Xerostomia is a common complication of irradiation for cancer treatment and causes difficulty in swallowing, speaking and chewing, thereby affecting the patient’s quality of life and even interrupting the treatment course itself. Currently, the only treatment for xerostomia is palliative; thus, radical solutions are required. This study aimed to establish a mouse model of radiation-induced salivary gland damage, and identify potential indicators that can be used to evaluate novel preventive interventions. Mice were shielded with a 6-mm lead plate, leaving a 1-cm opening to expose salivary glands region. The mice were administered a single dose of radiation ranging from 0 to 30 Gy, and assessed the salivary flow rate, histological structure of the salivary glands, and expression of p53. We found that the period between 3 days and 8 weeks after 15 Gy irradiation was appropriate for observing a decrease in salivary flow rate. Furthermore, macronuclei were observed in the parotid glands at 8 weeks after a dose of 15 or 30 Gy. We developed an irradiation method using a 6-mm lead plate that avoided mouse lethality, and a dose of 15 Gy was found to be both necessary and sufficient to induce a salivary disfunctions.

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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of manual vibrations in older adults. Methods: Fifteen participants (aged ≥ 65 years) from a facility for older adults were enrolled in a randomized crossover trial. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups (A and B) with different intervention orders. The intervention condition involved the application of manual vibration, whereas the control condition involved touching only (without vibration). Under both conditions, the intervention was performed for 5 min at eight sites (upper and lower body) in the prone position. Autonomic function was assessed using heart rate variability analysis (natural logarithm(ln) high-frequency(HF) and ln [low-frequency(LF)/HF]) before, during, and after intervention. Subjective measures of sleepiness, fatigue, and pain were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) pre- and post-intervention. Results: During manual vibration, the lnHF increased significantly (p=.021). Additionally, the post-intervention VAS scores for sleepiness differed significantly between both groups (p=.041). Conclusion: Manual vibration may improve parasympathetic activity and influence subjective sleepiness in older adults.

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Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of combining interpersonal touch and device-delivered low-frequency vibratory stimulations on autonomic nervous system indicators and subjective comfort. Methods: A randomized crossover trial was conducted with healthy adults under three conditions; no touch (no stimulation), touch only, and touch with vibration. Physiological (heart rate variability, skin conductance, and respiration) and subjective indicators (comfort and alertness, measured using the visual analog scale [VAS]) were evaluated. A linear mixed-effects model and Bonferroni test were used for the analysis, with a significance level of < 5%. Results: In the touch only condition, standard deviation 1（SD1） (an indicator of parasympathetic activity) increased significantly. In the touch with vibration condition, the sympathetic indicator standard deviation 2(SD2)/SD1 decreased and VAS comfort score significantly decreased (lower scores indicated higher comfort), showing a significant improvement compared to the touch only condition. Conclusion: Combined touch and low-frequency vibratory stimulation favors parasympathetic activity, suggesting its potential to promote psychological relaxation.

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　Vascular calcification associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is believed to involve the phenotypic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) into osteoblast-like cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of nobiletin, a naturally occurring polymethoxylated flavonoid, on VSMCs under high-phosphate conditions. The expression of osteogenic markers, Runx2 and Osteocalcin, was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. In VSMCs treated with nobiletin, a trend toward decreased protein expression of both markers was observed. These findings suggest that nobiletin may influence molecular events related to the osteogenic differentiation of VSMCs. Although direct inhibition of calcification was not demonstrated, nobiletin appears to modulate associated molecular responses. Further studies are needed to elucidate the detailed mechanisms of action and to explore its potential as a functional food component for preventing vascular calcification in CKD.

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　This study aimed to evaluate the validity of measuring creatine kinase (CK) using the skin blotting (SB) for the local assessment of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Nine healthy, physically active adult males performed high-intensity isokinetic eccentric exercises with the elbow flexors of the non-dominant arm. Maximal voluntary contraction, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), serum CK activity, and CK levels measured by SB were assessed before and on days 1 to 3 post-exercise. CK levels measured by SB significantly increased in the exercised arm and peaked earlier than those levels measured by serum assay. No significant correlation was observed between CK levels by SB and serum CK; however, a significant positive correlation was found between CK by SB and DOMS on the day after exercise. These findings suggest that the SB method reflects physiological responses from those observed in serum-based assessments and may serve as a useful non-invasive technique for the early and localized evaluation of EIMD.

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Objective: We aimed to develop a noncontact operation system for electronic health records that allows for information acquisition without glove changes, enabling cost reduction. Methods: We developed an electronic medical record operation system using motion sensors. Additionally, we created an electronic medical record simulator to assess this electronic health record operation system. We compared the required average time for information acquisition using the motion sensor-based electronic health record operation system with that utilizing the traditional mouse method. The measurement began as the information acquisition instructions started, and it measured the amount of time until the information acquisition ended. We enrolled 13 participants. All participants were at least 20 years old (mean age: 35.4 ±11.1 years; 11 women, 2 men). Results: The required time to acquire information was approximately 61% shorter with this system than with the conventional mouse method (Paired t-test: t (519)= 1. 96, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the system's noncontact nature eliminated the requirement for glove replacement, thereby reducing glove costs. Conclusions: We have developed a noncontact operation system for electronic medical records to improve the efficiency of nurses' work. The required average time is shorter than the conventional mouse method, and we anticipate a cost reduction in gloves.

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Background: To evaluate the sustained effects of local low-frequency vibration delivered via an air mattress-integrated vibrator on blood flow in the heel and lower leg of healthy adults. Methods: Using a randomized crossover design, 12 healthy adults were exposed to both the experimental (vibration application)and control (no vibration)conditions, with a 1-day washout period. Blood flow, skin surface temperature, and subjective evaluations (comfort, discomfort, numbness, and pain)were assessed at baseline, during the 15-minute intervention, and at different follow-up time points. Blood flow was measured skin covering the plantar venous plexus and the great saphenous vein of the lower leg using a laser tissue oxygenation monitor. Results: Total and oxygenated hemoglobin significantly increased following the intervention, persisting for 105 minutes in the heel and 75 minutes in the lower leg. No significant changes were found in skin surface temperature. Subjective evaluations revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control conditions. No adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Local low-frequency vibration effectively enhances and sustains blood flow in the heel and lower leg, suggesting its potential as a non-invasive intervention for circulation improvement. These findings may contribute to the development of standardized protocols for clinical use.

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　Fetal heart rate (FHR) recorded by cardiotocography (CTG) is crucial for assessing fetal well-being; however, it is occasionally subject to the issue of maternal heart rate being recorded. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a convolutional neural network model capable of classifying fetal-derived signals and non- fetal-derived signals from Doppler ultrasound (DUS) signals with an accuracy comparable to that of midwives, and to evaluate its effectiveness. The data consisted of DUS signals and CTG recordings collected from 425 cases in the obstetrics ward of a single facility. This study used 526 fetal-derived signals and 114 non-fetal-derived signals from the 425 cases, annotated by midwives. A one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) model was developed, and its classification performance was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC). As a result, the model achieved an AUC of 0.928. In addition, the classification performance of the 1D-CNN was found to be within the range comparable to that of midwives. Therefore, this technology is expected to be applicable as a support tool for both CTG sensor placement and the interpretation of DUS signals.

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　This study aimed to compare the eye gaze of expert and student midwives during fetal head delivery in the second stage of labor and clarify its characteristics. Eye-tracking data were collected using a birth simulator with five expert and four student midwives. We analyzed fixation durations and frequencies on the fetal head and the woman's face. Expert midwives spent significantly more time focusing on the fetal head during contractions (p=0.0015) and tended to look more at the woman's face during intervals. In contrast, student midwives showed no clear difference in eye gaze distribution between contractions and intervals. Additionally, expert midwives moved their gaze less frequently and maintained longer fixations. These results suggest that expert midwives allocate visual attention according to labor progression and assess fetal descent accurately. The findings indicate that eye gaze reflects clinical expertise and that eye-tracking technology may be a useful tool in midwifery education.

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　This study investigated the disinfection efficacy of slightly acidic hypochlorous acid water（SAHW）for disinfecting baby bottles. The bactericidal effects of SAHW and conventional disinfection methods（boiling, microwave heating, and chemical disinfectants）were compared using Escherichia coli and general viable bacteria as indicators. To simulate post-feeding contamination, baby bottles were filled with milk and inoculated with E. coli, after which the contents were discarded and the bottles were washed under standardized conditions. Ten experimental groups were established: three conventional disinfection groups（boiling, microwave heating, and chemical treatment）, four SAHW groups（1 mL, 5 mL, 10 mL, and 100 mL）, a detergent-only group, a positive control（no washing or disinfection）, and a negative control. After treatment, residual contamination was assessed by culturing rinsates on deoxycholate agar medium and standard nutrient agar medium, and the number of colonies and contamination presence were recorded. All SAHW-treated groups exhibited bactericidal effects against E. coli and general viable bacteria, comparable to those of conventional disinfection methods. These findings suggest the potential applicability of slightly SAHW as a new method for disinfecting baby bottles.

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