The effects of interval length between sessions in a hypercholesterolemia education class.

This study focused on the effects of different intervals between sessions of a hypercholesterolemia education class on post-intervention outcomes. The same comprehensive group-programme contents on hypercholesterolemia were delivered either monthly (for 6 months) or twice-monthly (for 3 months) by the same teaching professionals in a community setting. The twice-monthly programme included 46 participants (male/female = 7/39, average age: 65.8 years)and the monthly programme consisted of 48(male/female = 9/39, age: 66.4). At the beginning of the study, all subjects belonged to the 'contemplation' stage of diet and exercise habits within the Transtheoretical Model of Change. The stage-matched intervention helped many participants move to the 'action ' stage by 6 months after the last session, especially in the twice-monthly group. The change rate of exercise from the 'contemplation' stage to the 'action' stage was significantly higher in the twice-monthly group (76.1 percent) than in the monthly (54.2 percent ). In both monthly and twice-monthly formats, participants' satisfaction and understanding levels at the end of the programme were high, but were significantly higher in the twice-monthly group. Through favorable lifestyles and higher levels of satisfaction and learning, the twice-monthly format may produce more positive results in cholesterol management than the monthly format, as the shorter period of time makes the programme more intensive.</p

Dust Storms from Degraded Drylands of Asia: Dynamics and Health Impacts

Asian dust events are massive meteorological phenomena during which dust particles from Chinese and Mongolian deserts are blown into the atmosphere and carried by westerly winds across Northeast Asia. Recently, there has been steady increase in both the frequency and the severity of Asian atmospheric dust events. Concern has been expressed regarding the potential health hazards in affected areas. The principal nature of the damage associated with Asian dust events differs between the emission (sandstorm) and downwind (air pollution) regions. In the emission region, the health impacts of dust storms are reflected in the high prevalence of respiratory diseases and severe subjective symptoms. Extreme dust storm events may cause a disaster to happen. In downwind regions such as Japan, analysis of Asian dust particles has shown the presence of ammonium ions, sulfate ions, nitrate ions, and heavy metal compounds that are considered not to originate from soil. Asian dust particles have been thought to adsorb anthropogenic atmospheric pollutants during transport. Therefore, Asian dust events coincide with increases in daily hospital admissions and clinical visits for allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and conjunctivitis. Although the effect of Asian dust on human health in each region is influenced by a variety of different mechanisms, human activities are partly responsible for such negative effects in many situations. We therefore need to address these environmental problems

Lack of medical resources and public health vulnerability in Mongolia's winter disasters

Introduction: Many countries face the need to address medical resource shortages following various disasters. The dzud is a winter disaster that occurs in Mongolia following drought in dryland areas, and it leads to high livestock mortality. Affected provinces suffer increased mortality rates for children aged under 5 years. Using various factors, including medical resources, the present study aimed to evaluate the health risks for children during the dzud. Methods: Data from all of Mongolia’s 21 provinces and the capital of Ulaanbaatar were analyzed. The change in child mortality (CCM) was defined as the difference in the under-five mortality rate from 2009 to 2010. To determine the correlations, the CCM was compared with the urbanization rate (proportion of urban population), number of physicians and nurses (per 1000 residents), average temperature, total precipitation (October 2009 to February 2010), and declining rate in livestock numbers for 2009-10 (percentage livestock loss) in each province. Results: The correlation coefficients between the CCM and each factor were as follows: number of physicians (r=-0.506, p=0.016), urbanization rate (r=-0.467, p=0.029), and percentage livestock loss (r=0.469, p=0.028). In the multiple regression analysis, the number of physicians was significantly negatively related to the CCM (standardizing coefficient -0.492, p=0.020). Conclusion: These results suggest that increased medical resources and infrastructure development have positive effects on child health - even in the setting where the dzud causes considerable damage to livestock

Current Perception Threshold for Assessment of the Neurological Components of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome: A Review

Current perception threshold (CPT) has been proposed as a quantitative method for assessment of peripheral sensory nerve function. The aim of this review of selected reports is to provide an overview of CPT measurement for the assessment of the neurological component of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). The CPT values at 2000 Hz significantly increased for patients with HAVS. This result supports the previous histological findings that demyelination is found predominantly in the peripheral nerves in the hands of men exposed to hand-arm vibration. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were high for severe cases of Stockholm sensorineural (SSN) stage 3 compared with non-exposed controls, but not high for mild cases of SSN stage 1 or 2 and for carpal tunnel syndrome associated with HAVS. However, there are only a few studies on the diagnostic validity of the CPT test for the neurological components of HAVS. Further research is needed and should include diagnostic validity and standardizing of measurement conditions such as skin temperature

The Effect of Minimum and Maximum Air Temperatures in the Summer on Heat Stroke in Japan: A Time-Stratified Case-Crossover Study

An increase in the global surface temperature and changes in urban morphologies are associated with increased heat stress especially in urban areas. This can be one of the contributing factors underlying an increase in heat strokes. We examined the impact of summer minimum air temperatures, which often represent nighttime temperatures, as well as a maximum temperature on a heat stroke. We collected data from the records of daily ambulance transports for heat strokes and meteorological data for July and August of 2017–2019 in the Tottori Prefecture, Japan. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used to determine the association of maximum/minimum air temperatures and the incidence of heat strokes. We used a logistic regression to identify factors associated with the severity of heat strokes. A total of 1108 cases were identified with 373 (33.7%) calls originating in the home (of these, 59.8% were the age of ≥ 75). A total of 65.8% of cases under the age of 18 were related to exercise. Days with a minimum temperature ≥ 25 °C had an odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 3.77 (2.19, 6.51) for the incidence of an exercise-related heat stroke (reference: days with a minimum temperature < 23 °C). The odds ratio for a heat stroke occurring at home or for calls for an ambulance to the home was 6.75 (4.47, 10.20). The severity of the heat stroke was associated with older age but not with air temperature. Minimum and maximum air temperatures may be associated with the incidence of heat strokes and in particular the former with non-exertional heat strokes

Plasma Oxytocin Concentrations During and After Gestation in Japanese Pregnant Women Affected by Anxiety Disorder and Endometriosis

[Background] Oxytocin has a key role in mother-infant bonding, maternal care, social interaction, and stress-related psychiatric disorders. However, the factors determining oxytocin concentrations during and after pregnancy such as medical history related to nursing or parental behavior are unknown. To elucidate these, we analyzed the relationships between oxytocin concentrations during and after pregnancy, and medical history assessed in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS). [Methods] We then selected the pregnant women with a medical history of anxiety disorder and endometriosis as cases and pregnant women without medical history as controls adjusting the cohort for age and parity for a nested case-control study, after which 162 women remained for analysis. We evaluated 162 pregnant women from JECS using answers provided in a questionnaire and by measuring plasma oxytocin concentration by ELISA during the first (T1) and second (T2) trimesters of pregnancy, and after childbirth (T3). [Results] Oxytocin concentration increased in a time dependent manner, consistent with previous reports. There were weak negative correlations between oxytocin concentration at T1 and the mother’s age and height, but no correlation with other factors. The mean oxytocin concentrations of pregnant women with a history of an anxiety disorder (n = 7) and endometriosis (n = 13) were significantly lower than those of pregnant women with no such history at T2 and T3. [Conclusion] These results suggest that oxytocin concentrations during and after pregnancy were affected by a past history of anxiety disorder and endometriosis. This is the first study of the relationship between oxytocin concentration and endometriosis. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms, further study is needed

Current Duty Arrangements and Circumstances of Emergency Medical Technicians: Findings of an Electronic Questionnaire Survey Conducted at the 16th National Ambulance-Crew Symposium

To assess the working arrangements and effects on the health of medical emergency trans-port personnel, we conducted an electronic questionnaire survey among participants of the 16th National Ambulance-Crew Symposium in 2008. Answers were obtained from 58 participants (56 males, 2 females): 58 questionnaires were fully completed and suitable for analysis. Of the 58, 47 respondents were emergency medical technicians (including those with additional roles). In the analysis of the responses, we observed a negative correlation between the number of emergency transport dispatches (in 1 day) and total nap time, and between the number of night emergency transports per shift and quality of sleep. These findings suggested that an increase in the number of emergency transports was associated with a decrease in nap time and sleep quality