Japanese Journal of Hygiene最新文献

{"title":"[Effect of City-Specific Characteristics on Association between Heat and Ambulance Dispatches].","authors":"Kazuya Kotani, Kayo Ueda, Xerxes Seposo, Masaji Ono, Akiko Honda, Hirohisa Takano","doi":"10.1265/jjh.19007","DOIUrl":"10.1265/jjh.19007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>In this multicity study, we aimed to elucidate the city-specific factors affecting the association of high ambient temperature with ambulance dispatches due to acute illnesses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used the data of ambulance dispatches in 27 cities in Japan with more than 500,000 population excluding Tokyo, from May to September from 2012 to 2015. We included patients 20 years and older (≥20 years) and stratified them into three age groups (20-59, 60-79, and ≥80 years). We explored the city-specific pattern of the daily relative temperature (in temperature percentiles) and the risk of ambulance dispatches for each age group using a distributed lag nonlinear model and estimated the city-specific relative risks of ambulance dispatches at the 95/99 percentile temperature compared with the 77.6 percentile temperature defined as the reference temperature (T_ref). Then, the estimates were combined by performing meta-analyses for each age group. We also applied meta-regression models to explore whether the city-specific characteristics modified the association of temperature with ambulance dispatches.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The relative risks of the 95th percentile with respect to T_ref were 1.14 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12, 1.16), 1.16 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.20), 1.13 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.16), and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.16), for all-age (≥20) and age-stratified groups (20-59, 60-79, and ≥80 years), respectively. We observed a higher relative risk for the ≥20 years age group in the cities with higher proportions of single-elderly, single-mother, and single-father households. We also found that the relative risk for the 20-59 years age group was higher in the cities with a higher proportion of blue-collar workers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The present study provides insights into city-specific characteristics modifying heat-related health effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"74 0","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37489545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[A Recommendation to Address Japan's Aging Society with Low Birth Rate].","authors":"","doi":"10.1265/jjh.18037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.18037","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"74 0","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36856480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Scale Development on Perception of Academic Harassment among Medical University Faculties].","authors":"Toru Nagasawa,&nbsp;Kyoko Nomura,&nbsp;Shinichi Takenoshita,&nbsp;Haruko Hiraike,&nbsp;Akiko Tsuchiya,&nbsp;Takayoshi Ohkubo,&nbsp;Hiroko Okinaga","doi":"10.1265/jjh.18033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.18033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>In academia, harassment may often occur and remain unrevealed in Japan, which discourages young researchers from pursuing their career. It is necessary to estimate and improve the perception of \"academic harassment\" among university faculties. Therefore, in this study, we aim to develop a scale of perception of academic harassment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Prior to a quantitative survey, a task team consisting of medical doctors, researchers, nurses, hospital workers, and managers in general affairs division identified 36 items related to academic harassment. In February 2016, we sent a self-administered questionnaire to 1,126 academic faculty members who worked in a medical university located in Tokyo, Japan. We instructed them to score the extent to which they consider each item as related to academic harassment based on a Likert scale. We carried out maximum likelihood factor analyses with promax rotation and computed Cronbach's alpha to develop a scale and investigate the reliability of the scale.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 377 returned the questionnaires (response rate, 33.5%; male, 73.8%). In factor analyses, we removed 17 items owing to low factor loadings, and four factors were eventually extracted. The first factor was termed \"Harassment in organization (7 items)\" because it included conditions of forcing a particular person to work on chores or lectures for students that may prevent one's academic research outputs. The second factor was termed \"Violence and denying personal character (4 items)\". The third factor was termed \"Research misconduct (5 items)\" including conditions of excluding a particular person from the coauthor list of research outputs or pressuring a person to fabricate, falsify, or plagiarize research outputs. The fourth factor was termed \"Research interference (3 items)\" including a condition of interference with conference attendance. Cronbach's alpha values of these four factors ranged from 0.83 to 0.91, suggesting that the scale had high reliability. The means of these factors did not differ according to gender but were higher in participants aged 50 or older than in younger participants.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results suggest that the scale of perception on academic harassment consisting of four factors with 19 items is valid and reliable to some extent.</p>","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"74 0","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1265/jjh.18033","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37320593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Evaluation of the Performance of Health Systems by Prefecture].","authors":"Hisato Nakajima,&nbsp;Kouya Yano","doi":"10.1265/jjh.18028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.18028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To clarify the performance of health systems (performance), the state of prefectures was investigated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using the method developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, we conducted the study using 27 indicators. To evaluate the performance, we examined the signal-to-noise ratio of transcription (η) by integrating indicators using the Mahalanobis-Taguchi method. The η was separated by a median. The ratio of prefectures in East or West Japan and the presence or absence of ordinance-designated cities were studied using the chi-square test. Furthermore, the correlation among the total component η (T-η), each component η, and expenditures, and the correlation between T-η and life expectancy, were studied.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The T-η positively correlated with the risk factors (RF)-η and the resources (R)-η, and negatively correlated with the health status (HS)-η. The number pf prefectures without ordinance-designated cities where the T-η and RF-η exceeded the median was large. The number of prefectures with ordinance-designated cities where the HS-η exceeded the median was also large. In addition, there were many prefectures where the T-η was in the top 25% in West Japan. There were positive correlations between the total expenditures and the T-η, the expenditures and the RF-η, and the expenditures and the R-η. There was a negative correlation between the expenditures and the HS-η, and the T-η and the life expectancy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>For life expectancy, prefectures with too good performance were recognized. In these prefectures, correction of resources is necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"74 0","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1265/jjh.18028","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37152357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Demographic Characteristics of Foreign Residents in Japan; Child Maltreatment and Language Problems in Child Protection Services].","authors":"Naomi Kitano,&nbsp;Kumsun Lee,&nbsp;Yasuhide Nakamura","doi":"10.1265/jjh.18032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.18032","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, we examined the changes in the demographic characteristics of foreign residents in Japan (FRJ) and the current status of FRJ from a global health perspective. We also considered child maltreatment that occurred in FRJ families and language problems in child welfare. Japan's official statistics in the end of 2017 indicated that there were more than 2.56 million FRJ from over 190 countries. This population was diverse with heterogeneous characteristics, such as age structure, dwelling place, marital status, and childbirth. At the end of 2017, there were 219,982 FRJ children aged 0-14 of various nationalities, including Chinese, Brazilian, South Korean, North Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, Peruvian, Nepalese, and Indian. In 2010, we conducted our first survey of child maltreatment in FRJ families, targeting 219 child protection centers across Japan. Between April 2007 and August 2010, 1,639 child maltreatment cases were reported from 56% of these centers. Details of 1,111 cases were collected and descriptive analyses were conducted. The male-to-female ratio was 0.88 and the median age was 8 years: however, the age distribution showed that females were significantly older than males (P < 0.01). The proportions of physical abuse, child neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse were 38%, 33%, 21%, and 7%, respectively. Native language problems created numerous challenges and required a large amount of effort from child welfare practitioners. However, most solutions to identified problems were still at the beginning stage and some were found to be ineffective. More interdisciplinary and integrated researches are needed targeting child welfare of FRJ. An ethical framework for good counseling practices should be developed.</p>","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"74 0","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1265/jjh.18032","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37172689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Significant Birthdays of Pettenkofer and Koch Celebrated in Germany].","authors":"Toshio Matsushita,&nbsp;Beate Wonde","doi":"10.1265/jjh.19002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.19002","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"74 0","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37152360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Examination of Regional Differences in Performance of Health Systems by Prefecture Using Cluster Analysis].","authors":"Hisato Nakajima, K. Yano","doi":"10.1265/jjh.19009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.19009","url":null,"abstract":"OBJECTIVE The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) pointed out the deterioration of the performance of health systems (performance) in Japan. To correct this, we evaluated the performances in different prefectures. METHODS By the OECD method, we set 27 indicators concerning \"health status (HS)\", \" risk factors (RFs)\", \" access to care (AC)\", \" quality of care (QC)\", and \" health care resources (HRs)\". Next, the relative value (RV, ±4 standard deviation) from the average value of each indicator in each prefecture was obtained. On the basis of this RV, the prefectures were divided into A, B, and C by cluster analysis. Then, the 27 indicators of the three groups were subjected to multiple comparison tests and the performances were evaluated. RESULTS A included Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kochi, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa, B included Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo, Osaka, and Wakayama, C included Miyagi, Yamagata, Gunma, Chiba, Kanagawa, Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Hyogo, Nara, and Tottori. The multiple comparison test results showed that HS and RFs were not significantly different between A and C. In A, AC and QC were poor, but HRs were excessive, and the local allocation tax was high. RFs, AC, QC, HRs, and the local allocation taxes were not significantly different between B and C, but HS was poor in B. CONCLUSIONS The performance of health systems was deteriorating in the 19 prefectures included in A, and correction is necessary in these prefectures.","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83170361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Liver Fibrosis is Associated with Loss of Skeletal Muscle Mass in Community-Dwelling Older Adults with No History of Liver Diseases].","authors":"Shuhei Ohnishi,&nbsp;Nobuyuki Miyai,&nbsp;Miyoko Utsumi,&nbsp;Kanae Mure,&nbsp;Tatsuya Takeshita,&nbsp;Mitsuru Shiba,&nbsp;Mikio Arita","doi":"10.1265/jjh.18031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.18031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>In this study, we aimed to examine the possible association between liver fibrosis and loss of skeletal muscle mass (SM) in community-dwelling older adults with no history of liver diseases.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 2,028 older adults (mean age, 69.8 ± 5.2 years) who had not received any treatment for liver diseases and had participated in a comprehensive health survey for community residents in Wakayama, Japan were included in this study. We carried out bioelectrical impedance analysis to estimate the SM of the whole body including the arms, legs, and trunk of the subjects. Liver fibrosis was evaluated by calculating the Fib4 index based on the subject's age, AST level, ALT level, and platelet counts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The subjects were divided into three groups according to cutoff values of the Fib4 index (low: <1.30, medium: 1.30-2.66, high: ≥2.67). The SM index (kg/m²) was the lowest among subjects in the high-Fib4-index category, followed by the medium- and low-Fib4-index categories. This dose-response reduction in the SM index was more pronounced among individuals with lower blood albumin level (low nutrition) and in those with more sedentary behavior (physical inactivity). Among the selected 262 subjects who underwent SM measurement twice with an interval of 3 years, the subjects with a high Fib4 index showed greater reduction in the SM index than those with medium and low Fib4 indices. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the Fib4 index was significantly associated with the SM index, independent of age, sex, albumin level, sedentary behavior, diabetes mellitus, alcohol intake, and smoking status.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The present findings suggest that the potential progression of liver fibrosis is associated with the excessive loss of SM among apparently healthy older adults without any treatment for liver diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"74 0","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1265/jjh.18031","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36577562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Toxic Components of PM2.5 and Their Toxicity Mechanisms-On the Toxicity of Sulfate and Carbon Components].","authors":"M. Sagai","doi":"10.1265/jjh.19004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.19004","url":null,"abstract":"Recently, the main air pollutant has been fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is taken up by the whole body with severe adverse health effects. The main chemical components of PM2.5 are salts of sulfate (and nitrate) and carbons. However, it remains unknown which components are toxic. Here, the author reviewed the literatures to determine which components are toxic and the main mechanisms underlying their toxicity. Many epidemiological studies have shown that sulfate concentration is strongly related to mortality. However, there is no experimental evidence showing that sulfate at environmental concentrations of PM2.5 causes cardiovascular disease or other disease. On the other hand, carbon components such as elementary carbon (EC) produces high concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via its phagocytosis by macrophages, and organic carbon (OC) also produces high concentrations of ROS during its metabolic processes, and the ROS cause acute and chronic inflammation. They cause many diseases including cardiovascular disease, asthma and cancer. Furthermore, there are many lines of evidence showing that epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation or microRNA expression induced by particulate matters also induce the development of many diseases such as those mentioned above. It has been reported that carbon components are incorporated into the brain and produce ROS, and that the ROS cause damage to brain cells and Alzheimer's disease and cognitive disorders in the elderly.From these lines of evidence, the author would like to emphasize that the main toxicity of PM2.5 is due to carbon components, and it is important to take countermeasures to decrease the concentration of carbon components in ambient air.","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80597856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Investigation of the Effects of Exposure to Chemical Substances on Child Health].","authors":"Miyuki Iwai-Shimada,&nbsp;Shoji F Nakayama,&nbsp;Tomohiko Isobe,&nbsp;Yayoi Kobayashi,&nbsp;Go Suzuki,&nbsp;Kyoko Nomura","doi":"10.1265/jjh.18030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1265/jjh.18030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is mounting concern about the effects of early-life exposure to chemical substances on children's health and development. We summarize the past and ongoing birth cohort studies carried out worldwide on the association between environmental exposure and children's health. Our PubMed search with the keywords 'birth cohort' revealed that the number of articles jumped from 200-300 in the 1980s to over 1,000 in the 1990s. Many of these articles reported elevated risks to children's health posed by chemical exposure owing their vulnerability. At the same time, policies implemented to reduce exposure to lead and dioxins were successful in the past few decades. Research also demonstrated that intervention to reduce exposure to certain chemicals whose exposure routes were well documented was also successful. We summarize the effects of early-life exposure to chemical substances on children's health and development. Our findings will hopefully help safeguard the environment in which future generations grow and live.</p>","PeriodicalId":35643,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Hygiene","volume":"74 0","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1265/jjh.18030","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36577563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}