The purpose of this study is to measure maternal blood lead level (BLL) and cord BLL in Nigeria and to compare Nigerian data with other data. We investigated the association among maternal and cord BLLs, and some anthropometric parameters of their babies. BLL was measured in the umbilical and maternal blood samples (using inductively coupled plasma / mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)) of 119 women who delivered at three different hospitals in Nnewi, South Eastern Nigeria. Anthropometric variables of the babies (head circumference, abdominal circumference, birth weight, birth length, crown rump length) were measured. Lead was detected at >10 μg/l in 10.9 percent of the maternal and 3.4 percent of the cord blood samples. The maternal BLL was 6.19 ± 2.77(mean ± SD) μg/dl while cord BLL was 4.75 ± 2.59(mean ± SD) μg/dl. With the exception of cord BLL and crown rump length positive correlation (R=0.204, P=0.026), neither the maternal nor the cord BLL showed any significant association with any of the childrenʼs anthropometric parameters.

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Climacteric symptoms are multiple syndromes in menopausal women. It is known that autonomic nervous activity disorder plays an important role in these symptoms. In the present brief review, we report our recent studies of the relation between climacteric symptoms and autonomic nervous system balance measured by power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) using a standard hexagon radar chart. The sympathetic excitability and irritability, and the standard deviation of mean R-R intervals in the supine position were significantly decreased in women with climacteric symptoms compared to control women without climacteric symptoms. There was a negative correlation (r = -0.363, P = 0.0167) between the standard deviation of mean R-R intervals in the supine position and the simplified menopausal index score. These results show suggest a close relation between climacteric symptoms and autonomic nervous activities, and our power spectral analysis of HRV, which provides a standard hexagonal radar chart composed of three sympathetic and three parasympathetic parameters, may be helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of climacteric symptoms in menopausal women.

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Staphylococcus aureus has occupied an important position in public health as a cause of food poisoning and hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) infections. The spread of community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections has also recently become a concern. However, the sources of this infection remain unclear, and there are few reports of epidemiology information. In order to understand MRSA spread in the community, we investigated the distribution of MRSA strains in commercially distributed raw meat samples (n=305) and stool samples from outpatients with diarrhea (n=1,543) from the same meat distribution region in Oita Prefecture, Japan. 301 Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated and 18 of them were MRSA (2 from chicken meat, 1 from duck meat, 1 from pork meat, and 14 from patients with diarrhea). All 18 MRSA strains were negative for Panton-Valentine leucocidin gene. In this study conducting a comparison of properties and a molecular epidemiological analysis of MRSA isolated from commercially distributed meat and diarrhea patient stools, the results suggest that commercially distributed meat could play a role in the prevalence of CA-MRSA in the community.

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The Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) is a case-mix classification system that is linked with a lump-sum payment system for inpatient care reimbursement. The key objectives of introducing the DPC system are to implement an electronic claim system and to provide transparency of hospital performance. The DPC data include discharge abstract and administrative claims data. The unique advantage of the DPC data is the inclusion of detailed process data and several clinical data that can be applied to clinical studies. In this report, we explain the structure and contents of the DPC database, and discuss the applicability of the DPC data to clinical studies, comparing them with the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample database.

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A 73-year-old Japanese man visited a local hospital due to palpitations and dyspnea. He was diagnosed as having lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, cT1aN2M1b (BRA), stage Ⅳ), but he did not want to receive any anticancer medications, and was simply being observed. Several months later, he was referred to our hospital due to exacerbation of the dyspnea. His chest computed tomography revealed massive pericardial effusion, therefore he was diagnosed as having cardiac tamponade due to carcinomatous pericarditis and was immediately hospitalized. Upon admission, pericardial fenestration was firstly applied in order to drain pericardial effusion, and intraoperative cardiac findings showed suspicion of myocardial and pericardial metastasis. Immediately after the pericardiotomy, he suffered from cardiac arrest caused by shock. In lung cancer patients with pericardial effusion, even though it is rare, myocardial metastasis in addition to carcinomatous pericarditis and pericardial metastasis should be kept in mind.

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Uterine cervical cancer is the most common primary gynecologic malignant tumor in Japan. Conventional cervical screening Papanicolaou (Pap) test has been shown to be extremely effective in reducing cervical cancer incidence and mortality, but the consultation rate for cancer screening in Japan is markedly low, at 20% of prescribed subjects, in comparison with other developed countries. In 2001, 15,501 women (6.8%) received a Pap test in Kitakyushu City, and that was less than half of national average. From 2009, free coupons for uterine cervical cancer screening were distributed to Japanese woman who were 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 years of age as part of the project for women-specific cancer screening. The rate of participation in Pap testing was 22.3% in 2012, with 31,970 women receiving cervical tests. It was almost as high as the national level. Itʼs obvious that high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for cervical cancer incidence and HPV mainly infects through sexual practice. The rate of early cervical neoplasms and invasive cancers is currently increasing in young women. Abnormal Pap tests were detected in 2.3% of the women in 2008. To increase the population’s participation in this screening process, a cost-effective and efficient system should be established. National and local governments, medical institutions, companies, and educational institutions must have an accurate understanding of the current situation, and take an assertive approach in order to decrease the mortality rate of uterine cervical cancer.

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The Korean Occupational Safety and Health Act requires an employer with more than 50 employees to assign a health manager or an occupational physician. However, there are many cases where it is difficult for medium-scale enterprises to perform occupational health practices autonomously because their financial base is weaker than that of large-scale enterprises. The Korean Occupational Safety and Health Act was amended in 1990 so that medium-scale enterprises could entrust a health management service institution with their health management tasks. This system is similar to the outsourcing of medical examinations, occupational physicians, or the measurement of the working environment in Japan, but its legal background and actual activities are korea-specific, and it has some different points. In particular, the quality control of health management service institutions by legal and administrative regulations, and the multidisciplinary provision of services contribute to the development of occupational health in medium-scale enterprises. This will be a good reference for occupational health services in small- and medium-scale enterprises in the future in Japan.

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