BackgroundOral health professionals should have good COVID-19 vaccine literacy as should physicians and nurses. However, little is known about COVID-19 literacy and vaccine hesitancy among oral health professionals in Japan.AimsThis study aimed to investigate the status of COVID-19 literacy and vaccine hesitancy among oral health professionals by comparing them with other healthcare workers (HCWs).MethodsTo compare these differences, a self-administered questionnaire-based survey of 596 staff members was conducted in March 2023 at schools, an affiliated hospital, and elderly care facilities after the staff who wished to receive it completed the fifth dose of COVID-19 vaccinations. Comparison between the recognition levels and number of vaccine doses among the HCWs were examined using the Kruskal-Wallis tests. Defining the third or lower doses of COVID-19 vaccine as vaccine hesitancy, factors associated with the hesitancy were examined using logistic regression analysis.ResultsIn total, 408 (68.5%) participants were enrolled for the study. Dental hygienists' COVID-19 literacy levels were lower compared to those of nurses and physicians. Dentists received a significantly lower number of vaccine doses than did physicians. Vaccine hesitancy was positively associated with younger age and higher concern about the adverse effects of the vaccine, but it was not associated with occupation.ConclusionInterventions to improve the low COVID-19 literacy and high COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among oral health professionals, particularly young ones, are needed for COVID-19 and future pandemics.
To identify the current challenges faced by children with surgically treated esophageal atresia (EA) at the start of elementary, junior high, and high schools. Questionnaire surveys were administered at the pediatric surgery departments of 19 representative institutions across Japan between December 1, 2018, and January 31, 2019. The surveys included gross classification, status of hospital visits, surgical procedures, postoperative complications, symptoms at the time of the final evaluation, status of school attendance, and related information at 7, 13, and 16 years old. A total of 572 children with EA were included. Data from 59 first-grade elementary school students, 42 first-year junior high school students, and 30 first-year high school students were extracted for this study. Most postoperative complications remained unresolved, and many children with EA continued to exhibit symptoms at the final evaluation. Despite many children having clinical and academic problems, 33
Background: Tumor recurrence, anorectal and urinary dysfunction, and lower limb dysfunction after surgery are observed in infantile sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT). In this paper, a multi-institutional retrospective observational study was conducted to clarify the long-term functional prognosis in Japan. Methods: This study was conducted using a paper-based questionnaire distributed to 192 facilities accredited by the Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons, covering patients who underwent radical surgery at less than 1 year old and who survived for at least 180 days after birth from 2000 to 2019. Results: A total of 355 patients were included in this analysis. Altman type was I -II in 248 and type III -IV in 107, and the median maximum tumor diameter was 6.1 (range: 0.6-36.0) cm. There were 269 mature teratomas, 69 immature teratomas, and 10 malignant tumors. Total resection was performed in 325, subtotal or partial resection in 27, and surgical complications were noted in 54. The median postoperative follow-up was 6.6 (0.5-21.7) years. Eighty-three patients (23.4 %) had functional sequelae, including 62 (17.5 %) with anorectal dysfunction, 56 (13.0 %) with urinary dysfunction, and 15 (4.2 %) with lower limb motor dysfunction. Recurrence occurred in 42 (11.8 %) at a median age of 16.8 (1.7-145.1) months old. Risk factors for dysfunction included preterm delivery, a large tumor diameter, Altman type III -IV, incomplete resection, and surgical complications. Risk factors for recurrence included immature teratoma or malignancy, incomplete resection, and surgical complications. Conclusions: Postoperative dysfunction was not low at 23.4 %, and 11.8 % of the patients experienced recurrence occurring more than 10 years after surgery, suggesting the need for periodic imaging and tumor markers evaluations in patients with risk factors. It is necessary to establish treatment guidelines for best practice monitoring of the long-term quality of life. Level of evidence: Level II Retrospective Study. (c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Isolated hypoganglionosis (IHG) is histologically characterized by small numbers of myenteric ganglion cells and small myenteric ganglia; however, no numerical diagnostic criteria for IHG have been established. Therefore, this study aimed to develop quantitative pathologic criteria for IHG. We evaluated 160 resected intestinal tissue specimens from 29 pediatric autopsies and 10 IHG cases. These specimens were obtained from the jejunum, ileum, ascending colon, transverse colon, and rectum. Morphologic features of the myenteric ganglion cells and myenteric ganglia were quantified and analyzed in digitized HuC/HuD-immunostained and CD56-immunostained sections, respectively. Quantitative criteria were developed with a scoring system that used parameters with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values >0.7 and sensitivity and specificity exceeding 70%. The selected parameters were the number of myenteric ganglion cells per cm and the number of myenteric ganglia with an area >2500 µm2per cm. The score for each parameter ranged from −1 to 2, and the total score of the scoring system ranged from −2 to 4. With a cutoff value of ≥2 (AUC, 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96-1.00), the scoring system had a sensitivity of 96% (95% CI: 0.82-1.00) and a specificity of 99% (95% CI: 0.95-1.00). We devised a novel pathologic criterion based on the quantification of the number of myenteric ganglion cells and ganglia. Furthermore, this criterion showed high diagnostic accuracy and could lead to a definitive diagnosis of IHG in clinical practice.
PURPOSE:The study aimed to explore and describe the lives of patients with persistent cloaca (PC) from childhood to adulthood. METHODS:Semistructured interviews were conducted with nine adult patients with PC. Their experiences and thoughts regarding this disease were analyzed qualitatively and inductively. RESULTS:After classifying the experiences and thoughts of patients with PC, 13 categories were extracted. The following five themes emerged from these categories. (1) Difficulties with excretion and vaginal management because of the disease. (2) The degree of understanding of those around them and society has a huge effect on their way of life. (3) The inferiority of a woman who is not a "normal woman." (4) A "never-ending disease" in which problems continue even after the transition period. (5) Differences in the central point of the narrative depending on the age group. CONCLUSIONS:In this study, qualitative and inductive analyses of data from semistructured interviews with patients with PC revealed their experiences and thoughts. The results will provide a guide for young patients and the medical professionals who treat them. Accordingly, monitoring their lives until adulthood is necessary.
