Differences in strategies for coping with menopausal symptoms in full-time workers and part-time workers in Japan

Working hours and working conditions are different for full-time workers and part-time workers. In this study, it was hypothesized that the strategies for coping with menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia, and the proportion of women receiving clinical care differ between full-time and part-time workers. Four hundred and eighty-seven Japanese female workers aged 45 to 60 years responded to a health questionnaire about their understanding of menopause and their strategies for coping with menopausal symptoms. Based on the surveyed responses, the proportions of women with menopausal symptoms were 43.0% (80/186) in full-time workers and 48.2% (145/301) in part-time workers. There was no significant difference in the female worker response rate, nor were there significant differences in the proportions of full-time workers and part-time workers who had an understanding of menopause causes and treatments and who were able to cope with menopausal-related symptoms. However, there were significantly more full-time workers than part-time workers who received routine clinical care and who visited a hospital. On the other hand, significantly more part-time workers than full-time workers exercised and took dietary supplements as a means of coping with their symptoms. There are differences between female full-time and part-time workers regarding the strategies employed for coping with menopausal symptoms. The proportion of women receiving clinical care for their symptoms is greater among full-time employees than part-time employees. A physical examination can be a valuable opportunity for working women with menopausal symptoms to receive advice from a doctor or a nurse practitioner

アドバンス助産師が認識する現在と次世代の中間看護管理者に求められるマネジメントスキルの比較

Advanced midwives are expected to be candidates for middle managers in the next generation. Higher levels of management skills than the current levels may be required for middle managers in the future due to the progress of perinatal medicine. The aim of this study was to compare levels of management skills that are currently required for middle managers and levels of management skills that will be important in the next 10-20 years in advanced midwives. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted for 1652 advanced midwives in hospitals that have more than 300 beds in Japan. The scores for all management skills that will be required in the next generation were significantly higher than those for currently required management skills. Currently required management skills that were given high scores, including communication ability, ability to perform safety management and problem-solving ability, were also given high scores for middle managers in the next generation. Advanced midwives believed that management skills including the ability to participate in social activity, ability to use information and communication technology, and ability to participate in management in which these scores are low at present are needed for middle managers in the next generation. Advanced midwives consider that management skills for middle managers will change in the future. By acquisition of high levels of management skills, middle managers will be able to perform management of perinatal medicine and nursing

Factors related with low back pain and pelvic pain at the early stage of pregnancy in Japanese women

The aim of this study was to clarify the proportion of women with low back and/or pelvic pain (LBPP) and LBPP-related factors at the early stage of pregnancy and to clarify the differences between LBPP-related factors in primiparous women and multiparous women in Japan. 157 pregnant women were recruited. Information about the presence of LBPP, degree of pain by using a visual analog scale (VAS), location of pain, past history of LBPP and background characteristics were collected. Physical status was assessed by the pregnancy mobility index (PMI). The Ethics Committee of Tokushima University Hospital approved the study. The proportion of women who complained of LBPP was 65.6%. PMI score in women with LBPP was significantly higher than that in women without LBPP (p<0.001). The proportions of women with a past history of LBPP before pregnancy and with a past history of LBPP in the previous pregnancy were significantly higher in women with LBPP (p<0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). In women with LBPP, the score of VAS in multiparous women was significantly higher than that in primiparous women (p=0.019). Early management for women with a past history of LBPP before pregnancy and with a past history of LBPP in the previous pregnancy is important. Management for lumbar pain according to parity is needed for health guidance at the early stage of pregnancy

日本の看護師における更年期症状と仕事関連ストレス要因との関連

Objective: The main objective was to ascertain the typical menopausal symptoms and job-related stress factors in Japanese nurses during the menopausal transition, and the associations of menopausal symptoms with job-related stress. A supplementary objective was to determine whether there were any differences in menopausal symptoms and job-related stress factors among nurses in managerial positions. Methods: One thousand seven hundred female registered nurses aged 45–60 years who were working in hospitals in Japan were asked to complete a self-administered survey that included Greene’s Climacteric Scale and the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Results: The proportions of nurses who reported feelings of tiredness, irritability and difficulty in concentration were higher than the proportions with other menopausal symptoms. The proportions of nurses reporting feeling unhappy or depressed and having crying spells were higher among nurses in managerial positions than among other nurses. Stresses related to ‘quantitative overload’ on the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire among nurses in managerial positions were significantly greater than among nurses not in managerial positions, while stresses related to ‘physical overload’, ‘job control’, ‘skill discretion’, ‘workplace environment’ and ‘job satisfaction’ among nurses not in managerial positions were significantly greater than they were among nurses in managerial positions. Psychological symptoms were significantly correlated with poor job-related interpersonal relationships. Conclusions: Health care practitioners should be aware that menopausal symptoms are associated with job-related stress during the menopausal transition. Information on the differences in these associations between nurses in managerial positions and other nurses is important as it will allow their health care to be managed on a more individual basis

女性看護師と女性事務職における男性更年期障害の認識および知識に関する違い

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine levels of awareness and knowledge regarding male climacteric or andropause in Japanese women. We also examined whether there are differences in these levels between nurses as a health profession group and office workers as a general population group. Methods: Two thousand and eight hundred female registered nurses and women with office-related general occupations aged 20–65 years in Japan completed health questionnaires regarding awareness and knowledge of male climacteric, including male menopausal symptoms and treatments. Results: The proportion in women who had heard of the term male climacteric in nurses was significantly higher than that in office workers. Nurses with past or current experience of menopausal symptoms were likely to recognize male climacteric. Nurses also had a higher level of knowledge than did office workers regarding male menopausal symptoms. High proportions of both nurses and office workers acknowledged depressed mood, irritability, nervousness and sleep problems as male menopausal symptoms. The proportions of women with sympathy for men with male climacteric were high in women with experience of past or current menopausal symptoms and in women who were close to men who suffered from menopausal symptoms. Conclusions: Nurses with past or current experience of menopausal symptoms had high levels of awareness and knowledge of male climacteric. To spread more information and knowledge regarding male climacteric, provision of education for these nurses may be needed

Cell polarity and patterning by PIN trafficking through early endosomal compartments in Arabidopsis thaliana

PIN-FORMED (PIN) proteins localize asymmetrically at the plasma membrane and mediate intercellular polar transport of the plant hormone auxin that is crucial for a multitude of developmental processes in plants. PIN localization is under extensive control by environmental or developmental cues, but mechanisms regulating PIN localization are not fully understood. Here we show that early endosomal components ARF GEF BEN1 and newly identified Sec1/Munc18 family protein BEN2 are involved in distinct steps of early endosomal trafficking. BEN1 and BEN2 are collectively required for polar PIN localization, for their dynamic repolarization, and consequently for auxin activity gradient formation and auxin-related developmental processes including embryonic patterning, organogenesis, and vasculature venation patterning. These results show that early endosomal trafficking is crucial for cell polarity and auxin-dependent regulation of plant architecture

Factors Associated With Pain in Youth Soccer Players

Background: Soccer is played by many children younger than 12 years. Despite its health benefits, soccer has also been linked to a high number of sport-related injuries. Purpose: To investigate the relationship between clinical factors and knee or heel pain in youth soccer players. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Study participants included 602 soccer players aged 8 to 12 years who were asked whether they had experienced episodes of knee or heel pain. Data were collected on age, body mass index, years of playing soccer, playing position, and training hours per week. Associations of clinical factors with the prevalence of knee or heel pain were examined by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Episodes of knee and heel pain were reported by 29.4% and 31.1% of players, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that older age and more years of playing soccer were significantly and positively associated with the prevalence of knee pain (P = .037 and P = .015 for trend, respectively) but did not identify any significant associations for heel pain. Conclusion: In this study of youth soccer players, knee pain was associated with older age and more years of play, but heel pain was not significantly associated with any factor

Assessing the oral health

Aims : To compare assessment of the oral health conditions and behaviors of in-patients with diabetes using a clinical version of the Diabetes Oral Health Assessment Tool (C-DiOHAT©) with dental examinations. Methods : A cross-sectional design was used. A nurse assessed 60 in-patients using the C-DiOHAT© (a formatted questionnaire to assess four factors of patients’ oral health conditions and behaviors : oral health conditions, oral hygiene behaviors, sharing health information among patients and dental/medical professionals, and perception and knowledge of oral health) while a dentist examined their oral health conditions. Results : “Use of supplementary tools (e.g., interdental brush, dental floss)” in the item of C-DiOHAT© was significantly associated with dental examination of “the number of present teeth” and “no recommendation of further dental visit”. “Symptoms of gingival swelling” in the item of C-DiOHAT© was also significantly associated with “recommendation of dental visit”. “Knowledge of a relationship between periodontal disease and systemic disease including diabetes” was significantly associated with Community Periodontal Index. Conclusions : These results suggest that nurses should prioritize these assessment items to most quickly acquire useful information about patients’ oral health. It is important to encourage nurses to be interested in patients’ oral health by such small pile of clue

Prevalence and factors related to hot flashes and night sweats in postpartum women in Japan

Hot flashes and night sweats commonly occur during menopausal transition period due to estrogen deficiency, but these conditions can also occur during postpartum period in which there are marked hormonal fluctuations. This study determined the prevalence and examined factors related to hot flashes and night sweats among the Japanese women in the postpartum period. The design of this study was a longitudinal investigation and the population of the postpartum women recruited was 229. A self-administered questionnaire that adapted Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) of measurement was used to collect data at 3 days postpartum, 2 weeks postpartum and one month postpartum. There was a significant association between transient night sweats and anxiety regarding family finances. Women who complained of hot flashes was 22.8% at 3 days postpartum and it decreased thereafter, while women who complained of night sweats were 58.6% at 3 days postpartum, 33.1% at 2 weeks postpartum and 15.2% at one month postpartum. In conclusion, hot flashes and night sweats among Japanese women in the postpartum period was associated with psychological and social factors

産後6か月間におけるうつ・不安症状の経過と新生児と関わる時の感情との関連

Background: Depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms during the postpartum period affect physical health and child rearing and that these effects are important social issues. Objective: The aims of this study were to clarify the differences in the transition of depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms according to parity during a 6-month postpartum period and to clarify the differences in associations of depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms with feelings for involvement with newborn infants in primiparous and multiparous postpartum women. Methods: The design of this study was a longitudinal investigation. This study was conducted from February 2017 to July 2018 in Japan. By using self-administered questionnaires that included questions on psychological symptoms in a standard climacteric scale and questions on feelings for involvement with newborn infants, we collected data at 3 days postpartum, 2 weeks postpartum, one month postpartum, 3 months postpartum and 6 months postpartum. Results: Responses to all of the questionnaires were obtained from 121 (52.8%) of 229 women. The score for depressive symptoms in primiparous women was significantly higher than that in multiparous women at 3 days postpartum. Depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms showed peaks at 2 weeks postpartum in both primiparous women and multiparous women, but depressive symptoms reoccurred from 3 months postpartum to 6 months postpartum in primiparous women and anxiety symptoms reoccurred from one month to 3 months postpartum in multiparous women. Depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms were associated with negative feelings for involvement with newborn infants and with mother’s sleeping time. Conclusion: Changes in depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms were different in primiparous women and multiparous women during a 6-month postpartum period. In addition, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms were associated with negative feelings for involvement with newborn infants and with sleeping time in postpartum women