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Objective This study aimed to determine whether the frequency of eating together is associated with the incidence of functional disability in older adults who live alone. Methods This 6-year observational prospective cohort study utilised self-reported questionnaires. Data were drawn from the participants of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study project between 2016 and 2022. The participants were independent older adults aged ≥65 years living alone in Japan. The primary outcome was the incidence of functional disability during the follow-up period, with the self-reported frequency of eating together serving as the explanatory variable. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models after adjusting for confounders associated with incident functional disability. Results Among the 7167 participants, the mean age at baseline was 75.3 ± 6.5 years and 69.2% were female. About, 12.8% of participants (n  = 917) developed functional disabilities during the observation period. The incidence rates were 11.7% for 'every day', 11.3% for 'several times a week', 11.5% for 'several times a month', 12.7% for 'several times a year' and 19.0% for 'seldom'. The frequency of eating together 'seldom' was significantly associated with an increased incidence of functional disability (HR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.10–2.18). Conclusion Among older adults living alone, infrequent eating together ('seldom') was identified as a risk factor for developing functional disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The relationship between obesity and back pain in older populations is poorly understood. This study aimed to examine (a) the impacts of changes in obesity status on back pain risk and (b) the heterogeneity in the influence of changes in obesity status according to muscle strength. Methods We analyzed 6 868 participants in waves 4 (2008–2009), 6 (2012–2013), and 7 (2014–2015) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. The exposure comprised continuous body mass index (BMI) values, whereas the outcome comprised self-reported moderate or severe back pain. The targeted minimum loss-based estimator was used to estimate the impacts of hypothetical changes in BMI in each wave under 10 scenarios encompassing a 5%−25% hypothetical reduction/increase in BMI. We also performed stratified analysis using handgrip strength at the baseline. Results For the hypothetical reduction scenarios, a 10% (relative risk [RR]; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.82 [0.73–0.92], p  = .001) reduction in BMI estimated a significantly lower back pain risk compared to the observed data. For the hypothetical increase scenarios, a 5% (RR [95% CI] = 1.11 [1.04–1.19], p  = .002) increase in BMI estimated a significantly higher back pain risk. Increased BMI had a higher risk of back pain among those with weak strength when stratified by handgrip strength but not among those with strong strength. Conclusion Our study confirmed that weight gain leads to a greater risk of back pain as well as heterogeneity in the influence of changes in obesity status according to the handgrip strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess earthquake resistance of new or existing structures and predict earthquake damage of structures, it is important to properly evaluate the response of the structure at the time of the earthquake. In cold regions however, where the ground can freeze in winter, the dynamic soil-foundation interaction can change with the change in the density and stiffness of the frozen side soil. This paper examines in a quantitative manner, the influence of freezing of ground on the dynamic soil grouped piles interaction., It is shown herein that the grouped piles in the frozen ground tend to follow the motion of the ground over a wider range of frequency. Furthermore, it is shown that even when the freezing depth is much thinner than the characteristic length of piles determined by the stiffness ratio of the ground and the group pile, the pile cap stiffness at the time of freezing becomes noticeably large. It is confirmed that the freezing of the ground can greatly affect the interaction between the ground and the piles.

Objectives: Social isolation was associated with increased mortality and numerous adverse health outcomes. However, the longitudinal association between oral health and social isolation has not been studied. In this longitudinal prospective cohort study, the association between the number of remaining teeth and dental prosthesis use with social isolation after 6‐years follow‐up was examined. Methods: Functionally independent adults aged 65 years or older, who were not socially isolated in 2010, were followed up until 2016 in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. Data from 26 417 participants were analysed after random forest imputation to address missing data. Logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for incident social isolation in 2016 after adjusting for age, sex, educational attainment, income, activities of daily living, living area and having depressive symptoms. Results: The mean age of the participants at baseline was 72.3 (SD = 5.0). A total of 1,127 (4.3%) participants were socially isolated at follow‐up. Of these, 338 (3.2%) had ≥20 teeth (with or without using dental prosthesis), 171 (3.9%) had 10–19 teeth and used dental prosthesis, 112 (4.2%) had 10–19 teeth and did not use the dental prosthesis, 338 (5.1%) had 0–9 teeth and used dental prosthesis, and 168 (7.6%) had 0–9 teeth and did not use the dental prosthesis. Fully adjusted logistic regression models showed that the OR of incident social isolation was higher for those with fewer teeth; OR = 1.13 (95%CI = 0.96–1.33) for those with 10–19 teeth and OR = 1.36 (95%CI = 1.17–1.58) for those with 0–9 teeth, compared to those with ≥20 teeth. The OR of incident social isolation was lower for those who used a dental prosthesis [OR = 0.90, 95%CI = 0.80–1.02)] compared to those who did not use a dental prosthesis. The interaction between the number of teeth and dental prosthesis use demonstrated that the latter mitigated the incidence of social isolation for participants with tooth loss. Compared to those with ≥20 teeth (with or without prosthesis use), participants with 0–9 teeth that did not use a dental prosthesis were 79% [OR = 1.79, 95%CI = 1.49–2.19] more likely to be socially isolated, whereas participants with 0–9 teeth that used a dental prosthesis were only 23% [OR = 1.23, 95%CI = 1.05–1.45] more likely to be socially isolated. Conclusion: Tooth loss was the main predictor for social isolation at follow‐up, while no dental prostheses use was an additional risk factor. Dental prosthesis use may reduce the risk of social isolation especially in those with severe tooth loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: No clear evidence exists regarding the effects of the different periods and magnitude of spread of the COVID‐19 infection on cancer treatments. This study investigated the effects of the different periods and magnitude of COVID‐19 infection spread on in‐hospital cancer operations. Methods: Medical claims data from 17 hospitals where in‐hospital operations for patients with malignant neoplasms were performed between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2021 in Yamagata were extracted and analyzed. The critical time points as exposure used to evaluate the impact of different COVID‐19 infection spread periods on cancer operations were (1) April 2020 (emergency declaration introduced by the government) and (2) December 2020 (the second wave). From April to November 2020 and December 2020 to March 21, the number of confirmed COVID‐19 cases was 130 and 840, respectively. The 17 hospitals were classified into intervention or control groups based on whether in‐hospital treatments for patients with COVID‐19 were provided. Results: The interrupted time series analysis reported that the difference in the trend of pre‐COVID‐19 and postsecond wave (March 2020 to December 2020) periods was statistically significant between groups, with 50.67 fewer operations (95% confidence interval [CI] = 12.19–89.15) performed per month in the intervention group compared with the control group. Moreover, the immediate change in the number of operations in April 2020 (beginning of the first wave) was statistically significant between groups, with 80.14 operations (95% CI = 39.62–120.67) less immediately after the first wave in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a statement of emergency by the government and the COVID‐19 infection spread are both associated with the number of cancer operations performed in the Yamagata prefecture during the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]