Search

Background: The present study examined the data from the Fukushima Health Management Survey conducted after the Great East Japan Earthquake to identify disaster-related factors affecting the mental health status of adolescents following the disaster and obtained basic data necessary in providing mental healthcare.Methods: The study included 2808 adolescents aged 15-19 years (male: 1327; female: 1481) who completed the 2011 edition of the registered questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale scores, age, sex, health status, sleep satisfaction level, Great East Japan Earthquake experience, experience of losing a loved one, change in employment status, change in residence, and awareness of the impact of radiation on health were examined.Results: Psychological distress was significantly correlated with sex, health status, sleep satisfaction of, experience of losing a loved one, change in employment status, extreme anxiety regarding the acute health impact of radiation, and extreme anxiety regarding the impact of radiation on health in adolescents and the next generation.Limitations: The present study is limited because of its cross-sectional design, due to which, the causal relationship between each factor and psychological distress could not be clarified.Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that appropriate mental healthcare should be administered immediately following an earthquake to adolescents who have lost a loved one and experienced anxiety regarding the health impact of radiation following a nuclear accident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the association between symmetrical agenesis of the mandibular third molars and agenesis of other teeth in Japanese orthodontic patients. A sample of 64 patients with symmetrical agenesis of the mandibular third molars and without agenesis of the maxillary third molars was selected as the third molar agenesis group. In addition, 585 patients with all 4 third molars were selected as controls. The main materials examined for diagnosis of tooth agenesis were panoramic radiographs. The prevalence rate of tooth agenesis was compared between the groups using the chi-squared or Fisher's test, and the odds ratio. Significantly increased occurrence of overall agenesis of the maxillary lateral incisors, and overall and symmetrical agenesis of other teeth including the maxillary and mandibular second premolars and mandibular first molars were observed in the patients with symmetrical agenesis of the mandibular third molars and without agenesis of the maxillary third molars. Irrespective of the presence or absence of symmetrical agenesis of the mandibular third molars, no significant differences in the prevalence rates of overall or symmetrical agenesis of other teeth and specific teeth were noted between the sexes or between the right and left sides of the jaws in the patients without maxillary third molar agenesis. (J Oral Sci 58, 171-176, 2016). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Japan Otology Society (JOS) proposed the classification and staging system for middle ear cholesteatoma. However, there was little analysis of the pathology of cholesteatoma using this staging system. Aims/objectives: To analyze the pathology of pars flaccida cholesteatoma using the staging system by JOS. Material and methods: A total of 183 cases of fresh pars flaccida cholesteatoma treated between January 2009 and December 2015 were included. We used the staging system recommended by JOS (2015). The association of the following variables in each stage of pars flaccida cholesteatoma was examined: age, gender, preoperative hearing level, staging, statuses of mastoid cell growth and stapes, tympanic sinus invasion. Results: Stage II disease showed the highest degree of progression, and peak incidence was observed in the third and fourth decades of life. Stage III significantly increased after the age of 40 years. The progression of the disease stage was significantly associated with deterioration of hearing level. Cholesteatoma invasion to tympanic sinus was recognized in 14.2% of cases. The state of the stapes is increasingly likely be to fracture as stage progresses. Conclusions: The JOS Staging System appropriately reflects the disease state, and it was found to be clinically meaningful in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Recent years have seen increased numbers of children with conditions that contribute strongly to atherosclerotic disease, such as passive smoking, obesity, and dyslipidemia. In the present study, we evaluated the utility of non-invasive urinary markers in preventing lifestyle-related diseases by comparing lipid metabolism-related parameters with oxidative stress markers in school children. Methods Subjects were 85 first-grade students. The variables examined included the smoking in subjects' household; exercise habits; height and weight; blood pressure; and plasma total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, leptin, blood sugar, urinary cotinine, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8- OHdG), and 8-isoprostaglandin F2α ( IsoP). Results Of the subjects, 10.6% were obese (% overweight ≥20%), 3.5% had a high-risk arteriosclerosis index ( AI; 3 ≤ AI < 5), and 29.4% were passive smokers. No significant differences were seen between boys and girls for any of the measurement parameters. Both urinary 8- OHdG (6.8-24.5 ng/mg creatinine) and IsoP (0.9-7.4 ng/mg creatinine) were detected in all subjects, and a significant positive correlation was seen between the two markers. On multiple regression analysis using AI as an objective variable and all non-invasive markers as explanatory variables, urinary IsoP correlated most strongly with AI ( P ≤ 0.01). Conclusions Risk factors for atherosclerosis in adults, such as obesity and hypercholesterolemia, are associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. The present findings of the strongest correlation between urinary IsoP and AI suggest that urinary IsoP may serve as a non-invasive and effective early marker in predicting risk in children of developing lifestyle-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a research conducted to examine the properties of waxy rice mochi and waxy wheat mochi to improve traditional Japanese food that offers choking hazards through video-endoscopy. Topics include use of waxy wheat mochi due to its property of less cohesiveness and adhesiveness, use of sensory evaluation to compare difference in chewing and swallowing waxy rice mochi and waxy wheat mochi, and evaluation of food samples by video-endoscopy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the association of mandibular incisor agenesis with other dental anomalies in Japanese orthodontic patients. Methods: A total of 52 subjects with 1 or 2 congenitally missing permanent mandibular lateral incisors (group A) were selected and divided into group 1a (26 subjects with 1 lateral incisor missing) and group 2a (26 subjects with 2 lateral incisors missing). Fifty two sex-matched subjects without agenesis of the mandibular lateral incisor served as controls (group C). Radiographs, study models, and medical and dental records were used to identify anomalies of teeth. Results: The prevalence rate of agenesis of teeth other than the mandibular lateral incisors and third molars was significantly increased in group A. Agenesis of the maxillary second premolars was significantly increased in groups 2a and A. Significantly increased prevalence rates of symmetrical tooth agenesis, with third molars excluded, and third molar agenesis were observed in group 1a and A. Conclusions: Japanese subjects with agenesis of 1 or 2 permanent mandibular lateral incisors have significantly increased prevalence rates of other permanent tooth agenesis and symmetrical tooth agenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Evidence for the association between dialysis treatment and cognitive decline is limited. The present study aimed to determine whether dialysis treatment is associated with cognitive decline in adult outpatients of a general hospital in Japan. Methods This was a cross-sectional substudy of the Project in Sado for Total Health (PROST). Total Health PROST targeted adult outpatients of a general hospital in Sado City, Niigata, Japan. Among 753 patients (mean age 68.1 ± 11.6 years) analyzed, 66 received dialysis. Cognitive state was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination, and those with a Mini-Mental State Examination score <24 were considered 'cognitively declined.' The prevalence of cognitive decline was compared by odds ratios calculated with multiple logistic regression analysis. Variables included in the analyses were dialysis, age, sex and self-reported histories of hypertension, diabetes, stroke and ischemic heart disease. Results Of the 66 dialysis patients, 24 (36.4%) showed cognitive decline, whereas 172 (25.0%) of 687 non-dialysis patients showed cognitive decline. The age and sex-adjusted odds ratio for cognitive decline in dialysis patients was 2.57 (95% confidence interval 1.43-4.61), relative to non-dialysis patients. The odds ratio remained significant (odds ratio 2.69, 95% confidence interval 1.49-4.88) even after adjusting for all covariates. Conclusion The prevalence of cognitive decline was high in dialysis patients relative to non-dialysis patients among outpatients of a general hospital in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1584-1587. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Waxy wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a type of wheat that was first developed in Japan, produces grain amylopectin. I carried out three researches. Firstly, using Japanese adults, we carried out sensory evaluation of three types of mochi (a dumpling-like cake made of steamed and pounded grains) prepared from waxy wheat, normal wheat and waxy rice, and demonstrated that waxy wheat mochi had low adhesiveness and had the greatest ease of swallowing among the samples tested. Secondly, using the members of the JSDR (the Japanese Society of Dysphagia Rehabilitation) who attended the annual meeting, we performed another texture evaluations between waxy wheat and waxy rice mochi. The respondents reported waxy wheat mochi was less sticky and thus easier to chew and swallow than waxy rice mochi. Thirdly, to explain the relative ease of swallowing waxy wheat mochi, we investigated the mechanical behavior of mochi samples using videoendoscopy. The results suggested waxy wheat mochi was broken down into particles through mastication, transported to the epiglottic vallecula, and then propelled into the esophagus in a manner similar to that generally observed with other foods. On the other hand, waxy rice mochi was poorly disintegrated into particles, and the highly glutinous food mass was directly passed down to the esophagus, leading to lower ease of swallowing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]