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[Background:] Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder and the foremost health concern among workers. We developed a new sleep prompt app (SPA) for smartphones to positively alter the users' consciousness and behavior by sending timely short messages for mild sleep problems at an early stage. [Objective:] The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the SPA in providing brief personalized therapy for insomnia among workers. [Methods:] We conducted a 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. The intervention group used the SPA, and the control group received no intervention. Participants were recruited between November 2020 and January 2021. The researcher sent emails for recruitment to more than 3000 workers of 2 companies and 1 university in Japan. The SPA provided personalized prompt messages, sleep diaries, sleep hygiene education, stimulus control therapy, and sleep restriction therapy. The prompt messages were sent automatically to the participants to encourage them to improve their sleep habits and sleep status and were optimized to the individual's daily rhythm. The intervention program duration was 4 weeks. The primary outcome was a change in the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) for the study period. The ISI was obtained weekly using a web questionnaire. [Results:] A total of 116 Japanese workers (intervention group n=60, control group n=56) with sleep disorders were recruited. Two participants in the intervention group were excluded from the analyses because of challenges in installing the SPA. The mean ISI scores at baseline were 9.2 for both groups; however, after 4 weeks, the mean ISI scores declined to 6.8 and 8.0 for the intervention and control groups, respectively. Primary analysis using a linear mixed model showed a significant improvement in the temporal trends of the ISI in the SPA group and in the total population (P=.03). Subgroup analyses of ISI-8-insomniacs revealed a significant improvement in the temporal trends of ISI in th

This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-022-02144-1., Purpose: Understanding epidemiological patterns in patients with severe sports-related injuries between children and adults is important for injury prevention. We ought to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with severe sports-related injuries and compare the characteristics between children and adults. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB). We included patients with sports-related injury and an ISS of at least 16, who were admitted between 2004 and 2018. We compared characteristics between children (< 18years) and adults (≥ 18years). We performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis to compare in-hospital mortality. Results: We identified 1369 eligible patients (children, n = 326; adults, n = 1043). The most common season was April–June and July–September in children (28.5% and 27.9%) and January–March in adults (42.1%). Injuries to the head/neck (58.9% vs. 40.8%, p < 0.001) and abdomen (16.0% vs. 8.3%, p < 0.001) were significantly more frequent in children than adults, while injuries to the thorax (8.0% vs. 27.2%, p < 0.001), pelvis/lower extremity (0.6% vs. 6.0%, p < 0.001), and spine (23.9% vs. 35.3%, p < 0.001) were less frequent in children. We did not observe a statistically significant difference in in-hospital mortality between children and adults. Conclusions: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of severe sports-related injuries using a nationwide trauma database and demonstrated different patterns of severe sports-related injuries in children and adults.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic may have negatively affected bystander interventions, emergency medical service (EMS) personnel activities, and patient outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study assessed bystander interventions, EMS activities, and patient outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic era and compared them with those during the non-COVID-19 pandemic era in Osaka City, Japan, where public-access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are well established. Methods: We conducted this population-based cohort study that included all cases with non-traumatic OHCA treated by EMS personnel and excluded cases with no resuscitation attempt, traumatic cases, cases occurring in healthcare facilities, or cases witnessed by EMS personnel. Data were compared between the COVID-19 pandemic period (February 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020) and the non-COVID-19 pandemic period (February 1, 2019 to July 31, 2019). Results: During the study periods, 1687 patients were eligible for analyses (COVID-19: n = 825; non-COVID-19: n = 862). Patients with OHCA during the COVID-19 pandemic period were significantly less likely to receive bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (COVID-19: 33.0%; non-COVID-19: 41.3%; p < 0.001) and public-access AED pad application (COVID-19: 2.9%; non-COVID-19: 6.1%; p = 0.002) compared with patients during the non-COVID-19 pandemic period. There were no significant differences in 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes between the two periods (COVID-19: 4.6%; non-COVID-19: 6.1%; p = 0.196). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic period did not affect patient outcomes after OHCA but changed bystander behaviors in Osaka City, Japan.

Yusuke Katayama, Kosuke Kiyohara, Sho Komukai, Tetsuhisa Kitamura, Kenichiro Ishida, Tomoya Hirose, Tasuku Matsuyama, Takeyuki Kiguchi, Takeshi Shimazu, Relationship between the number of pediatric patients with rotavirus and telephone triage for associated symptoms, The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Volume 39, 2021, Pages 6-10, ISSN 0735-6757, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2020.03.039. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735675720301819), Background: Earlier syndromic surveillance may be effective in preventing the spread of infectious disease. However, there has been no research on syndromic surveillance for rotavirus. The study aimed to assess the relationship between the incidence of rotavirus infections and the number of telephone triages for associated symptoms in pediatric patients under 4 years old in Osaka prefecture, Japan. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study for which the study period was the 3 years between January 2015 and December 2017. We analyzed data on children under 4 years old who were triaged by telephone triage nurses using software. The primary endpoint was the number of rotavirus patients under 4 years triaged old per week. Using a linear regression model, we calculated the R square value of the regression model to assess the relationship between the number of patients with rotavirus and the number of telephone triages made for associated symptoms. Covariates in the linear regression model were the week number indicating seasonality and the weekly number of telephone triages related to rotavirus symptoms such as stomachache and vomiting. Results: During the study period, there were 102,336 patients with rotavirus, and the number of people triaged by telephone was 123,720. The highest correlation coefficient was 0.921 in the regression model with the number of telephone triages for “stomachache + nausea/vomiting” and “stomachache + diarrhea + nausea/vomiting”. Conclusion: The number of telephone triage symptoms was positively related to the incidence of pediatric patients with rotavirus in a large metropolitan area of Japan.

Introduction: The aim of this trial was to investigate whether a digital device that provides real-time visualized brushing instructions would contribute to the removal of dental plaque over usual brushing instructions. Methods: We conducted a single-center, parallel-group, stratified permuted block randomized control trial with 1:1 allocation ratio. Eligibility criteria included people aged ≥ 18 years, and exclude people who met the following criteria: severely crowded teeth; using interdental cleaning implement; having external injury in the oral cavity, or stomatitis; having less than 20 teeth; using orthodontic apparatus; visited to a dental clinic; having the possibility of consulting a dental clinic; having a dental license; not owning a smartphone or tablet device; smoker; taken antibiotics; pregnant; an allergy to the staining fluid; and employee of Sunstar Inc. All participants received tooth brushing instructions using video materials and were randomly assigned to one of two groups for four weeks: (1) an intervention group who used the digital device, providing real-time visualized instructions by connection with a mobile application; and (2) a control group that used a digital device which only collected their brushing logs. The primary outcome was the change in 6-point method plaque control record (PCR) score of all teeth between baseline and week 4. The t-test was used to compare the two groups in accordance with intention-to-treat principles. Results: Among 118 enrolled individuals, 112 participants were eligible for our analyses. The mean of PCR score at week 4 was 45.05% in the intervention group and 49.65% in the control group, and the change of PCR score from baseline was −20.46% in the intervention group and −15.77% in the control group (p = 0.088, 95% confidence interval −0.70–10.07). Conclusions: A digital device providing real-time visualized brushing instructions may be effective for the removal of dental plaque.

Chika Nishiyama, Kosuke Kiyohara, Tasuku Matsuyama, Tetsuhisa Kitamura, Takeyuki Kiguchi, Daisuke Kobayashi, Satoe Okabayashi, Tomonari Shimamoto, Takashi Kawamura, Taku Iwami, Characteristics and Outcomes of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Educational Institutions in Japan ― All-Japan Utstein Registry ―, Circulation Journal, 2020, Volume 84, Issue 4, Pages 577-583, Released March 25, 2020, [Advance publication] Released February 20, 2020, Online ISSN 1347-4820, Print ISSN 1346-9843, https://doi.org/10.1253/circj.CJ-19-0920, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/circj/84/4/84_CJ-19-0920/_article/-char/en

Nakao, S., Katayama, Y., Hirayama, A. et al. Trends and outcomes of blunt renal trauma management: a nationwide cohort study in Japan. World J Emerg Surg 15, 50 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13017-020-00329-w, Background: There is a paucity of information for predicting patient outcomes other than the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) renal injury scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the patient characteristics and outcomes of patients with blunt renal trauma using a nationwide database in Japan. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB) from 2004 to 2018. We identified patients with blunt renal trauma by AIS codes converted to AAST grades. We evaluated trends in patient characteristics and management and assessed factors associated with mortality and nephrectomy using a multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: We identified 3550 patients with blunt renal trauma. Their median age was 43 years and 74.2% were male. Nephrectomy was performed in 3.8%, and the overall mortality rate was 9.5%. We found increasing trends in age and emergency abdominal angiography and decreasing trends in nephrectomy and mortality over the 15-year period. The following factors were associated with mortality: Age ≥ 65 years (adjusted OR 3.36); pedestrian accident (adjusted OR 1.94); fall from height (adjusted OR 1.91); shock on arrival (adjusted OR 4.02); concomitant injuries to the head/neck (adjusted OR 3.14), pelvis/lower-extremity (adjusted OR 1.59), liver (adjusted OR 1.68), spleen (adjusted OR 1.45), and gastrointestinal tract (adjusted OR 1.90); AAST grades III-V (adjusted ORs 1.42, 2.16, and 5.55); and emergency abdominal angiography (adjusted OR 0.70). The following factors were associated with nephrectomy: Shock on arrival (adjusted OR 1.98), concomitant injuries to the thorax (adjusted OR 0.46) and spleen (adjusted OR 2.07), AAST grades III, IV, and V (adjusted ORs 18.40, 113.89, and 468.17), and emergency abdominal angiography (adjusted OR 0.28). Conclusions: We demonstrated that the AAST grade and emergency angiography were associated with mortality and nephrectomy in blunt renal

The relationship between seasonal influenza and telephone triage for fever: A population-based study in Osaka, Japan. Katayama Y, Kiyohara K, Komukai S, Kitamura T, Ishida K, et al. PLOS ONE. 2020. 15(8) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0236560, Background Replacing traditional surveillance with syndromic surveillance is one of the major interests in public health. However, it is unclear whether the number of influenza patients is associated with the number of telephone triages in Japan. Methods This retrospective, observational study was conducted over the six-year period between January 2012 to December 2017. We used the dataset of a telephone triage service in Osaka, Japan and the data on influenza patients published from the Information Center of Infectious Disease in Osaka prefecture. Using a linear regression model, we calculated Spearman's rank-order coefficient and R2 of the regression model to assess the relationship between the number of telephone triages for fever and the number of influenza patients in Osaka. Furthermore, we calculated Spearman's rank-order coefficient and R2 between the predicted weekly number of influenza patients from the linear regression model and the actual weekly number of influenza patients for influenza outbreak season (December-April). Results There were 465,971 patients with influenza, and the number of telephone triages for fever was 420,928 among 1,065,628 total telephone triages during the study period. Our analysis showed that the Spearman rank-order coefficient was 0.932, and R2 and adjusted R2 were 0.869 and 0.842, respectively. The Spearman rank-order coefficient was 0.923 (P<0.001) and R2 was 0.832 in December-April (P<0.001). Conclusion We revealed a positive relationship in this population between the number of influenza patients and the number of telephone triages for fever.

Kosuke Kiyohara, Junya Sado, Tasuku Matsuyama, Yusuke Katayama, Sumito Hayashida, Ken Nakata, Tetsuhisa Kitamura, Characteristics of Sports-Related Emergency Transport: A Population-Based Descriptive Study in Osaka City, Journal of Epidemiology, 2020, Volume 30, Issue 6, Pages 268-275, Released June 05, 2020, [Advance publication] Released May 18, 2019, Online ISSN 1349-9092, Print ISSN 0917-5040, https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20190019, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/30/6/30_JE20190019/_article/-char/en, Background: Little is known about the characteristics of emergency patients transported to hospital while participating in sports activity. Hence, we identified characteristics of emergency patients transported to hospital by emergency medical service (EMS) while participating in sports activity in Osaka City. Methods: Population-based ambulance records of Osaka Municipal Fire Department were reviewed. All sports-related emergency transport cases (ie, patients experiencing external injury or illness during=immediately after participation in sports activity and then transported to hospital by the EMS) were enrolled, including both athletes and recreational sports participants. The study was performed from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. Data of patient characteristics were described according to the type of sports. Results: During the study, 661,190 patients required emergency transport in Osaka city; 2,642 (0.4%) were sports-related emergency transport, including 2,453 external injuries and 298 illnesses. Overall, 79.0% of patients were men and 44.4% were less than 18 years. Emergency transport during ball games accounts for the majority of cases (71.5%, 1,888=2,642), including baseball (n = 380), soccer (n = 368), and futsal (n = 209). The leading diagnosis=symptom of external injury was fracture=bone contusion (n = 701) and that of illness was heatstroke=dehydration (n = 184). Serious acute illness, such as sudden cardiac arrest, accounted for 0.6% (16=2,751) of all accidents, with half of them (n = 8) related to long-distance running. Conclusion: Characteristics of sports-related accidents widely varied by type of sports. Measures to prevent serious accidents during sports activities should be established based on the information on patient characteristics of each type of sports.

Hirose T, Kitamura T, Katayama Y, Sado J, Kiguchi T, Matsuyama T, Kiyohara K, Takahashi H, Tachino J, Nakagawa Y, Mizushima Y, Shimazu T. Impact of nighttime and weekends on outcomes of emergency trauma patients: A nationwide observational study in Japan. Medicine 2020;99:1(e18687)., The impact of time of day or day of week on the survival of emergency trauma patients is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of these patients according to time of day or day of week of emergency admission by using data from the nationwide Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB).This study enrolled 236,698 patients registered in the JTDB database from 2004 to 2015, and defined daytime as 09:00 am to 16:59 pm and nighttime as 17:00 pm to 08:59 am, weekdays as Monday to Friday, and weekends as Saturday, Sunday, and national holidays. The outcome measures were death in the emergency room (ER) and discharge to death.In total, 170,622 patients were eligible for our analysis. In a multivariable logistic regression adjusted for confounding factors, both death in the ER and death at hospital discharge were significantly lower during the daytime than at nighttime (623/76,162 [0.82%] vs 954/94,460 [1.01%]; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71-0.88 and 5765/76,162 [7.57%] vs 7270/94,460 [7.70%]; AOR 0.88; 95% CI 0.85-0.92). In contrast, the weekdays/weekends was not significantly related to either death in the ER (1058/114,357 [0.93%] vs 519/56,265 [0.92%]; AOR 0.95; 95% CI 0.85-1.06) or death at hospital discharge (8975/114,357 [7.85%] vs 4060/56,265 [7.22%]; AOR 1.02; 95% CI 0.97-1.06).In this population of emergency trauma patients in Japan, both death in the ER and death at hospital discharge were significantly lower during the daytime than at night, but the weekdays/weekends was not associated with outcomes of these patients.

We investigated the impact of bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), dispatcher assistance (DA), and location of arrest on survival and outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). From a nationwide population-based registry of OHCA patients in Japan, we enrolled adult patients with bystander-witnessed OHCA of medical origin between 2013 and 2015. The primary outcome measure was a neurologically favorable outcome, defined by cerebral performance category 1 or 2. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the effects of bystander CPR and DA by location of arrest. A total of 104,621 cases were included (15,984 bystander CPR without DA [15.3%], 40,087 bystander CPR with DA [38.3%], and 48,550 no bystander CPR [46.4%]). In public locations, both the bystander-CPR-with-DA group (22.9% [1,068/4,665]; adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 1.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.43-1.85) and the bystander-CPR-without-DA group (25.8% [918/3,557]; AOR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.24-1.65) had neurologically favorable outcomes compared with the no-bystander-CPR group (9.9% [610/6,133]). In residential locations, the AORs were 1.44 (95% CI, 1.22-1.70) in the bystander-CPR-without-DA group and 1.60 (95% CI, 1.45-1.77) in the bystander-CPR-with-DA group. However, in nursing homes, bystander CPR was not associated with improved outcomes of OHCA, regardless of the implementation of DA. Bystander CPR with or without DA had better outcomes after OHCA in residential and public locations but not in nursing homes.