[Initiatives, outcomes, and facilitating factors to changing workplace environments in small- and medium-sized enterprises due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Interviews with employers and human resource managers].

OBJECTIVES: This study identified changes in the work environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent initiatives and outcomes, and facilitating factors from the perspective of company officials in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). METHODS: In 2021, semi-structured interviews were conducted with employers or human resource managers of SMEs with less than 300 employees regarding changes in the work environment due to the pandemic, initiatives, outcomes, and facilitating factors. Thereafter, codes were extracted from verbatim transcripts or interview notes and categorized based on similarities in content. RESULTS: Based on interviews with 16 companies, the following four major categories of changes in the work environment were identified: "conflict and anxiety about infection when employees were forced to attend work despite the rapid transmission of the infection," "unfamiliarity and loneliness with the new working style that was suddenly imposed on them," "loss of emotional ties with workmates and opportunities for mood changes," and "future anxiety, feelings of alienation, and mental illness." The following seven initiatives were implemented to address these issues: "a hands-on approach to infection prevention and physical healthcare," "urgent introduction of telework for business continuity," "development and promotion of online information sharing," "establishment of a place and opportunity to maintain emotional connections within the company," "economic and management measures to protect employees and ensure company continuity," "support for employees for health maintenance," and "measures to respond to employees' needs and ideas, and support the continuation of activities." Four major categories of outcomes were: "increased efficiency of information sharing and enhanced performance," "maintenance and promotion of emotional ties and a sense of solidarity," "increased independence and sense of health among employees," and "adaptation of employees to novel situations." The initiatives were facilitated by factors classified into the following three major categories: "workplace culture wherein employees shared opinions and helped each other," "management's attitude and philosophy of valuing employees," and "proactive attitude toward information acquisition and resource utilization." CONCLUSIONS: The rapid introduction of teleworking as a new working style in response to the need to balance infection control and business continuity resulted in increased loneliness and other associated stressors. Many SMEs stated that they could maintain a sense of solidarity in the workplace and improve employee autonomy through their efforts to incorporate employees' opinions and maintain human connections.

Co-Stimulation of Purinergic P2X4 and Prostanoid EP3 Receptors Triggers Synergistic Degranulation in Murine Mast Cells.

Mast cells (MCs) recognize antigens (Ag) via IgE-bound high affinity IgE receptors (FcεRI) and trigger type I allergic reactions. FcεRI-mediated MC activation is regulated by various G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists. We recently reported that ionotropic P2X4 receptor (P2X4R) stimulation enhanced FcεRI-mediated degranulation. Since MCs are involved in Ag-independent hypersensitivity, we investigated whether co-stimulation with ATP and GPCR agonists in the absence of Ag affects MC degranulation. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) induced synergistic degranulation when bone marrow-derived MCs (BMMCs) were co-stimulated with ATP, while pharmacological analyses revealed that the effects of PGE2 and ATP were mediated by EP3 and P2X4R, respectively. Consistently, this response was absent in BMMCs prepared from P2X4R-deficient mice. The effects of ATP and PGE2 were reduced by PI3 kinase inhibitors but were insensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors which suppressed the enhanced degranulation induced by Ag and ATP. MC-dependent PGE2-triggered vascular hyperpermeability was abrogated in a P2X4R-deficient mouse ear edema model. Collectively, our results suggest that P2X4R signaling enhances EP3R-mediated MC activation via a different mechanism to that involved in enhancing Ag-induced responses. Moreover, the cooperative effects of the common inflammatory mediators ATP and PGE2 on MCs may be involved in Ag-independent hypersensitivity in vivo.

Role of movement amplitude to timing control in bimanual coordination.

A bimanual coordinative pattern consists of the movement frequency, movement amplitude, and relative phase between the two hands. This study examined a role of the movement amplitude to timing in the bimanual coordination. 12 subjects (8 men and 4 women; mean age of 21.8 yr.) reproduced 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 3:2, and 5:3 polyrhythmic tapping patterns. No difference was shown between the amplitudes of the two hands in each pattern. However, the amplitude of complex (3:2 and 5:3) patterns was larger than of simple (1:1, 2:1, and 3:1) patterns. It is concluded that the complicated timing control is attained by increasing the amplitude.

[Management of patients with bronchial asthma received general anesthesia and surgical intervention].

Stimulation to bronchial mucosa is one of the major risk factor of asthma attack. When patients receive surgical intervention and general anesthesia, they are always exposed to stimulation to bronchial mucosa. Prevention method of bronchial asthma attack during surgical intervention is not established yet. We investigated that clinical course of patients with bronchial asthma who received general anesthesia and surgical intervention. Seventy-six patients with bronchial asthma were received general anesthesia and surgical intervention from 1993 to 1998. Twenty-four patients were mild asthmatic patients, 39 were moderate asthmatic patients and 13 were severe asthmatic patients. Preoperative treatment for preventing asthma attack was as follows; Eight patients were given intravenous infusion of aminophylline before operation. Fifty-two patients were given intravenous infusion of aminophylline and hydrocortisone before operation. Three patients were given intravenous infusion of hydrocortisone for consecutive 3 days before operation. Thirteen patients were given no treatment for preventing asthma attack. One patient was suffered from asthma attack during operation. She was given no preventing treatment for asthma attack before operation. Three patients were suffered from asthma attack after operation. No wound dehiscence was observed in all patients. To prevent asthma attack during operation, intravenous infusion of steroid before operation is recommended, when patients with asthma receive general anesthesia and surgical intervention.