We previously reported that salmon nasal cartilage-derived proteoglycans complex (SNC-PG) intake increases muscle mass in a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study involving healthy older subjects. However, the mechanism of SNC-PG intake to increase muscle mass is not clear. This study examined the effects of dietary SNC-PG intake on muscle function in mice. Four-week-old male ddY mice were divided into two groups: fed either the AIN93G diet (control group) or AIN93G diet with 0.4% SNC-PG (SNC-PG group) for 32 days. The SNC-PG diet increased the limb grip strength and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the soleus muscle fibers in mice compared with the control diet. There was a moderate correlation between limb grip strength and CSA of the soleus muscle fibers. In addition, eight-week-old male ddY mice fed diets with 0.04 and 0.4% SNC-PG for 58 days also showed increased limb grip strength compared with mice fed the control diet. SNC-PG intake increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the gut, particularly butyric acid, which has been reported to increase muscle mass and function. These results indicate that SNC-PG intake may contribute to the prevention of sarcopenia through the improvement of muscle strength.

Maintenance of environmental surface cleanliness is essential for preventing healthcare-associated infections caused by contact transmission. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommend frequent cleaning of high touch surfaces but do not indicate specific cleaning sites. In this study, we conducted a survey using a self-administered questionnaire at a general hospital in the Hokuriku region to clarify compliance with and deviations from procedures during sputum suctioning. Based on the results, we postulated the potential contamination sites during suctioning to provide adequate environmental cleaning methods for patients receiving suctioning and better instructions on procedures.

The results showed that the implementation rate of “removing the catheter from the package using the ring and little fingers” was low among the procedural steps. The implementation rate of hand disinfection was lower “before suctioning” than “after suctioning,” suggesting insufficient awareness of maintaining hand cleanliness during suctioning and preventing cross-infection of the patients receiving suctioning. In addition, many nurses did not follow the procedures regarding the timing of donning and doffing gloves, suggesting the possibility of cross-infection of patients receiving suctioning due to contamination of the gloves before suctioning and contamination of the environment by sputum and saliva of the patients receiving suctioning. Based on the frequency of deviation from the procedures and the frequency of contact with each site around the bed with contaminated gloves, the postulated contact contamination sites during suctioning were; “patient’s face and hands,” “suction device switch,” “suction pressure adjustment knob,” “suction tube,” “nurse call button,” and “nurse call recovery button.” Five of these sites, excluding the “patient’s face and hands,” were considered targets of environmental cleaning.

These results indicate that in teaching the suctioning method, in addition to instructing the donning and doffing of gloves at appropriate times, it is necessary to pay attention to the cross-infection of patients receiving suctioning and the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to and from these patients during the suctioning procedure. In terms of environmental cleaning for patients receiving suctioning, it was suggested that wiping the following five sites may be effective: “suction device switch,” “suction pressure adjustment knob,” “suction tube,” “nurse call button,” and “nurse call recovery button.”

This study aims to identify factors related to bidimensional resilience of nursing students who took part in practical training during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A self-rated questionnaire survey was administered to 560 fourth-year nursing students from six private nursing colleges in Japan. The questionnaire contained question items about experiences in the practical training including the experiences in their third year of the nursing study. A total of 279 (49.8%) responses were collected. Excluding respondents with no answers to one or more of the question items or with multiple answers to non-multiple answer question items of the Bidimensional Resilience Scale (BRS); and including respondents where the highest education was university or associate nursing school, and those who did not respond to an age question, 239 responses (42.7% valid response rate) were included in the analysis. The total BRS score was 77.90 ± 9.93 (Mean ± SD), with the highest score of 101 and the lowest at 51. Multiple regression analysis gave an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.346 with the factors related to bidimensional resilience: “I liked communication training,” “I was able to share my thoughts with group members,” “I think I can evaluate myself and accept the self-evaluation,” and “I was on good terms with my peers in the training group.” These show that respondents with higher scores in these factors could have higher bidimensional resilience. To improve the bidimensional resilience of nursing students, it is necessary to develop specific instruction methods for practical training that make students feel accomplishment through cooperative learning with peers like what students feel in online communication and on-campus training, and training that help develop students to be able to evaluate their strong and weak points by themselves and accept the evaluations.

In the comprehensive community care system for mental disorders, the construction of a support system with multilayered cooperation is being promoted. In addition, the participation of peer supporters and persons with mental disorders is endorsed. The purpose of this study was to identify the perspectives from which peer support activities for mental disorders were studied. The literature for the study was searched using the terms “mental disorders” and “peer support” and original articles in Ichushi-Web (ver. 5) and Google Scholar. From the abstracts of the relevant literature, we extracted descriptions of the research title, subject, and location. We performed a matrix analysis to sort out the perspectives from which the extracted literature was written. We categorized the literature by dropping it into a matrix divided into four 2 x 2 quadrants and named the concepts. The results of the analysis revealed that the following were identified in terms of research perspectives on peer support for mental disorders : “Impact on people with mental disorders and peer support workers,” “Experiences of people with mental disorders,” “Use of peer support by inpatients,” and “Support system and mechanism development.” We have concluded that the issues regarding peer support for mental disorders involve a lack of the following : appropriate support for peer support workers, human resources, and cooperation among professionals.

A literature review was conducted using CINAHL, Cochrane, MEDLINE, Central Journal of Medicine, and CiNii to identify the characteristics of shared decision-making (SDM) between parents and medical practitioners in supporting the home transition of low-birth-weight infants. Finally, 17 references were selected, suggesting that the characteristics of SDM in supporting the transition of low-birth-weight infants to home were that the medical practitioner respected the parents’ values and built a trusting relationship with them. This was followed by providing information, guidance on parenting and care, and discussions on the transition to home following parents’ needs. However, the timing and methods of discussions between parents and medical practitioners for the smooth transition of low-birth-weight infants to home have not been fully reported ; therefore, it is necessary to investigate the actual situation further.

This study aimed to clarify the practicalities and issues involved in COVID-19 infection management in nursing homes. We interviewed four managers of older nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and extracted 164 codes pertaining to practicalities and issues in COVID-19 infection control management, including 114 practicality codes and 50 issue codes. Using a qualitative inductive approach, all the codes were classified into core categories, categories, and subcategories. Four core categories were aggregated regarding practicalities of management : [Infection control consideration and dissemination during normal times], [Contingency operations coordination and information sharing], [Establishment of a system to accept assistance], and [Mental health care for the COVID-19 response]. Nine categories emerged from these : “Dissemination and education for care staff to practice basic infection control,” “Training and maintenance resources to prepare for an emergency,” ”Considering infection control appropriate to the facility’s situation to utilize the manual prepared by corporate headquarters,” “Coordinating with nurses to consider the type of assistance required by residents infected with COVID-19,” “Coordination of operations when people get infected or the number of staff decreases,” “Information sharing with parties inside and outside the facility,” “Developing a support system by the local medical institute,” “Receipt of assistance to manage facilities by corporate headquarters,” and “Psychological support for care staff who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Two core categories were aggregated regarding management issues : [Difficulties in dealing with diverse management demands] and [Increased sense of mental burden]. From these, five additional categories emerged : “Inadequate infection control due to the characteristics of older nursing homes (living environment, occupations, and subjects),” “Workforce shortage and operational chaos for an emergency,” “Lack of information sharing and organization among staff,” “Anxiety about dealing with an apparently endless COVID-19 situation,” and “Increasing burden on staff to correspond outside the facility.” To improve infection control management in older nursing homes, it was suggested that infection control be reviewed by nurses and a system be created to assist facility managers and support the mental health of all staff.