The Relationship between Insomnia and Lifestyle-Related Diseases among Japanese Male Truck Drivers.

Previously, insomnia and adverse lifestyle were prevalent among truck drivers, but the association between the two remains unknown in this particular occupational cohort. This study aimed to examine the relationship between insomnia and lifestyle-related diseases among truck drivers. We investigated 875 male truck drivers of the Japan Truck Association, Akita branch, as of July 2020. The definition of insomnia was based on the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition (ICSD-3). Data from a self-administered questionnaire were merged with health records and health insurance claims data of 2020. In total, 40.1% had either one of the lifestyle-related diseases including hypertension (29.7%), diabetes mellitus (11.7%), and dyslipidemia (24.8%), whereas according to ICSD-3, 13.2% had insomnia. Multivariate logistic regression models demonstrated that individuals with insomnia had approximately 2-fold increased risk of having at least one lifestyle-related disease (p < 0.001), hypertension (p = 0.0027), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.0654) and dyslipidemia (p < 0.001). Occupational characteristics including daily driving hours, driving distance, and travel days were not associated with any lifestyle-related diseases except for an association between short-haul and at least one disease. In conclusion, insomnia is significantly associated with increased risks of lifestyle-related diseases among male truck drivers in Japan.

COVID-19 Vaccine Intention and Knowledge, Literacy, and Health Beliefs among Japanese University Students.

This study investigated the intention to get the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and its associated factors among Japanese university students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to May 2021 via an e-learning platform at Akita University. Participants were 1776 graduate and undergraduate students who answered the survey on vaccine intention, the health belief model (HBM), sociodemographic characteristics, and concerns over COVID-19-related situations. Vaccine intention was stratified into active, slightly less, and no intention, and the associated factors were determined using the multinomial logistic regression model. Results showed that 56.7% of students had active intention, followed by slightly less intention (34.5%) and no intention (8.8%). After adjusting for covariates, healthcare course, perceived severity (life-threatening and serious social consequences), and perceived benefits from HBM were significantly associated with active intention, with adjusted odds ratios of 4.02 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.11-7.67), 1.40 (95% CI, 1.16-1.69), 1.23 (95% CI, 1.04-1.46), and 2.03 (95% CI, 1.66-2.49), respectively; perceived barriers (side effect, troublesome, and parent disagreement) were adversely associated with active intention. The public health strategy to improve students' vaccine uptake requires providing accurate information on vaccine safety and efficacy while removing any barriers to vaccination.

Diabetes and anxiety were associated with insomnia among Japanese male truck drivers.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Insomnia among truck drivers may contribute to traffic accidents. We previously reported that truck drivers had adverse lifestyle habits, including smoking and drinking alcohol, in addition to enforced sedentarism making them more vulnerable to lifestyle-related diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between insomnia and diabetes, as well as the effect of anxiety related to driving tasks on this association. PATIENTS/METHODS: A total of 755 male truck drivers under 65 years of age who belonged to Akita prefecture Truck Association in Japan were investigated. Insomnia and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) score were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire in 2020. Insomnia was defined in accordance with International classification of sleep disorders-third edition. Diabetes was defined as a fasting blood glucose level of ≥126 mg/dL and/or use of anti-diabetic drugs using data obtained from health checkups in 2018. RESULTS: The proportions of truck drivers with insomnia and diabetes were 13.9% and 9.7%, respectively, which were higher than those in the general working population in Japan. After adjusting for age, smoking, drinking, daily hours of driving and sleep, and hypertension, the STAI score (odds ratio [OR] for the highest quartile vs. the lowest: 3.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84-8.18) and diabetes (OR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.11-5.60) were found to be associated with insomnia. A statistical interaction with STAI scores was not observed between diabetes and insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that diabetes and anxiety are independently and significantly associated with insomnia in male Japanese truck drivers.

Physical and verbal abuse amid COVID-19: a nationwide cross-sectional survey in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The detrimental impacts of abuse on victims' well-being are well documented globally, including Japan. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may increase the incidence of abuse in the community, creating an additional burden amid the crisis. However, the incidence of abuse in Japan during COVID-19 remains to be evaluated. Accordingly, our study aimed to assess the incidence of physical and verbal abuse among the general population in Japan and to identify the associated factors of abuse during COVID-19. DESIGN AND SETTING: We used the data obtained from a nationwide, cross-sectional internet survey conducted in Japan between August and September 2020. Sampling weights were used to calculate national estimates, and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify the associated factors for physical and verbal abuse. RESULTS: Out of the total 25 482 participants, 965 (3.8 %) reported experiencing physical abuse and 1941 (7.6%) verbal abuse from April 2020 to September 2020. The incidence of physical and verbal abuse was higher among female participants. Participants who lived in areas where the 'state of emergency' was enforced were more likely to suffer from physical abuse. Similarly, vulnerable participants such as those below age 18, with low income, bad family relationships, and disabled people were more likely to experience both physical and verbal abuse. Participants suffering from COVID-19-related symptoms, who had poor health status and widows/divorcees were more likely to be verbally abused. Furthermore, those who did not follow preventive behaviours such as wearing masks in public places, abusing drugs and drinking alcohol in high amounts were also more likely to experience abuse. CONCLUSION: The impact of abuse was found disproportionately greater in more vulnerable groups of the population. Pandemic has reinforced the existing social inequalities, which need to be addressed timely to prevent precarious repercussions.

Factors Associated with Insomnia Among Truck Drivers in Japan.

PURPOSE: Truck drivers with insomnia are at a high risk of traffic accidents. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of insomnia and identify its associated factors among truck drivers in Japan. METHODS: Participants were 2927 male truck drivers younger than 65 years old. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess insomnia symptoms, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, drinking, smoking habits, body mass index, caffeine intake, as well as daily driving hours, consecutive days away from home, and driving distance. Insomnia symptoms included difficulty initiating sleep, maintaining sleep and early morning awakening. Insomnia was defined when any of these symptoms were observed with daily tiredness. RESULTS: The prevalence of insomnia among the subjects was 13.3% (n=356), of which 13.5% had difficulty initiating sleep, 78% had difficulty maintaining sleep, and 26.4% had early morning awakening. After adjusting for covariates, drinking habits, daily driving hours, and STAI score were significantly and linearly associated with insomnia; the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of drinking habits for insomnia was 1.74 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.23-2.47] for heavy drinkers compared to non-drinkers (trend p<0.001); the adjusted OR of daily driving hours was 1.87 (95% CI, 1.00-3.49) for 12 hours or longer in a day compared to <8 hours in a day (trend p<0.001); the adjusted OR of STAI quartiles was 5.30 (95% CI, 3.66-7.67) for the highest quartile compared to the lowest quartile (trend p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that insomnia is prevalent among truck drivers in Japan, and its risk factors include drinking habits, daily driving hours, and anxiety.

Opioids: A 'crisis' of too much or not enough - or simply how rich you are and where you live?

The 'Opioid Crisis', which originated in Western countries, has been misrepresented and is misinforming the global public. For 20 years, since the advent of the synthetic opioids, 25,000 Americans, on average, have died annually from opioid-related overdoses. The United States produces and consumes by far the greatest amounts of opioids. National regulations introduced to curb overdoses and restrict opioid availability have condemned many Americans, such as cancer patients or those in need of palliative care, to a life of extreme pain due to lack of access to adequate pain management. As is often the case, US-driven laws have informed and guided international regulations. Worldwide, 83% of countries have low or non-existent access to opioids for pain relief. Over 25 million people are at the end-of-life stage, with eight million people dying annually in unnecessary pain and distress. Ineffectively controlled pain is a global public health issue blighting the lives of billions of people worldwide with immeasurable human and socioeconomic costs. International conventions regulate the trade and use of controlled medications, including many opioids. The goal is to balance widespread access to optimal forms of pain management with restrictions to govern the use and prevent the misuse of controlled substances. Those conventions are failing to meet their goals. International guidelines to inform national legislation have been compromised and withdrawn, thanks to undue interference from US-based opioid manufacturers. The new goal must be to ensure equitable access, for all, to opioids and ensure that optimal pain management becomes a central component of Universal Health Coverage. SIGNIFICANCE: The opioid crisis is, more accurately, a multicomponent global crisis and one that is not fully apparent or well understood. Regulations of the wealthy and powerful to control a surfeit of opioids, which encourages misuse, cannot be allowed to govern legislation in the majority of countries worldwide where citizens have little or no access to opioids to reduce pain and suffering. International conventions must be revised to ensure an optimal balance that allows access to opioids for all those who need them.

Pharmaceutical good manufacturing practice: Leuplin® production in Japan identifies major international shortcomings.

In Japan, the production of Leuplin®, a key drug for the treatment of prostate cancer and breast cancer, was temporarily suspended in 2020 by the manufacturer. The incident illustrated several significant failings, namely the lack of uniformity in international GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) regulations, the lack of mechanisms to resolve disputes between PIC/S (Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme) member countries, and the importance of maintaining a stable supply of safe GMP-compliant essential medicines.

Female sex pheromones of two Japanese saturniid species, Rhodinia fugax and Loepa sakaei: identification, synthesis, and field evaluation.

While 11 species in the family Saturniidae are found in Japan, no sex pheromones of the native species had been investigated previously. We collected larvae of Rhodinia fugax in Nagano and Tottori Prefecture, and of Loepa sakaei in Okinawa Prefecture, and extracted sex pheromones of these two species from virgin female moths. In gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD) analyses, male antennae of each species responded to one component in the respective pheromone extracts of conspecific females. Chemical analyses of the extracts by GC/mass spectrometry revealed that the EAD-active compounds of R. fugax and L. sakaei were a hexadecadienal and a tetradecadienyl acetate, respectively. The two species belong to the subfamily Saturniinae, and the mass spectra of both were similar to that of the 6,11-hexadecadienyl acetate identified from Antheraea polyphemus, classified in the same subfamily, suggesting the same 6,11-dienyl structure for the C16 aldehyde and a 4,9-dienyl structure for the C14 acetate. Based on this assumption, four geometrical isomers of each dienyl compound were stereoselectively synthesized via acetylene intermediates, compared to the natural products, and tested in the field. Male catches confirmed the pheromone structures of the two Japanese saturniid species as (6E,11Z)-6,11-hexadecadienal for R. fugax and (4E,9Z)-4,9-tetradecadienyl acetate for L. sakaei. The compounds have a characteristic 1,6-dienyl motif common to the pheromones of Saturniinae species.

Measurement of incident position of hypervelocity particles on piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate detector.

A cosmic dust detector for use onboard a satellite is currently being developed by using piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT). The characteristics of the PZT detector have been studied by bombarding it with hypervelocity iron (Fe) particles supplied by a Van de Graaff accelerator. One central electrode and four peripheral electrodes were placed on the front surface of the PZT detector to measure the impact positions of the incident Fe particles. It was demonstrated that the point of impact on the PZT detector could be identified by using information on the time at which the first peak of the output signal obtained from each electrode appeared.

Ability of 13 chemical agents used in dental practice to induce sister-chromatid exchanges in Syrian hamster embryo cells.

To evaluate the genotoxic potential of 13 chemical agents used in dental practice, the abilities of these agents to induce sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were examined using Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells. Statistically significant increases in the frequencies of SCEs were observed in SHE cells treated with all seven of the chemical agents used as endodontic medicaments: p-chlorophenol, m-cresol, formaldehyde, guaiacol, hydrogen peroxide, p-phenolsulfonic acid, and sodium hypochlorite (P < 0.01; Student t test). Assessment of two chemical agents that are applied to the oral mucosa as antiseptics showed that SCEs were induced by iodine (P < 0.01), but not by chlorhexidine. Of three chemical agents that are used as dyes for disclosing dental plaque, erythrosine B had no effect on SCE induction, while acid fuchsin and basic fuchsin increased the SCE frequencies in SHE cells (P < 0.01). Glutaraldehyde, which is used as a disinfectant for dental instruments and impressions, also induced SCEs (P < 0.01). Because SCE assays are used as a sensitive indicator for evaluating genetic toxicity of chemicals, the chemical agents that had a positive response in the present study are potentially genotoxic to mammalian cells.