Can self-monitoring mobile health apps reduce sedentary behavior? A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the self-monitoring interventions of a mobile health app reduce sedentary behavior in the short and long terms. METHOD: We designed a double-blind randomized control trial. Participants were selected from among the staff of a medical institution and registrants of an online research firm. Forty-nine participants were randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 25) or an intervention group (n = 24). The control group was given only the latest information about sedentary behavior, and the intervention was provided real-time feedback for self-monitoring in addition to the information. These interventions provided for 5 weeks (to measure the short-term effect) and 13 weeks (to measure the long-term effect) via the smartphone app. Measurements were as follows: subjective total sedentary time (SST), objective total sedentary time (OST), mean sedentary bout duration (MSB), and the number of sedentary breaks (SB). Only SST was measured by self-report based on the standardized International Physical Activity Questionnaire and others were measured with the smartphone. RESULTS: No significant results were observed in the short term. In the long term, while no significant results were also observed in objective sedentary behavior (OST, MSB, SB), the significant differences were observed in subjective sedentary behavior (SST, ßint  - ßctrl between baseline and 9/13 weeks; 1.73 and 1.50 h/d, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Real-time feedback for self-monitoring with smartphone did not significantly affect objective sedentary behavior. However, providing only information about sedentary behavior to users with smartphones may make misperception on the amount of their subjective sedentary behavior.

Identifying characteristics of indicators of sedentary behavior using objective measurements.

OBJECTIVE: Recent attention has been focused on sedentary behavior (SB) affecting health outcomes, but the characteristics of indicators reflecting SB remain to be identified. This cross-sectional study aims to identify the characteristics of indicators of SB, focusing on the examination of correlations, reliability, and validity of sedentary variables assessed by the smartphone app. METHOD: Objectively measured data of SB of eligible 46 Japanese workers obtained from smartphones were used. We assessed the characteristics of current indicators being used with a 10-minute or 30-minute thresholds, in addition to the conventional indicators of total sedentary time, mean sedentary bout duration, and total number of sedentary bouts. They were evaluated from three perspectives: (a) association among the indicators, (b) reliability of the indicators, and (c) criterion validity. RESULTS: Total sedentary time under 10 minutes (U10) and U30 had negative associations with Total sedentary time (r = -.47 and -.21 respectively). The correlation between Mean sedentary bout duration and Total number of sedentary bouts was -.84, whereas between Mean sedentary bout duration 10, 30 and Total number of sedentary bouts were -.54 and -.21, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficients of almost all indicators were around .80. Mean sedentary bout duration, Mean sedentary bout duration 10, Total number of sedentary bouts, Total sedentary time 30, U30 and U10 have significant differences between three BMI groups. CONCLUSION: This study comprehensively revealed the rationale of advantage in the current indicator being used with a 10-minute or 30-minute threshold, rather than the conventional total amount of SB.

Study on workloads of human care worker with the introduction of IT system - the characteristics of work loads by observational research and the suggestions for KAIZEN.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristic of workloads on human care worker with the introduction of IT system, and suggested the support measures for KAIZEN in Japan. The investigation method is workflow line and hearing with a focus on work observation. The objects were 8 human care workers of the acute hospital that introduced an electronic system. By the introduction of the electronic chart, the nurse station sojourn time decreased, sickroom sojourn time increased, and time about direct nursing care to a patient increased. In addition, access to patient information became easy, and the offer of the health care service based on correct information came to be possible in real time. By The point of workflow line, it was effect that moving lengths decreased in order to install the electronic chart in patients' rooms. Though, it was a problem that it hasn't formed where to place the instruments such as sphygmomanometer, clinical thermometer and others.

Experimental study of assistant aids and new nursing method in nursing care work.

This study seeks to evaluate the effect of regular and new nursing methods in nursing care work. Nursing care work often causes low back pain in nursing care worker. The principle of not lifting when transferring patients has been proposed as one way to prevent low back pain. This principle incorporates the use of the patient's strength and assistant aids. A sliding seats and transfer boards have been proposed as assistant aids for the transferring patients. It is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these assistant aids in preventing low back pain. Ten subjects performed two tasks in this experiment. Five were nursing experienced persons and five were the inexperienced. EMG results indicated that the new nursing method was less stressful than the methods. A questionnaire revealed that the new method was evaluated more highly than the regular method. Based on these results, we propose that a sliding seats and transfer boards be used in nursing care work.

Causes of difficulty in duration judgments: comment on Francuz and Oles (2011).

In 2011, Okazaki and Matsuda showed in studies that college students could not correctly estimate the duration of movement of two objects. Fancuz and Oles (2011) proposed two explanations of the observed task difficulty. First, they suggested that the cause of the difficulty for the duration judgments involved the experimental procedure, which may have overloaded the cognitive capacities of these students. This study presents results that indicate there was no overload. Second, because the training was intended to improve response accuracy, but it failed to significantly increase accuracy rates, Fancuz and Oles (2011) suggested there was insufficient time for learning about the task. With respect to these results, Fancuz and Oles (2011) are correct in pointing out that the training duration could be an issue.

Verbal working memory and planning: learning to compare movement durations of objects.

Relations between duration judgments and verbal or visual working memory, between duration judgments and effect of learning to plan the processing of information about such judgments were investigated. A computer monitor was used to present images of two cars traveling in the same direction for various durations and distances. Participants (N=30) were asked to identify the car that had traveled for the longer duration. Then, participants learned how to solve Piagetian tasks logically. After the learning, they tried to solve the duration judgments task again. Finally, their verbal and visual working memory capacities were assessed. Results indicated the following: (a) numbers of correct answers on the Piagetian tasks were correlated with verbal and visual working memory capacity; (b) the correlations did not significantly decrease after the participants learned how to solve the Piagetian tasks.

[Making judgments of duration: effects of instruction and memory capacity].

Undergraduate students at two universities, designated as Groups A and B, participated in this study. The Mean scores on a visual memory span test and a visual working memory test of Group A were significantly higher than those in Group B. Participants individually watched a CRT display showing two cars that were moving in the same direction on two parallel tracks for various durations and distances. They were asked to identify the car that had traveled for the longer duration and to explain the reasons for their decision. Then, they completed an instructional booklet that taught about planning to make judgments of duration for movement. Finally, they did the duration judgment tasks for the car's movements again. The following are the main results. (a) The number of undergraduates who answered correctly increased after their learning experience. (b) The rates of correct responses were significantly related to the memory test scores. Furthermore, the data suggested that larger memory capacity could compensate for poorer planning. (c) The two groups differed in strategies for the duration judgment tasks.

Autophagy induced by 2-deoxy-D-glucose suppresses intracellular multiplication of Legionella pneumophila in A/J mouse macrophages.

Legionella pneumophila Philadelphia-1 (Lp-1) can grow intracellularly in A/J mouse peritoneal macrophages (A/J Mphi). We previously reported that 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2dG), when added in macrophage culture medium, inhibited the intracellular multiplication of Lp-1 in A/J Mphi. We found that 1 mM of 2dG causes LC3-II-conversion that reflects an induction of autophagy and that 1 and 10 mM of 2dG induced apoptosis associated with caspase-4 activation. We therefore investigated whether 2dG-induced autophagy or apoptosis suppresses the replication ofLp-1 in 2dG-treated A/J Mphi. When the autophagy-related (Atg)gene Atg5 was knocked down by RNA interference, the Atg5-siRNA-transfected cells revealed an enhanced replication of Lp-1 in A/J Mphi compared with the non-targetting siRNA-transfected cells. However, caspase-4 inhibitor did not affect the 2dG-induced inhibition of intracellular multiplication of Lp-1 in A/J Mphi. These findings suggested that autophagy, not apoptosis, suppressed the intracellular growth of Lp-1 in A/J Mphi when 1 or 10 mM of 2dG were added to the culture media.

Shiga toxin 2 causes apoptosis in human brain microvascular endothelial cells via C/EBP homologous protein.

Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) and Stx2 produced by Escherichia coli O157 are known to be cytotoxic to Vero and HeLa cells by inhibiting protein synthesis and by inducing apoptosis. In the present study, we have demonstrated that 10 ng/ml Stx2 induced DNA fragmentation in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC), with cleavage activation of caspase-3, -6, -8, and -9. A microarray approach used to search for apoptotic potential signals in response to Stx2 revealed that Stx2 treatment induced a marked upregulation of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP)/growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 153 (GADD153). Increased CHOP expression was dependent on enzymatically active Stx1. Knockdown of CHOP mRNA reduced the activation of caspase-3 and prevented apoptotic cell death. These results suggest that Stx2-induced apoptosis is mediated by CHOP in HBMEC and involves activation of both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis.

Knowledge and strategies used by adolescents to compare duration of movement by two objects.

This study investigated the knowledge and strategies used by senior high school students to compare durations of movement by two objects. The developmental process during adolescence was also examined by comparing the results with those published for Grade 7 to Grade 9 students and university undergraduates. A cathode-ray tube monitor was used to present images of two cars traveling in the same direction for various durations and distances. 30 Grade 12 students were asked to identify which of the cars had traveled for a longer duration and why. Analysis suggested that the strategies develop during adolescence in a sequence. Initially, comparison of durations was based on the relative distance traveled by the two cars. Then the comparison was based exclusively on knowledge that "duration = temporal starting point- temporal stopping point." Finally, the two types of knowledge were used appropriately according to the characteristics of the specific task.

Effects of generalized self-efficacy and negative social comparison feedback on specific self-efficacy and performance.

The effects of social comparison feedback on specific self-efficacy and performance of high generalized self-efficacy participants and low generalized self-efficacy participants were examined with the help of 20 participants with high generalized self-efficacy and 20 participants with low generalized self-efficacy. Half of the participants in each generalized self-efficacy group received negative social comparison feedback after each of four trials of an experimental task while the other half received no feedback. Two kinds of specific self-efficacy-performance-based and normative-based--were measured once before the task and four times after the trials of the task. After the task, the High generalized self-efficacy/Feedback group rated performance-based specific self-efficacy higher and performed better than the Low generalized self-efficacy/Feedback group. No significant difference was observed between the High generalized self-efficacy/No feedback group and Low generalized self-efficacy/No feedback group. There were no significant effects with regard to normative-based specific self-efficacy.