Higher brain dysfunction generally refers to cognitive and/or behavioral changes resulting from stroke, traumatic head injury, hypoxic encephalopathy, or any other of a number of cerebrovascular events. In 2004, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan released a provisional figure of the probable prevalence of higher brain dysfunction in Japan as some 300,000 individuals. The aim of this study was to provide an estimate of the number of people with higher brain dysfunction in Tokyo. All 651 hospitals in Tokyo were surveyed between January 7, 2008 and January 20, 2008 by questionnaire. Analysis of the data showed 118 incidents of brain damage which resulted in higher brain dysfunction. This roughly converts to 3,010 incidents per year in Tokyo. Taking life expectancy into consideration, we estimate the current number of higher brain dysfunction survivors to be 49,508 (male : 33,936, female : 15,572) in Tokyo. The social impact of higher brain dysfunction has recently emerged amid growing recognition that disturbances of attention, memory, and behavior overshadow the contribution of focal motor deficits to chronic dependency. Our data provide information about the number of people that may require appropriate provision in the community.

A 5-year-old boy with tricuspid atresia who underwent the Björk procedure died due to right atrial thrombus and left pulmonary embolus 37 days after operation. It is suggested that thromboembolism may be a frequent complication after the Björk procedure due to the turbulent blood flow at the right atrio-ventricular anastomosis and also due to congestive blood flow. Anticoagulation therapy seems to be essential for postoperative management.

Locally advanced breast cancer (tumor > 5 cm, widespread infiltration of the skin and muscle, or metastases to lymph nodes) is difficult to resect by surgery, and even when it is resectable, there is a high probability of local recurrence and distant metastasis. Therefore, systemic therapy should be administered first. However, as cutaneous infiltration progresses, the patient's quality of life is impaired by pain, bleeding, presence of exudates, and a foulsmelling odor. Treatment with Mohs paste with systemic therapy can control symptoms associated with skin infiltration and can also be expected to decrease tumor volume.Herein, we report a case in which a tumor was resected following Mohs paste and systemic chemotherapy administration, and the skin defect was reconstructed with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. We also review the literature for previously reported cases of breast cancer involving Mohs paste.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationships between sick building syndrome and mold in newly-built dwellings.

METHODSSymptoms of 61 residents in 18 dwellings were surveyed by standardized questionnaires. Mold sampling was done by gravity sampling using an open Petri dish. Potato dextrose agar (PDA) and dichloran-18% glycerol agar (DG-18) were used as the culture medium.

RESULTSThere were 6 dwellings in which at least one inhabitant complained of one or more symptoms and 12 dwellings in which none of the inhabitants complained of symptoms. There was a tendency for the dwellings with inhabitants reporting symptoms to have larger colony forming units (CFU) on PDA than those without inhabitants reporting symptoms (p=0.1), but there was no difference in DG-18 result. There was a tendency for the dwellings with inhabitants reporting symptoms to have larger CFU ofCladosporium on PDA than those without (p=0.08), but there was no difference in DG-18 result. Significantly moreUlocladium sp. was detected in the dwellings with inhabitants reporting symptoms than in those without (p=0.03).Cladosporium cladosporioides was detected in all the dwellings with inhabitants reporting symptoms and 75% of the dwellings without.Cladosporium macrocarpum andCladosporium herbarum were detected in 33% of the dwellings with inhabitants reporting e symptoms and none of the dwellings without (p=0.1).

CONCLUSIONCladosporium was dominant in the Japanese newly-built dwellings studied, andCladosporium andUlocladium were probably associated with the residents' symptoms in these newly-built dwellings.

BACKGROUND: Although nurses' workplace social capital for a healthy work environment has received considerable attention, few scales about nurses' workplace social capital are based on the attributes of clinical settings in Japan. This study aims to develop a Relational Workplace Social Capital Scale for Japanese Nurses (RWSCS-JN), which includes bonding, linking, and bridging social capital and assessing its reliability and validity. METHODS: We assessed its reliability and validity using questionnaire survey data collected from 309 nurses in the first survey and 105 nurses in the second survey in four hospitals in Japan. First, we determined the number of factors and items for the RWSCS-JN through the parallel and factor analyses after conducting the item analysis. Then, we confirmed the omega coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of the RWSCS-JN. Finally, we examined the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between the RWSCS-JN score and other variables, including an existing measurement of workplace social capital, work engagement, and turnover intention. RESULTS: The newly developed RWSCS-JN contained 15 items, comprising three factors as follows: bonding social capital, linking social capital, and bridging social capital. The omega coefficient and the ICC of the RWSCS-JN were 0.90 and 0.85, respectively. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between the RWSCS-JN and the existing scale of the workplace social capital was 0.88 (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between the RWSCS-JN and work engagement was 0.36 (p < 0.01) and that of the RWSCS-JN and turnover intention was - 0.40 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the RWSCS-JN could be sufficiently useful for a healthy work environment in a clinical setting.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nurses ; Social Capital ; Workplace ; standards

BACKGROUND: In recent years, many of Japanese workers have complained of fatigue and stress, considering them as risk factors for depression. Studies have found that "forest bathing" (Shinrin-yoku) has positive physiological effects, such as blood pressure reduction, improvement of autonomic and immune functions, as well as psychological effects of alleviating depression and improving mental health. In this study, we investigate the physiological and psychological effects of "forest bathing" on people of a working age with and without depressive tendencies. METHODS: We conducted physiological measurements and psychological surveys before and after forest bathing with subjects who participated in day-long sessions of forest bathing, at a forest therapy base located in Hiroshima Prefecture. After excluding severely depressed individuals, the participants were classified into two groups: those with depressive tendencies (5 ≤ K6 ≤ 12) and those without depressive tendencies (K6 < 5) for comparative study. The evaluation indices measured were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse rate (PR), autonomic functions, and profile of mood states (POMS). RESULTS: Of the 155 participants, 37% had depressive tendencies, without any differences observed between males and females. All participants showed significant decrease in SBP, DBP, and in negative POMS items after a forest bathing session. Before the session, those with depressive tendencies scored significantly higher on the POMS negative items than those without depressive tendencies. After forest bathing, those with depressive tendencies demonstrated significantly greater improvement in many of POMS items than those without depressive tendencies, and many of them no longer differed between those with and without depressive tendencies. CONCLUSIONS Examining the physiological and psychological effects of a day-long session of forest bathing on a working age group demonstrated significant positive effects on mental health, especially in those with depressive tendencies. Not applicable; this is not a report of intervention trial.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Depression ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Female ; Forests ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Japan ; Male ; Mental Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Quality of Life ; psychology ; Young Adult