The Historical Origins of High Performance Work Systems: Two Case Studies from Prewar Japan

This paper aims to disclose the historical origin of high performance work systems in Japan. Two cases are investigated: cotton spinning works and a trade union affiliated with Sōdōmei in the 1920s and 30s. Cotton spinning is a focus area since Japanese production surpassed that of the UK in the early 1930s. It is commonly thought that this achievement was possible due to the low wages of young female laborers working short periods of service. Yet, an increasing number of workers acquired skills to deal with problems in the production process as the share of groups with longer periods of service grew, particularly workers commuting from home rather than living in company dormitories. The key incentive system was an individual base pay, which increased significantly over a worker’s career, in light of performance evaluations of his or her ability to handle production problems. Another case is that of the trade union for the rope and cable manufacturing industry, which gave workers voice. Affiliated to Sōdōmei, a non-left wing national center, this union not only declared its intention to promote productivity in the labor agreement, but in practice cooperated to achieve this as well. These cases imply that high performance work systems have an earlier origin, and that Japan may have firmer foundations in these systems, than usually thought. This historical analysis aims to shed light on the origins and functioning of these systems

Evaluation of 147 Kampo prescriptions as novel protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory agents

BACKGROUND: Protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) 1B, a negative regulator of the insulin and leptin signaling pathways, is currently considered a promising target for the development of novel therapeutic approaches used to treat insulin-resistant type 2 diabetes mellitus (IR-T2DM). In this study, we examined the PTP1B inhibitory activity of 147 Japanese prescription Kampo formulations to evaluate their potential for clinical application in IR-T2DM treatment. METHODS: We specifically defined the prescribed daily dose as 1 Unit (U), and 147 Japanese prescription Kampo formulations were screened for PTP1B inhibitory activity at a final concentration of 0.1 mU/mL. We investigated the dependence of the inhibitory activity on the concentration of the Kampo formulations that exhibited high PTP1B inhibitory activity. Their inhibition mode by kinetic analysis, inhibitory selectivities against four homologous PTPs (TCPTP, VHR, SHP-1 and SHP-2) and cellular activity in the insulin-signaling pathway by increasing the insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation level in human hepatocellular liver carcinoma HepG2 cells, were also investigated. The statistical partial least squares regression method was used to identify the crude drugs with the greatest contribution to the PTP1B inhibitory activity of the Kampo formulations. RESULTS: Daiokanzoto, Masiningan, Tokakujokito, Keimakakuhanto and Choijokito exhibited high PTP1B inhibitory activity, which was concentration-dependent. Daiokanzoto, Masiningan and Tokakujokito inhibited PTP1B by mixed inhibition modes and exhibited different inhibitory selectivities against four homologous PTPs. Masiningan also exhibited cellular activity. Statistical analyses indicated that the constituent crude drug Rhei Rhizoma provided the greatest contribution to the PTP1B inhibitory activity of these Kampo formulations. CONCLUSIONS: High PTP1B inhibitory activity was predominantly associated with formulations that were classified as Jyokito in Kampo medicine and with a modern clinical indication of constipation. Currently, there is no clinical treatment for IR-T2DM that uses a mechanism of action based on PTP1B inhibition. Thus, we propose the Kampo formulations identified in this study as strong PTP1B inhibitors, which could be developed as clinical therapeutic agents to treat IR-T2DM

Aging of hospital physicians in rural Japan: A longitudinal study based on national census data

Background The disparity in the number of urban and rural physicians is a social problem in Japan. There may also be a disparity in the age of physicians. This study longitudinally examines both geographic and age distributions of physicians. Methods Individual data from the Survey of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists in 1994, 2004 and 2014 and municipality data from the National Population Census were used. The 2015 municipality border was applied to all years, and all municipalities were classified into equalsize quintiles based on population density. Both municipalities and physicians were longitudinally observed. Results Between 1994 and 2014, the number of physicians per 100,000 population increased by 31.8% in the most urban group of municipalities and 17.4% in the most rural group. The average age of physicians was highest in the most rural and lowest in the most urban group. The difference in average age between the urban and rural physicians widened from 2.1 years in 1994 to 6.0 years in 2014. This disparity is particularly pronounced among hospital physicians (from 1.5 years in 1994 to 7.6 years in 2014). In the most rural group, the number of hospital physicians younger than 40 years old has decreased by 59.4%, while the number of those 55±70 has grown by 153% and the number older than 70 years old by 41.0%. Between 1994 and 2004, only 23.0% of hospital physicians younger than 40 years old were retained in the most rural group; the retention rate fell to 19.3% between 2004 and 2014, while the rates increased in older physicians. Conclusions The uneven distribution of physicians is increasing in Japan, as is the aging of rural hospital physicians. Shortage of physicians in rural areas may be more serious than that shown as their headcount.This research was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant Number 16K09145 (http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/index.html) (KI)

Low toxicity of a conditioning with 8-Gy total body irradiation, fludarabine and cyclophosphamide as preparative regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in pediatric hematological malignancies

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comWe here report the efficacy and toxicity of a conditioning regimen with fractionated 8-Gy TBI, fludarabine, and cyclophosphamide in allogeneic HSCT for pediatric hematological malignancies. Among 22 children who received related or unrelated HSCT, nine were transplanted with refractory disease and/or from HLA two or more loci-mismatched family donors. None of the patients developed graft failure. The Seattle grading system revealed that 18 patients had no RRT, and the remaining patients had grade I gastrointestinal toxicity alone. The estimated overall survival and leukemia-free survival at two yr were 57.1% and 48.0%, respectively, in 10 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia; 91.7% and 71.3%, respectively, in 12 patients with myeloid leukemia. The incidence of TRM was 4.8% at two yr. The rates of RRT above grade II and TRM in an 8-Gy TBI-containing regimen were significantly lower than the data of historical control patients who underwent 12-Gy TBI and cyclophosphamide with or without etoposide. The intermediate-dose TBI-based conditioning regimen may confer successful engraftment combined with minimized RRT, although its efficacy should be further evaluated.ArticlePEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION. 13(6):737-745 (2009)journal articl