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Family data on 299 probands with spinocerebellar types, 163 with late cortical cerebellar atrophies (LCCA), and 180 with olivopontocerebellar atrophies (OPCA) were analysed. Spinocerebellar types included cases with cerebellar ataxia combined with spasticity. Their family history was not compatible with sex linked inheritance. There were few recessive cases occurring before 24 years of age. The majority of cases were products of non-consanguineous marriages in which one partner was affected. The genetic ratio was 0.5 for each decade at onset between 20 and 59, suggesting that these cases were dominant. The proportion of these familial cases, however, decreased with increasing age at onset, and there were quite a few sporadic cases among the elderly. LCCA and OPCA were considered to represent extremes of a correlated disease spectrum. Although they were weakly familial, single gene heredity was rejected. Sib recurrence rate was 7.5% for LCCA and 9.4% for OPCA. When calculated for different age groups at onset, the rates decreased with increasing age in the two diseases. The rates increased to 25% and 20%, respectively, given two sibs already affected, and to 37.5% and 22.2% when three were affected. These patterns were incompatible with single gene mechanisms and were similar to those in multifactorial diseases with a threshold effect. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Young cancer survivors ("young survivors") may need to disclose their cancer experiences to reintegrate into society. In such cases, the recognition of social support through the disclosure of cancer experiences may prevent potential social disadvantages． This review aimed to describe the motivations, strategies and outcomes, and benefits and disadvantages of disclosure in young survivors based on the social-ecological model (SEM) to identify the support survivors need when disclosing their cancer experiences., Methods: Using the integrated review methodology, we systematically searched six databases in English and Japanese as well as searched the reference lists of the selected studies. The themes identified via thematic analysis were categorized within the SEM levels., Results: This review analyzed 14 studies and identified four themes, including "Motivation for Cancer Disclosure," "Barriers to Cancer Disclosure," "Consequences of Cancer Disclosure: Benefits," and "Consequences of Cancer Disclosure: Disadvantages." Motivations for young survivors to disclose their cancer involved post-cancer differences, perceptions, relationships, and social context. In navigating barriers, including self-stigma, peer exclusion, and discrimination, they employed strategies such as reassurance and information limitation. Tailored disclosure strategies at each SEM level offered social and psychological benefits, however, disadvantages, including stress, vulnerability, employment issues, and limited insurance coverage, were experienced by young survivors due to cancer disclosure., Conclusions: To optimize the benefits of cancer disclosure for young survivors, addressing psychological burdens, enhancing disclosure skills, offering familial psychological support, and fostering public awareness of cancer are essential., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The occurrence of sexual dysfunction in couples after childbirth is well recognized, yet sexual satisfaction in couples with young children (CYC) has received little research attention. This study sought to enable this construct to be measured by developing and validating a Japanese version of the Index of Sexual Satisfaction (ISS) in CYC. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Scale construction and validation were conducted using two independent samples drawn from 316 mothers and 272 fathers in Japan who had at least one child aged 6 or younger. Two underlying factors were identified using exploratory factor analysis: sexual satisfaction, measured by eight items, and sexual dissatisfaction, measured by three. Polychoric ordinal alpha coefficients indicated the reliability of the resulting scale (overall: 0.89, factor 1: 0.89, factor 2: 0.78), and confirmatory factor analysis and testing supported its validity, showing good model fit (goodness of fit index: 0.984, root mean square residual: 0.062) and satisfactory composite reliability (scale: 0.93, factor 1: 0.90, factor 2: 0.81) and average variance extracted (all ≥0.5). The Japanese version of the ISS for Couples with Young Children will be useful for investigating sexual satisfaction, which is essential to marital stability.

This study investigated the necessity for a parenting record handbook that is specifically tailored to the needs of low birth weight infants (LBWIs) and their families, especially mothers, who face parenting difficulties and challenges. The participants were 20 mothers, raising LBWIs, discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit. The mean age and weight of the children were 2.75 ± 0.35 years and 1417.50 ± 152.06 g, respectively; the mean duration of neonatal intensive care unit hospitalization was 78.75 ± 14.10 days. At the time of the study, 35% (7/20) were nursery children, 10% (2/20) were kindergarten children, 20% (4/20) were using rehabilitation centers, and 10% (2/20) were using the medical rehabilitation handbook. The needs of the mothers were investigated through focus group interviews or individual interviews, and content analyses were performed. The mothers required the promotion of peer support that assists the alleviation of mental burden and postpartum mental and physical care, as well as the publication of counseling service counters and reliable information sources for parenting difficulties in the parenting record handbook. The mothers required the publication and recording of the growth indicators of LBWIs, parenting records, information management of children since birth, and for the handbook to function as a multidisciplinary information sharing tool. In addition, the requirements for the parenting record handbook were the early provision of the parenting record handbook and measures to cope with poor maternal physical condition. The results of this study suggest that mothers with LBWIs require a parenting record handbook that can provide comprehensive maternal and child health assurance, starting from pregnancy, to resolve childcare difficulties for LBWIs, as well as mental support.

Background: Recently, event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked by skin puncture, commonly used for blood sampling, have received attention as a pain assessment tool in neonates. However, their latency appears to be far shorter than the latency of ERPs evoked by intraepidermal electrical stimulation (IES), which selectively activates nociceptive Aδ and C fibers. To clarify this important issue, we examined whether ERPs evoked by skin puncture appropriately reflect central nociceptive processing, as is the case with IES., Methods: In Experiment 1, we recorded evoked potentials to the click sound produced by a lance device (click-only), lance stimulation with the click sound (click+lance), or lance stimulation with white noise (WN+lance) in eight healthy adults to investigate the effect of the click sound on the ERP evoked by skin puncture. In Experiment 2, we tested 18 heathy adults and recorded evoked potentials to shallow lance stimulation (SL) with a blade that did not reach the dermis (0.1 mm insertion depth); normal lance stimulation (CL) (1 mm depth); transcutaneous electrical stimulation (ES), which mainly activates Aβ fibers; and IES, which selectively activates Aδ fibers when low stimulation current intensities are applied. White noise was continuously presented during the experiments. The stimulations were applied to the hand dorsum. In the SL, the lance device did not touch the skin and the blade was inserted to a depth of 0.1 mm into the epidermis, where the free nerve endings of Aδ fibers are located, which minimized the tactile sensation caused by the device touching the skin and the activation of Aβ fibers by the blade reaching the dermis. In the CL, as in clinical use, the lance device touched the skin and the blade reached a depth of 1 mm from the skin surface, i.e. , the depth of the dermis at which the Aβ fibers are located., Results: The ERP N2 latencies for click-only (122 ± 2.9 ms) and click+lance (121 ± 6.5 ms) were significantly shorter than that for WN+lance (154 ± 7.1 ms). The ERP P2 latency for click-only (191 ± 11.3 ms) was significantly shorter than those for click+lance (249 ± 18.6 ms) and WN+lance (253 ± 11.2 ms). This suggests that the click sound shortens the N2 latency of the ERP evoked by skin puncture. The ERP N2 latencies for SL, CL, ES, and IES were 146 ± 8.3, 149 ± 9.9, 148 ± 13.1, and 197 ± 21.2 ms, respectively. The ERP P2 latencies were 250 ± 18.2, 251 ± 14.1, 237 ± 26.3, and 294 ± 30.0 ms, respectively. The ERP latency for SL was significantly shorter than that for IES and was similar to that for ES. This suggests that the penetration force generated by the blade of the lance device activates the Aβ fibers, consequently shortening the ERP latency., Conclusions: Lance ERP may reflect the activation of Aβ fibers rather than Aδ fibers. A pain index that correctly and reliably reflects nociceptive processing must be developed to improve pain assessment and management in neonates., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2021 Shiroshita et al.)

To clarify the possibility of event-related potential (ERP) evoked by heel lance in neonates as an index of pain assessment, knowledge acquired by and problems of the methods used in studies on ERP evoked by heel lance in neonates were systematically reviewed, including knowledge about Aδ and C fibers responding to noxious stimuli and Aβ fibers responding to non-noxious stimuli. Of the 863 reports searched, 19 were selected for the final analysis. The following points were identified as problems for ERP evoked by heel lance in neonates to serve as a pain assessment index: (1) It is possible that the ERP evoked by heel lance reflected the activation of Aβ fibers responding to non-noxious stimuli and not the activation of Aδ or C fibers responding to noxious stimulation; (2) Sample size calculation was presented in few studies, and the number of stimulation trials to obtain an averaged ERP was small. Accordingly, to establish ERP evoked by heel lance as a pain assessment in neonates, it is necessary to perform a study to clarify ERP evoked by Aδ- and C-fiber stimulations accompanied by heel lance in neonates.

Aim: Aiming at environmental arrangements for pediatric cancer patients and their families to receive appropriate medical care and support with a sense of security, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare designated 15 hub hospitals for childhood cancer. These hub hospitals have established networks with approximately 200 centers/hospitals treating pediatric cancer. In order to promote equal access to nursing, we investigated nurses' difficulties and needs at these treatment hospitals with limited experience in pediatric cancer nursing., Methods: In order to examine education on pediatric cancer nursing, we investigated difficulties felt by treatment hospital nurses, their educational experience and their educational needs. A total of 584 nurses (66.51%) from 52 hospitals from which written consent was received completed the questionnaires., Results: Nurses had difficulties regarding nursing care for patients with critical conditions, such as terminal care, and actions to be taken when a patient's physical condition rapidly changes. Nurses most strongly desired education on nursing care for patients with serious problems, such as terminal care, and follow-up provided in the form of in- and hub-hospital lectures., Conclusion: Our study suggested that in order to provide nurses in treatment hospitals with education focusing on nursing care for patients with serious problems, education systems based on cooperation between hub and treatment hospitals are needed., (© 2020 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Academy of Nursing Science.)

Objectives: This study examined a more effective pain management method, without sucrose, on heel lance in preterm infants using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP)., Design: In a nonblinded, randomized controlled, two-period, two-sequence crossover trial, 25 infants were randomly allocated to intervention (a Brahms lullaby with non-nutritive sucking, facilitated tucking and holding) or standard care (facilitated tucking and holding)., Setting: Local Perinatal Medical Centre's NICU in Japan, July 2014 until June 2015., Outcome Measures: The primary outcome variable was PIPP, and secondary outcomes were heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation, and abnormal HR (> baseline mean plus 2 SDs, or <120 minus 2 SDs)., Results: The infants were 33.8 weeks gestational age at birth, 1,983.7 g birth weight, and 32 to 35 weeks postconceptual age. At all 10 measurement points, constructed of every 30 seconds postheel lance, mean PIPP of infants during the intervention (3.6 to 2.4) was significantly lower than during the standard care (8.0 to 4.6) (range, P=0.0039 to P<0.0001). All PIPP reduction rates from the 30 seconds point were similar between the two groups. The HR of preterm infants at the 120 seconds points were significantly lower (P=0.0151), and the HRs of 6 points were considerably lower during the intervention than during the standard care (range, P≤0.0879 to P≥0.049). The abnormal HR total number was significantly lower during the intervention (2) than the standard care (23) (frequency ratio=0.087, P<0.0001)., Conclusion: This method demonstrated stronger analgesia, early pain relief, and maintenance of homeostasis on heel lance in preterm infants.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxy072.].

The objective of this study was to confirm physiological reactions in the breast and brain in mothers during breastfeeding and collect basic objective data, aiming at effective support for breastfeeding. Ten healthy women who were exclusively breastfeeding their babies participated in this study. Changes in the concentration of oxygenated Hb (oxyHb) and deoxygenated Hb in the breasts and frontal cortex of these women during breastfeeding lactation were measured using double-channel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Changes were measured in three conditions: (1) in both breasts; (2) the ipsilateral breast and frontal cortex; and (3) the contralateral breast and frontal cortex. OxyHb and total Hb (totalHb) levels in the bilateral breasts decreased significantly after the onset of breastfeeding in comparison with prebreastfeeding levels. These two values repeatedly increased and decreased thereafter. In the frontal cortex, regardless of which breast was involved, oxyHb and totalHb levels increased significantly in comparison with prebreastfeeding levels. Similar hemodynamic changes occurred simultaneously in the bilateral breasts during breastfeeding regardless of the feeding or nonfeeding side. Hemodynamic changes were also noted in the frontal cortex, but the reactions in the breast and prefrontal cortex were different and not synchronous, confirming that the physiological circulatory dynamics during breastfeeding vary among organs.

Objective: The present study investigated the relationship between a history of a flushing reaction and drinking behavior in Japanese university students, adjusting for the effects of alcohol-related psychosocial factors including academic year, school division, club membership and housing situation., Method: In 1995, 419 men and 321 women at Kyoto University were enrolled in a study using informed consent. Subjects were classified as nonflushers or flushers by using a self-reported measure, the ALST (Alcohol Sensitivity Screening Test). Alcohol drinking behavior during the last year, including drinking frequency, alcohol intake per occasion and problem drinking behavior, was investigated., Results: Compared with male flushers, male nonflushers showed a 1.8 times higher frequency of drinking with family members (p < .01) and drank significantly larger amounts of alcohol with family members (p < .05). Male nonflushers drank significantly larger amounts of alcohol with friends than did male flushers (p < .0001) and showed significantly heavier mean alcohol consumption per month than male flushers did (p < .001). Compared with male flushers, male nonflushers showed a 1.7 times higher rate of high-problem drinking (p < .01). In contrast, none of these drinking behaviors differed between female nonflushers and female flushers., Conclusions: Even after adjusting for aspects of alcohol-related psychosocial factors, flushing reactions among Japanese university students were significantly related to drinking behavior in men but not in women.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between hereditary predisposition and social-psychological factors in terms of drinking behavior of Japanese male students. The subjects were 123 male students who belonged to athletic clubs of K university in 1993. Regular drinking was evaluated as "drinking at home or with intimate friends" and party drinking as "drinking at club parties". On the two drinking occasions, the frequency and amount of drinking, and social drinking behavior were evaluated. Problem drinking behavior was investigated by a modified version of Aoyama's questionnaire (1984). Low Km aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) activity was evaluated by the facial flushing response to alcohol and the ethanol patch test. Evaluable results of the ethanol test as well as replies of the questionnaire were obtained from 109 students. Twenty-three students positive for both the facial flushing response to alcohol and the ethanol patch test were considered to be flushers, and 42 negative for both to be non-flushers. The non-flushers consumed a higher amount of alcohol than the flushers did on drinking occasions at home or with intimate friends. The number of problem drinking behavior items in the non-flushers was significantly higher than that in the flushers and increased with the amount and frequency of drinking. The ratio of students who had inappropriate drinking motivations, began to drink by themselves, or continued to offer alcohol to drinkers showing flushing even when they declined it, was significantly higher in the non-flushers than in the flushers. In addition, non-flushers showing such social drinking behavior drank more than those not showing such behavior. The frequency of positive or inappropriate drinking behavior was significantly lower in the flushers than in the non-flushers. However, the amount and frequency of drinking and problem drinking behavior were similar in the flushers and non-flushers. These results indicate that social drinking behavior of non-flushers influences not only themselves but also other drinkers, and that drinking of flushers is strongly influenced by social factors.

Over 60% of men and women with terminal illness wish for providing hospice care at home. The goal of hospice is to enhance the quality of life through relief of physical, emotional, social and spiritual pain. Hospice must be accepted by patients and family when their illness is without cure and hospice medicine is palliative. Providing patients with truthful information about their illness is essential for patients to control in determining how best to spend the remaining lives. Above described conditions allow patients choice, "informed choice". However as for Japanese concern, it is not yet sufficient enough about providing the patients and family what hospice medicine means with truthful information about illness. Therefore, the urgent needs enforce us to ask the questionnaire to let them understanding what is hospice medicine about and providing the patient and family with maximum self-determination. The results indicated that the most of men and women are expecting to exercise self-determination rights (over 80%) with their appropriate information to choice the specialized program of hospice medicine.

The purpose of this study was to assess possible correlations between paraplegia in flexion and dementia in elderly patients in our special nursing home and geriatric hospital. At the time of our study, 10.5% of all our patients were suffering from paraplegia in flexion, with the ratio increasing with advancing age. Disorders of the nervous system, and in particular disorders caused by cerebrovascular disease were found at a high rate of frequency among the paraplegia in flexion patients, in whom the incidence of dementia was 97.8%. In most cases, the degree of dementia was severe, the types and respective percentages being as follows: vascular type 37.8%, Alzheimer's type 24.4%, mixed type 22.2% and others 15.6%. Many of these patients demonstrated pseudobulbar palsy, frontal sign, Babinski's sign, and typical reflexes of spinal automatism. We think that paraplegia in flexion is probably caused by reflexes of spinal automatism and extensive cerebral lesions.