Home visitors' needs and perceptions of the benefits of a home visiting program for childcare support in Japan: A qualitative study of home visitors.

Background: The Home Visiting Program for Childcare Support (HV-CCS; "Yoiku Shien Homon Jigyo" in Japanese) has targeted families in need of parenting support and those at risk of child maltreatment in Japan.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the needs and perceptions of benefits of home visitors in HV-CCS.

Participants And Setting: Sixteen home visitors agreed to participate in the interview.

Validity and Reproducibility of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for Dietary Assessment in Japanese People.

A 76-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed to investigate nutritional epidemiology in urban residents in Japan. The authors prepared two food models-a life-size three-dimensional model and a life-size two-dimensional photograph-to assess the FFQ portion size. The validity of the FFQ was verified using the two food models by comparing them with 16-d weighted dietary records (WDRs).

Preoperative factors affecting the two-year postoperative patient-reported outcome in single-level lumbar grade I degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Background: The choice of operative method for lumbar spinal stenosis with Meyerding grade I degenerative spondylolisthesis remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to identify the preoperative factors affecting the 2-year postoperative patient-reported outcome in Meyerding grade I degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Methods: Seventy-two consecutive patients who had minimally invasive decompression alone (D group; 28) or with fusion (DF group; 44) were enrolled.

Clinical significance of KL-6 in immune-checkpoint inhibitor treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) functions as a tumor marker, as well as a diagnostic tool for interstitial pneumonia (IP). However, the significance of KL-6 in the immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially in patients without IP, is unknown.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study, which included patients with advanced NSCLC who received ICI therapy, analyzed the association between serum KL-6 values and ICI efficacy and the association between serum KL-6 values and ICI-induced interstitial lung disease (ILD) occurrence, focusing primarily on patients without IP.

Influence of Smoking History on the Effectiveness of Immune-checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Analysis of Real-world Data.

Background/aim: There is no real-world data in an Asian population to investigate the difference between the outcome of immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy and combination therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on smoking status. In this study, we investigated the correlation between smoking status and the efficacy of ICI therapy for NSCLC patients.

Patients And Methods: This multicentre retrospective study enrolled patients with recurrent or metastatic NSCLC who were treated using ICI therapy between December 2015 and July 2020.

Vimentin expression correlates with immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Although vimentin is often expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the association between vimentin expression and immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy remains unclear.

Methods: This retrospective multicenter study enrolled patients with NSCLC who received ICI treatment between December 2015 and July 2020. The authors constructed tissue microarrays and performed immunohistochemical staining with vimentin.

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 expression and immunotherapy efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer.

It is unclear whether tumor vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 expression affects the therapeutic efficacy of immune-checkpoint inhibitors and antiangiogenic agents. This retrospective, multicenter study included patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. We constructed tissue microarrays and performed immunohistochemistry with an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 antibody.

The new imaging findings: "Passing spine" without kissing.

Case-control studies by examining the lumbar spine computed tomography (CT) findings focusing on the spinous processes."Passing spine" was defined as a lumbar degenerative change observed on CT images. In contrast, kissing spine, which is also an image finding, has been acknowledged as an established clinical condition.

Tumor microenvironment disparity in multiple primary lung cancers: Impact of non-intrinsic factors, histological subtypes, and genetic aberrations.

Introduction: Multiple primary lung cancers (MPLCs) occur in common carcinogenetic risks such as lifestyle, biological aging, immune responses, hormones, and metabolism. Although MPLCs harbor various genetic profiles within the same individuals, differences in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are unclear. We investigated the impact of genetic aberrations, non-intrinsic factors, and pathological subtypes on tumor immunity.

Mutational landscape of multiple primary lung cancers and its correlation with non-intrinsic risk factors.

Multiple primary lung cancers (MPLCs) harbour various genetic profiles among the tumours, even from individuals with same non-intrinsic risk factors. Paired mutational analyses were performed to obtain a census of mutational events in MPLC and assess their relationship with non-intrinsic risk factors. Thirty-eight surgical specimens from 17 patients diagnosed as MPLC were used.

Can smoking duration alone replace pack-years to predict the risk of smoking-related oncogenic mutations in non-small cell lung cancer? A cross-sectional study in Japan.

Objective: To investigate whether smoking duration alone can replace pack-years to predict the risk of oncogenic mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Design: A cross-sectional study using the baseline dataset from the Japan Molecular Epidemiology for Lung Cancer Study.

Setting: Forty-three medical institutions nationwide in Japan.

Predictive impact of low-frequency pretreatment T790M mutation in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Objectives: Low-frequency epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation could be detected by ultrasensitive methods in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-naïve non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the impact of pretreatment T790M (preT790M) on the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs and on resistance remains unclear.

Materials And Methods: Two independent cohorts consisting of advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients treated with first-line EGFR-TKIs, a derivation cohort that started treatment between August 2013 and July 2016 (cohort A, n = 44) and a validation cohort between August 2016 and December 2017 (cohort B, n = 22), were examined in this study.

Impact of tumor microenvironment on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

We retrospectively investigated the impact of the tumor microenvironment (TME) on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as first-line treatment in 70 patients with advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer and who were seen at Osaka City University Hospital (Osaka, Japan) between August 2013 and December 2017. Using immunohistochemical staining with 28-8 and D7U8C Abs, the tumor proportion score was assessed for programmed cell death-1 ligand-1 (PD-L1), as high (50% or more) or low (less than 50%), and ligand-2 (PD-L2) expression, respectively. The extent of CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes was evaluated on a scale of 0-3, with 0-1 as low and 2-3 as high.

Applying a meal coding system to 16-d weighed dietary record data in the Japanese context: towards the development of simple meal-based dietary assessment tools.

Data on the combination of foods consumed simultaneously at specific eating occasions are scarce, primarily due to a lack of assessment tools. We applied a recently developed meal coding system to multiple-day dietary intake data for assessing its ability to estimate food and nutrient intakes and characterise meal-based dietary patterns in the Japanese context. A total of 242 Japanese adults completed sixteen non-consecutive-day weighed dietary records, including 14 734 eating occasions (3788 breakfasts, 3823 lunches, 3856 dinners and 3267 snacks).

Japanese orthopaedic association cervical myelopathy evaluation questionnaire (JOACMEQ): Part 5. Determination of responsiveness.

Background: In 1999, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association decided to develop a new Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ). The final version of the JOACMEQ, comprising 24 questions and five domains (cervical spine function (CF); upper extremity function (UF); lower extremity function (LF); bladder function (BF); and quality of life (QOL)), was established after three nationwide investigations. The fourth investigation, reported in this paper, was performed to confirm the responsiveness of the questionnaire.

Validation study of a self-administered diet history questionnaire for estimating amino acid intake among Japanese adults.

Background And Objectives: Despite growing interest in the association between dietary amino acid intake and optimal health, validated dietary questionnaires that can estimate amino acid intake have been scarce. We examined the validity of amino acid intakes estimated using a self-administered diet history questionnaire (DHQ) comparing with 16-day semi-weighed dietary records (DR).

Methods And Study Design: A total of 184 Japanese men and women completed a four-day DR and a DHQ four times, once in each season.

Low-dose irradiation of mouse embryos increases Smad-p21 pathway activity and preserves pluripotency.

Purpose: To study the outcomes of mouse preimplantation embryos irradiated with low doses of X-rays (≤ 1 Gy) and investigate apoptosis and pluripotency of the irradiated embryos.

Methods: Mouse embryos at the 2-cell stage were collected for in vitro culture. After reaching the 8-cell stage, embryos were irradiated with various low doses of X-rays (0-1 Gy).

[DIAN/DIAN-J/DIAN-TU].

The Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network (DIAN) observational study compared pathophysiological markers between mutation carriers and non-carriers in autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease. This study revealed that changes in the biomarkers in the mutation carrier's brain start as early as 20 or even 25 years prior to the onset of symptoms. Doctors of the DIAN-Japan team have successfully implemented the DIAN study in Japan (DIAN-J) with effort and enthusiasm.

Verification of the sensitivity of functional scores for treatment results - Substantial clinical benefit thresholds for the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ).

Background: Validity and reliability of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) had already been verified as the patients' self-rating assessment of low back pain and lumbar spinal disease and, the present study demonstrated the responsiveness of this measure.

Methods: 192 subjects who were determined by medical instructors of the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research were analyzed. They had completed a series of treatment and both surveys before and after the treatment.

[Inverse Analysis of the Relationship between Ocular Refraction and Birth Month Using Matrix Equations].

Purpose: To find which kind of light exposure and what sensitivity patterns in infancy influence the relationship between ocular refraction and birth month. Methods: We studied 13,757 children whose cycloplegic refraction could be tested during their initial visit to a children's hospital. After dividing subjects into four groups based on refractive degree, the risk ratio for each birth month was calculated from the cases for that month and the results were adjusted using the national birth/month.

Time-interval changes of cardiac cycles in fetal growth restriction.

Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate the time intervals of each component of cardiac flow velocity waveforms (FVWs) in fetuses with fetal growth restriction (FGR) and to compare these with those of normal fetuses using reference ranges.

Methods: The durations of atrioventricular (AV) valve opening (AVVO), AV valve closure (AVVC), total E- (total-E) and A- (total-A) waves, total ejection time (total-ET), acceleration time (acc-E for E-wave, acc-A for A-wave, and acc-ET for ejection time), and deceleration time (dec-E for E-wave, dec-A for A-wave, and dec-ET for ejection time) were measured in fetuses with FGR. All variables were analyzed using z-scores.

Estimation of habitual iodine intake in Japanese adults using 16 d diet records over four seasons with a newly developed food composition database for iodine.

Although habitual seaweed consumption in Japan would suggest that iodine intake in Japanese is exceptionally high, intake data from diet records are limited. In the present study, we developed a composition database of iodine and estimated the habitual intake of iodine among Japanese adults. Missing values for iodine content in the existing composition table were imputed based on established criteria.

Designing optimal food intake patterns to achieve nutritional goals for Japanese adults through the use of linear programming optimization models.

Background: Simultaneous dietary achievement of a full set of nutritional recommendations is difficult. Diet optimization model using linear programming is a useful mathematical means of translating nutrient-based recommendations into realistic nutritionally-optimal food combinations incorporating local and culture-specific foods. We used this approach to explore optimal food intake patterns that meet the nutrient recommendations of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) while incorporating typical Japanese food selections.