Evaluation of an educational programme for people who have difficulty decluttering and organising: A randomised controlled trial in Japan.

Home clutter can adversely affect work performance, health and well-being. Clinical-level hoarding disorders usually manifest during early adolescence, so early detection and prevention of subclinical hoarding tendencies are essential. This study aimed to evaluate a community-based programme for individuals with poor organising and decluttering skills who volunteered to receive education on how to organise their homes. We conducted an open-label randomised controlled trial beginning in January 2016 in Tokyo. We enrolled 61 volunteers aged 12-55 years with problems with organising and decluttering. A workshop and home visit group (n = 30) attended four workshop sessions on organising skills and received a visit from a home organiser. The home visit only group (n = 31) only received the home organiser visit. The primary outcome was Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R; Japanese version) scores. The secondary outcomes were Clutter Image Rating Scale and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Japanese version) scores. Between-group changes from baseline to 7 months were analysed using a general linear model. At follow-up, the SI-R scores of both groups had improved. The mean change from baseline in SI-R scores was -20.8 (standard deviation = 9.8) and -13.1 (standard deviation = 14.3) in the workshop and home visit and home visit only groups, respectively. The estimated between-group difference in SI-R score changes from baseline (adjusted for baseline SI-R score) was non-significant at -5.7 (95% confidence interval, -12.4 to 0.9; p = .089). However, the difference was significant in the univariate model: -7.2 (95% confidence interval, -13.7 to -0.8; p = .029). Although both groups improved, after adjusting for baseline values and participant characteristics, there was no significant difference between the groups. Our results suggest that a workshop-style educational intervention and assistance and advice from professional organisers may help to improve the living conditions of people with hoarding tendencies.

Relationship between social cohesion and the care burden of primary family caregivers in central Tokyo, Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify how the care burden of primary family caregivers is associated with social cohesion in an urban area of Tokyo, Japan. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of primary family caregivers was conducted in Tokyo in 2015. Social cohesion was examined using the social capital indicators of Kondo et al, and the care burden of primary family caregivers was assessed by the Zarit Care Burden Interview Scale in Japanese short version (J-ZBI_8). Data were analyzed by multiple regression models. Ethics approval was obtained to carry out this research. RESULTS: Seventy-nine caregivers responded to the questionnaires. After excluding 6 caregivers who did not respond appropriately to the questionnaire, 73 caregivers were included in the analyses. The average age of the primary family caregivers was 68.9 ± 12.7 years old, and that of the patients receiving care was 83.1 ± 10.0 years old. "Receipt of instrumental support" was significantly associated with reduced burden of care for family caregivers as assessed by the J-ZBI_8 score (P = .027). CONCLUSION: This study suggested that social cohesion was significantly associated with reduced burden of care for primary family caregivers. Especially, the results suggested that "social support: receipt of instrumental support" was associated with a lower burden of care after adjustment for confounding factors. It is important to understand family structure and social community differences such as informal social support for future policy making.

The relation between social cohesion and the care burden of family healthcare providers.

This study aimed to clarify the relationship between social cohesion and family care burden. The social capital indicators of Kondo et al. and the short version of the Zarit Care Burden Interview Scale in Japanese (J-ZBI_8) were used. Data were analyzed by multiple regression models. Seventy-one caregivers responded. Factors showing statistical significance in the multiple regression analysis included "receipt of emotional support" (p = 0.009) and "instrumental support provided" (p = 0.010). Social support was suggested to have a possible effect on the care burden of the main caregivers to relate to less burden. The gap between the original ideal loss and the social role caused by providing nursing care is likely to increase the degree of care burden.

Effectiveness of a 'Workshop on Decluttering and Organising' programme for teens and middle-aged adults with difficulty decluttering: a study protocol of an open-label, randomised, parallel-group, superiority trial in Japan.

INTRODUCTION: Hoarding disorder can cause problems with work performance, personal hygiene, health and well-being. The disorder is a growing social problem in Japan. Having difficulty discarding rubbish, decluttering and organising can signal a future hoarding disorder, and early intervention is important. We developed an educational workshop on decluttering and organising for teens and adults with difficulty organising. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a workshop for reducing clutter and improving quality of life among younger people with difficulty decluttering and organising. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: An open-label, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial will be conducted among volunteers aged 12-55 years with mild difficulty decluttering and organising. Those in the intervention group will attend the workshop and receive a visit from a professional cleaning company to declutter their living space. The control group will have only the latter. The primary outcome will be the score on the Japanese version of the Saving Inventory-Revised. Secondary outcomes will be scores on the Clutter Image Rating Scale, the Japanese version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Roles of Private Space Scale. The results will be examined for differences between the two groups in changes from baseline to 7 months. We will examine crude effects and adjust for gender and age using a general linear model for continuous variables and a logistic regression model for dichotomous variables. Sample size was calculated assuming a significance level of 5% (two tailed), a power of 80% and an effect size of 0.75. In total, 60 subjects (30 in each group) will be required. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol has been approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of Teikyo University (No. 15-065). The findings will be disseminated widely through peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN000020568. Issue date: 16 January 2016.

Effect of road transportation on the serum biochemical parameters of cynomolgus monkeys and beagle dogs.

To determine the effect of long-distance (approximately 600 km) road transportation on the blood biochemistry of laboratory animals, we investigated the changes in serum biochemical parameters in healthy cynomolgus monkeys and beagle dogs transported by truck from Osaka to Tsukuba, Japan. The concentrations of serum cortisol, total bilirubin and aspartate aminotransferase in monkeys increased during transportation. Serum cortisol and total bilirubin levels in dogs also increased during transportation, but serum triglyceride decreased. Serum parameter values in truck-transported monkeys and dogs returned to baseline levels within two weeks following arrival. Taken together, these results suggest that a two-week acclimation period is the minimum duration required for adaptation following road transportation.

What are the elements of motivation for acquisition of conditioned taste aversion?

The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis is capable of being classically conditioned to avoid food and to consolidate this aversion into a long-term memory (LTM). Previous studies have shown that the length of food deprivation is important for both the acquisition of taste aversion and its consolidation into LTM, which is referred to as conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Here we tested the hypothesis that the hemolymph glucose concentration is an important factor in the learning and memory of CTA. One-day food deprivation resulted in the best learning and memory, whereas more prolonged food deprivation had diminishing effects. Five-day food deprivation resulted in snails incapable of learning or remembering. During this food deprivation period, the hemolymph glucose concentration decreased. If snails were fed for 2days following the 5-day food deprivation, their glucose levels increased significantly and they exhibited both learning and memory, but neither learning nor memory was as good as with the 1-day food-deprived snails. Injection of the snails with insulin to reduce glucose levels resulted in better learning and memory. Insulin is also known to cause a long-term enhancement of synaptic transmission between the feeding-related neurons. On the other hand, injection of glucose into 5-day food-deprived snails did not alter their inability to learn and remember. However, if these snails were fed on sucrose for 3min, they then exhibited learning and memory formation. Our data suggest that hemolymph glucose concentration is an important factor in motivating acquisition of CTA in Lymnaea and that the action of insulin in the brain and the feeding behavior are also important factors.

Analysis of TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells associated with cardiac myogenesis in mouse embryo.

Caspase activation is associated with skeletal muscle differentiation in mouse embryos. We examined the relationship between cardiac myogenesis and cell death using mice hearts at embryonic days (E) 11.5-15.5 and fetal rat heart H9C2 cells. The number of TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells increased with fetal age and was much higher than that of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)- and active caspase-3 (aCasp3)-positive cells. TUNEL and aCasp3 double staining resulted in 3 types of positive cells: TUNEL(+)/aCasp3(+), TUNEL(+)/aCasp3(-) and TUNEL(-)/aCasp3(+). TUNEL(+)/aCasp3(-) cells were the most common but lacked morphological features of apoptosis, such as nuclear condensation or fragmentation. The expression of anti-apoptotic factors increased during E11.5-15.5. Furthermore, TUNEL-positive H9C2 cells without nuclear condensation or fragmentation were observed only in myotubes later in the culture period. In this study, the dynamics of TUNEL-positive cardiomyocyte was inconsistent with the activation of apoptosis cascade, and their morphological feature was clearly different from representative apoptosis. From these findings, we concluded that the increased number of TUNEL-positive cardiomyocyte, having the DNA strand breaks, would be associated with the progression of cardiac myogenesis.