pre-pandemic period of 2015 to 2019, with 2,681 of them having a positive result (38.86%). There were a total of 713 samples collected in 2020, with 142 of them showing positive results (19.92%). The overall positive rate of viral isolates significantly decreased in 2020 (p < 0.001). Declines in the isolation of the influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus and enterovirus were observed. The RSV surprisingly became the leading isolate, with up to 47 (6.59%) instances in 2020, and showing an unusual peak in the winter of 2020. The rise began in September of 2020 and reached its plateau in November of that year. Conclusions Most respiratory viruses decreased under NPIs regarding SARS-CoV-2. However, the RSV outbreak in the winter of 2020 had shown the limitation of current NPIs. Possible explanations have been discussed in details and public preventive measures should be reinforced for RSV, particularly amongst people having young children both at home and in care centers.

Acinetobacter baumannii causes healthcare-associated infections worldwide. Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) is shown an important virulence factor of A. baumannii both in vitro and in vivo. Capsule locus 2 (KL2) for CPS is the most common KL type and is associated with carbapenem resistance. It is unclear whether KL2 is related to the clinical outcome of invasive A. baumannii infection. Here we had followed patients with A. baumannii bacteraemia prospectively between 2009 and 2014. One-third of the unduplicated blood isolates were randomly selected each year for microbiological and clinical studies. The KL2 gene cluster was identified using polymerase chain reaction. A total of 148 patients were enrolled randomly. Eighteen isolates (12.2%) carried KL2, and 130 isolates (87.8%) didn't. Compared with non-KL2 isolates, KL2 isolates had significantly higher resistance to imipenem, sulbactam, and tigecycline. Compared with the non-KL group, in the KL2 group, the hospital stay before development of bacteraemia was longer (P

Background: Inflammation is thought to be a risk factor for kidney disease. However, whether inflammatory status is either a cause or an outcome of chronic kidney disease remains controversial. We aimed to investigate the causal relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches. Methods: A total of 10,521 participants of the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort Study was analyzed in this study. We used two-sample MR approaches (the inverse-variance weighted (IVW), the weighted median (WM), and the MR-Egger method) to estimate the effect of genetically determined hs-CRP on kidney function. We selected four and three hs-CRP associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as two instrumental variables (IV): IVCRP and IVAsian, based on SNPs previously identified in European and Asian populations. IVCRP and IVAsian explained 3.4% and 3.9% of the variation in hs-CRP, respectively. Results: Using the IVCRP, genetically determined hs-CRP was not significantly associated with eGFR in the IVW and the WM methods (estimate per 1 unit increase in ln(hs-CRP), 0.000; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.019 to 0.020 and −0.003; 95% CI, −0.019 to 0.014, respectively). For IVAsian, we found similar results using the IVW and the WM methods (estimate, 0.005; 95% CI, −0.020 to 0.010 and −0.004; 95% CI, −0.020 to 0.012, respectively). The MR-Egger method also showed no causal relationships between hs-CRP and eGFR (IVCRP: −0.008; 95% CI, −0.058 to 0.042; IVAsian: 0.001; 95% CI, −0.036 to 0.036). Conclusion: Our two-sample MR analyses with different IVs did not support a causal effect of hs-CRP on eGFR.

Background The Free/Low-Cost Medical Care Program (FLCMC) can subsidize the payment (exempt/lower) in designated institutions in Japan. Given that poverty is a multidimensional concept including social isolation, the FLCMC applicants may need social support over and above financial aid to improve their quality of life. However, there was no data to discuss what services should be provided and to whom. Hence, we aimed to describe the changes in health-related quality of life scores among users of the FLCMC, with respect to their socioeconomic backgrounds. Methods This cohort study included patients who newly used FLCMC from July 2018 to April 2019. We used patients' social work records, obtained at baseline, and self-report questionnaires on the Medical Outcomes Study 8 Items Short Form Health Survey (SF-8), measured both at baseline and six-month-after the application. We used the change in physical and mental health component summary score (PCS-8 and MCS-8) as outcome variables. Results Multiple linear regression analyses, adjusting for age, sex, healthcare institute, and baseline PCS-8 and MCS-8, showed that lower income was associated with an increase in PCS-8 (coef. -0.09; 95% CI, -0.15 to, -0.03) and MCS-8 (coef. -0.04; 95% CI, -0.11, to 0.03). Living alone (versus. living with someone) was potentially associated with a decrease in both PCS-8 (coef. -1.58; 95% CI, -7.26 to 4.09) and MCS-8 (coef. -3.62; 95% CI, -9.19 to 1.95). Conclusions Among patients using FLCMC, those who live alone may need additional support. Further study testing the generalizability of the findings is required.

Background The hippocampus is a brain structure important for memory and cognitive function. Physical activity may help prevent hippocampal atrophy. However, few studies have measured sedentary behavior (SB) and intensity-specific physical activity using an accelerometer. This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional associations of objectively-determined SB, light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) measured by an accelerometer with hippocampal volume among community-dwelling older adults using compositional data analysis (CoDa) approach. Methods This cross-sectional study was part of the Neuron to Environmental Impact across Generations (NEIGE) study. A randomly recruited sample of 485 Japanese older adults (47% male; aged 65-84 years) wore tri-axial accelerometers (Omron Healthcare) for seven consecutive days in 2017. Hippocampal volume was measured with magnetic resonance imaging and the left and right hippocampal volumes were automatically segmented using FreeSurfer software. Associations of sedentary and physically active behaviors with hippocampal volume were examined with compositional linear regression analysis based on isometric log-ratio transformations of time use adjusted for potential confounding factors. Results The relative proportion of time spent in MVPA, compared to the other two activities, was significantly positively associated with right hippocampal volume (β: 57.1, p-value = 0.027).However, no association existed between higher proportions of MVPA and left hippocampal volume, or between proportions of SB or LPA with either left or right hippocampal volumes. Conclusions The proportion of time spent in MVPA, relative to the other two activities, was significantly positively associated with right hippocampal volume. MVPA may be beneficial for maintaining hippocampal volume.

Lung cancer is the top reason for cancer-related deaths worldwide. The 5-year overall survival rate of lung cancer is approximately 20 % due to the delayed diagnosis and low response rate to regular treatments. Microbiota, both host-microbiota and alien pathogenic microbiota, have been investigated to be involved in a complicated and contradictory relationship with lung cancer initiation, treatments, and prognosis. Disorders of certain host-microbiota and pathogen infection are associated with the risk of lung cancers based on epidemiological evidence, and antibiotics (ATBs) could dramatically impair anti-cancer treatment efficacy, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Moreover, probiotics and microbe-mediated drugs are potential approaches to enhance regular anti-tumor treatments. Therefore, the knowledge of the complex dual effect of microbes on lung cancer is beneficial to take their essence and remove their dross. This review offers insight into the current trends and advancements in microbiota or microbial components related to lung cancer.

Introduction: The general objective was to determine the epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of connectivitis in the dermatology department of the CHU Aristide Le Dantec. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective and descriptive study conducted in the Dermatology Department of the University Hospital Center (UHC) Aristide Le Dantec (HALD) of Dakar between January 2009 and December 2019. Their diagnoses were retained according to the international criteria validated in the course of connectivites Results: We identified 290 cases of connectivitis. Systemic scleroderma was the most frequent in 34.42% (n=94), followed by systemic lupus in 25.86% (n=75), mixed connectivities in 22,06% (n=64) and dermatomyositis in 19,32% (n=56). Cancer was associated with dermatomyositis in 11 cases and with systemic scleroderma in 3 cases. The mean age of our patients was 38.23 years. The sex ratio was 4.2 and the mean duration of evolution was 25 months. Dermatological manifestations were constant, found in all patients. In systemic lupus, they were dominated by discoid lupus lesions found in 40% and hypochromic spots (86%) in systemic scleroderma. In dermatomyositis, skin lesions were dominated by periorbital erythroedema (66.07%). Joint manifestations were found in 56.89% of cases (n= 165), muscular manifestations in 41.37% of cases (n= 120) and pleuropulmonary manifestations in 31.3% of cases (n=91). Neuropsychiatric manifestations were noted in 5.17% of cases (n=15). All our patients were treated with corticosteroid therapy and 12.06% of them had received immunosuppressive treatment, the most commonly used molecules being methotrexate (3.44%) and cyclophosphamide (8.27%). Hydroxychloroquine was prescribed in 59.31% of patients, while D-penicillamine was prescribed in 42.06% of patients, 100% of whom were treated for systemic scleroderma. The main complications encountered were infectious complications in 83 cases (28.6%). Visceral complications, a type of visceral insufficiency, were noted in 4.13% of cases. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the frequency of connectivitis in the dermatology department. Its particularity was the predominance of systemic scleroderma over lupus which was classically the first connectivite in dermatology services. The delay in diagnosis noted is correlated with visceral attacks; hence the importance of a better knowledge of these affections for an early management.

Although social participation has been reported to be associated with significantly lower risks of mortality and disability, to our knowledge, no study has estimated its impact on disability-free life expectancy (DFLE). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between social participation and DFLE in community-dwelling older people.We analyzed 11-year follow-up data from a cohort study of 11,982 Japanese older adults (age ≥65 years) in 2006. We collected information on the number of social participations using a questionnaire. Using this information, we categorized the participants into four groups. DFLE was defined as the average number of years a person could expect to live without disability. The multistate life table method using a Markov model was employed for calculating DFLE.The results revealed that DFLE according to the number of social participations was 17.8 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.3-18.2) for no activities, 20.9 (95% CI, 20.4-21.5) for one activity, 21.5 (95% CI, 20.9-22.0) for two activities, and 22.7 (95% CI, 22.1-23.2) for three activities in men, and 21.8 (95% CI, 21.5-22.2), 25.1 (95% CI, 24.6-25.6), 25.3 (95% CI, 24.7-25.9), and 26.7 years (95% CI, 26.1-27.4), respectively, in women. This difference in DFLE did not change after the participants were stratified for smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and depression.Social participation is associated with longer DFLE among Japanese older people; therefore, encouraging social participation at the population level could increase life-years lived in good health.

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality from noncommunicable diseases. We aimed to examine the longitudinal trajectories in risk factors, estimate their impact on CKD burden in China from 1991 to 2011, and project trends in the next 20 years. Methods We used data from a cohort of the China Health and Nutrition Survey and applied the comparative risk assessment method to estimate the number of CKD events attributable to all non-optimal levels of each risk factors. Results In 2011, current smoking was the leading individual attributable factor for CKD burden in China responsible for 7.9 (95% CI, 7.5-8.3) million CKD cases with a population-attributable fraction of 8.7% (95% CI, 6.0-11.6), while the rates of smoking have reduced and may have mitigated the increase in CKD. High triglyceride (TG) and high systolic blood pressure (SBP) were the leading metabolic risk factors responsible for 6.8 (95% CI, 6.4-7.1) million and 5.8 (95% CI, 5.5-6.1) million CKD-attributable cases, respectively. Additionally, the number of CKD cases associated with high body mass index (BMI), high diastolic blood pressure (DBP), high plasma glucose, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was 5.4 (95% CI, 5.1-5.6), 3.9 (95% CI, 3.7-4.1), 3.0 (95% CI, 2.8-3.1) and 2.6 (95% CI, 2.5-2.8) million, respectively. Conclusions Current smoking, high TG, and high SBP were the top three risk factors that contributed to CKD burden in China. Increased BMI, DBP, plasma glucose, and decreased HDL-C were also associated with the increase in CKD burden.

Background Penetrating neck injuries represent 5–10% of all traumatic injuries, these bring with them a high rate of morbidity and mortality due to vital structures that could be injured in this area. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of penetrating neck injuries. Methods This was a retrospective, unicentric and descriptive study that included all patients who underwent neck exploration surgery. Results A total of 70 neck exploration cases were reviewed, 34 (49%) didn’t had any injury. Thirty (43%) had at least one hard sign, 42 (60%) patients showed at least one soft sign. Statistical analysis showed only surgical time (252 ± 199.5 vs. 155 ± 76.4; p = 0.020) and transfusions (1.87 ± 3 vs. 0.4 ± 0.856; p = 0.013) were statistically significant. We report a mortality of 2 (3%) patients. Conclusions Our prevalence of neck surgical exploration without vascular injury was slightly higher (49% vs. 40%) than literature. We highlight the importance of not performing neck explorations in all patients who present a penetrating injury. We did not obtain differences between groups for hard signs and soft signs. We were not able to identify whether or not there would be an injury based on clinical characteristics. Imaging studies should be performed to avoid unnecessary neck explorations; however, depending on the clinical scenario some surgery cannot be avoided.

Purpose This study aimed to examine population-based trends in the incidence rate, health care consumption, and work absence with associated costs in patients with rib fractures. Methods A retrospective nationwide epidemiologic study was performed with data from patients with one or more rib fractures presented or admitted to a hospital in the Netherlands between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018 and have been registered in the Dutch Injury Surveillance System (DISS) or the Hospital Discharge Registry (HDR). Incidence rates were calculated using data from Statistics Netherlands. The associated direct health care costs, costs for lost productivity, and years lived with disability (YLD) were calculated using data from a questionnaire. Results In the 4-year study period, a total of 32,124 patients were registered of which 19,885 (61.9%) required hospitalization with a mean duration of 7.7 days. The incidence rate for the total cohort was 47.1 per 100,000 person years and increased with age. The mean associated direct health care costs were €6785 per patient and showed a sharp increase after the age of 75 years. The mean duration of work absence was 44.2 days with associated mean indirect costs for lost productivity of €22,886 per patient. The mean YLD was 0.35 years and decreased with age. Conclusion Rib fractures are common and associated with lengthy HLOS and work absenteeism as well as high direct and indirect costs which appear to be similar between patients with one or multiple rib fractures and mostly affected by admitted patients and age.

Background Increasing the coverage of vaccinations recommended by the World Health Organization in the older adult population is an urgent issue, especially in the context of avoiding co-epidemics during the current coronavirus disease 2019 crisis. The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with the quality of perceived patient-physician communication and whether this variable was associated with increased odds of vaccination. Methods We used cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study conducted from October 2016 to January 2017. The participants were 22,253 physically and cognitively independent individuals aged 65 or older living in 39 municipalities in Japan. Multilevel logit models were used to estimate the odds of vaccination. Results Among the participants, 40.0% and 58.8% had received pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations as per the recommended schedule, respectively. People with low educational levels were more likely to have a family physician but rate their experience in asking questions lower than those with higher educational levels. Having a family physician and high rating for physicians' listening attitude were positively associated with increased odds of pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations. High rating for patients' questioning attitude and shared decision-making, compared to an ambiguous attitude toward medical decision-making, were positively associated with increased odds of pneumococcal vaccination. Conclusion The results suggest that promotion of having a family physician, better patient-physician communication, and shared decision-making may encourage older adults to undergo recommended vaccinations.

BACKGROUND To investigate associations between exposure to various trajectories of severe hypoglycemic events and risk of dementia in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In 2002-2003, 677618 patients in Taiwan were newly diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes. Among them, 35720 (5.3%) experienced severe hypoglycemic events during the 3-year baseline period following diagnosis. All patients were followed from the first day after baseline period to the date of dementia diagnosis, death, or the end of 2011. A group-based trajectory model was used to classify individuals with severe hypoglycemic events during the baseline period. Cox proportional hazard models with the competing risk method were used to relate dementia risk to various severe hypoglycemia trajectories. RESULTS After a median follow-up 6.70 and 6.10 years for patients with and without severe hypoglycemia at baseline, respectively, 1952 (5.5%) individuals with severe hypoglycemia and 23492 (3.7%) without developed dementia during follow-up, for incidence rates of 109.80 and 61.88 per 10000 person-years, respectively. Four groups of severe hypoglycemia trajectory were identified with a proportion of 18.06%, 33.19%, 43.25%, and 5.50%, respectively for Groups 1 to 4. Groups 3 (early manifestation but with later decrease) and 4 (early and sustained manifestation) were associated with a significantly increased risk of dementia diagnosis, with a covariate-adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio of 1.22 (95% confidence interval, 1.14-1.31) and 1.25 (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.54), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis highlighted that early manifestation of severe hypoglycemic events may contribute more than does late manifestation to the risk of dementia among individuals newly diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes.

Background While it is essential to understand how long is sufficient for return-to-work when designing paid sick-leave systems, little attempt has been done to collect cause-specific information on when and how many of sickness absentees returned to work, became unemployed, or passed away. Methods We studied the first sick-leave episode of ≥30 consecutive days in those ≤55 years of age during 2012-2013 among 11 Japanese private companies (n = 1209), which were followed until 2017. Overall and disease-specific cumulative incidences of return-to-work, resignations, and deaths were estimated using competing risk analysis. Results During the 3.5-year period (follow-up rate: 99.9%), 1014 returned to work, 167 became unemployed, and 27 died. Overall, return-to-work occurred within 1 year in 74.9% of all absentees and in 89.3% of those who successfully returned to work. Resignation occurred within 1 year in 8.7% of all absentees and in 62.9% of all subjects who resigned. According to ICD-10 chapters, the cumulative incidence of return-to-work ranged from 82.1% for mental disorders (F00-F99) to 95.3% for circulatory diseases (I00-I99). The cumulative incidence of return-to-work due to mental disorders ranged from 66.7% in schizophrenia (F20) to 95.8% in bipolar affective disorders (F31). Death was rarely observed except for cases of neoplasms (C00-D48), of which the cumulative incidence of death reached 14.2% by 1.5 years. Conclusions Return-to-work and resignations occurred commonly within 1 year of sick leave among long-term sickness absentees in the Japanese private companies. Our findings may assist occupational physicians and employers in developing effective social protection schemes.

Background The osteosclerotic skeletal dysplasias (OSSDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by systemic bone sclerosis. Little is known about OSSDs because of their rarity. We conducted a cross-sectional nationwide survey of OSSDs and examined the incidence, epidemiology, and therapeutic interventions on these disorders. Methods This study consisted of a two-step survey. The number of patients with OSSDs who had visited medical institutions between April 2017 and March 2018 was reported from a total of 341 facilities (1364 departments from pediatrics, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, and otolaryngology in each facility) by the first questionnaire. In the secondary survey, their clinical features were assessed by collecting demographic data, diagnostic details, current status, family histories, therapeutic interventions, histories of bone fracture and osteomyelitis, severity assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and recent lifestyle conditions of the patient by the EQ-5D. Results In the first survey, 51 facilities (56 departments) reported one or more OSSDs patients, including 50 patients with osteopetrosis and 57 patients of other OSSDs. Among 87 patients eligible for inclusion in the analysis in the secondary survey, we investigated detailed information on the 42 patients with osteopetrosis. The number of initial visits of osteopetrosis patients during the surveillance period was five per year, indicating that the estimated incidence of osteopetrosis seemed to be 0.6 per 100,000 live births. Eighty-six bone fractures were reported in 22 patients (52%), and interventions of pseudarthrosis were conducted in five patients. Nine patients (23%) showed significant disabilities with the mRS of grade 3 or higher. Neurological complications and severe anemia were the factors that deteriorate patients’ quality of life. Conclusions This is the first study to examine the detailed epidemiology of OSSDs in Japan. We demonstrated that the incidence of OSSDs is extremely rare. Bone fragility and delayed fracture healing seem to be important orthopaedic problems for patients with osteopetrosis.

Aims: We aimed to investigate the association between non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its subtypes. Methods: In this contemporary cohort study, we analyzed the data of 63,814 Japanese employees aged ≥ 30 years, without known CVD in 2012 and who were followed up for up to 8 years. The non-HDL-C level was divided into 5 groups: ＜110, 110-129, 130-149, 150-169, and ≥ 170 mg/dL. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CVD and its subtypes associated with each non-HDL-C group, considering 130-149 mg/dL as the reference group. Results: During the study period, 271 participants developed CVD, including 78 myocardial infarctions and 193 strokes (102 ischemic strokes, 89 hemorrhagic strokes, and 2 unknowns). A U-shaped association between non-HDL-C and stroke was observed. In the analysis of stroke subtypes, the multivariable-adjusted HR (95% CI) for hemorrhagic stroke was 2.61 (1.19–5.72), 2.02 (0.95–4.29), 2.10 (1.01–4.36), and 1.98 (0.96-4.08), while that for ischemic stroke was 1.54 (0.77-3.07), 0.91 (0.46-1.80), 0.73 (0.38-1.41), and 1.50 (0.87-2.56) in the ＜110, 110-129, 150-169, and ≥ 170 mg/dL groups, respectively. Individuals with elevated non-HDL-C levels had a higher risk of myocardial infarction. Conclusions: High non-HDL-C levels were associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction. Moreover, high and low non-HDL-C levels were associated with a high risk of stroke and its subtypes among Japanese workers.