Moderate to vigorous physical activity is associated with improving insulin resistance in overweight and obese adults. However, effect of light physical activity on insulin resistance remains to be fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of light physical activity on insulin resistance in overweight and obese men. Thirty-seven overweight and obese middle-aged men (28.9 ± 1.8 kg/m², 51.0 ± 8.8 years) participated in this study. They took part in the lifestyle intervention (calorie restricted diet and exercise) for 12 weeks. Anthropometric parameters, fasting glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR were assessed at baseline and post intervention. Physical activity was objectively measured using a triaxial accelerometer at baseline and during intervention. Light physical activity (+17.7 min/day) and moderate-vigorous physical activity (+33.2 min/day) increased significantly, while body weight (-12.4 kg), fasting glucose (-9.5 mg/ml), fasting insulin (-4.2 μU/ml), and HOMA-IR (-1.1) decreased significantly. The change in light physical activity from baseline to during intervention were inversely related to change in fasting insulin (r = 0.18, P = 0.02) and change in HOMA-IR (r = -0.16, P = 0.03), after adjustment for several confounders. These results suggest that an increase of light physical activity improves insulin resistance in overweight and obese men.

Although long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets (LLINs) have been widely used for malaria control, little is known about how the condition of LLINs affects the risk of malaria infection. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between the use of LLINs with holes and caregiver-reported malaria diagnosed in children under five years of age (U5). Data were collected in Boboye health district, Niger, in 2010. Surveyors conducted interviews and bednet inspections in 1,034 households. If a household had a U5 child, the surveyor asked the caregiver whether the child had experienced a fever episode in the past two weeks that entailed standard treatment for uncomplicated malaria at a healthcare facility. The authors analyzed the association between the use of LLINs with holes and caregiver-reported malaria episodes in U5 children using logistic regression, adjusted for possible confounders. Of the 1,165 children included in the analysis, approximately half (53.3%) used an intact LLIN while far fewer (10.6%) used a LLIN with holes. Compared to children using an intact LLIN, children using a LLIN with holes were significantly more likely to have a caregiver-reported malaria episode (8.7% vs. 17.1%; odds ratio: 2.23; 95% confidence interval: 1.24–4.01). In this study site, LLINs with holes were less protective than intact LLINs.

Although long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets (LLINs) have been widely used for malaria control, little is known about how the condition of LLINs affects the risk of malaria infection. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between the use of LLINs with holes and caregiver-reported malaria diagnosed in children under five years of age (U5). Data were collected in Boboye health district, Niger, in 2010. Surveyors conducted interviews and bednet inspections in 1,034 households. If a household had a U5 child, the surveyor asked the caregiver whether the child had experienced a fever episode in the past two weeks that entailed standard treatment for uncomplicated malaria at a healthcare facility. The authors analyzed the association between the use of LLINs with holes and caregiver-reported malaria episodes in U5 children using logistic regression, adjusted for possible confounders. Of the 1,165 children included in the analysis, approximately half (53.3%) used an intact LLIN while far fewer (10.6%) used a LLIN with holes. Compared to children using an intact LLIN, children using a LLIN with holes were significantly more likely to have a caregiver-reported malaria episode (8.7% vs. 17.1%; odds ratio: 2.23; 95% confidence interval: 1.24–4.01). In this study site, LLINs with holes were less protective than intact LLINs.

For the purpose of confirming the effectiveness of hainosankyuto against periodontitis, we induced periodontitis by treating carrageenin in the gingiva at the right mandibular first molar in the oral cavity of a rat. We administered 2900 mg/kg of hainosankyuto orally for 10 days, and then, examined the anti-inflammatory effect of hainosankyuto on periodontitis. The gingival condition was evaluated by photographing, and histopathological analysis was performed by pathological specimens of removed inflamed-sites after the final administration. As a result, swelling of the gingival was suppressed by hainosankyuto. The periodontal pockets became shallower. Erosion of the epithelial layer was improved. Extension of the epithelial process, decrease of inflammatory cells, and maturing of periodontal membrane were observed. In addition, decrease of the neutrophils, increase of blood vessels and decrease of the osteoclasts were also revealed by histopathological analysis. Furthermore, extension of the junctional epithelium leg and shortened distance of apical movement on junctional epithelium were observed. These results suggested that hainosankyuto would have an anti-inflammatory effect on periodontitis.

In recent years, the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from inappropriate use of antimicrobial drugs has emerged, and a plan to counter AMR has been formulated. From October 2017, our hospital started interventions to guide prescribing physicians in the proper use of intravenous antibiotics for patients requiring said treatment for more than 15 days. In the present study, we investigated the status of treatment with intravenous antibiotics and considered the effects of intervention. This study targeted a total of 2627 patients, 1971 of whom were hospitalized, who started using intravenous antibiotics from June 2017 to January 2018. We assigned those who started between June and September 2017 to the pre-intervention group and those who started between October 2017 and January 2018 to the post-intervention group. The number of patients using long-term intravenous antibiotics, total number of days of treatment, antimicrobial use density (AUD), day of therapy (DOT), and rate of use by lineage of antibiotics were compared. The number of patients using long-term intravenous antibiotics decreased to 40 in the pre-intervention group and 31 in the post-intervention group. There was no significant difference in the total number of treatment days, which was 5.1 ± 5.5 days before and 4.8 ± 4 9 days after, in the intervention group. The AUD of penicillin antibiotics increased and that of aminoglycosides decreased. Furthermore, the DOT of third-generation cephems and lincomycin decreased. Penicillin had an increased lineage use ratio, while that for thirdgeneration cephems, carbapenems, and lincomycin decreased. The number of patients using long-term intravenous antibiotics as well third-generation cephem and carbapenem antibiotics, which are broad spectrum antibiotics, decreased; the overall use of penicillin, a narrow-spectrum antimicrobial, increased. This suggested that the intervention resulted in the promotion of proper use of antimicrobial drugs.