Ubiquinol (the reduced form of coenzyme Q10), which is used as an anti-aging ingredient in supplements, has well-known effects of fatigue mitigation, sleep quality improvement, and stress reduction. Participants in this study were 232 residents (59 men, 173 women, 20-89 years old) who ingested a yogurt drink containing 100 mg of ubiquinol (Q10 yogurt drink) daily for 6 months or 1 year. The participants picked up 7 bottles of Q10 yogurt drink once a week from a refrigerator in town, or if it was hard for them to go there, local high school students delivered the drink to the participant’s home. Blood tests were performed at baseline and at 6 months and 1 year after starting Q10 yogurt drink ingestion. In addition, cognitive performance, fatigue level, sleep quality, and gastrointestinal condition were evaluated at each time point. The results showed that serum ubiquinol levels were significantly increased by Q10 yogurt drink ingestion, and task processing ability and attention were increased significantly in both men and women. Stratified by sex, a significant reduction in fatigue was observed in men, and significant improvement in constipation symptoms was observed in women. Stratified by age group, fatigue level and sleep quality were improved significantly in the group of under 68 years old. Although the present trial did not have a control group, the effects of the Q10 yogurt drink on cognitive performance were suggested. This study was conducted in collaboration with local civic groups and high school students, and the research is believed to have great social significance in that it created intergenerational exchange.

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　We investigated the continuity and persistence of scholarly activities (conference presentations and paper publication) among hospital staff, as well as the factors affecting their interest in scholarly activities. The number of conference presentations, the number of papers published, and the rate at which papers were published for each year from FY 2006 to FY 2019 were examined for scholarly activities at our hospital. In addition, from a survey on interest in scholarly activities conducted among all employees, we analyzed 718 responses obtained in 2014 (response rate 51.6%) and 1223 responses obtained in 2021 (response rate 73.6%). We used univariate analysis to examine the association between interest in scholarly activities and “experience in scholarly activities”, “sense of professionalism”, “sense of being a teaching hospital”, “sense of improving the quality of medical care”, and “use of reference books, papers, and journals”. Subsequently, multivariate analysis was performed using the forced entry method with items having P<0.1 in the univariate analysis as explanatory variables. The scholarly performance of physicians maintained its continuity and sustainability from FY 2006 to FY 2019. In contrast, the scholarly performance of pharmacists and nurses declined. The following explanatory variables were extracted regarding interest in scholarly activities: gender, job title, experience in scholarly activities, sense of professionalism, sense of being a teaching hospital, sense of improving the quality of medical care, and use of reference books, papers, and journals. The multivariate analysis showed that the odds ratios for pharmacists, use of reference books, papers, and journals, sense of improving the quality of health and care, experience in scholarly activities, physician, medical collaboration, sense of professionalism, and sense of being a teaching hospital were large, showing significantly associations with interest in scholarly activities. The number of papers and the rate of publication by physicians remained continuous and persistent, while persistence among non-physician hospital staff declined.

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　Anjo-Kosei Hospital is the main hospital in the South-West Nishi-Mikawa Medical Area, and it is essential to secure and train personnel who can fully utilize its functions. We have been conducting organizational identity education and have encountered differences in perception among occupational groups. We hypothesized that this might have an impact on the thinking of managers and supervisors in each job category. Therefore, we report here on our investigation of differences in managers’ and administrators’ perceptions of organizational identity among occupations, particularly the factors that influence their perceptions of “basic principles and future vision”, and the changes in their perceptions before and after training. After a lecture by the director on “Goals and Future Vision”, a workshop on staff satisfaction was conducted. Questionnaires were administered before and after the training on “basic philosophy and future vision”, “roles of managers and supervisors”, and “workplace where I want to continue to work”, among others. Of 88 employees who attended, 82 (93.2%) responded to the questionnaire. Differences in recognition of “basic principles and future vision” before the training were found among job categories (p=0.048), with “type of job” and “roles of managers and supervisors” having an influence. Differences were observed among job categories in “workplace where I want to continue working” and “need for joint training for multiple job categories” before the training (p=0.019 and p=0.004, respectively). All of the perceptions that were low before the training were significantly improved after the training, and no differences were found among occupations. The present study showed that the recognition of “basic principles and future vision”, “workplace where I want to continue working”, and “need for joint training” before the training differed among the job categories, but that the differences in recognition could be improved through joint training.

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　Objective: This aim of this work is to review the literature on the ecological risks of systemic insecticides and to provide perspectives for future research.
　Methods: We collected basic data such as pesticide shipments from the websites of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the National Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. We also searched PubMed and J-Stage for reports using the keywords Pesticide, Insecticide, Neonicotinoid, and Systemic Insecticide.
　Results: According to FAO estimates, the amount of pesticide used per area of cropland in Japan in 2021 was 11.2 kg/ha, the 14th highest among 184 countries with similar statistics. The overall amount of insecticide used in Japan has been decreasing year by year, but the amount of systemic insecticides, including neonicotinoids, has remained stable. Systemic insecticides have been widely detected in rivers and coastal seawater throughout the country. The ecological risk of pesticides in Japan's rice paddies has been said to be decreasing in recent years, mainly due to the reduced use of organophosphate pesticides. However, in Europe and the United States, a link has been suggested between systemic pesticides and bee decline, and in Japan, it has been reported that the same pesticides have been involved in the decline of the Sympetrum frequens population. Japan's pesticide residue standards for systemic pesticides are more lenient than those of other countries and there are concerns about their adverse effects on ecosystems.
　Conclusion: Pesticides, including systemic pesticides, are fundamentally biologically toxic and therefore pose an ecological risk. In addition to preventing health damage caused by pesticides, research and studies aimed at preventing adverse effects on ecosystems are also important from the perspective of planetary health.

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　Arterial thrombectomy is an established treatment for acute cerebral ischemic stroke and should be started as soon as possible. However, patients who live in rural areas far from a stroke care center require a long time for ambulance transport. They sometimes miss the opportunity for administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). I propose a rendezvoustype drip and ship system for the early administration of rt-PA. While the patient is being transported from the first emergency hospital to a stroke care center, a medical doctor goes to meet the patient en route and brings rt-PA. The doctor can start the administration of rt-PA in the ambulance. This system can contribute to promptly starting treatment for acute phase ischemic stroke and to achieving better outcomes.

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　We report a case of subcutaneous emphysema of the neck following nasotracheal intubation. The patient, a woman in her 40s, was scheduled for general anesthesia and nasotracheal intubation for a tooth extraction. The tracheal tube was initially inserted through the right nostril; however, this attempt failed, resulting in swelling under the skin of the right anterior neck. Intubation was subsequently achieved via the left nostril, and the surgery proceeded. Postoperative computed tomography revealed subcutaneous emphysema in the neck as a result of the tube inadvertently passing through the posterior pharynx. Consequently, the patient required prolonged hospitalization with dietary restrictions. We present this rare complication of nasopharyngeal intubation, along with a discussion of the relevant literature, including preventive measures for similar cases.

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　Japan has a declining birthrate and an aging society, and the working population is decreasing. Our hospital has seen declines in the number of nursing assistants entering the workforce and in the retention rate of nursing assistants in recent years, and has decided to begin hiring foreign nursing assistants as specified sill workers for the first time to help solve the labor shortage. The purpose of this survey was to understand the attitudes of the nursing staff at the hospital toward the employment of these foreign nursing assistants in a general hospital, and to identify issues that need to be addressed. The survey was distributed to 242 nursing staff members and 211 questionnaires were collected. In response to the question on whether they are anxious about working with foreign nursing assistants, nursing assistants were found to be more anxious than nursing professionals. The concerns were categorized into “language and culture”, “education”, and “patient care”. When asked if they could be a role model for foreign nursing assistants, more nursing assistants than nursing professionals responded that they did not think so. When asked if they thought a manual specifically for foreign nursing assistants was necessary, both nurses and nursing assistants responded that it was necessary. Although the education of nursing assistants has been based on experience through on-the-job training, it is necessary to develop and restructure the educational system to standardize knowledge and skills in the future.

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