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"Ishida, Yu"
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The state of nonprofit sector research in Japan : a literature review
Despite a long history, the organized field of research on voluntaristics in Japan has emerged only in the past two decades. This article presents a comprehensive review of voluntaristics research in Japan through an overview of past studies and recent hot topics. Nonprofit sector and voluntary action research, now termed voluntaristics (Smith, 2016), is reviewed here using four approaches: organizational, economic, employment, and charitable giving. Discussion of recent changes in the political-legal environment for nonprofit agencies and associations as well as of collaboration among nonprofits, governments, and businesses are presented. The article also covers some of the key topics in recent years, including rising social movements and advocacy, social impact bonds, social capital, and information and communication technologies (ICT) and social media.
Book
Links between Immune Cells from the Periphery and the Brain in the Pathogenesis of Epilepsy: A Narrative Review
Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the pathogenesis of epilepsy is linked to neuroinflammation and cerebrovascular dysfunction. Peripheral immune cell invasion into the brain, along with these responses, is implicitly involved in epilepsy. This review explored the current literature on the association between the peripheral and central nervous systems in the pathogenesis of epilepsy, and highlights novel research directions for therapeutic interventions targeting these reactions. Previous experimental and human studies have demonstrated the activation of the innate and adaptive immune responses in the brain. The time required for monocytes (responsible for innate immunity) and T cells (involved in acquired immunity) to invade the central nervous system after a seizure varies. Moreover, the time between the leakage associated with blood–brain barrier (BBB) failure and the infiltration of these cells varies. This suggests that cell infiltration is not merely a secondary disruptive event associated with BBB failure, but also a non-disruptive event facilitated by various mediators produced by the neurovascular unit consisting of neurons, perivascular astrocytes, microglia, pericytes, and endothelial cells. Moreover, genetic manipulation has enabled the differentiation between peripheral monocytes and resident microglia, which was previously considered difficult. Thus, the evidence suggests that peripheral monocytes may contribute to the pathogenesis of seizures.
Journal Article
High-Level Quinolone-Resistant Haemophilus haemolyticus in Pediatric Patient with No History of Quinolone Exposure
The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among Haemophilus spp. is a critical concern, but high-level quinolone-resistant strains had not been isolated from children. We isolated high-level quinolone-resistant H. haemolyticus from the suction sputum of a 9-year-old patient. The patient had received home medical care with mechanical ventilation for 2 years and had not been exposed to any quinolones for >3 years. The H. haemolyticus strain we isolated, 2019-19, shared biochemical features with H. influenzae. However, whole-genome analysis found this strain was closer to H. haemolyticus. Phylogenetic and mass spectrometry analyses indicated that strain 2019-19 was in the same cluster as H. haemolyticus. Comparison of quinolone resistance-determining regions showed strain 2019-19 possessed various amino acid substitutions, including those associated with quinolone resistance. This report highlights the existence of high-level quinolone-resistant Haemophilus species that have been isolated from both adults and children.
Journal Article
Role of Neuroinflammation and Blood-Brain Barrier Permutability on Migraine
Currently, migraine is treated mainly by targeting calcitonin gene-related peptides, although the efficacy of this method is limited and new treatment strategies are desired. Neuroinflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of migraine. In patients with migraine, peripheral levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α, are known to be increased. Additionally, animal models of headache have demonstrated that immunological responses associated with cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of migraine. Furthermore, these inflammatory mediators might alter the function of tight junctions in brain vascular endothelial cells in animal models, but not in human patients. Based on clinical findings showing elevated IL-1β, and experimental findings involving IL-1β and both the peripheral trigeminal ganglion and central trigeminal vascular pathways, regulation of the Il-1β/IL-1 receptor type 1 axis might lead to new treatments for migraine. However, the integrity of the blood-brain barrier is not expected to be affected during attacks in patients with migraine.
Journal Article
Experimental and Clinical Investigation of Cytokines in Migraine: A Narrative Review
The role of neuroinflammation in the pathophysiology of migraines is increasingly being recognized, and cytokines, which are important endogenous substances involved in immune and inflammatory responses, have also received attention. This review examines the current literature on neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of migraine. Elevated TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels have been identified in non-invasive mouse models with cortical spreading depolarization (CSD). Various mouse models to induce migraine attack-like symptoms also demonstrated elevated inflammatory cytokines and findings suggesting differences between episodic and chronic migraines and between males and females. While studies on human blood during migraine attacks have reported no change in TNF-α levels and often inconsistent results for IL-1β and IL-6 levels, serial analysis of cytokines in jugular venous blood during migraine attacks revealed consistently increased IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. In a study on the interictal period, researchers reported higher levels of TNF-α and IL-6 compared to controls and no change regarding IL-1β levels. Saliva-based tests suggest that IL-1β might be useful in discriminating against migraine. Patients with migraine may benefit from a cytokine perspective on the pathogenesis of migraine, as there have been several encouraging reports suggesting new therapeutic avenues.
Journal Article
Social Capital and Mental Health in Japan: A Multilevel Analysis
A national cross-sectional survey was conducted in Japan. This is because the growing recognition of the social determinants of health has stimulated research on social capital and mental health. In recent years, systematic reviews have found that social capital may be a useful factor in the prevention of mental illness. Despite these studies, evidence on the association between social capital and mental health is limited as there have been few empirical discussions that adopt a multilevel framework to assess whether social capital at the ecological level is associated with individual mental health. The aim of this study was to use the multilevel approach to investigate the association between neighborhood social capital and mental health after taking into account potential individual confounders.
We conducted a multilevel analysis on 5,956 individuals nested within 199 neighborhoods. The outcome variable of self-reported mental health was measured by the one dimension of SF-36 and was summed to calculate a score ranging from 0 to 100. This study showed that high levels of cognitive social capital, measured by trust (regression coefficient = 9.56), and high levels of structural social capital, measured by membership in sports, recreation, hobby, or cultural groups (regression coefficient = 8.72), were associated with better mental health after adjusting for age, sex, household income, and educational attainment. Furthermore, after adjusting for social capital perceptions at the individual level, we found that the association between social capital and mental health also remained.
Our findings suggest that both cognitive and structural social capital at the ecological level may influence mental health, even after adjusting for individual potential confounders including social capital perceptions. Promoting social capital may contribute to enhancing the mental health of the Japanese.
Journal Article
Seizure in children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variant infection
After the World Health Organization designated the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant from South Africa as variant of concern on November 24, 2021, it spread quickly around the globe, including Japan. 1 During the Omicron surge, several reports described seizures in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19), which was an unusual manifestation compared with the previous variants. 1,2 Our hospital, Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center, is one of the largest tertiary children's hospitals in Japan, located in the Tama area of Tokyo, where approximately 500 000 children live. Table 1 Clinical and laboratory features of five cases Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Case 4 Case 5 Day of admission 1/27/2022 1/31/2022 2/14/2022 2/15/2022 2/16/2022 Background Age 7 years 8 years 6 years 9 years 10 years Sex Female Female Male Male Female History of FS No Yes, 2 times Yes, 4 times No Yes, 4 times Final episode of FS NA 6 years 2 years NA 8 years Family history of FS (first relative) No No No NA Yes Neurodevelopmental abnormality No No No Yes No Other comorbidities No No No Severe mitral stenosis, mitral valve replacement, sick sinus syndrome, periventricular leukomalacia No Contact with COVID-19 patients No Yes No Yes Yes Seizure characteristics Fever duration before seizure onset 5 h 4 h 3 h 10 h NA Seizure duration 40 min 2 h 30 min 1 h 25 min Seizure pattern Tonic-clonic seizure Tonic seizure Tonic seizure NA Clonic seizure Focal neurological signs No No No No No Use of anticonvulsant No Midazolam 0.2 mg/kg, Fosphenytoin 22.5 mg/kg No IM diazepam 0.5 mg/kg, Midazolam 0.05 mg/kg No Postictal period of unconsciousness 3 h NA 1 h NA 1 h Use of antipyretics before seizures 3 h before No No NA No FS, febrile seizure; IM, intramuscular; NA, not available. [...]seizure prevention may be a potential benefit of vaccination in this age group.
Journal Article
Towards a Treatment for Neuroinflammation in Epilepsy: Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist, Anakinra, as a Potential Treatment in Intractable Epilepsy
Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES) is a unique catastrophic epilepsy syndrome, and the development of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) is inevitable. Recently, anakinra, an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), has been increasingly used to treat DRE due to its potent anticonvulsant activity. We here summarized its effects in 38 patients (32 patients with FIRES and six with DRE). Of the 22 patients with FIRES, 16 (73%) had at least short-term seizure control 1 week after starting anakinra, while the remaining six suspected anakinra-refractory cases were male and had poor prognoses. Due to the small sample size, an explanation for anakinra refractoriness was not evident. In all DRE patients, seizures disappeared or improved, and cognitive function improved in five of the six patients following treatment. Patients showed no serious side effects, although drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms, cytopenia, and infections were observed. Thus, anakinra has led to a marked improvement in some cases, and functional deficiency of IL-1RA was indicated, supporting a direct mechanism for its therapeutic effect. This review first discusses the effectiveness of anakinra for intractable epileptic syndromes. Anakinra could become a new tool for intractable epilepsy treatment. However, it does not currently have a solid evidence base.
Journal Article
Nonprofit Education in Japan: Trace of Expansion and New Directions
In response to the rapid growth of the nonprofit sector, universities in Japan have increasingly recognized nonprofits as an important arena to include in their curricula. This paper reports on the current status of nonprofit education in Japan through analyses of three data sets: institutions, courses and faculty. The paper finds that over 25% of universities in Japan today offer at least one nonprofit course. Economics, management, and global/international studies are the top three departments or majors in which these courses are offered. We identified 411 courses taught by 328 faculty. Over half of these courses provide an overview of the nonprofit sector in comparison to the public and private sectors. We also find that while academics comprise more than half of the faculty, a good number of practitioners and pracademics are also engaged in teaching nonprofit courses.
Journal Article
Episodic Volunteering in Sport Events: A Seven-Country Analysis
Given its ubiquitous nature, sport events are one of the most popular venues for episodic volunteering around the world. This article explores the rare dataset of volunteering in sport events in seven countries—Finland, Ghana, India, Japan, Switzerland, Tanzania, United States—to overview the differences and similarities identified in demography, volunteers’ reactions to hosts’ management strategies, satisfaction, and intention to volunteer again. Key findings include differences in the level of satisfaction, where responses among American volunteers were the highest. We also find that although well-organized management strategies such as quality training, communication, and proper appreciation led to higher satisfaction, these factors did not contribute to volunteers’ intent to volunteer again. Such management style might be too impersonal with less autonomy on the part of volunteers that they may not feel needed in future events. Somewhat messy management might motivate volunteers to participate again.
Journal Article