幼小連携のカリキュラムについての一考察 : 小学1年生の「体育」「音楽」の授業観察を通して

本研究では、入学まもない小学1年生の「体育」「音楽」の授業観察や担任による子どもの行動への気づきを通して、子どもたちの「とまどい」や「つまずき」はどのようなものがあるのかを明らかにし、学びの芽生えの軸における一貫したカリキュラムについて検討するものである。 授業観察の結果や、担任による子どもの行動への気づきから、様々な子どもの「とまどい」や「つまずき」があることが明らかになったが、教師はすでに適切な取り組みをしていた。しかしながら、それらの子どもたちの「つまずき」は 1学期が終わっても、そのまま継続しているものもあるため、子どもにとって高すぎる「段差」であるのか、それとも、時間が経てば乗り越えられるのかどうかは明らかではない。 今後も授業観察を通して、子どもたちがその「段差」を乗り越えていけるのかどうか、さらには、幼児期の体育・音楽などの楽しい遊びが小学校の教科における知的好奇心として学習に組み替えられるにはどのような課題があるのかについて検討していきたいと考えている。The purpose of this study is to investigate what puzzlement or stumbling the 1st graders of elementary school would feel. Then, we will discuss the consistent curriculum focusing on the encouragement of children\u27s learning. From the results of class observations and the class teachers\u27 notice on their 1st graders\u27 behaviors, it was revealed that the children felt various puzzlement or stumbling, although the teachers had already taken proper actions for it. However, since some of the children\u27s problems (or "barriers") continue after the 1st term, it remained uncertain whether the problems were too hard for the children to overcome or solvable with the passage of time. In the future, we will continue to explore if the children will be able to overcome the problems by observing their classes in the next term

Comparison of frailty between users and nonusers of a day care center using the Kihon Checklist in Brazil

[Background/purpose]Day care centers are rapidly expanding in Brazil to meet the needs of the increasing older population. However, health profiles of their clients remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate and compare the health conditions of users and nonusers of a day care center using a new frailty index, the Kihon Checklist. [Methods]This was a cross-sectional observational study. We recruited 59 users (mean age 81.1 ± 6.69 years) and 173 nonusers (mean age 69.9 ± 7.39 years). The nonusers were recruited at a recreational club and municipal health units, and the users were recruited at a day care center for the elderly in Brazil. Measurements consisted of questionnaires regarding sociodemographic and health-related characteristics and the Kihon Checklist. [Results]Compared with the nonusers, users had a higher prevalence of frailty (p < 0.001) and impairment of all specific domains (instrumental activities of daily living impairment, p < 0.001; physical inactivity, p < 0.001; seclusion, p < 0.001; cognitive deficit, p < 0.001; and depression, p < 0.001). The users were also more likely to be frail [odds ratio (OR), 14.226; 95% confidence interval (CI), 5.423–37.320; p < 0.001], dependence in instrumental activities of daily living (OR, 78.845; 95% CI, 19.569–317.674; p < 0.001), physically inactive (OR, 3.509; 95% CI, 1.467–8.394; p = 0.005), cognitively impaired (OR, 5.887; 95% CI, 2.360–14.686; p < 0.001), and depressed (OR, 5.175; 95% CI, 2.322–11.531; p < 0.001) than the nonusers. [Conclusion]The users of the day care center were frailer than nonusers, especially with regard to independence in instrumental activities of daily living, physical strength, cognitive function, and mood. Health care workers should use the Kihon Checklist to verify frequently the condition of elderly patients to prevent worsening of frailty

Urban-rural differences in physical performance and health status among older Japanese community-dwelling women

[Background/Purpose]Assessment of physical performance allows the identification of health and functional independence among older adults. Several factors, such as environmental conditions, influence the results; therefore our objective was to compare the physical performance and the health status between older Japanese women living in urban and rural communities. [Methods]The Japanese women were aged ≥65 years, and recruited in urban (n = 41, age = 73.8 ± 3.92 years) and rural (n = 54, age = 73.8 ± 4.15 years) locations through the local press. Physical performance was assessed by the Timed Up and Go (TUG), one leg stand (OLS), repeated chair stands (CS) and handgrip strength (HGS) tests. Health status was investigated using socio-demographic characteristics; anthropometric measures and body composition; physical activity, a pedometer, Life-Space Assessment (LSA); Geriatric Depression Scale; incidence of falls, fear of falling; and medical information. Variables were compared by χ2 test, Independent-Samples t test and Mann Whitney U-test. [Results]Rural individuals presented a better performance in the HGS test (p = 0.01) than urban individuals, who had a better performance in the CS test (p < 0.001). No statistical differences were found in the TUG or OLS tests. Rural women also had a higher body mass index (p = 0.04), waist circumference (p < 0.01), and body fat percentage (p = 0.014) than urban women, who showed higher scores in LSA (p < 0.001). Concerning medical information, more rural women complained of low back pain (p = 0.01) and gastrointestinal problems (p = 0.02). [Conclusion]Our findings showed that the physical performance and health status varied according to the place. Rural individuals had worse results in the CS test, but a better performance in the HGS test than urban individuals. We emphasize that health interventions should address the specific demand of each location

How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected wheelchair users? Time-series analysis of the number of railway passengers in Tokyo

Abstract The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed ‘new barriers’ to people with disabilities (PwDs) who have already experienced many barriers to using public transportation. However, there is limited quantitative knowledge of how PwDs have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of public transportation by PwDs over time. Specifically, we analysed time-series data on wheelchair rail passenger numbers and all rail passenger numbers in Tokyo from April 2012 to December 2021. The impact of COVID-19 was more accurately assessed by excluding seasonal variations in the time-series, and two key findings were obtained. First, the change point for the decline in the number of passengers owing to the COVID-19 pandemic was March 2020, one month earlier than the declaration of the state of emergency. Second, using the time-series model, the actual and estimated values were compared, and we found that wheelchair rail passenger numbers reduced by approximately 20 percentage points on average compared with all rail passengers. Wheelchair rail passengers were more severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than all rail passengers. Based on previous studies, these findings demonstrated that opportunities to participate in society were disproportionately reduced for PwDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study’s quantitative data and the resulting conclusions on wheelchair users are useful for inclusive planning for mitigating the pandemic’s impact by national administrations and public transport authorities

Efficient Percutaneous Delivery of the Antimelanogenic Agent Glabridin Using Cationic Amphiphilic Chitosan Micelles.

Partially myristoylated chitosan pyrrolidone carboxylate (PMCP) is a cationic amphiphilic chitosan derivative. Glabridin (Glab) from licorice root extracts is a hydrophobic antimelanogenic agent. Here we assessed the effects of cationic Glab-containing polymeric micelles derived from PMCP (Glab/PMCP-PM) on the ability of Glab to penetrate the skin and inhibit melanogenesis using a human skin model. The amount of Glab absorbed 24 h after the application of Glab/PMCP-PM was approximately four times higher than that of conventional oil-in-water micelles (control) prepared using Tween 60. Further, the release of IL-1α, a mediator of inflammation, was not detected. Treatment with Glab/PMCP-PM significantly increased the inhibition of melanogenesis compared with control. The inhibition of melanogenesis depends upon the enhanced ability of Glab to penetrate the skin, particularly the epidermis. Moreover, the inhibition of melanogenesis and the cationic potential of the Glab/PMCP-PM levels were increased by the cationic phospholipid copolymer. Therefore, Glab/PMCP-PM shows potential as an effective transdermal delivery system for treating skin hyperpigmentation

Stress assessment using hair cortisol of kangaroos affected by the lumpy jaw disease

The aim of this study was to objectively assess stress of kangaroos affected by lumpy jaw disease (LJD) using plasma and hair cortisol concentrations. The plasma and hair samples were collected from kangaroos with LJD and healthy controls. Collected hair samples were extracted with methanol after washing with isopropanol, following which they were processed with the cortisol enzyme immunoassay kit. The plasma cortisol concentration of LJD animals tended to be higher than that of the control. Ventral hair cortisol, but not dorsal hair, of LJD animals was significantly higher than that of the control. In conclusion, stress in kangaroos infected with LJD could be assessed by measuring ventral hair cortisol