Longitudinal association between psychological distress and mask-wearing post COVID-19 among psychiatric outpatients in Japan.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted psychological distress globally and led to widespread behavioral changes, including mask-wearing. Research shows that mask-wearing behavior may have psychological consequences. Infection control behaviors and psychological distress are expected to decrease as the pandemic subsides.

Association between pharmacological guideline adherence and actigraphy-measured sleep variables in long-term hospitalized patients with schizophrenia.

Aim: Improving sleep quality is a crucial clinical objective in schizophrenia care; however, the association between evidence-based pharmacological treatment and sleep outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to examine whether guideline adherence, assessed using the individual fitness score (IFS), correlated with actigraphy-measured sleep in long-term hospitalized patients.

Methods: We included 40 inpatients aged <65 years who were diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Comparative Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Aflibercept and Brolucizumab in Human Aqueous Humor Using Nano-Surface and Molecular-Orientation Limited Proteolysis.

Aflibercept and brolucizumab, two anti-VEGF agents used as intravitreal injections in ophthalmology, differ significantly in molecular weight (aflibercept-115 kDa and brolucizumab-26 kDa). Using aqueous humor samples collected after drug administration, we measured and performed a comparative analysis of pharmacokinetics and half-lives of these drugs in the human eye. Since the quantification of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) using antigen-antibody reactions, such as ELISA, is influenced by endogenous ligands or anti-drug antibodies, we employed nano-surface and molecular-orientation limited proteolysis (nSMOL), combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), for accurate measurements.

Effectiveness and cytokine profile of combined anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and corticosteroid therapy for chronic retinal vein occlusion.

Purpose: To investigate whether sub-Tenon injection of triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) combined with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) prolongs the recurrence intervals of macular edema (ME) for chronic retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and to investigate the differences in intraocular inflammatory cytokines between good responders (GRs) and non-responders (NRs).

Methods: This retrospective, observational study involved 42 eyes of 42 patients with ME due to chronic RVO who had received only anti-VEGF for ≥ 1 year and were transitioned to combination therapy. GRs were defined as patients whose recurrence intervals were prolonged by ≥ 2 weeks compared with patients receiving anti-VEGF alone.

Preoperative Embolization of Brain Tumors Using a Provocative Test: Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Embolization of Test-Positive Vessels.

Purpose: The embolization of vessels potentially involved in the vasa nervorum during brain tumor embolization is often a non-aggressive procedure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of embolization of vessels with positive provocative test results.

Methods: Embosphere (Merit Medical Systems, South Jordan, Utah, USA) was the embolization material of choice.

Exacerbation of restless legs syndrome following amygdalohippocampectomy: A case report.

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological sensorimotor disorder characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs. In the perioperative period, patients with RLS may experience an acute exacerbation of symptoms. Although studies on the exacerbation of RLS after brain surgery are limited, we present a case wherein symptoms worsened following left amygdalohippocampectomy.

Predicting central choroidal thickness from colour fundus photographs using deep learning.

The estimation of central choroidal thickness from colour fundus images can improve disease detection. We developed a deep learning method to estimate central choroidal thickness from colour fundus images at a single institution, using independent datasets from other institutions for validation. A total of 2,548 images from patients who underwent same-day optical coherence tomography examination and colour fundus imaging at the outpatient clinic of Jichi Medical University Hospital were retrospectively analysed.

Parasomnia induced by lemborexant: a case report.

Lemborexant, an orexin receptor antagonist, is effective not only for sleep disorders but also for preventing and treating delirium. To date, no complex sleep-related behaviors due to lemborexant have been reported. Herein, we present the case of a 69-year-old male patient who was hospitalized for oral floor and tongue cancer and developed delirium after surgery; however, upon lemborexant dosage increase, used to treat insomnia, he developed abnormal nocturnal behavior.

Scleritis following intravitreal brolucizumab injection: a case series.

Background: This study reports the first cases of scleritis following intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) injection for nAMD, emphasizing the need to be aware of the possibility of scleritis following IVBr injections.

Case Presentation: Case 1. A 74-year-old Japanese man with nAMD complained of conjunctivitis and decreased vision in the right eye 8 days after his eighth IVBr injection.

Association between Children's Difficulties, Parent-Child Sleep, Parental Control, and Children's Screen Time: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan.

Children's screen time may affect their growth and development. However, differences in the impact of various psychiatric and psychological factors on children's screen time is a research gap. This study aimed to explore the differences in the influence of related factors affecting children's screen time based on their sleep, difficulties, and parental control among Japanese elementary and junior high school students.

Sodium Valproate Use in Japanese Patients with Schizophrenia and Coronavirus Disease Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Pneumonia.

Schizophrenia is a known risk factor for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection and severity, and certain psychotropic drugs have been linked to increased mortality in infected patients with schizophrenia. However, little evidence exists regarding this risk. We retrospectively examined the association between mood stabilizers and the risk of pneumonia in patients with schizophrenia.

Efficacy of a Modified Treat-and-Extend Aflibercept Regimen for Macular Oedema in Eyes with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion: 2-Year Prospective Study.

This prospective, multicentre, interventional study evaluated the efficacy of a modified treat-and-extend (mTAE) aflibercept regimen as personalized therapy for macular oedema (MO) due to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Fifty eyes were studied from 50 patients who were enrolled between November 2016 and July 2019. All patients received intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) injections on an mTAE regimen for 24 months.

Individual Learning Needs of Japanese Public Health Dietitians by Years of Experience in Health Promotion.

Lifelong education for dietitians in Japan is based mainly on competencies according to years of experience. Because learning content differs depending on the desired position and specialty, training programs that reflect the individual learning needs of public health dietitians are needed. This study aimed to assess the individual learning needs of public health dietitians via years of experience in health promotion.

The vision for public health dietitians' skill improvement over the next 10 years in Japan: A qualitative study.

Objectives: To obtain the basis for developing a new human resource development program. We examined the association between their position type and their vision for skill improvement in the profession in the next 10 years.

Study Design: This was a qualitative study.

Foods and Nutrients at Risk for Insufficient Intake by Community-Dwelling Healthy Older Women Eating Alone and Together in Japan-A Preliminary Finding.

Eating alone and poor dental status have been reported to influence dietary intake in older adults. First, we compared nutrient and food intake and dental markers between women eating alone and together, who participated in a home health management program conducted by Kanazawa Medical University. The results showed the significantly higher intake of fresh fruit and some micro-nutrients and a lower decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index (better dental status) in women eating alone after adjusting for age, suggesting that dental status may mediate the association between commensality and dietary intake.

An AI model to estimate visual acuity based solely on cross-sectional OCT imaging of various diseases.

Purpose: To develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model for estimating best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) using horizontal and vertical optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans of various retinal diseases and examine factors associated with its accuracy.

Methods: OCT images and associated BCVA measurements from 2,700 OCT images (accrued from 2004 to 2018 with an Atlantis, Triton; Topcon, Tokyo, Japan) of 756 eyes of 469 patients and their BCVA were retrospectively analysed. For each eye, one horizontal and one vertical OCT scan in cross-line mode were used.

Analysis of the effect of brexpiprazole on sleep architecture in patients with schizophrenia: A preliminary study.

Background: Brexpiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic drug widely used in Japan for the treatment of schizophrenia. Previous studies have investigated the therapeutic effects of some antipsychotics on sleep variables; however, to our knowledge, the effects of brexpiprazole on sleep architecture have not been examined in patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, we aimed to exploratorily investigate the effect of brexpiprazole on sleep variables measured by polysomnography in patients with schizophrenia.

Hotspot analysis of COVID-19 infection using mobile-phone location data.

Restrictions on outdoor activities are required to suppress the COVID-19 pandemic. To monitor social risks and control the pandemic through sustainable restrictions, we focus on the relationship between the number of people going out and the effective reproduction number. The novelty of this study is that we have considered influx population instead of staying-population, as the data represent congestion.

Measures of Perceived Neighborhood Food Environments and Dietary Habits: A Systematic Review of Methods and Associations.

Access to healthy food is a necessity for all people. However, there is still a lack of reviews on the assessment of respondent-based measures of neighborhood food environments (perceived food environments). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the measurement tools for perceived food environments by five dimensions of food access and to obtain the overview of their associations with dietary habits among people aged 18 years and older in middle- and high-income countries.

An assessment of implementation gaps and priority recommendations on food environment policies: the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index in Japan.

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate policies and actions for food environments by the Japanese Government using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI).

Design: Public health experts rated the extent of implementation of food environment-related Policy and the Infrastructure-support components, compared with international best practices. Subsequently, the experts proposed and prioritised future actions to address implementation gaps in an online workshop.

Rapid progression of chorioretinal atrophy in punctate inner choroiditis: a case report.

Background: The chorioretinal inflammatory lesions occurring in punctate inner choroiditis evolve into punched-out atrophic scars. Typically, the progression is gradual. We report a case of highly myopic punctate inner choroiditis with rapid progression of chorioretinal atrophy.