[Association between Job Stress and Number of Physical Symptoms among Female Nurses of Medical-university-affiliated Hospitals].

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the association between job stress and the number of physical symptoms among newly certified female nurses. METHODS: In this cross-sectional self-administered survey, we investigated 313 female nurses working at three medical-university-affiliated hospitals in February 2016. We investigated working conditions including numbers of working and on-call hours, work-life balance, Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) scores, and 16 physical symptoms perceived more often than once a week. RESULTS: Among the 313 participants (mean age, 31.9), 57% were aged 21-29 years and 70% were single. Of the 16 physical symptoms investigated, fatigability was the most frequent complaint (66.1%), followed by lower back pain (44.7%). Univariate analysis showed that significant factors related to physical symptoms are job demands (p<0.001) and social support (p<0.001) in JCQ, binary index of supports (p<0.001), and total working hours per day (p =0.025). Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses demonstrated that the likelihood of reporting a greater number (n≥3) of physical symptoms increased by 7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 2-13%] with a one-unit increase in job demand degree, and decreased by 16% (95% CI, 10-22%) in social support degree. When binary JCQ indexes were assessed, the high-support group [odds ratio (OR) 0.36; 95% CI, 0.23-0.59] was protectively associated with a greater number of physical symptoms while long working hours was significantly associated with a higher risk (OR 18%, 95% CI, 1-38%). CONCLUSIONS: Reporting a greater number of physical symptoms may be a good indicator of job stress perceived by a nurse in a university hospital setting.

[EVALUATION OF DRUG ERUPTION RELATED HELICOBACTER PYLORI ERADICATION THERAPY].

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: The number of patients who undergo Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication therapy has been increasing since it became covered by insurance in Japan. As such, an increasing number of patients develop drug eruption as a result of HP eradication therapy. In the present study, we describe the clinical course of 28 patients who were treated at our hospital for drug eruption following HP eradication therapy between April 2008 and March 2016. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The majority of the patients were women (21 women, 7 men). The average length of time from the start of treatment to the onset of eruption was 7.6 days. A drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST) was performed in 10 patients. Amoxicillin was the most common cause of eruption, with 6 patients testing positive. Patients who were considered likely to have developed sensitivity prior to the treatment required the systemic administration of steroids. On the other hand, symptoms were relieved with topical steroids in some of the patients who were considered likely to have developed sensitivity during the course of treatment. CONCLUSION: Since penicillin antibiotics have long been used, some patients may have become sensitized without being aware of this. Our findings highlight the need for the careful management of patients developing sensitivity prior to treatment as they require the systemic administration of steroids.

Direct transcriptional activation of BT genes by NLP transcription factors is a key component of the nitrate response in Arabidopsis.

Nitrate modulates growth and development, functioning as a nutrient signal in plants. Although many changes in physiological processes in response to nitrate have been well characterized as nitrate responses, the molecular mechanisms underlying the nitrate response are not yet fully understood. Here, we show that NLP transcription factors, which are key regulators of the nitrate response, directly activate the nitrate-inducible expression of BT1 and BT2 encoding putative scaffold proteins with a plant-specific domain structure in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, the 35S promoter-driven expression of BT2 partially rescued growth inhibition caused by reductions in NLP activity in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, simultaneous disruption of BT1 and BT2 affected nitrate-dependent lateral root development. These results suggest that direct activation of BT1 and BT2 by NLP transcriptional activators is a key component of the molecular mechanism underlying the nitrate response in Arabidopsis.