Prevalence of Chronic Pain, Especially Headache, and Relationship with Health-Related Quality of Life in Middle-Aged Japanese Residents

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of chronic pain (CP) and the relationship between CP, especially headache adjusted for CP at other sites, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in middle-aged Japanese residents. We examined the prevalence of CP (defined as pain persisting for 3 months or more) and HRQoL (SF-36) in 1117 middle-aged residents of Japan. We assessed the eight dimensions of health status and the 3 component SF-36 summary score to evaluate HRQoL. The prevalence of CP was 15.3% among men and 15.1% among women. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that lumbar pain (p β = -0.132), knee pain (p β = -0.115), foot pain (p = 0.042, β = -0.065), and age (p β = -0.154) were independently correlated with a lower physical component score (PCS). Older age (ppβ = -0.096), knee pain (p β = -0.109), upper limb pain (p β = -0.098), and lumbar pain (p = 0.022, β = -0.077) all showed a significant negative correlation with MCS. The presence of chronic headache (p = 0.011, β = -0.082) was the only factor significantly correlated with a lower role component score (RCS). We identified a negative correlation between chronic headache and RCS, unlike the relation between musculoskeletal pain and PCS or MCS, suggesting that RCS was an independently influenced by CP differently from PCS or MCS in Japanese residents.

The Association of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Symptoms of Asthma, Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis and Eczema among Japanese Children Aged 3 - 6 Years

There is insufficient epidemiological evidence on the relationship between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and allergic diseases. We performed a cross-sectional survey to elucidate the associations between them using validated screening tools. The participants were children aged 3 - 6 years attending kindergarten or nursery school in Shika Town, Japan (n = 417;valid response rate = 80.4%). Autism spectrum features were scored on the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). Allergic symptoms (asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema) were determined according to the criteria of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. A total of 15 children (4.5%) had an SCQ score of 11 points or higher. The prevalence of symptoms was 14.7% for asthma, and 5.3% for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and 11.4% for eczema. Logistic regression indicated that symptoms of eczema were significantly associated with SCQ scores of 11 points or higher [odds ratio (OR), 4.38;95% confidence interval (CI), 1.41 - 13.59]. The association persisted after adjustment for age, sex, and BMI (OR, 3.84;95% CI, 1.20 - 12.24). Moreover, asthmatic symptoms were significantly associated with male sex (OR, 2.09;95% CI, 1.12 - 3.92) and overweight status (OR, 2.45;95% CI, 1.03 - 5.83). This suggests that higher SCQ scores, which imply more autism spectrum features, are associated with higher prevalence of eczema symptoms. While no causal relationships can be made, ASD might be associated with eczema.

Sex- and Age-Specific Associations of Social Status and Health-Related Behaviors with Health Check Attendance: Findings from the Cross-Sectional Kanazawa Study

Health checks are key features of primary and secondary disease prevention. The aim of this study was to examine the sex- and age-specific association of social status and health-related behaviors with health check attendance in eligible persons. Data were derived from the Kanazawa Study 2011 (n = 12,781), a cross-sectional study which investigated all the residents in model areas of Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. We selected participants aged 23 years or older with National Health Insurance (n = 4920). Attendance at health checks was the outcome. We used social status and health-related behaviors as predictor variables. We analyzed them by sex and applied stratified analyses by age groups for each sex. The bivariate analyses were conducted by means of cross-tabs. We calculated health check attendance rates by each variable. We used Pearson’s χ2-test to examine statistically significant differences. We fitted logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of attendance in the past one year. We computed ORs in a logistic regression model containing all variables described above. Workingmen and women aged 23 to 39 years and aged 40 to 64 years had significantly increased ORs for health check attendance compared with non-working persons. Men, men aged 23 to 39 years and men aged 65 years or older with more physical activity had significantly increased ORs for health check attendance. Male ex-smokers, female ex- and non-smokers, male ex-smokers aged 65 years or older, and female non-smokers aged 40 to 64 years had significantly increased ORs. The findings suggest that population groups with lower social status or increased risks of adverse health effects are less likely to attend health checks than those with higher social status or decreased risks in particular sex and age groups. It indicates that diverse approaches are required to realize the full benefit of health checks.

Effects of pore interconnectivity on bone regeneration in carbonate apatite blocks

Porous architecture in bone substitutes,notably the interconnectivity of pores,is a critical factor for bone ingrowth.However,controlling the pore interconnectivity while maintaining the microarchitecture has not yet been achieved using conventional methods,such as sintering.Herein,we fabricated a porous block using the crystal growth of calcium sulfate dihydrate,and controlled the pore interconnectivity by limiting the region of crystal growth.The calcium sulfate dihydrate blocks were transformed to bone apatite,carbonate apatite(CO_(3)Ap)through dissolution–precipitation reactions.Thus,CO_(3)Ap blocks with 15%and 30%interconnected pore volumes were obtained while maintaining the microarchitecture:they were designated as CO_(3)Ap-15 and CO_(3)Ap-30,respectively.At 4 weeks after implantation in a rabbit femur defect,new bone formed throughout CO_(3)Ap-30,whereas little bone was formed in the center region of CO_(3)Ap-15.At 12 weeks after implantation,a large portion of CO_(3)Ap-30 was replaced with new bone and the boundary with the host bone became blurred.In contrast,CO_(3)Ap-15 remained in the defect and the boundary with the host bone was still clear.Thus,the interconnected pores promote bone ingrowth,followed by replacement of the material with new bone.These findings provide a useful guide for designing bone substitutes for rapid bone regeneration.