A Study on Nursing Articles on Literature-Based Education in Both the US and UK

Objectives: The primary aim of this study is to provide a chronological analysis of the use of literature in nursing education journals in both the US and UK. The second aim is to clarify the main goals of using literature in nursing education. This study has the potential to provide a helpful reference to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers who are contemplating introducing literature to the classroom. Methods: An online electronic search of the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) database was conducted to identify articles related to the use of literature in nursing education. The collected articles were then sorted into three tables as follows : articles in the first table were arranged in chronological order by publication date, name of the primary researcher, article title, journal title, and title of the main literary works ; articles in the second table were arranged in chronological order based on the main goals of literature use ; and articles in the third table were arranged in descending order based on the frequency of articles that shared identical main goals. Results: Our findings are as follows : 1) Literature was introduced into nursing education in the 1960s ; 2) An overwhelmingly large number of articles have been published in the US on the use of literature in nursing education ; 3) The main literary works that were actually used, or that researchers believed could be used, were able to be categorized into five groups related to literary form and four groups related to literary theme ; and 4) The main traits that researchers believed could be reinforced by the use of literature included "self-growth," "critical thinking," "compassion," "empathy," "insight," "cultural competence," and "sensitivity." Conclusions: This study clearly reveals both historical changes and recent trends in the use of literature in nursing education in both the US and UK. This type of study should play an important role in promoting the introduction of literature into the EFL classroom for Japanese nursing students.目的:本研究が日本の看護教育において文学を教材としたEFL(English as a Foreign Language)の授業への有益な指針となるように,英米における文学を教材とする看護教育に関する文献を時系列に分析し,研究者が文学によって高められると考えた目標を明確にする.方法:CINAHL(Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature)からliterature, nursing, educationをキーワードとして得られた41件の文献を時系列に分析した.結果:1)看護教育における文学導入は,1960年代からである.2)圧倒的に合衆国における研究が多い.3)実際に扱われた,および可能とされた作品は形式別では5グループ,テーマ別では4グループに分類される.4)研究者が文学によって高められると考えた目標は主に,self-growth, critical thinking, understanding of patients, compassion, insight, cultural competence, empathy, ethical knowledge, sensitivity, vicarious experiencesなどである.結論:本研究により,英米における文学を教材とする看護教育についての歴史的変遷や傾向が明確になった.今後,日本の看護学生を対象としたEFLの授業へ文学を導入するための有益な指針としての役割を果たすことが期待される.原

Nursing care brought behavioral change on a hemodialysispatient, whose body weight increased conspicuously

体重増加が著しく，嘔気や嘔吐を繰り返していた透析患者が，看護婦とのかかわりの中で，徐々に体重コントロールが出来るように変化していった。そこで，透析患者に行動変容をもたらした看護援助が何であったのかを明らかにすることを目的として，本事例を振り返り，Banduraの「自己効力理論」と，河口らの，行動変容への「とっかかり言動」の概念に基づいて考察した。その結果，患者に行動変容をもたらした看護援助は以下のようであることがわかった。(1)患者の気持ちや行動を受け止め，共感することで，患者が感情表出しやすい環境を整えた。(2)患者の行動変容に結びつく言動を逃さずキャッチした。(3)「それぐらいならできそう」という，患者にとって身近で実行可能な行動目標を共に考えた。(4)患者が成功体験を積み重ねることが出来るように，患者を支援し，行動を評価して，患者の自己効力を高めた。The purpose of this study is to clarify what a nursing care brought some changes in a hemodialysis patient's behavior. Based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory and on a concept of "speech and action for clue" proposed by Kawaguchi et al, the nursing care was discussed. The results were as follows : (1) Nurses made positive environments in which for the patient to express his emotion frankly through nurse's acceptable and empathic manner. (2) Nurses appropriately caught the patient's speech and action as clue to change in his behavior. (3) Nurses helped the patient consider his behavioral objectives that he can carry out by himself. (4) Nurses supported the patient and evaluated his behavior, and helped him succeed in his task so that he could improve his self-efficacy

Productive arts engagement at the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum and its health effects on the older Japanese population: results of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThis randomized controlled trial aims to compare changes in mental and physical health in older Japanese community-dwellers who participated in a productive art-based activity at the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum (intervention group) and in their counterparts, who did not participate in the intervention (control group).MethodsA total of 73 older community-dwellers living in Tokyo participated in a single-blind RCT in two parallel groups (intervention group versus control group). The intervention was 2 h of productive art-based activities per week. The weekly sessions were carried out at the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum over a 12-week period. The control group did not participate in any productive art-based activity over the study period. Well-being, quality of life and frailty were assessed before the first, and after the last, art-based activity. These outcomes were assessed with the same schedule in both groups.ResultsThe intervention group saw a significant improvement in their quality of life (p < 0.044) and mixed results on their physical health (i.e., decreased frailty status) when compared to the control group. The comparison of changes in frailty scores between M0 and M3 showed improvement in the intervention group (p = 0.014), but when adjusted for baseline characteristics by linear regressions, revealed only a trend (p = 0.070). No conclusive effect was shown with well-being.InterpretationThis RCT showed mixed health effects of productive art engagement in older Japanese community-dwellers in Tokyo. Benefits were reported for quality of life and mixed effects were observed for frailty, while no significant effect was found for well-being.Clinical Trial Registration: Ethic committee of Shobi University, Tokyo (Japan), ref. A-2021-1; Clinical Trial Number NCT03679715

Efficacy of topiramate for intractable childhood generalized epilepsy with epileptic spasms: With special reference to electroencephalographic changes

AbstractPurposeEpileptic spasms (ES) beyond infancy are a highly refractory type of seizures that require the development of an effective treatment. We therefore studied the efficacy and safety of topiramate (TPM), which is a drug that is indicated to be effective for intractable childhood epilepsy, for ES.MethodsOut of 58 children with ES, we enrolled 33 patients treated with TPM at ≤12years of age. The administration of TPM was limited to cases of epilepsies that were resistant to any other potent treatment. We retrospectively investigated the efficacy of TPM for seizures and changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) findings.ResultsThe median age at the start of TPM treatment was 5years, 8months. All patients had ES and 28 also had tonic seizures. As for the efficacy of TPM for all seizures, five patients became seizure-free and two had a ≥50% reduction in seizures. Seizure aggravation was observed in six patients. Of 29 patients whose EEG findings were compared before and during TPM treatment, nine showed EEG improvement with reduced epileptic discharges. Adverse effects were observed in 13 patients and included somnolence, anorexia, and irritability. In general, TPM was well tolerated.ConclusionsTPM can be effective at suppressing very intractable ES in a proportion of patients who do not respond to any other treatment. The efficacy of TPM may be predictable based on EEG changes observed early in the course of treatment. TPM is promising for the treatment of extremely intractable childhood epilepsy and it has largely tolerable adverse effects

Bioluminescence Microscopy: Design and Applications

Bioluminescence imaging by microscopy is performed using an ultra-low-light imaging camera. Although imaging devices such as sensor and camera have been greatly improved over time, such improvements have not been attained commercially which are available for microscopes now. We previously optimized the optical system of a microscope for bioluminescence imaging using a short-focal-length imaging lens and evaluated this system with a conventional color charge-coupled device camera. Here, we describe the concept of bioluminescence microscope design using a short-focal-length imaging lens and some representative applications, including intracellular calcium imaging, imaging of clock gene promoter assays, and three-dimensional reconstruction of Drosophila larva. This system facilitates the acquisition of bioluminescence images of single live cells using luciferase, which is similar to fluorescence microscopy using a fluorescent protein

Urinary FSH in postmenopausal women

The change in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) during the menopausal transition and associations of FSH with various diseases have been assessed by using blood samples. We examined cross-sectionally the variation of FSH levels, associations of estrone and estradiol with FSH, and associations of BMI with these hormones by using urinary samples from peri- and postmenopausal women in Japan. Of 4472 participants in the Urinary Isoflavone Concentration Survey of the Japan Nurses’ Health Study, we analyzed urinary levels of estrone, estradiol and FSH in 547 women aged from 45 to 54 years. Urinary FSH levels varied widely in postmenopausal women and the pattern of change in urinary FSH levels seems to be similar to that in blood FSH levels in previous studies. There were no significant differences in age, body mass index (BMI), estradiol, estrone and estradiol/estrone ratio among three groups according to the tertile of FSH. In postmenopausal women, there were significant associations of BMI with levels of estrone and estradiol, but there was no significant association of BMI with FSH. Studies using urinary samples will allow us to establish a study project as a large-scale population-based study to determine associations between FSH and various diseases after menopause