[Improvement of the system for collecting blood samples, at the Division of Clinical Laboratory in Yamagata University Hospital, based on the complaints of patients: The way to perform the newly-developed 30-min changeover method for collecting blood samples by medical technologists].

The collection of blood samples is one of the most essential procedures in laboratory examinations for the clinical diagnosis of patients. However, it is not always easy to carry out the procedure smoothly. At the Division of Clinical Laboratory in Yamagata University Hospital, we have tried to employ the best way to collect blood samples without any troubles or complaints. However, there were some complaints made by patients over several years, and one of these was that the waiting time for patients was too long. Therefore, we established a new system: all medical technologists joined the program and one took charge of collecting blood samples for 30 min, and then another technologist took over. The system was important for medical technologists since the duty allocation was impartial, and their routine work was not disturbed. We are proud of this newly-developed 30-min turn in collecting blood samples in our hospital.

Influence of kinesiophobia with pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain at late pregnancy on postpartum depressive symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether kinesiophobia with pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain at late pregnancy influenced depressive symptoms at 1 month after delivery. METHOD: Final participants were 43 pregnant women who experienced pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain at late pregnancy and completed self-reported questionnaires at late pregnancy and 1 month after delivery. The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia was used to evaluate kinesiophobia, and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Self-Rating Depression Scale. We divided participants into two groups (depression and no-depression) using the score of the Self-Rating Depression Scale at 1 month after delivery. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis identified kinesiophobia at late pregnancy as an independent predictor of depression at 1 month after delivery. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, kinesiophobia at late pregnancy was significantly higher in the depression group than in the no-depression group (P= .033). In multiple logistic regression analysis, kinesiophobia at late pregnancy were significantly associated with depression at 1 month after delivery even after adjusting for confounding factors (Odds Ratio, 1.25; 95% Confidence Interval, 1.03-1.52). CONCLUSION: Results found that kinesiophobia at late pregnancy negatively influenced depressive symptoms at 1 month after delivery, suggesting that approaches to treat kinesiophobia at late pregnancymight reduce the risk of onset of postpartum depressive symptoms.

Influence of Habitual Physical Activity During Late Pregnancy on the Duration of Labor.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity during pregnancy has numerous benefits, but the influence on the duration of labor is unclear. We investigated the influence of habitual physical activity during late pregnancy on the duration of labor, with consideration of previous delivery experience and the stage of labor. METHODS: This prospective study included 103 women (48 nulliparous, 55 multiparous) in late pregnancy. Habitual physical activity was evaluated using the Baecke physical activity questionnaire (BQ). Women were divided into a high activity group (HA) and a low activity group (LA) based on their median total BQ score. Data pertaining to the duration of labor were obtained from the birth records after delivery. RESULTS: In multiparous women, the duration of the second stage of labor was significantly shorter in the HA group than in the LA group [median (range): HA, 11 min (1-102 min); LA, 20 min (4-175 min); P < .05]. The significant difference persisted after adjusting for confounding variables (standardized ß = -0.34; P = .01). In nulliparous women, there were no significant differences in duration of labor between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Higher physical activity in multiparous women during late pregnancy might positively influence the duration of the second stage of labor.

The Long-Run Socio-Economic Consequences of a Large Disaster: The 1995 Earthquake in Kobe.

We quantify the 'permanent' socio-economic impacts of the Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) earthquake in 1995 by employing a large-scale panel dataset of 1,719 cities, towns, and wards from Japan over three decades. In order to estimate the counterfactual--i.e., the Kobe economy without the earthquake--we use the synthetic control method. Three important empirical patterns emerge: First, the population size and especially the average income level in Kobe have been lower than the counterfactual level without the earthquake for over fifteen years, indicating a permanent negative effect of the earthquake. Such a negative impact can be found especially in the central areas which are closer to the epicenter. Second, the surrounding areas experienced some positive permanent impacts in spite of short-run negative effects of the earthquake. Much of this is associated with movement of people to East Kobe, and consequent movement of jobs to the metropolitan center of Osaka, that is located immediately to the East of Kobe. Third, the furthest areas in the vicinity of Kobe seem to have been insulated from the large direct and indirect impacts of the earthquake.

Clinical utility and approach to estimate postprandial hypertriglycemia by a newly designed oral fat-loading test.

The objective of this study was to estimate postprandial hypertriglycemia by a newly designed oral fat-loading test. Twenty-three healthy normolipidemic volunteers were orally administered a test meal consisting of a mixture of Telmeal 2.0 and 20 g of salt-free butter after fasting for 12 h. To measure the levels of total cholesterol (T-Cho), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), remnant-like particle-cholesterol (RLP-C), lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)], free fatty acid, apolipoproteins (Apos), plasma glucose (PG), immunoreactive insulin (IRI), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), venous blood samples were collected before the meal and at each hour until 9 h after fat-loading. The levels of both TG and RLP-C were drastically elevated at 2 h after fat-loading and these levels remained high until 4 h (p < 0.01). A significant correlation between TG and RLP-C was also observed at 2, 3 and 4 h, and the values of the correlation coefficients (r) were 0.837, 0.838, and 0.908, respectively. In contrast, the levels of T-Cho, HDL-C, Lp (a), Apos, PG, and hs-CRP did not change. Furthermore, there were no gastrointestinal symptoms during or after the study. These results strongly suggested that this newly designed fat-loading test was very useful for evaluating postprandial hypertriglycemia, including remnant concentrations.

Photochemically reversible liquefaction and solidification of multiazobenzene sugar-alcohol derivatives and application to reworkable adhesives.

Multiazobenzene compounds, hexakis-O-[4-(phenylazo)phenoxyalkylcarboxyl]-D-mannitols and hexakis-O-[4-(4-hexylphenylazo)phenoxyalkylcarboxyl]-D-mannitols, exhibit photochemically reversible liquefaction and solidification at room temperature. Their photochemical and thermal phase transitions were investigated in detail through thermal analysis, absorption spectroscopy, and dynamic viscoelasticity measurements, and were compared with those of other sugar-alcohol derivatives. Tensile shear strength tests were performed to determine the adhesions of the compounds sandwiched between two glass slides to determine whether the compounds were suitable for application as adhesives. The adhesions were varied by alternately irradiating the compounds with ultraviolet and visible light to photoinduce phase transitions. The azobenzene hexyl tails, lengths of the methylene spacers, and differences in the sugar-alcohol structures affected the photoresponsive properties of the compounds.