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JAMA Network Open Oct 2023Secondhand smoke is a substantial risk factor for youth health globally, including in Japan, where tobacco control policies should be reassessed.
IMPORTANCE
Secondhand smoke is a substantial risk factor for youth health globally, including in Japan, where tobacco control policies should be reassessed.
OBJECTIVE
To assess trends in the prevalence of secondhand smoke exposure among Japanese adolescents from 2008 to 2017 and to examine the association between its frequency and smoking during the study period.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This study comprised a nationally representative, self-administered, school-based, cross-sectional survey focusing on tobacco and alcohol use and related factors among students in grades 7 to 12 (ages 12-18 years) in Japan. This random sampling survey used single-stage cluster sampling. Using the national school directory, junior and senior high schools throughout Japan were randomly extracted from each regional block. All students enrolled in the sampled schools were included as participants, and school-based surveys were completed in 2008, 2012, and 2017. Data analysis was performed from January 1 to March 15, 2023.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Prevalence of secondhand smoke exposure among adolescents in Japan from 2008 to 2017 and changes in the association between secondhand smoke exposure frequency and prevalence of smoking were examined using multiple logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS
Data were analyzed for 95 680 adolescents in 2008 (50.7% boys), 100 050 in 2012 (51.6% boys), and 64 152 in 2017 (53.9% boys). At baseline, 42.0%, 38.5%, and 34.6% of the participants were junior high school students in 2008, 2012, and 2017, respectively. Based on the 2008 surveys, 51.0% of adolescents in grades 7 to 12 were exposed to secondhand smoke in any place (≥1 day during the past 7 days), 37.2% were exposed at home, and 36.5% were exposed in public places. In 2017, 36.3% of participants were exposed to secondhand smoke in any place, 23.8% were exposed at home, and 27.0% were exposed in public places. An association between secondhand smoke exposure frequency and prevalence of smoking was observed consistently regardless of survey year, location, or pattern of exposure (adjusted odds ratios ranged from 2.29 [95% CI, 1.81-2.91] for 1-2 days at home to 11.15 [95% CI, 8.50-14.62] for 7 days in public places). Stratified analysis by higher education intention indicated that the prevalence of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure decreased but remained higher among adolescents who did not intend to pursue higher education. The association between secondhand smoke and smoking did not differ substantially between groups.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this cross-sectional study, the prevalence of secondhand smoke exposure among adolescents in Japan decreased but remained at high levels overall. There may not be a hazard-free threshold for smoking. Enhancing comprehensive tobacco control strategies is Japan's first step toward achieving smoke-free environments to protect youths. Implementation and verification of the effectiveness of smoke-free legislation should be considered.
Topics: Male; Humans; Adolescent; Female; Tobacco Smoke Pollution; Cross-Sectional Studies; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires; Smoking
PubMed: 37862017
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.38166 -
Sociology of Health & Illness Jul 2023The pandemic has heightened anxieties, impacted mental health and threatened to create an overwhelming sense of existential dread. We recognise the material ways in...
The pandemic has heightened anxieties, impacted mental health and threatened to create an overwhelming sense of existential dread. We recognise the material ways in which disabled people have been differentially impacted by Covid-19 and make a case for understanding the affective dimensions of the pandemic. We develop a theoretical approach - cutting across medical sociology and critical disability studies - that understands affect as a social, cultural, relational and psychopolitical phenomenon. We introduce a public engagement project that took place in March and April of 2020 that garnered blogspots from around the world to capture the pandemic's impact on the lives of disabled people. Our data analysis reveals three key affective themes: fragility, anxiety and affirmation. To understand the emotional impacts of Covid-19 upon the lives of disabled people we embed critical analyses of affect in the dual processes of disablism and ableism: the dis/ability complex. We conclude by considering how we might conceive of a post-pandemic recovery that places the health and well-being of disabled people at the centre of proceedings.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Pandemics; Emotions; Mental Health; Sociology, Medical
PubMed: 35652519
DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13483 -
Psychiatria Danubina Oct 2023Human beings constantly narrate reality. They narrate themselves, to themselves and to others. They narrate each other and narrate humanity. They narrate the world and... (Review)
Review
Human beings constantly narrate reality. They narrate themselves, to themselves and to others. They narrate each other and narrate humanity. They narrate the world and nature. They narrate meaning, the meaning of life and things. This article aims to explore this phenomenon of "narrating". Through a narrative review, we will attempt to gather elements of reflection on narrative, considered here as the ability to narrate, it means to represent oneself, to put meaning. Firstly, we will focus on how cognition, interpretation, and culture allow Homo Sapiens to narrate reality to himself. Then, we will explore why they do it and discover the evolutionary advantages of language, of sharing experiences between individuals through the phenomenon of cumulative cultural evolution, and how narrative facilitates the species' access to these advantages. Finally, we will delve into the clinical implications of narrative, discussing therapeutic interviews, therapy, and psychopathology. Narratives and pre-linguistic mental representations appear to have driven the Homo genus to develop cognitive abilities that enable the development of language and the sophistication of narratives as a cultural medium. Through language, Homo sapiens share their narratives and develop a cumulative common culture. Each individual's culture seems to be constructed in dialectic with this shared culture through narratives. This dialectic gives rise to psychopathological processes while also producing therapeutic leverage. Understanding the mechanisms of co-construction of these narratives is essential in clinical research in mental health. Furthermore, placing narratives in the perspective of an essential evolutionary strategy in the Homo genus solidifies the significance of the narrative faculty in the biological functioning of Homo sapiens, and so the importance of narratives in mental health.
Topics: Humans; Narration; Language; Cognition
PubMed: 37800198
DOI: No ID Found -
Current Osteoporosis Reports Oct 2023The study aims to provide updated information on the genetic factors associated with the diagnoses 'Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis' (DISH), 'Ossification of... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The study aims to provide updated information on the genetic factors associated with the diagnoses 'Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis' (DISH), 'Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament' (OPLL), and in patients with spinal ligament ossification.
RECENT FINDINGS
Recent studies have advanced our knowledge of genetic factors associated with DISH, OPLL, and other spinal ossification (ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament [OALL] and the yellow ligament [OYL]). Several case studies of individuals afflicted with monogenic disorders, such as X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), demonstrate the strong association of fibroblast growth factor 23-related hypophosphatemia with OPLL, suggesting that pathogenic variants in PHEX, ENPP1, and DMP1 are associated with FGF23-phosphate wasting phenotype and strong genetic factors placing patients at risk for OPLL. Moreover, emerging evidence demonstrates that heterozygous and compound heterozygous ENPP1 pathogenic variants inducing 'Autosomal Recessive Hypophosphatemic Rickets Type 2' (ARHR2) also place patients at risk for DISH and OPLL, possibly due to the loss of inhibitory plasma pyrophosphate (PP) which suppresses ectopic calcification and enthesis mineralization. Our findings emphasize the importance of genetic and plasma biomarker screening in the clinical evaluation of DISH and OPLL patients, with plasma PP constituting an important new biomarker for the identification of DISH and OPLL patients whose disease course may be responsive to ENPP1 enzyme therapy, now in clinical trials for rare calcification disorders.
Topics: Humans; Hyperostosis, Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal; Osteogenesis; Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament; Biomarkers; Ligaments
PubMed: 37530996
DOI: 10.1007/s11914-023-00814-6 -
Mayo Clinic Proceedings Dec 2023Overcoming barriers to accessing health services is especially difficult in minority groups and rural populations. Nontraditional sites for delivering health care in the... (Review)
Review
Overcoming barriers to accessing health services is especially difficult in minority groups and rural populations. Nontraditional sites for delivering health care in the United States offer opportunities to reduce health disparities. Actually realizing these reductions, however, requires health systems to partner with trusted, convenient community services where people who experience health disparities spend substantial time - and, in turn, for those trusted service sites to seek partnerships with health systems. Libraries, places of worship, laundromats, barber shops, fire departments, dollar stores, shopping malls, and other local sites offer the chance to serve people who most need supportive health services in places they already trust enough to meet their other basic needs. Examples of such community health partnerships are cropping up around the United States, with some showing great success, although typically on a small scale. So, how will these small-scale successes proliferate? The answer lies in the "nuts and bolts" of implementation logistics. First, successful community health partnerships must be cultivated so that health systems and community venues co-design programs with direct input from community members. Second, entities seeking partnerships must explore multiple ways to procure funding. Third, coordinated efforts must be made to create awareness among the population a program seeks to serve. Fourth, day-to-day operations may need to be conducted in novel ways, especially considering physical, technological, and other implementation challenges that most nontraditional sites would face. As such successes proliferate and garner publicity, community health partnerships will be formed in greater numbers of unexpected places, with an ever-growing potential to reduce health disparities.
Topics: Humans; United States; Public Health; Rural Population
PubMed: 37791947
DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2023.07.031 -
American Journal of Preventive... Sep 2023The prevalence of heart failure (HF) in the United States (U.S.) is estimated at over 6 million adults, with the incidence continuing to increase. A large proportion of... (Review)
Review
The prevalence of heart failure (HF) in the United States (U.S.) is estimated at over 6 million adults, with the incidence continuing to increase. A large proportion of the U.S. population is also at risk of HF due to the high prevalence of established HF risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Many individuals have multiple risk factors, placing them at even higher risk. In addition, these risk factors disproportionately impact various racial and ethnic groups. Recognizing the rising health and economic burden of HF in the U.S., the 2022 American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology / Heart Failure Society of America (AHA/ACC/HFSA) Heart Failure Guideline placed a strong emphasis on prevention of HF. The purpose of this review is to highlight the role of both primary and secondary prevention in HF, as outlined by the recent guideline, and address the role of the preventive cardiology community in reducing the prevalence of HF in at-risk individuals.
PubMed: 37637197
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpc.2023.100527 -
Insects Dec 2023Sanitation is essential for the cost-effective pest management of stored-product insects. The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 led to the Food and Drug Administration... (Review)
Review
Sanitation is essential for the cost-effective pest management of stored-product insects. The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 led to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tightening regulatory standards, and many local surveys, courses and conferences were organized to prepare the industry for these new regulations. Sanitation removes insects and residual food, which may also provide shelter for insects, with heat treatments and insecticide applications. The number of insects removed by cleaning may be reduced as the number of available hiding places increases. Decreased sanitation negatively affects the efficacy of most other pest management practices, with means of 1.3- to 17-fold decreases in efficacy. The majority of studies quantifying the efficacy of sanitation have been performed on the farm storage of grain, but some studies have been conducted for grain elevators, food processing, and the marketing system. Results ranged from no effect of sanitation alone to very effective alone or with other methods. Sanitation can also reduce insect infestation prior to harvest. Some cost-benefit analyses have been conducted for sanitation.
PubMed: 38276817
DOI: 10.3390/insects15010003