Additional file 1: of Prevalence of Candida albicans and non-albicans on the tongue dorsa of elderly people living in a post-disaster area: a cross-sectional survey

Relationships of demographic character, oral conditions, systemic conditions, lifestyle, medications and relocation from home with colonization of C. albicans and non-albicans (N = 264). Results of multinomial logistic regression analysis for colonization of C. albicans and non-albicans. Relationships of C. albicans and non-albicans colonization with all independent variables examined in this study are presented in this table. (DOCX 22 kb

The urine albumin-creatinine ratio is a predictor for incident long-term care in a general population

<div><p>Background</p><p>Several types of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) impair the physical and mental status. The purpose of this study was to assess the predictive ability of several cardiovascular biomarkers for identifying the incidence of disability as future recipients of public long-term care (LTC) service.</p><p>Methods</p><p>The subjects of this study were community-dwelling elderly individuals ≥ 65 years of age without a history of CVD (n = 5,755; mean age, 71 years). The endpoint of this study was official certification as a recipient of LTC. The cohort was divided into quartiles (Qs) based on the levels of three CVD biomarkers: the urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), plasma B-type natriuretic peptide concentration (BNP), and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentration (hsCRP). A time-dependent Cox proportional hazard model was used to determine the multi-adjusted relative hazard ratios (HRs) for incident LTC among the quartiles of each biomarker.</p><p>Results</p><p>During the follow-up (mean 5.6 years), 710 subjects were authorized as recipients of LTC. The HR was only significantly increased in the higher Qs of UACR (Q3, p < 0.01; Q4, p < 0.001). However, other biomarkers were not significantly associated with the endpoint. The risk predictive performance for the incidence of LTC as evaluated by an essential model (i.e. age- and sex-adjusted) was significantly improved by incorporating the UACR (net reclassification improvement = 0.084, p < 0.01; integrated discrimination improvement = 0.0018, p < 0.01).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>These results suggest that an increased UACR is useful for predicting physical and cognitive dysfunction in an elderly general population.</p></div

Weight Gain in Survivors Living in Temporary Housing in the Tsunami-Stricken Area during the Recovery Phase following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

<div><p>Introduction</p><p>Survivors who lost their homes in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami were forced to live in difficult conditions in temporary housing several months after the disaster. Body weights of survivors living in temporary housing for a long period might increase due to changes in their life style and psychosocial state during the medium-term and long-term recovery phases. The aim of this study was to determine whether there were differences between body weight changes of people living in temporary housing and those not living in temporary housing in a tsunami-stricken area during the medium-term and long-term recovery phases.</p><p>Materials and methods</p><p>Health check-ups were performed about 7 months after the disaster (in 2011) and about 18 months after the disaster (in 2012) for people living in a tsunami-stricken area (n = 6,601, mean age = 62.3 y). We compared the changes in body weight in people living in temporary housing (TH group, n = 2,002) and those not living in temporary housing (NTH group, n = 4,599) using a multiple linear regression model.</p><p>Results</p><p>While there was no significant difference between body weights in the TH and NTH groups in the 2011 survey, there was a significant difference between the mean changes in body weight in both sexes. We found that the changes in body weight were significantly greater in the TH group than in the NTH group in both sexes. The partial regression coefficients of mean change in body weight were +0.52 kg (P-value < 0.001) in males in the TH group and +0.56 kg (P-value < 0.001) in females in the TH group (reference: NTH group).</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Analysis after adjustment for life style, psychosocial factors and cardiovascular risk factors found that people living in temporary housing in the tsunami- stricken area had a significant increase in body weight.</p></div

Mental Health and Related Factors after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

<div><p>Mental health is one of the most important issues facing disaster survivors. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence and correlates of mental health problems in survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami at 6–11 months after the disaster. The questionnaire and notification were sent to the survivors in three municipalities in the Tohoku area of the Northern part of Honshu, Japan’s largest island, between September 2011 and February 2012. Questionnaires were sent to 12,772, 11,411, and 18,648 residents in the Yamada, Otsuchi, and Rikuzentakata municipalities, respectively. Residents were asked to bring the completed questionnaires to their health check-ups. A total of 11,124 or (26.0%) of them underwent health check-ups, and 10,198 were enrolled. We excluded 179 for whom a K6 score was missing and two who were both 17 years of age, which left 10,025 study participants (3,934 male and 6,091 female, mean age 61.0 years). K6 was used to measure mental health problems. The respondents were classified into moderate (5–12 of K6) and serious mental health problems (13+). A total of 42.6% of the respondents had moderate or serious mental health problems. Multivariate analysis showed that women were significantly associated with mental health problems. Other variables associated with mental health problems were: younger male, health complaints, severe economic status, relocations, and lack of a social network. An interaction effect of sex and economic status on severe mental health problems was statistically significant. Our findings suggest that mental health problems were prevalent in survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. For men and women, health complaints, severe economic status, relocations, and lack of social network may be important risk factors of poor mental health. For men, interventions focusing on economic support may be particularly useful in reducing mental health problems after the disaster.</p></div

Change in the risk classification for the probability of needing long-term care using the base model compared with the base + UACR model.

<p>Change in the risk classification for the probability of needing long-term care using the base model compared with the base + UACR model.</p

Cox regression analyses for the risk of interim CVD for each biomarker.

<p>Cox regression analyses for the risk of interim CVD for each biomarker.</p

Map of the study area.

<p>The black zone indicates the study area, including Kuji and Ninohe in northern Iwate Prefecture, northeast of Honshu, Japan. The population was 131,341 in the study area at the baseline survey (2002).</p

Multiple linear regression analysis of variables for examining mean change in body weight between 2011 and 2012.

<p>Multiple linear regression analysis of variables for examining mean change in body weight between 2011 and 2012.</p

Characteristics according to K6 score (n = 10,025).

<p>Numbers vary because of missing data, perceived symptom; male (55) female (91), economic status; male (12) female (15), relocation; male (23) female (29), and social network; male (76) female (125). No case (K6; 0–4), MMHP, mild mental health problem (K6; 5–12), SMHP, severe mental health problem (K6; 13–24).</p

Mean changes in body weight in all participants according to age in the TH and NTH groups.

<p>Mean changes in body weight in all participants according to age in the TH and NTH groups.</p