Background: This study examined how the frequency of in-person, telephone, text-based communication, and video interactions with non-cohabiting family and friends relates to loneliness among older adults in Japan. Methods: We analyzed data from 6,786 adults aged ≥65 in the 2024 Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS) study. Interaction frequency with non-cohabiting family and friends was categorized into none (reference), monthly, and weekly or more. Loneliness was measured using the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale and dichotomized at ≥4, indicating loneliness; a ≥7 cut-off was used in sensitivity analyses. Logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related factors. Results: For family, significant associations with lower loneliness were observed only at weekly frequencies—in-person (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=0.764, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.664–0.879), text (aOR=0.747, 95% CI 0.659–0.846), and telephone (aOR=0.624, 95% CI 0.543–0.718), whereas for friends, significant associations were observed at monthly frequencies—in-person (aOR=0.621, 95% CI 0.549–0.701), text (aOR=0.881, 95% CI 0.778–0.997), and telephone (aOR=0.734, 95% CI 0.659–0.819). Video calls were associated with lower odds of severe loneliness (score ≥7) in sensitivity analyses—weekly calls with family (aOR=0.736, 95% CI 0.547–0.991) and monthly calls with friends (aOR=0.656, 95% CI 0.470–0.917). Conclusion Interactions with friends show associations with lower levels of loneliness at lower frequencies than family contact. While text and phone calls are broadly associated with reduced loneliness, video calls showed an association specifically with a lower prevalence of severe loneliness, underscoring the potential for tailored communication strategies.

Introduction  This study assessed the level of malaria-related knowledge in Cameroonian mothers and identified the relationship between maternal knowledge and practice of preventive measures in their children.Methods  The study was conducted from August through September 2014. The participants comprised 50 mothers who visited A Health Center for immunization of their biological children under the age of 5 years. They were interviewed using a questionnaire, which was developed by the authors, with a response rate of 100%. The questionnaire was composed of questions regarding maternal malaria-related knowledge, preventive measures for malaria in their children, sources of information on malaria, and attributes of the participants. Analysis of covariance was performed with the items on maternal malaria-related knowledge (four items) as independent variables and preventive measures for malaria in their children (one item) as a dependent variable. Attributes of the participants were entered as covariates in the analysis. Chi square test was conducted between the age of the mother, knowledge related to the causes of malaria, and the use of mosquito nets as a preventive measure against malaria for children.Results  Among the 50 participants, 40 (80.0%) knew “mosquito bite” as the cause of malaria, whereas 10 (20.0%) did not, and 39 (78.0%) cited “healthcare provider at a hospital or clinic” as the source of information on malaria, whereas 26 (52.0%) cited “television.”  Analysis of covariance, which was performed to elucidate the relationship between the four items on malaria-related knowledge and the one item on preventive measures for malaria in their children, showed significant differences in all combinations.   Chi square test was conducted between knowledge related to the causes of malaria and the use of mosquito nets as a preventive measure against malaria for children. The result was a significant trend.Conclusions  This study demonstrated that mothers who had knowledge about the causes, symptoms, preventive measures, and financial burden of malaria took measures to prevent malaria in their children.   These findings suggested the importance of disseminating correct information on malaria, including its causes and the behavior of mosquitoes, for decreasing malarial morbidity and under-five mortality with appropriate preventive measures.

We reviewed a total of 23 cases of multiple myeloma that were treated in our hospital during the six-year period between January 1978 and December 1983. It was found that the majority of the multiple myeloma patients (52.2%) had complained of pain in the lumbar spine area when they visited our office. It was also made clear that it had taken considerably long before definitive diagnosis for those patients with low back pain when compared with the patients with other complaints.
Furthermore, we went over the results of some of the routine tests conducted at their first visits. These tests are often included in the mass health screening program.
We found that ZTT levels were abnormal in 90.9% of the multiple myeloma patients, Ch-E in 82.6% and A/G ratio in 73.9%.
These resuits suggest that doctors should suspect multiple myeloma and indicate further examinations when ZTT values were found abnormally high or low among elderly people complaining of low back pain by clinial or mass health examination.