Secondary use of research data involves the issue of ensuring the trust of research participants in the use of their data. In Japan, informed consent, the primary mechanism for ensuring the trust of research participants, does not distinguish between consent to participate in medical research and consent to provide personal information to third parties. Not making a distinction between the two, which are historically different, raises the question of whether the research participantʼs consent for primary use can be considered consent for the provision of personal information to third parties.

In this paper, we examine whether consent to research participation and consent to the provision of personal information to third parties should be included in consent to research participation, based on the history of consent to research participation and consent to the provision of personal information to third parties, as well as the systems in each country. Then, with a case in mind in which a company receives health and medical data including sensitive personal information from a academic research institution or the equivalent and uses the data for the purpose of developing a product or service in a secondary way, we will discuss measures to be taken under the current Japanese laws and regulations from the perspective of balancing the protection of personal information and the use of research data, referring to the legal systems of other countries.

In this paper, we empirically analyze, by using the questionnaire survey administered in cooperation with the Hyogo Branch of the National Health Insurance Association of Japan (NHIJ), how employees perceive changes in their work environment before and after the wake of the new coronavirus infection (hereafter referred to as COVID-19) disaster. The estimation results found that the level of stress and the intention to leave or change jobs in the medical and welfare fields differ significantly with respect to the level and the change of the physical compensation, such as wage levels, length of working hours, and the amount and scope of work, depending on whether or not they have ever left or changed jobs. The results also indicated that under the same job conditions, for example, job responsibility and evaluation, the perception of the respondents differed significantly depending on the experience of leaving or changing jobs. Employees who had never left or changed jobs tended to desire evaluation and treatment that were commensurate with their performance. Therefore, in the medical and welfare fields, it is important to consider employment security in the context of limited financial and human resources, depending on whether the employee has experienced job turnover or job change in the past.

【Objective】

This study aims to clarify the trends in olfactory function associated with “green tea” in elderly individuals using day services, categorized by cognitive function.

【Methods】

115 participants were divided into three groups based on the Mini-Mental State Examination-Japanese: 46 normal, 33 mild cognitive impairment（MCI）, and 36 cognitive decline groups. Olfactory identification（OE）, self-awareness of 12 odorants related to OE from a daily life scent questionnaire, and depression（GDS） were compared using χ² tests, logistic regression analysis, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

【Results】

The cognitive decline group showed significantly lower scores in OE total points, correct rates, and self-awareness rates of 12 odorants compared to the normal and MCI groups. In particular, the cognitive decline group had a higher number of incorrect answers than correct ones, especially for orange（linalool） and rose （geraniol）, with the odds ratio for orange being notably high. MMSE-J showed slight correlations with the olfactory components of perfume（linalool, geraniol） and orange.

【Conclusion】

The normal group showed olfactory decline related to “green tea” scent with aging. The MCI group had slightly reduced cognitive function but resembled the normal group. Further research is needed on the method and effects in the MCI group, as no confirmed link was found between “green tea” aroma and cognitive function. In contrast, the cognitive decline group showed significant olfactory decline linked to “green tea,” highlighting the need for further studies on olfactory stimulation effects.

Due to its high proliferation ability, human aborted fetal tissue is considered an essential material for basic research such as the development of vaccines for infectious diseases such as COVID-19 vaccines, the creation of humanized mice, and human embryonic research, even after the emergence of pluripotent stem cells such as ES cells and iPS cells. Since fetal tissue is mainly obtained through “induced abortion”（hereinafter referred to as abortion）performed by women with unwanted pregnancies, it is necessary to avoid women who donate from being hurt by their donation or suffering from regret later on. Although there are a few survey reports from overseas, there are no reports from Japan on the psychological state of women who actually donate and what kind of support is provided for them. Therefore, we attempted to consider from a nursing perspective what kind of support is needed based on previous research.

In Japan, there is a social trend of viewing abortion itself as taboo, and there is also a lack of sufficient support in the medical field. In addition to improving support in medical settings that takes into account the characteristics of women undergoing abortions, it was confirmed that there is a need to train researchers or academic societies etc. who “can understand the psychological state of women undergoing abortions and explain research on the use of fetal tissue in accordance with each woman’s situation and reaction（fetal tissue research coordinators）,” to promote collaboration between fetal tissue research coordinators and medical settings （selection of subjects, having a nurse present during explanations as well as subsequent follow-up and review）, and to establish a follow-up system including after surgery.