A Review of the Literature on the Regional Strengths Perceived by Older People Living in Local Japanese Communities.

As a super-aging society, health promotion activities in local Japanese communities are increasingly essential. Developing the health-promotion programs must include the perspective of older people residing in these communities and what they believe to be their regional strengths. This study aimed to clarify the elements of regional strengths perceived by older people living in local Japanese communities from the literature review. Using the internet edition of the Japan Medical Abstracts Society (Ichu-shi), the authors examined papers on Japanese regional residents using relevant keywords. Of 342 considered papers, 14 papers were extracted in this study. As a result, the contents related to the regional strengths perceived by the older people living in the local Japanese community were extracted, classified based on the similarity of the meanings and contents, and then summarized into the elements of the strengths. As the regional strengths, three categories were cited for individual elements: "Actions or behaviors underpinned by experience," "Continuing to live with positivity and vigor," and "Extensive support for the subject and their family." Three categories were cited for environmental elements: "A comfortable environment," "Maintaining intimate and friendly interpersonal relations," and "Support that meets the regional characteristics." Along with individual and environmental elements, support from experts in the region was cited. Hence, it was concluded that the active participation of experts is essential for promoting activities in local communities, and that deepening relationship with older people has the potential to improve their quality of life.

Stratification Based on Risk Factors at Diagnosis Could Predict Progression in Patients with Pancreatic Cysts.

BACKGROUND: Predicting the risk of malignant transformation in pancreatic cyst patients is challenging. AIM: We retrospectively investigated the risk factors for malignant transformation in pancreatic cyst patients. METHODS: Patients with pancreatic cysts diagnosed using imaging tests were followed from November 2008 to December 2021. A significant change was defined as the additional development of high-risk stigmata (HRS), worrisome features (WFs), or pancreatic cancer during monitoring. RESULTS: In total, 479 patients were analyzed, with a median observation period of 50 months. Forty-four patients (9.2%) showed significant changes, and eight (1.7%) developed pancreatic cancer. The univariate analysis showed that the cyst diameter at diagnosis (≥ 14 mm), main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter at diagnosis (≥ 3 mm), presence of multilocular cysts, and an inconsistent MPD caliber were significant predictive factors for a significant change. One point was assigned for each significant factor. We grouped the patients into three groups: the low-risk group (total score 0), medium-risk group (score 1-2), and high-risk group (score 3-4). The high-risk group had a higher risk of a significant change than the medium- and low-risk groups (age-adjusted HRs for the medium-risk and high-risk groups were 3.0 and 5.2 compared with the low-risk group). CONCLUSION: Stratification based on risk factors may help predict the development of significant changes in pancreatic cyst patients.

[Trends of Implementation of Nonsmoking at Eating and Drinking Establishments One Year before and after April 2020: Consideration of the Status of Implementation of the Amendment Bill for the Health Promotion Act of Japan].

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to clarify the transition to the implementation of smoking prohibition at eating and drinking establishments one year before and after April 2020, the time when they became "nonsmoking" in principle following the implementation of the amendment bill for the Health Promotion Act of Japan. METHODS: The total number of nonsmoking/smoking eating and drinking establishments by industry were obtained using the data from "Tabelog®." The number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 by the polymerase chain reaction test on the day of the survey nationwide and the bankruptcy status of the companies (eating and drinking establishments, etc.) for each month were ascertained. RESULTS: In 2020, a state of emergency was declared owing to the increase in the number of people positive for COVID-19, and many eating and drinking establishments went bankrupt. Despite these circumstances, the number of nonsmoking eating and drinking establishments exceeded that of smoking establishments in March 2020 and continued to increase thereafter. Additionally, the number of nonsmoking "restaurants" increased and exceeded that of smoking restaurants in June 2020. The number of nonsmoking "cafes" already exceeded that of smoking "cafes" at the beginning of this survey and continued to increase. The number of nonsmoking "bars" increased, but that of smoking "bars" remained high. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to promote measures against passive smoking while paying attention to the trends for different types of eating and drinking establishments, rather than considering all establishments together.

[Relationship between Work Improvement and Work Engagement in Financial Industry: Examination Based on the Level of Sense of Coherence].

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to clarify the relationship between workplace improvement and work engagement based on the level of sense of coherence. METHODS: An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,845 regular employees in a financial industry (valid response rate, 78.5%). The questionnaire included the Japanese Sense of Coherence (SOC), Japanese Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-J), and Mental Health Improvement & Reinforcement Research of Recognition (MIRROR). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed with the total score of UWES-J as the dependent variable and the MIRROR items as the independent variables for each group with high and low SOC levels. RESULTS: Two MIRROR items namely, "It is easy to take a substitute vacation after work on holidays" and "In the workplace, the abilities and ingenuity of each person are utilized", were the negative factors common to the two groups. On the other hand, in the low-SOC-level group, the items "The work policy is decided in a way that everyone is satisfied with", "When the work breaks, I can go home without worrying about other people", and "The superior gives proper explanations about everything to his subordinates" showed negative relationships. In the high-SOC-level group, "The work environment (e.g., air conditioning and lighting) can be adjusted according to the wishes of workers", "No overtime day is set or utilized", "I am allowed to commute to work avoiding crowded times and routes", and "The superiors are trying to make everyone's work proceed smoothly" showed negative relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the level of SOC, workers' desire for workplace improvement related to UWES-J scores differed.

[Factors Related to Attitudes toward Responses to Stress Survey in Stress Check Program in Financial Industry].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors related to attitudes toward responses to a stress survey in the Stress Check Program, which is used to screen for workers with high psychosocial stress at the workplace. METHODS: An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,800 regular staff member of a financial industry (valid response rate: 72.0%). The questionnaire items were the brief job stress questionnaire (BJSQ), the sense of coherence (SOC-13), the Japanese version of the Utrecht work engagement scale (UWES-J), attitudes toward responses to the stress survey, and the concerns of subjects regarding the stress check program. RESULTS: The stress in interpersonal relationships at the workplace in the BJSQ, "concerns about leaking results to the company", "concerns about receiving persistent calls for an interview", and "concerns about a disadvantageous treatment by the company" were positively related to 'writing general truths', whereas the support from the boss in the BJSQ and the subscales of SOC-13 were negatively related to 'writing general truths'. The stress in interpersonal relationships at the workplace and "concerns about receiving persistent calls for an interview" were positively related to 'writing falsehoods', but the "dedication" in UWES-J was negatively related to 'writing falsehoods'. CONCLUSIONS: To obtain authentic answers in the stress survey, it is important (1) to smooth relationships at the workplace, (2) to devise operation systems such as an interview guidance, and (3) to provide support that enhances the ability of workers to cope with stress and work engagement.

[Association of Annual Transition of Implementation of Nonsmoking at Eating and Drinking Establishments with Indices on Population/Household and Economy/Labor: Examination Using Prefectural Data].

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship of the annual transition of implementation of nonsmoking at eating and drinking establishments with indices of population/household and economy/labor by prefecture. METHODS: The prefectural rates of eating and drinking establishments implementing nonsmoking (hereafter, nonsmoking rate) were computed in a year using the data from "Tabelog®". Forty-seven prefectures were classified by hierarchical cluster analysis into "prefecture clusters" 1 to 5 in descending order of the median of nonsmoking rates. The indices of population/household (e.g., percentage of the population aged 65 years and over and percentage of nuclear family household) and economy/labor (e.g., prefectural income per capita and percentage of construction and mining workers) were classified by hierarchical cluster analysis into 11 "index clusters", and the representative index in each index cluster was extracted from the results of the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. An ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed using the numbers 1 to 5 of prefecture clusters as dependent variables and the indices representing the index clusters as independent variables. RESULTS: The percentage of the population aged 65 years and over and the percentage of construction and mining workers were positively related to the order of prefectural clusters. CONCLUSIONS: To promote implementation of nonsmoking in eating and drinking establishments in prefectures especially in those with larger numbers of elderly people and construction and mining workers, it is important to inform the persons in charge that implementation of nonsmoking does not affect the number of customers.

[Association of the Status of Implementation of Nonsmoking at Eating and Drinking Establishments with Prevalence of Persons with Subjective Symptoms, Prevalence of Persons with Diseases under Treatment, Medical Expenses, and Mortality Rate: Examination Using Prefectural Data].

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to confirm the association of the status of implementation of nonsmoking at eating and drinking establishments with the prevalence of persons with subjective symptoms, the prevalence of persons with diseases under treatment, medical expenses, and mortality rate using prefectural data. METHODS: The prefectural rate of eating and drinking establishments implementing nonsmoking (hereafter, nonsmoking rate) was calculated using the data from "Tabelog®". The variables of interest were the prevalence of persons with subjective symptoms, the prevalence of persons with diseases under treatment, medical expenses (total, hospitalization and nonhospitalization expenses), and the mortality rates of malignant neoplasms (lung cancer, stomach cancer, and colon cancer), heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, cerebral infarction, and pneumonia in each prefecture. The partial correlation coefficient was estimated between the nonsmoking rate and the variable of interest using the smoking rate by prefectural as the control variable. RESULTS: The nonsmoking rate showed a significantly negative correlation with the medical expenses. When eating and drinking establishments were divided into "restaurant", "café", and "bar", the nonsmoking rate also indicated a significantly negative correlation with the medical expenses in any category. It was negatively related to the mortality rates of cerebrovascular disease, cerebral infarction, and pneumonia. The negative correlation was stronger in females than in males. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the implementation of nonsmoking at eating and drinking establishments may reduce the mortality rates of diseases, such as cerebrovascular disease, cerebral infarction, and pneumonia, and medical expenses. Thus, it is important to implement nonsmoking at eating and drinking establishments in line with the Revised Health Promotion Act.

[Health Effects Accompanying the Transition from Cigarettes to Heat-not-burn Tobacco: Nicotine Dependence, Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms, and Changes in Smoking Behaviors].

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this research were to investigate the hazardous effects of heat-not-burn tobacco and to clarify the health effects accompanying the transition from cigarettes to heat-not-burn tobacco. METHODS: The concentrations of carbon monoxide, ammonia, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and dust (hazardous substances) were measured in the smoke of heat-not-burn tobacco. Twenty-nine smokers were used as the subjects. The concentrations of hazardous substances were measured in exhalation of heat-not-burn tobacco. The concentration of cotinine in saliva was also measured after the transition. A questionnaire survey was performed before and after the transition to evaluate nicotine dependence, nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and smoking behaviors. RESULTS: In the mainstream smoke, all hazardous substances investigated were detected. Carbon monoxide and dust were detected in the exhalation of heat-not-burn tobacco. The concentration of cotinine in the saliva of heat-not-burn tobacco users corresponded to that of cigarette smokers. Cigarette smoking was significantly positively related to the score of Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Heat-not-burn tobacco was significantly positively related to FTND and Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale (MNWS) scores. The group in which the number of heat-not-burn tobacco sticks consumed increased after transition showed a smaller number of cigarettes consumed and a higher MNWS score before transition than the group in which it decreased after transition. These two factors were significantly related to the difference between the numbers of cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco sticks in multiple linear regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The mainstream smoke of heat-not-burn tobacco contains harmful substances. There were the possibilities that nicotine dependence and nicotine withdrawal symptoms appear after transition and that the number of heat-not-burn tobacco sticks consumed increases.

Cellular responses of the ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila, to far infrared irradiation.

Infrared rays from sunlight permeate the earth's atmosphere, yet little is known about their interactions with living organisms. To learn whether they affect cell structure and function, we tested the ciliated protozoan, Tetrahymena thermophila. These unicellular eukaryotes aggregate in swarms near the surface of freshwater habitats, where direct and diffuse solar radiation impinge upon the water-air interface. We report that populations irradiated in laboratory cultures grew and mated normally, but major changes occurred in cell physiology during the stationary phase. Early on, there were significant reductions in chromatin body size and the antibody reactivity of methyl groups on lysine residues 4 and 9 in histone H3. Later, when cells began to starve, messenger RNAs for key proteins related to chromatin structure, intermediary metabolism and cellular motility increased from two- to nearly nine-fold. Metabolic activity, swimming speed and linearity of motion also increased, and spindle shaped cells with a caudal cilium appeared. Our findings suggest that infrared radiation enhances differentiation towards a dispersal cell-like phenotype in saturated populations of Tetrahymena thermophila.

Molecular cloning of a putative gastric chitinase in the toad Bufo japonicus.

On the basis of our preliminary observation that a crude extract of the stomach of the toad Bufo japonicus exhibited a chitinase activity with its optimum pH around 3.0, we undertook molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding this putative gastric chitinase. By use of 2 degenerate oligonucleotide primers derived from the 2 conserved regions of the vertebrate chitinases, a reverse transcription-PCR product was obtained. This product was used as a probe to screen a cDNA library constructed from the toad stomach. The longest positive clone was revealed to contain an open reading frame for a putative chitinase protein of 484 amino acids, which protein exhibited sequence similarity to the known vertebrate chitinases. Our data also revealed this putative gastric chitinase to be distinct from the chitinase that we had previously isolated from the pancreas of the same species. In this putative gastric chitinase, both the N-terminal catalytic domain and the C-terminal chitin-binding domain were perfectly conserved, suggesting this protein to function as chitinase in the toad stomach.

Hypophyseal development in vertebrates from amphibians to mammals.

Classically, it has been widely accepted that epithelial hypophysis develops from the stomodeal ectoderm. This notion was based on purely morphological observation of normal specimens. Recently, evidence is being accumulated that indicates another lineage for the developmental origin of adenohypophysis. This minireview focuses on several series of experimental works that have demonstrated a neuroectodermal origin of the hypophysis in vertebrates from amphibians to mammals. Phylogenetic consideration of the pituitary-like structures of prechordal animals is also presented.

Isolation and sequence of a novel amphibian pancreatic chitinase.

An approximately 60-kDa protein with chitinase activity was purified from the pancreas of the toad Bufo japonicus. Its specific activity was 4.5 times higher than that of a commercial bacterial chitinase in fragmenting crab shell chitin, and its optimal pH was approximately 6.0. A cDNA clone encoding a protein consisting of 488 amino acid residues, including part of the peptide sequence determined from the isolated protein, was obtained from a toad pancreas cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence indicated that the protein contained regions with high homology to those present in chitinases from different species, with the amino acid residues for the chitinase activity and the chitin-binding ability being completely conserved. We designate the protein as toad pancreatic chitinase (tPCase). Northern blot analysis revealed the mRNA of this enzyme to be expressed exclusively in the pancreas. Toad PCase is the first amphibian chitinase to be identified as well as the first pancreatic chitinase identified in a vertebrate.

Genomic DNA fragmentation in red blood cells of the bullfrog during metamorphosis.

Red blood cells (RBC) of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) contain larval-type hemoglobin (Hb) during the larval period. At the beginning of metamorphosis, RBC containing adult-type Hb appear and two types of RBC coexist in the systemic circulation. During the metamorphic climax, RBC with larval-type Hb disappear from the circulation and, simultaneously, RBC containing adult-type Hb begin to circulate. These two types of RBC were separated by Percoll density gradient centrifugation to examine the molecular size of the genomic DNA of each population. DNA fragmentation was detected only in new RBC with adult-type Hb that appeared in the systemic circulation and remained throughout post-metamorphic life. Semiquantification of DNA on agarose gel showed that the degree of DNA fragmentation was highest at the metamorphic climax. As the existence of DNA fragments suggested endonucleolytic cleavage, nuclease activity was examined by an activity gel system and in vitro circular plasmid DNA digestion assays. The latter revealed that both types of RBC possess endonucleolytic activity throughout the pre- and post-metamorphic periods. Assays of endogenous endonucleolytic activities under different divalent ionic conditions suggested that mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ -Mg2+ induces genomic DNA fragmentation in adult-type RBC.