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This study aimed to explore the factors influencing subjective health views based on the living conditions and concerns of university students during the coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. From March to April 2021, a questionnaire survey was administered to 8,547 Japanese university students, and logistic regression analysis was used to explore factors related to subjective health views. The results showed that satisfaction with quality of sleep (OR = 2.651, 95% Cl 2.370-2.966,p < 0.001), satisfaction with university life (OR = 2.486, 95%Cl 2.215-2.789, p < 0.001), satisfaction with diet (OR = 1.849, 95% CI: 1.496-2.285, p < 0.001), regular exercise (OR = 1.759, 95% CI: 1.594-1.941, p < 0.001), consciousness of nutritional balance (OR = 1.276, 95% CI: 1.147-1.420,p < 0.001), eating breakfast every day (OR = 1.247, 95% CI: 1.121-1.387, p < 0.001), and consuming soft drinks at least once a week (OR = 0.865, 95% CI: 0.755-0.966, p = 0.010) were positive factors for subjective views of health. On the other hand, anxiety about whether the necessary credits can be obtained (OR = 0.885, 95% CI: 0.799-0.980, p = 0.019), infection from minimal outings (OR = 0.881, 95% CI: 0.794-0.976, p = 0.016) building and maintaining friendships on campus (OR = 0.867, 95% CI: 0.767-0.980, p = 0.023), and being able to continue working (OR = 0.713, 95% CI: 0.640-0.795, p < 0.001) were identified as negative factors. To ensure a healthy university life during the COVID-19 pandemic or future pandemic, supports tailored to students' living conditions and measures to address their anxieties are required.

This study investigated nicotine dependence among Japanese university students who had reached the smoking age (20 years or older) by the time of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and examined factors that encourage early smoking cessation. Social dependence on nicotine was evaluated using the Kano Total Social Nicotine Dependence Level (KTSND), and physiological dependence was evaluated using the Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Index (FTND). Of the 356 college students who smoked (4.4% of the total), 182 (51.1%) stated that they were not interested in quitting. Furthermore, 124 (68.1%) of those with no interest in quitting smoking were aware that smoking is a high-risk factor for COVID-19, and 58 (31.9%) were unaware. The group not aware of this risk had significantly higher KTSND scores than the group aware of it. The examination of cigarette type that indicated the users of non-conventional cigarette products and dual-user groups scored significantly higher than the cigarette group on FTND items. Overall, the smokers scored above the normal range for social nicotine dependence, suggesting the need to reduce nicotine dependence to encourage college students who continue to smoke to quit smoking.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, firefighters have been working in an environment that is both physically and mentally taxing. This study aimed to investigate factors affecting health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among firefighters in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 227 firefighters from a single firefighting organization were surveyed in June 2021, during the fourth infection spread period of COVID-19 in Japan. Regression analysis was performed to examine factors affecting HRQOL of firefighters measured with the SF-8. In the present study, factors affecting HRQOL among firefighters during the COVID-19 pandemic were lack of sleep, physical abnormalities due to infection control measures, exercise habits, living with family members, and history of suspected COVID-19 infection. The present findings may help develop support services for first responders, including firefighters during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saliva and salivary antimicrobial proteins play important roles in the innate immunity, which prevents infections of orally invading bacteria and viruses. In this study, we compared the secretion rates of salivary lactoferrin (Lac) and lysozyme (Lys) in heat-not-burn (HNB) cigarette smokers and non-smokers. The analysis population for this study included 212 members of the fire department, including 32 HNB cigarette smokers, 17 paper cigarette smokers, 14 combined HNB and paper cigarette smokers, and 149 non-smokers. Salivary Lac and Lys concentrations were assessed using enzyme immunoassay. Saliva secretion was significantly lower among HNB cigarette smokers (p < 0.01) than among non-smokers. Accompanying this result, salivary Lac and Lys secretion rates were significantly lower among smokers, particularly HNB cigarette smokers, than among non-smokers (all p < 0.01). Our findings suggest a possible adverse effect of HNB cigarette on the amount of Lac and Lys released into the oral cavity.

Since the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, educational institutions have implemented measures such as school closures, raising concerns regarding the increase in psychological distress among university students. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that have influenced psychological distress among college freshmen during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire survey was conducted at the conclusion of the sixth wave of COVID-19 in Japan. Psychological distress was measured using the six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Factors affecting psychological distress were calculated using regression analysis. Of the 2536 participants, 1841 (72.6%) reported having no psychological distress, while 695 (27.4%) reported having psychological distress. Factors that were identified to contribute to psychological distress were lack of sleep, weight gain or loss, worsening of interpersonal relationships, and physical symptoms and illnesses. A willingness to join an athletic club and having an environment in which it is easy to discuss worries and anxieties with others were factors that were identified to hinder psychological distress. It is necessary for universities to offer enhanced supports for physical and interpersonal activities. Additionally, it is imperative to encourage students to look after their physical health and to actively utilize university-based consultation systems.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has decreased bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) intervention rates. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the willingness of university freshmen to provide BCPR during the COVID-19 pandemic and the predictors thereof. A cross-sectional survey of 2789 newly enrolled university students was conducted after the end of the sixth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Japan; predictors of willingness to provide BCPR were assessed by regression analysis. Of the 2534 participants 1525 (60.2%) were willing to intervene and provide BCPR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hesitancy due to the anxiety that CPR intervention might result in poor prognosis was a negative predictor of willingness. In contrast, anxiety about the possibility of infection during CPR intervention did not show a negative impact. On the other hand, interest in CPR and willingness to participate in a course, confidence in CPR skills, awareness of automated external defibrillation, and knowledge of CPR during the COVID-19 pandemic, were also positive predictors. This study suggests that the barrier to willingness to intervene with BCPR during a COVID-19 pandemic is not fear of infection, but rather hesitation due to the possibility of poor prognosis from the intervention. The significance of conducting this study during the COVID-19 epidemic is great, and there is an urgent need for measures to overcome hesitation regarding BCPR.

School-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing is an important part of a comprehensive prevention strategy in public health. To assess the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in a university athletic club community with repeated occurrences of SARS-CoV-2 infections, we conducted a cross-sectional survey for asymptomatic antibody prevalence using a SARS-CoV-2 rapid antibody test kit. On January 26, 2021 we administered questionnaires to determine their history of contact with infected individuals and took blood samples from 129 undergraduates. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among the subjects was 3.9%. Only 6.2% of the participants reported close contact with infected individuals. In this study, we clarified the prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in university athletic clubs where SARS-CoV-2 infections had repeatedly occurred, which will be helpful in discussing how to identify and prevent the transmission of infections within university athletic club communities.

This study examined college students' perceptions of the association between smoking and novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), changes in smoking behavior, and interest in quitting categorized by smoking device, to identify public health challenges. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 8,547 students in a Japanese university in March and April 2021. In response to "Awareness of the increased risk of COVID-19 infection due to smoking and the tendency to develop severe disease", current smokers (70.2%) were more aware of the risk than non-smokers (49.8%) (p < 0.001), with no significant difference according to smoking device (p = 0.213). "Interest in quitting smoking" (p = 0.323), and "Changes in smoking behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic" (p = 0.146) did not differ by smoking device. However, approximately 50% of the respondents answered that they were not interested in quitting smoking, while two-thirds reported that the number of cigarettes they smoked did not change during the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, college students were found to be less interested in quitting and not likely to change their smoking behavior, despite the knowledge of the increased risk of COVID-19 transmission and severity of disease from smoking, regardless of smoking device.

Smokers may have lower antibody titers after vaccination with a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has evaluated antibody titers after COVID-19 vaccination based on the level of smokers' cigarette dependence. In this study, we measured the level of serum anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (anti-SARS-CoV-2) spike protein receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) immunoglobulin-G (IgG) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay of 55 actively smoking Japanese social workers (firefighters, paramedics, and rescue workers) who had received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Further, we assessed their cigarette dependence using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), measured their serum cotinine levels, and tested for their correlation with anti-RBD IgG levels. Serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD protein IgG levels after BNT162b2 vaccination showed a significant negative correlation with FTND (ρ = -0.426, p = 0.001). In addition, serum cotinine level showed a significant positive correlation with FTND (ρ = 0.470, p = 0.000). However, no significant negative correlation was noted between serum cotinine and serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD protein IgG levels (ρ = -0.156, p = 0.256). Our results suggest that smokers with strong cigarette dependence have inadequate anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD protein IgG levels after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.

Pancreatic tumors are hypovascular, which leads to a poor nutrient supply to support the aggressively proliferating tumor cells. However, human pancreatic cancer cells have extreme resistance to nutrition starvation, which enables them to survive under severe metabolic stress conditions within the tumor microenvironment, a phenomenon known as "austerity" in cancer biology. Discovering agents which can preferentially inhibit the cancer cells' ability to tolerate starvation conditions represents a new generation of anticancer agents. In this study, geranyl 2,4-dihydroxy-6-phenethylbenzoate (GDP), isolated from Boesenbergia pandurata rhizomes, exhibited potent preferential cytotoxicity against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells under nutrition starvation conditions. GDP also possessed PANC-1 cell migration and colony formation inhibitory activities under normal nutrient-rich conditions. Mechanistically, GDP inhibited PI3K/Akt/mTOR/autophagy survival signaling pathway, leading to selective PANC-1 cancer cell death under the nutrition starvation condition. Therefore, GDP is a promising anti-austerity agent for drug development against pancreatic cancer., (© 2021 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

We compared recombinant human chymase expressed in Escherichia coli with human chymase purified from vascular tissues. The recombinant chymase, the structure of which was NH2-enterokinase cleavage site-chymase-COOH, was expressed in Escherichia coli and then was solubilized and renatured. The protein did not have a chymase activity, but gained this activity after the cleavage of the N-terminal site by enterokinase. The enzyme was purified by heparin affinity and gel filtration columns. The N-terminal sequence of the protein was identical to the sequence for human chymase. The molecular weights of the recombinant chymase and chymase purified from human vascular tissues were 26 and 30 kDa, respectively, and the 4 kDa difference was thought to be due to the presence or absence of glycan. The optimum pH of the recombinant enzyme activity was between 7.5 and 9.0. The activity of the recombinant enzyme was inhibited by chymostatin, soybean trypsin inhibitor and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, but not by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and aprotinin. This enzyme cleaved specifically the Phe8-His9 bond of angiotensin (Ang) I to form Ang II and that of big endothelin (ET)-1 to form ET-1-(1-31). These findings demonstrated that the enzymatic characteristics of the recombinant enzyme were identical to that of native human chymase.