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Table S1. Primer sequences Table S2. Patient characteristics in cell - surface SLAMF3 and CD138 expression analysis. Table S3. One hundred and sixty-eight gene sets that were significantly upregulated in SLAMF3-KMS34 cells compared with Î"SLAMF3 cells (NOM P-value

Is there an association between employment conditions and fertility-related quality of life among women undergoing fertility care?The study was a cross-sectional survey of 721 women in Japan recruited via an online social research panel. Participants included women aged 25-44 years with paid employment who were undergoing fertility diagnosis or treatment. They completed online questionnaires to assess fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) and job stress based on the demand-control-support model (Brief Job Stress Questionnaire). Information was also collected on individual and partner employment conditions (e.g. working hours per week, access to time off) and partner support of fertility treatment.The mean FertiQoL scores were low, ranging from 42 (emotional) to 65 (relational). A multivariable linear regression model showed that the total FertiQoL score was significantly associated with several work-related variables, including the participants' self-employment status (β = 0.11), job demand (β = -0.18), co-worker support (β = 0.14) and access to time off (β = 0.22), as well as their partner's access to time off (β = 0.11), number of working hours (β = -0.11) and level of cooperation (β = 0.18), after adjusting for clinical and socioeconomic factors, including age (β = 0.10), diagnosis of male infertility (β = -0.07), long duration of treatment (β = -0.12) and frequent clinic visits (β = -0.10) (all Ps0.05, adjusted RFertility-related quality of life is significantly associated with certain employment conditions among both women and their partners. Easy access to time off, lighter workloads and supportive co-workers could contribute to higher fertility-related quality of life by helping employees effectively manage their work and fertility treatments.

Since an outbreak of COVID-19 was detected among the crew and passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship in early 2020, the total number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 has surpassed 440,000 in Japan. However, that number remains small compared with other countries, such as the United States, a few European countries, and China. Despite the Japanese government not imposing a lockdown or implementing large-scale testing at the municipal level, the country has managed to contain the smaller outbreaks. To avoid infection, it is important to wear a face mask, wash one's hands, and observe social distancing. In addition, we focus on the clinical laboratory testing performed using the latest technology to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a hospital in Yokohama, Japan. Large-scale testing of viral RNA would be useful for detecting asymptomatic virus carriers as is done in other countries, and could be carried out as a future measure for controlling COVID-19.

Since an outbreak of COVID-19 was detected among the crew and passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship in early 2020, the total number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 has surpassed 440,000 in Japan. However, that number remains small compared with other countries, such as the United States, a few European countries, and China. Despite the Japanese government not imposing a lockdown or implementing large-scale testing at the municipal level, the country has managed to contain the smaller outbreaks. To avoid infection, it is important to wear a face mask, wash one's hands, and observe social distancing. In addition, we focus on the clinical laboratory testing performed using the latest technology to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a hospital in Yokohama, Japan. Large-scale testing of viral RNA would be useful for detecting asymptomatic virus carriers as is done in other countries, and could be carried out as a future measure for controlling COVID-19.

The signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family (SLAMF7; also known as CS1 or CD319) is highly expressed on plasma cells from multiple myeloma (MM) as well as natural killer (NK) cells and is a well-known therapeutic target of elotuzumab. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of serum soluble SLAMF7 (sSLAMF7) levels in patients with MM (n=103) and furthermore the impact of sSLMF7 on the antitumor activity of anti-SLAMF7 antibody. Thirty-one percent of MM patients, but not patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and healthy controls, had detectable levels of serum sSLAMF7, which were significantly increased in advanced MM patients. Further, MM in sSLAMF7-postive patients exhibited aggressive clinical characteristics with shorter progression-free survival times in comparison with sSLAMF7-negative patients. In responders to MM therapy, the levels of sSLAMF7 were undetectable or decreased compared with those before treatment. In addition, the anti-SLAMF7 antibody-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity of NK cells against MM cell lines was inhibited by recombinant SLAMF7 protein. Thus, our findings suggest that high concentrations of sSLAMF7, which could transiently suppress the therapeutic effects of elotuzumab, may be a useful indicator of disease progression in MM patients.

The signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family 3 (SLAMF3) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily expressed on T, B, and natural killer cells and modulates the activation and cytotoxicity of these cells. SLAMF3 is also expressed on plasma cells from patients with multiple myeloma (MM), although its role in MM pathogenesis remains unclear. This study found that SLAMF3 is highly and constitutively expressed on MM cells regardless of disease stage and that SLAMF3 knockdown/knockout suppresses proliferative potential and increases drug-induced apoptosis with decreased levels of phosphorylated ERK protein in MM cells. SLAMF3-overexpressing MM cells promote aggressive myeloma behavior in comparison with cytoplasmic domain-truncated SLAMF3 (ΔSLAMF3) cells. SLAMF3 interacts directly with adaptor proteins SH2 domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2) and growth factor receptor bound 2 (GRB2), which also interact with each other. SLAMF3 knockdown, knockout, ΔSLAMF3, and SHP2 inhibitor-treated MM cells decreased phosphorylated ERK protein levels. Finally, serum soluble SLAMF3 (sSLAMF3) levels were markedly increased in advanced MM. Patients with high levels of sSLAMF3 progressed to the advanced stage significantly more often and had shorter progression-free survival times than those with low levels. This study revealed that SLAMF3 molecules consistently expressed on MM cells transmit MAPK/ERK signals mediated via the complex of SHP2 and GRB2 by self-ligand interaction between MM cells and induce a high malignant potential in MM. Furthermore, high levels of serum sSLAMF3 may reflect MM disease progression and be a useful prognostic factor. Implications: SLAMF3 may be a new therapeutic target for immunotherapy and novel agents such as small-molecule inhibitors.

Bendamustine is a novel alkylator containing a benzimidazole ring, which adds purine analogue-like properties in addition to the alkylating properties.[1] Several clinical studies have showed that ...

Objective To examine the relationship between health literacy (HL), health information access, health behavior, and health status in Japanese people. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted at six healthcare facilities in Japan. Eligible respondents aged 20–64 years ( n = 1218) were included. Path analysis with structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypothesis model linking HL to health information access, health behavior, and health status. Results The acceptable fitting model indicated that the pathways linking HL to health status consisted of two indirect paths; one intermediated by health information access and another intermediated by health behavior. Those with higher HL as measured by the 14-item Health Literacy Scale (HLS-14) were significantly more likely to get sufficient health information from multiple sources, less likely to have risky habits of smoking, regular drinking, and lack of exercise, and in turn, more likely to report good self-rated health. Conclusion HL was significantly associated with health information access and health behavior in Japanese people. HL may play a key role in health promotion, even in highly educated countries like Japan. Practice implications In order to enhance the effects of health promotion interventions, health professionals should aim at raising HL levels of their target population groups.

Michiko Yamamoto,1 Hirohisa Doi,1 Ken Yamamoto,2 Kazuhiro Watanabe,2 Tsugumichi Sato,3 Machi Suka,4 Takeo Nakayama,5 Hiroki Sugimori6 1Department of Drug Informatics, Center for Education & Research on Clinical Pharmacy, Showa Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo, Japan; 2Department of Pharmacy Practice, Center for Education & Research on Clinical Pharmacy, Showa Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo, Japan; 3Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan; 4Department of Public Health and Environmental Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 5Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University School of Public, Kyoto, Japan; 6Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Sports and Health Sciences, Daito Bunka University, Saitama, Japan Background: The safe use of drugs relies on providing accurate drug information to patients. In Japan, patient leaflets called Drug Guide for Patients are officially available; however, their utility has never been verified. This is the first attempt to improve Drug Guide for Patients via user testing in Japan.Purpose: To test and improve communication of drug information to minimize risk for patients via user testing of the current and revised versions of Drug Guide for Patients, and to demonstrate that this method is effective for improving Drug Guide for Patients in Japan.Method: We prepared current and revised versions of the Drug Guide for Patients and performed user testing via semi-structured interviews with consumers to compare these versions for two guides for Mercazole and Strattera. We evenly divided 54 participants into two groups with similar distributions of sex, age, and literacy level to test the differing versions of the Mercazole guide. Another group of 30 participants were divided evenly to test the versions of the Strattera guide. After completing user testing, the participants evaluated both guides in terms of amount of information, readability, usefulness of information, and layout and appearance. Participants were also asked for their opinions on the leaflets.Results: Response rates were 100% for both Mercazole and Strattera. The revised versions of both Guides were superior or equal to the current versions in terms of accessibility and understandability. The revised version of the Mercazole guide showed better ratings for readability, usefulness of information, and layout (p

Single-center, single-arm, prospective time-series study.To assess the cost-effectiveness and improvement in quality of life (QOL) of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP).PVP is known to relieve back pain and increase QOL for osteoporotic compression fractures. However, the economic value of PVP has never been evaluated in Japan where universal health care system is adopted.We prospectively followed up 163 patients with acute vertebral osteoporotic compression fractures, 44 males aged 76.4±6.0 years and 119 females aged 76.8±7.1 years, who underwent PVP. To measure health-related QOL and pain during 52 weeks observation, we used the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), the Rolland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMD), the 8-item Short-Form health survey (SF-8), and visual analogue scale (VAS). Quality-adjusted life years (QALY) were calculated using the change of health utility of EQ-5D. The direct medical cost was calculated by accounting system of the hospital and Japanese health insurance system. Cost-effectiveness was analyzed using incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER): Δ medical cost/Δ QALY.After PVP, improvement in EQ-5D, RMD, SF-8, and VAS scores were observed. The gain of QALY until 52 weeks was 0.162. The estimated lifetime gain of QALY reached 1.421. The direct medical cost for PVP was ¥286,740 (about 3061 US dollars). Cost-effectiveness analysis using ICER showed that lifetime medical cost for a gain of 1 QALY was ¥201,748 (about 2154 US dollars). Correlations between changes in EQ-5D scores and other parameters such as RMD, SF-8, and VAS were observed during most of the study period, which might support the reliability and applicability to measure health utilities by EQ-5D for osteoporotic compression fractures in Japan as well.PVP may improve QOL and ameliorate pain for acute osteoporotic compression fractures and be cost-effective in Japan.

Although fertility educational initiatives have increased in developed countries to prevent infertility and to broaden fertility choices, the relationship between knowledge and behaviour is still poorly understood. In order to investigate the association between fertility knowledge and timing of childbearing, we investigated male and female participants between 35 and 44 years of age who had children (n = 640) from an online survey conducted in Japan in 2013. The age at which participants actually gave birth to or fathered their first child was compared between those who were aware for at least a decade of age-related decline in female fertility (hereinafter, those with past fertility knowledge) and those without. Age at first birth was significantly younger and more narrowly distributed among women with past fertility knowledge than among those without: 28.2 ± 3.4 vs. 29.8 ± 4.6 (mean ± SD). A multivariate linear regression analysis showed that women with past fertility knowledge gave birth to their first child 2.34 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-3.59] years earlier compared to those without such knowledge. No significant relation existed among men. Being informed in young adulthood about the facts of fertility might be related to starting a family at an earlier age, although further longitudinal evaluation will be necessary.

STUDY QUESTION What are the effects of fertility education on knowledge, childbearing desires and anxiety? SUMMARY ANSWER Providing fertility information contributed to greater knowledge, but increased anxiety. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Past studies have found that exposure to educational material improved fertility awareness and changed desires toward childbearing and its timing. Existing educational websites with evidence-based medical information provided in a non-judgmental manner have received favorable responses from reproductive-aged men and women. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This three-armed (one intervention and two control groups), randomized controlled trial was conducted using online social research panels (SRPs) in Japan in January 2015. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS A total of 1455 participants (726 men and 729 women) between 20 and 39 years of age who hoped to have (more) children in the future were block-randomized and exposed to one of three information brochures: fertility education (intervention group), intake of folic acid during pregnancy (control group 1) or governmental financial support for pregnancy and childbirth (control group 2). Fertility knowledge was measured with the Japanese version of the Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale (CFKS-J). Knowledge, child-number and child-timing desires, subjective anxiety (i.e. whether participants felt anxiety [primary outcome]), and scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were assessed immediately after exposure. Non-inferiority comparisons were performed on subjective anxiety with non-inferiority declared if the upper limit of the two-sided 95% confidence interval (CI) for risk difference did not exceed a margin of 0.15. This test for non-inferiority was only performed for subjective anxiety; all the other variables were tests of superiority. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Posttest scores on the CFKS-J (mean, SD) were higher in the intervention group than that of the control groups: intervention versus Control 1 and versus Control 2: 52.8 (28.8) versus 40.9 (26.2) (P< 0.001) versus 45.1 (27.1) (P = 0.003) among men and 64.6 (26.0) versus 50.8 (26.9) (P< 0.001) versus 53.0 (26.4) (P< 0.001) among women. The percentage of participants who felt subjective anxiety after exposure to the intervention brochure was significantly higher than that of the control groups: intervention versus Control 1 and versus Control 2: 32.6 versus 17.8% (risk difference [RD] = 0.149, 95% CI: 0.073–0.225) versus 14.5% (RD = 0.182, 95% CI: 0.108–0.256) among men, and 50.2 versus 26.3% (RD = 0.239, 95% CI: 0.155–0.322) versus 14.0% (RD = 0.362, 95% CI: 0.286–0.439) among women. Non-inferiority of the intervention was inconclusive (i.e. the CI included 0.15) among men whereas inferiority was declared among women. The incidence of anxiety was higher in the intervention group than that of the control groups especially among men aged 30 and older and among women aged 25 and older. No difference existed in childbearing desires between groups after exposure. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The possibility of selection bias associated with the use of SRPs (higher socioeconomic status and education) and volunteer bias toward those more interested in fertility may limit the generalizability of these findings. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS In addition to education targeting a younger generation, psychological approaches are needed to alleviate possible anxiety caused by fertility information. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was funded by National Center for Child Health and Development, Seiiku Medical Study Grant (24-6), the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants and Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows (26-1591). No competing interest declared. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER UMIN Clinical Trials Registry. Trial registration number, 000016168. TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE 13 January 2015. DATE OF FIRST PATIENT'S ENROLMENT 15 January 2015.

Background Failure and delay in initial treatment contact for mental disorders has been recognized as an important public health problem. According to the concept of mental health literacy, recognition of symptoms is crucial to making decisions to seek or not seek professional help. The aims of this study were to investigate the types of health problems for which Japanese adults intend to seek help, their preferred sources of help, and the factors associated with help-seeking intentions. Methods A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in June 2014 among Japanese adults aged 20–59 years. A total of 3308 eligible respondents were included in this study. Help-seeking intentions were measured by listing potential sources of help (including ‘would not receive help’) and asking which ones would be chosen in four health conditions indicated by irritability, dizziness, insomnia, and depressed mood, respectively. Results In the case of dizziness, 85.9 % of the participants reported a positive help-seeking intention and 42.7 % gave first priority to seeking help from formal sources. These percentages were smaller in the cases of insomnia (75.4 and 25.0 %), depressed mood (74.9 and 18.7 %), and irritability (72.9 and 0.9 %). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the factors significantly associated with help-seeking intentions were almost identical across the four health problems. In particular, perception of family and friends regarding help-seeking, psychiatric history, contact with people with mental illness, better health literacy, and neighborhood communicativeness were significantly associated with the overall help-seeking intention and also the help-seeking intention from formal sources for all the problems of dizziness, insomnia, and depressed mood. Conclusions The majority of participants indicated their intentions to seek help, but psychological problems (insomnia and depressed mood) were less likely to induce help-seeking intentions than a physical problem (dizziness). Besides developing health literacy skills, community-based interventions for creating a friendly approachable atmosphere and facilitating daily interactions with family, friends, and neighbors may be worth considering as a possible public health strategy for encouraging help-seeking whether for psychological or physical problems.

Vasovagal reaction (VVR) is the most frequent side effect at blood collection sites.To protect donors, factors contributing to VVR were analysed.Complications following whole blood and apheresis donations have been recorded and accumulated by the Japanese Red Cross Tokyo Blood Centre. A dataset of 43,948 donors who had no complications was prepared as a control by randomly selecting days in each season in the 2006 and 2007 fiscal years. Factors contributing to 4924 VVR incidents in the 2006 and 2007 fiscal years were analysed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression.The age, weight, body mass index (BMI), predonation systolic and diastolic pressure, and circulating blood volume were lower, and the pulse was higher, for the VVR group compared to the control group (p0.0001). The VVR group had more female donors, less sleep, and more time since a meal than the control. In multivariate analysis, significant risk factors for 400 ml whole blood donors, which are the majority of donors, were an age50 years, being female, a BMI25, pulse ≥90/min, sleep duration8 h, the time after eating ≥4 h, a first time donation and circulating blood volume of4.3 l. Sleep duration of6 h was shown to be a VVR risk as much as a first time donation.From our analysis, the amount of sleep obtained the previous night should be considered at the reception of donors.

Background: We recently reported that the International Prognostic Scoring System for Waldenström macroglobulinemia (ISSWM), which is widely used to predict the prognosis of WM patients, might not be applicable to Japanese patients, and evidence of pleural effusion might be a novel adverse prognostic factor for symptomatic WM in the rituximab era. Further studies with a large number of patients are deemed to be conducted. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 498 patients with WM diagnosed between January 2001 and December 2015 from 44 institutes involved with the Japanese Society of Myeloma. The overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods and compared using log-rank test. Several clinical characteristics at the diagnosis were assessed by Cox regression for univariate and multivariate analyses of the OS. Results: We included 420 cases diagnosed with symptomatic (n=314) and asymptomatic WM (n=106) in accordance with the classification of the Second International Workshop on WM. The median age at the diagnosis was 69 (range, 32-91) years, with 75.5% male, and 16.0% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 2-4. Oral alkylating agents, purine analogs, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (CHOP) or CHOP-like regimens ± rituximab, rituximab monotherapy, or dexamethasone, rituximab and cyclophosphamide (DRC) were mainly administered as initial treatment. Rituximab-containing therapy was administered in 76.8% of all patients. The median follow-up was 45 months. The 5-year OS rate for all patients was 77.9%, while the rates for those with symptomatic and asymptomatic WM were 72.9% and 92.2%, respectively. Significant differences in the survival were seen between risk groups of ISSWM in symptomatic WM patients (5-year OS: high, 55.4%; intermediate, 81.2%; low, 90.2%; p65 years, platelet count ≤10×104/µL, serum β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) >3 mg/L, ECOG PS 2-4, abnormal karyotype, pleural involvement, WBC 1.5 mg/dL, CRP >2.0 mg/dL and sIL-2R >4000 U/mL were significant adverse prognostic factors for the OS. A multivariate analysis revealed that a platelet count ≤10×104/µL (hazard ratio [HR] 5.942; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.265-14.761), serum β2-MG >3 mg/L (HR 2.748; 95% CI 1.091-7.655), ECOG PS 2-4 (HR 2.899; 95% CI 1.219-6.290), and pleural involvement (HR 11.066; 95% CI 3.672-29.829) were adverse independent risk factors for symptomatic WM. We constructed a prognostic model by combining these prognostic variables as follows: patients with good risk (n=219), no adverse factors or only serum β2-MG >3 mg/L or ECOG PS 2-4; patients with poor risk (n=81), ≥1 adverse factors with a platelet count ≤10×104/µL, pleural involvement, or both serum β2-MG >3 mg/L and ECOG PS 2-4. The 5-year OS rates were 82.3% for good risk and 44.4% for poor risk, and this prognostic model significantly stratified symptomatic WM patients separately by the survival (p Conclusion: Although ISSWM may be useful for survival risk stratification in Japanese patients, we found that intermediate- and high-risk patients seemed to have a better prognosis than those in Western studies in the rituximab era (Dimopoulos MA, et al. Haematologica. 2008; 93: 1420-22). Thrombocytopenia and pleural involvement were found to be strong adverse prognostic factors in symptomatic WM, and our new prognostic index including them was easy to use in daily clinical practice and superior to ISSWM for detecting high-risk patients. Further studies are warranted to validate our prognostic index, especially in the era of novel agents. Disclosures Yamamoto: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria. Hagiwara:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sunami:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Daiichi-Sankyo: Research Funding; Ono: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K.: Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Kurokawa:Teijin Pharma: Research Funding; Eizai: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; MSD: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; Nippon Sinyaku: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Research Funding. Takamatsu:Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Ono: Research Funding. Ito:Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene: Honoraria. Tamura:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical: Honoraria.

There are some reports regarding hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients with myeloma who are HBV carriers or who have had a resolved HBV infection, and there is no standard prophylaxis strategy for these patients. We performed a retrospective multicenter study to determine the incidence and characteristics of HBV reactivation in patients with multiple myeloma. We identified 641 patients with multiple myeloma who had been treated using novel agents and/or autologous stem cell transplantation with high-dose chemotherapy between January 2006 and June 2014 at nine Japanese hospitals. The patients’ characteristics, laboratory data, and clinical courses were retrieved and statistically analyzed. During a median follow-up of 101 weeks, one of eight (12.5 %) HBV carriers developed hepatitis and 9 of 99 (9.1 %) patients with resolved HBV infection experienced HBV reactivation; the cumulative incidences of HBV reactivation at 2 years (104 weeks) and 5 years (260 weeks) were 8 and 14 %, respectively. The nine cases of reactivation after resolved HBV infection had received entecavir as preemptive therapy or were carefully observed by monitoring their HBV DNA levels, and none of these cases developed hepatitis. Among patients with multiple myeloma, HBV reactivation was not rare. Therefore, long-term monitoring of HBV DNA levels is needed to prevent hepatitis that is related to HBV reactivation in these patients.

Objective Encouraging help-seeking for mental illness is essential for prevention of suicide. This study examined the relationship between individual characteristics, neighbourhood contexts and help-seeking intentions for mental illness for the purpose of elucidating the role of neighbourhood in the help-seeking process. Design, setting and participants A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among Japanese adults aged 20–59 years in June 2014. Eligible respondents who did not have a serious health condition were included in this study (n=3308). Main outcome measures Participants were asked how likely they would be to seek help from someone close to them (informal help) and medical professionals (formal help), respectively, if they were suffering from serious mental illness. Path analysis with structural equation modelling was performed to represent plausible connections between individual characteristics, neighbourhood contexts, and informal and formal help-seeking intentions. Results The acceptable fitting model indicated that those who had a tendency to consult about everyday affairs were significantly more likely to express an informal help-seeking intention that was directly associated with a formal help-seeking intention. Those living in a communicative neighbourhood, where neighbours say hello whenever they pass each other, were significantly more likely to express informal and formal help-seeking intentions. Those living in a supportive neighbourhood, where neighbours work together to solve neighbourhood problems, were significantly more likely to express an informal help-seeking intention. Adequate health literacy was directly associated with informal and formal help-seeking intentions, along with having an indirect effect on the formal help-seeking intention through developed positive perception of professional help. Conclusions The results of this study bear out the hypothesis that neighbourhood context contributes to help-seeking intentions for mental illness. Living in a neighbourhood with a communicative atmosphere and having adequate health literacy were acknowledged as possible facilitating factors for informal and formal help-seeking for mental illness.

Neoplasms of natural killer (NK)-lineage are rare. Their prognosis is generally poor except for cases of solitary nasal NK-cell lymphoma. The NK-cell Tumor Study Group performed a survey in Japan on patients diagnosed between 1994 and 1998. Of 228 patients selected for analysis, 40 underwent HSCT (15 allografts and 25 autografts). The underlying diseases were myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia (n = 4), blastic NK-cell lymphoma (n = 11), aggressive NK-cell leukemia (n = 3), and nasal-type extranodal NK-cell lymphoma (n = 22). At the time of HSCT, 22 patients were in complete remission (CR), 11 were in relapse, and seven were primary refractory. All patients received myeloablative conditioning regimens including total-body irradiation. Sixteen died of disease progression, and six of treatment-related causes. Overall, 4-year survival was 39% with a median follow-up of 50 months; this was significantly better than that of patients who did not undergo HSCT (21%, P = 0.0003). For patients transplanted in CR, the 4-year overall survival was 68%, which was significantly better than that of patients who went into CR but did not undergo HSCT (P = 0.03). These findings suggest that the HSCT is a promising treatment strategy for NK-cell lineage.

To examine the relationships between body image, body satisfaction and dieting behavior in the context of pubertal changes in Japanese preadolescents. A cross-sectional study of dieting behavior among 5,244 preadolescents (2,452 boys and 2,792 girls aged 12–13) born in Toyama prefecture. The percentages of those who perceived themselves fat, wanted to be thinner, and had tried dieting, which increased with body mass index (BMI), were significantly higher in girls than in boys (34.2% vs. 20.0%, 58.0% vs. 26.0%, and 17.3% vs. 5.7%, respectively). Independent of sex and BMI, those who wanted to be thinner and those who had tried dieting were more frequently observed in those who perceived themselves fat, and those who had tried dieting were more frequently observed in those who wanted to be thinner. Pubertal changes were significantly associated with dieting behavior, but their relationships to body image and body satisfaction differed between sexes; for boys, those who perceived themselves fat were more frequently observed in those without pubertal changes; whereas for girls, those who wanted to be thinner were more frequently observed in those with pubertal changes. Dieting behavior of Japanese preadolescents was associated with whether they perceived themselves fat and wanted to be thinner, sometimes independent of whether they were actually overweight. Pubertal changes might induce a positive perspective of growing fat among boys and a desire to be thinner among girls, with the consequence that dieting behavior would be reinforced in those with pubertal changes.

Aims This study aimed to elucidate the relationships between erectile dysfunction (ED) and depression or anxiety. Methods Subjects were 1,419 Japanese men aged 40–64 years. ED was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF‐5) score (Japanese version), and depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). In this study ED cases were defined as those whose IIEF‐5 value was less than 12, and a score of 8 or higher was used to classify a subject as suffering from depression or anxiety, respectively. The prevalence odds ratio (OR) of ED was calculated with confidence interval (CI) estimated by the Woolf's method by five age groups (40–44, 45–49, 50–54, 55–59, 60–64 years). To control for age, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol drinking factors, we conducted the multivariate logistic regression analysis for calculating adjusted ORs and 99% CIs. Results ED was significantly associated with depression in age groups 45–49 (OR 3.42, 99% CI 1.51–7.76) and 50–54 years (OR 2.43, 99% CI 1.11–5.35). After using multivariate analysis, adjusted OR also showed statistical significance. (OR 2.02, 99% CI 1.32–3.08). ED was significantly associated with anxiety in the 50–55‐year‐old age group (OR 2.48, 99% CI 1.12–5.47). After using multivariate analysis, adjusted OR also showed statistical significance (OR 1.77, 99% CI 1.15–2.72). The concomitant depression and anxiety group (A+D+) had significantly higher prevalence of ED than the control group (A–D–) in both the 45–49 and 50–54 age groups. ( P Conclusion ED associated significantly with depression and anxiety status only in late 40s to early 50s (45–55 years) in male Japanese. Furthermore, comorbidities of depression and anxiety strengthen this association. Our results might be useful in furthering understanding of ED etiology and determining a target population for prevention in ED subjects.

Background : The aim of the present study was to elucidate both environmental and behavioral factors that influence body mass index (BMI, kg/m 2 ) among Japanese children from ages 3-6. Methods : In 1992 (at age 3) and 1995 (at age 6), 8170 6-year-old children (4176 boys and 3994 girls) were surveyed using a questionnaire on both body build (height and weight) and lifestyle. The correlation between BMI for 3-year-olds and for 6-year-olds were analyzed. From the temporal changes of body build between age 3 and 6 years, we categorized children into four groups: group 1, normal at both age 3 years and 6 years (normal/normal); group 2, overweight at age 3 years and normal at age 6 years (overweight/normal); group 3, normal at age 3 years and overweight at age 6 years (normal/overweight); and group 4, overweight at both age 3 years and 6 years (overweight/overweight). The authors compared the four groups with each other according to sex, concerning frequencies of children who matched the categories of environmental and behavioral factors. Each factor was tested using the χ 2 test. Overweight children were defined as those whose BMI value was age-sex specific in the 90th percentile or more. Results : A significant correlation was found between body builds for children aged 3 and 6 years in both genders (boys, r = 0.559, P < 0.01; girls, r = 0.584, P < 0.01). Significant factors associated with overweight children were diet (eating rice, green tea, eggs, meat, but less breads and juice), rapid eating, short sleep duration, early bedtime, long periods of television viewing, avoidance of physical activity, and frequent bowel movement. Discussion : Temporal changes in BMI from age 3 years to 6 years are significantly associated with both environmental and behavioral factors at age 6 years. The results of this study may be useful for health promotion programs designed to prevent obesity during the early stages of childhood.

Objectives To elucidate sociodemographic, lifestyle, psychological, and physical factors associated with two subtypes of insomnia in Japanese male workers.Design A cross-sectional study using the annual health examination database of a Japanese company.Setting N/AParticipants Middle-aged male participants in the 1998 health examination at an employee health management center of a Japanese company (n=22, 185) .Main outcome measures Self-reported insomnia, including difficulty initiating sleep (DIS) and difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS) .Results In the young age (

Objectives To demonstrate the relationships between multiple risk factor syndrome (MRFS) and atherosclerotic events, comparing with hypercholesterolemia group (hTC), in male Japanese, by conducting a work-site cohort study.Methods From 1986 to 1992, 163 male subjects (MRFS group: n=87; hTC group: n=76) aged 30 years or more, working at a single department store in Tokyo were enrolled, and followed-up until 1998 to observe the occurrence of atherosclerotic events (coronary heart diseases, cerebral infarctions and retinal artery hemorrhages) . By using annual health-checkups data in Automatic Multiphasic Health Testing and Service (AMHTS), we defined MRFS group as subjects who met the following criteria: high blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure≥90 mmHg and/or systolic blood pressure≥150 mmHg, or the initiation of hypertension therapy), hypertriglyc-eridemia (serum triglycerides≥160 mg/dl), hyperglycemia (defined by the criteria by Japan Diabetes Society, 1970), and obesity (BMI: ≥24.0 kg/m2) at baseline. To compare MRFS group, we also defined hTC group as subjects whose serum total cholesterol level at baseline was 280 mg/dl or more.Results Eight coronary heart disease cases, 3 cerebral infarction cases and 4 retinal artery hemorrhage cases were observed in MRFS group. On the other hand, no atherosclerotic case was observed in hTC group during the period. Mantel-Haenszel procedure showed that age-adjusted atherosclerosis incidence was significantly higher in MRFS group than that in hTC group (p

To evaluate the impacts of health examinations (HE) and smoking on disease mortality risk in Japan. By using the large cohort database of a Japanese life insurance company, 720,611 subjects aged 20 to 80 years, who had contracted for life insurance between April 1, 1995 and March 31, 1998, were followed up until September 30, 1999. Cox’s proportional hazard model was used to estimate age-adjusted relative risk (RR) for disease death. After adjusting for age, disease mortality in smokers was significantly higher than that in non-smokers (men, RR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.25–1.81; women, RR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.12–2.11). Meanwhile, disease mortality in HEees (those who had got HE within the past 2 years) was significantly lower than that in non-HEees (men, RR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.56–0.88; women, RR 0.71, 95% CI: 0.54–0.92). The magnitude of the impact of HE on disease mortality risk varied according to smoking status. Non-smokers showed a significantly lower risk associated with HE, whereas smokers did not. HE may allow an appreciable reduction in disease mortality, however, the reduction effect may be limited to non-smokers. Smoking cessation may be essential to improve the preventive effects of HE.

We undertook a prospective study to assess the long-term compliance of Japanese male workers with drug treatment for hypercholesterolemia. In workers who accepted treatment with simvastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, compliance was monitored every 6 months with an interview. Factors affecting compliance were identified by using the background characteristics of subjects and a self-administered questionnaire on their type of job, job style, private lifestyle and psychological status at work. Mean (SD) follow-up periods were 21.5 (10.6) months for 640 workers, and 240 noncompliant (