Pilot Study of Evaluating Attitudes toward Childhood Immunization among Healthcare Workers in Japan.

Providing appropriate immunization information during the perinatal period is important for improving immunization rates among infants and children; however, the distribution of immunization information by healthcare workers (HCWs) is not standardized in Japan. We investigated HCWs' attitudes toward childhood immunization and factors related to vaccine hesitancy. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive survey of HCWs involved in childhood immunization in Niigata City, Japan, from November 2017 to January 2018. We assessed contextual, individual and group, and vaccine/vaccination-specific influences. Of 290 HCWs, 139 (47.9%) returned completed questionnaires. Most HCWs (87/139, 64.9%) reported providing immunization information verbally to parents; 51/87 (58.6%) spent fewer than five minutes doing so. Pediatricians provided vaccines based on the parents' best interest, whereas public health nurses and midwives emphasized government policy. Nurses had greater hesitancy related to personal perceptions and social/peer factors than pediatricians (p < 0.001). Nurses were significantly more likely than pediatricians to suggest that children receive more shots than necessary (p < 0.01). Nurses tended to have more negative attitudes toward vaccination and little awareness of immunization promotion compared to pediatricians. Thus, all HCWs involved in childhood immunization should receive sufficient information to provide timely and appropriate immunization to infants and children.

Evaluation of the first Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program as a second career in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The first Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program with a two-year educational period in Japan was developed in a nursing university in Tokyo in 2017 (i.e., 2017-ABSN two-year program or designated as program 1) for individuals aiming to pursue nursing as a second career. It replaced program 2, the second-year bachelor's degree transfer program which is a three-year program implemented from 1997 to 2016. The original and currently on-going four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is designated as program 3. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the 2017-ABSN two-year program from learners' perspective. METHODS: We used a case-control study design. As cases, the subjects were third-year bachelor's degree transfer students of program 1 at the nursing university in Tokyo. As controls, second-year bachelor's degree transfer students of program 2 and four-year undergraduate students of program 3 in the same university were given a questionnaire when they graduated. The survey items were grouped into five scales: (1) The education you are receiving, (2) Studying nursing, (3) Stress level, (4) The highest score on the national nursing examination practice test, and (5) The vocational commitment. The mean score of each item was calculated and comparisons were conducted using the Mann Whitney test. RESULTS: Responses from 77 students (program 1), 23 students (program 2), and 133 students (program 3) were analyzed. The program 1 students had a significantly lower mean score on (1) The education you are receiving item "There is time for preparation and review" (p = 0.01). The program 1 students had a significantly lower score on (2) The studying nursing item "I can get the job (role) I want" (p = 0.01). The program 1 students had a significantly higher score on (4) The best score in the national nursing examination practice test (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Shortening the academic period to two years in program 1 had no effect on the knowledge base of the students. However, the program 1 students had a significantly lower score in their identity as a nurse. It is often difficult to acquire a new nursing culture in a short period from a previous culture that has already been mastered. Educators need to fully understand the characteristics of learners and provide them with individualized and professional guidance to further improve their skills.

Evaluation of the biodegradability of polyurethane and its derivatives by using lipase-displaying arming yeast.

Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) has been used to polymerize and degrade polyesters. We developed a convenient method for investigating the biodegradability of plastics that involves the use of CALB-displaying "arming yeast." Polyurethane containing dulcitol units was prepared and used as the model material. Additionally, standard polyurethane with no dulcitol units was prepared by reacting 2,4-toluene diisocyanate with ethylene glycol. These polymers were incubated with CALB-displaying yeast cells. The polyurethane containing dulcitol was degraded, while the standard polyurethane was relatively unaffected. Arming yeast displaying appropriate enzymes can be used to investigate the biodegradability of synthetic plastics. It was also revealed that arming yeasts were applicable to evaluate the degradation of the film state of polyurethane.

Construction of a novel synergistic system for production and recovery of secreted recombinant proteins by the cell surface engineering.

We determined whether the cocultivation of yeast cells displaying a ZZ-domain and secreting an Fc fusion protein can be a novel tool for the recovery of secreted recombinant proteins. The ZZ-domain from Staphylococcus aureus protein A was displayed on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of the GAL1 promoter. Strain S. cerevisiae BY4742 cells displaying the ZZ-domain on their surface were used for cocultivation with cells that produce a target protein fused to the Fc fragment as an affinity tag. The enhanced green fluorescent protein or Rhizopus oryzae lipase was genetically fused to the N and C termini of the Fc fragment of human immunoglobulin G, respectively. Through analysis by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and enzymatic assay, it was demonstrated that these fusion proteins are successfully produced in the medium and recovered by affinity binding with the cell surface displaying the ZZ-domain. These results suggest that the ZZ-domain-displaying cell and Fc fusion protein-secreting cell can be applied to use in synergistic process of production and recovery of secreted recombinant proteins.