Background : Increase in oxidative stress during pregnancy may lead to deviation from normal pregnancy course. Performing aerobic exercise as a means to reduce oxidative stress during gestation period is an important lifestyle. We evaluated effects of aerobic exercise during gestation period since no study has investigated these using oxidative stress markers. Objectives : The present study aimed to examine the relationship between aerobic exercise and oxidative stress using physiological indices. Methods : 17 pregnant women in mid-pregnancy with no abnormalities in the pregnancy progress and no previous mental illness were recruited. Urine samples were collected before commencing aerobic exercise program during the second trimester and after completing 10 weeks of classes （three times per week） during the third trimester. Physiological effects of the exercise were determined by measuring urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine and 8-isoprostaglandin F2α levels. Results : Urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine level in the third trimester was significantly lower than that in the second trimester. The difference in this level tended to be lower for women who commenced classes at 6 months of pregnancy than for those who commenced at 7 months of pregnancy. However, no significant difference was observed in the correlation between the month of pregnancy and difference in 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine level. No significant difference was observed in the correlation between the difference in urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine level and exercise intensity during classes. No significant difference in urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α level was observed between the second and third trimesters. Conclusions : Performing moderate aerobic exercise three times a week from the second trimester of pregnancy reduced oxidative stress and suppressed 8-hydroxy-2′ -deoxyguanosine levels in vivo. In the future, we intend to test the association between aerobic exercise and par ticipant background in a larger population of primipara. Furthermore, comparison of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α levels between control and experimental groups will be conducted.

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The purpose of this study is to obtain information regarding the physical condition of women after childbirth, especially after the puerperal period. 115 women with children under the age of three cooperated with the survey. After childbirth, the highest proportion of respondents experienced greatest pain in the lumbar region (71.3%) when compared to the pregnancy period, with the neck (8.3%), shoulder (56.5%), and wrist (31.3%) also increasing significantly. The most painful period was before the baby can hold their head up (33.0%), attributed to parenting-related behaviors such as hugging and breastfeeding. It is common that guidance on the care of the body after childbirth is instructed by obstetricians and gynecologists, with no intervention by a physical therapist, even though optimal motions of the body and methods of exercise to prevent pain were highly demanded. Many women experienced considerable physical strain on the body during childcare. The results of this study suggests the need of intervention by physical therapists who can provide guidance for exercise and optimal motion of childcare for pain mitigation.

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The aim of this study was to understand changes in occupational meaning and occupational function, as well as to explore connections with past work, in occupational transitions from work that run a marathon to satisfactory work. Semi-structured interviews were carried out and qualitative analysis was conducted. Three changes were discovered during the occupational transitions: change based on the occupational meaning and function of past work, change to integrate past functions and develop them to form a new meaning, and change to regain occupational meaning and function that had been lost. In addition, the present study indicated that a former corporate marathoner was able to form a connection with his past work through the above three changes.

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The service user capacity of special nursing homes has exhibited an increasing trend in recent years. Simultaneously, the number of individuals in need of care, especially among those for whom home-based care is difficult, such as persons with severe dementia, has also been increasing. As the family has various support needs at the time of admission to a facility, it is important to understand the family's wishes and link them to better facility service. This study aimed to clarify the family's wishes regarding the facility in which a family member with dementia is admitted. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 12 families. Analyses yielded 19 concept codes from the data obtained, and the three categories of “sharing the love of the admitted person with staff members,” “performing the responsibility as a family caregiver,” and “calmness in oneself, the surroundings, and between each other” were extracted. It is believed that families wish for staff members to consider the wishes of the admitted person to the same degree as those of the family, to provide motivational support underpinning the family's care and to provide care so that the admitted person spends his/her remaining years maintaining mental and bodily functions to the maximum possible extent.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the concept of foot care in nursing science, medical science, rehabilitation science and beauty. Using Rodger's concept analysis method, the following 10 attributes were extracted from 198 literature: “preventing and improving foot lesions;” “understanding the whole body and patients' life;” “administered by a nurse;” “performed in cooperation with surrounding people;” “supporting self-care;” “assessing the state of the feet;” “direct contact with the feet;” “sharing information on foot and care;” “considering the patients' feelings;” and “making different ways according to individuals”. In addition, two nurse-specific attributes different from those of other professionals were extracted: “practicing as a means of communicating with patients” and “practicing together with patients.” When administering foot care, professionals touch a patient's body while maintaining a moderate distance from the patient. Through the interaction between professionals and patients during foot care, it seems that closer relationships are being built. It is speculated that only nurses can sense the distance between themselves and patients, and regard foot care as a good opportunity to communicate with patients. Furthermore, the standard attitude of nurses while attending to a patient was thought to be related to a nursespecific concept of foot care.

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