We performed a survey to assess the positions and activities of Japanese women physicians in medical societies. In June 2000, questionnaires were sent to 92 medical societies of the Japanese Association of Medical Science. The response rate was 92.4%. Fifty-four societies (63.5%) failed to provide the number of women physicians. According to the questionnaires that were fully completed and returned, women physicians were more likely to belong to societies of internal medicine, pediatrics, ophthalmology and dermatology. Women physicians were less likely to hold board positions and were underrepresented in leadership positions, even in societies with high percentages of women members. Board positions failed to provide for maternity or child-care leave, and few societies offered childcare facilities at annual meetings. Gender-disaggregated data should be made readily available and additional surveys need to be made to identify obstacles to activities in medical societies.

Background: Most of cancer caring salons (a following salon) are held at the daytime, and there is no report that we weighed against a salon at night. Purpose: We weigh the participation number of people, the differences of participation reason by the time of salon and examine the problems of the salon at the daytime. Method: From July, 2012 to December, we held salons for two hours. The salon at the daytime started at 14:00, and the salon at night was at 18:00. We distributed the questionnaire to participants and examined them. Results: 69 people participated. 22 people (32%) participated at the daytime, and 47 people were at night (p=0.004). Questionnaires are collected in 55 people; a response rate is 80%. Participants less than 60 years old were eight (40%) at the daytime, and 21 (60%) at night. The most common reason of choice the participant time was "not in particular (55%)" at the daytime, and "circumstances of the work (34%)" at night. Conclusion: Young working generations tend to be hard to participate in the salon at the daytime, and the salon at night may be useful.

The most common method of evaluating beneficial impacts of environmental policies is cost-benefit analysis (CBA). In the present review, CBA methods for air pollution impacts are reviewed. Three types of air pollution effects are identified, including health, productivity, and amenity. Market valuation, stated preference methods, and revealed preference methods are identified for valuing benefits. Three types of costs are described, including private sector costs, societal costs, and governmental regulatory costs. A benefits valuation approach based on Freeman’s principals is described. A costs valuation approach based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Dixon et al. principals is described. Limitations associated with estimates of benefits and costs are summarized. Input assumptions and results are compared for several existing air pollution control analyses. The importance of CBA in environmental policy studies is discussed. Our conceptual approaches should be useful in analyses of urban air pollution impacts and air pollution prevention policies.
Air Pollution ; Review [Publication Type] ; benefits ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Control brand of phenylpropanolamine

Objective: Since the conventional drip-infusion method for measuring inulin clearance (Cin) has problems related to its accuracy and performance, we explored a more accurate and concise method by rapid intravenous injection of a newly developed inulin fraction (Inulead^®), in which spot urine sampling was omitted and the administration period of inulin was shortened from 120 to 5 minutes. Patients and Methods: Twenty seven patients (M/F: 15/12, 67.8 ± 12.9 years old) admitted to the Nephrology ward were enrolled in this study. Inulead^®, 1500 mg dissolved in 150 mL of saline, was intravenously administered in 5 minutes. Then, sequential blood samplings and urine collection were performed for 24 hours. Cins were calculated by the following three formulae: (1) a pharmacokinetic analysis using a two compartments model based on the plasma inulin concentration to determine Cin, which was the administered dose divided by the area under the curve (AUC) from 0 to ∞, (2) urinary inulin excretion divided by the AUC for 24 hours and (3) the Bayesian method using a three-point set of plasma inulin concentrations to predict the change of inulin concentration to determine Cin as in 1. These Cins were compared with levels of estimated GFR (eGFR), creatinine clearance (Ccr), serum β2 microglobulin (β2MG) and serum cystatin C (Cys C). Results: Cins obtained by the above three methods were well correlated with each other (r. = 0.9088 – 0.9998) and with eGFR (r. = 0.8286 – 0.8650), Ccr (r. = 0.821 – 0.864), 1/β2MG (r. = 0.631 –0.752) and 1/CysC (r. = 0.830 – 0.857). The averaged differences of each Cin from eGFR were distributed between –4.4 and –4.5 mL/min. Conclusion: Since the Cins by rapid inulin injection showed satisfactory correlation and differences with other GFR parameters, this method will be a good alternative to the drip infusion method, and may reduce the burden of patients and medical staff.

Purpose: Pelvic exenteration (PE) is a highly invasive procedure with high morbidity and mortality rates. Promising options to reduce this invasiveness have included laparoscopic and transperineal approaches. The aim of this study was to identify the safety of combined transabdominal and transperineal endoscopic PE for colorectal malignancies. Methods: Fourteen patients who underwent combined transabdominal and transperineal PE (T group: 2-team approach, n = 7; O group: 1-team approach, n = 7) for colorectal malignancies between April 2016 and March 2020 in our institutions were included in this study. Clinicopathological features and perioperative outcomes were compared between groups. Results: All patients successfully underwent R0 resection. Operation time tended to be shorter in the T group (463 minutes) than in the O group (636 minutes, P = 0.080). Time to specimen removal was significantly shorter (258 minutes vs. 423 minutes, P = 0.006), blood loss was lower (343 mL vs. 867 mL, P = 0.042), and volume of blood transfusion was less (0 mL vs. 560 mL, P = 0.063) in the T group, respectively. Postoperative complications were similar between groups. Conclusion Combined transabdominal and transperineal PE under a synchronous 2-team approach was feasible and safe, with the potential to reduce operation time, blood loss, and surgeon stress.

Purpose: Pelvic exenteration (PE) is a highly invasive procedure with high morbidity and mortality rates. Promising options to reduce this invasiveness have included laparoscopic and transperineal approaches. The aim of this study was to identify the safety of combined transabdominal and transperineal endoscopic PE for colorectal malignancies. Methods: Fourteen patients who underwent combined transabdominal and transperineal PE (T group: 2-team approach, n = 7; O group: 1-team approach, n = 7) for colorectal malignancies between April 2016 and March 2020 in our institutions were included in this study. Clinicopathological features and perioperative outcomes were compared between groups. Results: All patients successfully underwent R0 resection. Operation time tended to be shorter in the T group (463 minutes) than in the O group (636 minutes, P = 0.080). Time to specimen removal was significantly shorter (258 minutes vs. 423 minutes, P = 0.006), blood loss was lower (343 mL vs. 867 mL, P = 0.042), and volume of blood transfusion was less (0 mL vs. 560 mL, P = 0.063) in the T group, respectively. Postoperative complications were similar between groups. Conclusion Combined transabdominal and transperineal PE under a synchronous 2-team approach was feasible and safe, with the potential to reduce operation time, blood loss, and surgeon stress.