Category: Medical

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 30, 2025 Number of comments0
Cancer Disability Japan Medical

Kyoto University Team Develops Cancer Prediction Method Using Inside of Cheek

A team of Kyoto University and other researchers has developed a method of predicting with high accuracy the risk of developing esophageal cancer by analyzing cells collected from inside a person’s cheeks.The team’s findings were published in an online international medical journal in April. Its study covered 222 people aged 40-94, all with a history of smoking and drinking habits who were either esophageal cancer patients or did not have such cancer.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 15, 2025 Number of comments0
Health Japan Medical

OTC Drugs to Be Available at Convenience Stores in Japan

Japan’s parliament on Wednesday enacted a bill that will allow people to pick up over-the-counter drugs at convenience stores and other outlets without pharmacists. The bill to revise the pharmaceuticals and medical devices law was approved at a plenary meeting of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, following its passage through the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, last month. The revised law will require consumers to listen to explanations from pharmacists online before purchases. It will take effect by around spring 2027. The government expects the new system to be used also in areas with few pharmacies, such as remote islands and mountainous areas.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 10, 2025 Number of comments0
Alzheimer’s Dementia Japan Medical

Loss of Immune-Regulating Protein Eases Alzheimer’s Disease, Research By Kyoto University Finds

The loss of a certain immune-regulating protein in the brain leads to a decrease in the levels of amyloid beta, which causes Alzheimer’s disease, and improves cognitive function, a group of researchers including from Kyoto University has found. The group confirmed that the TIM-3 protein, which exists in microglia, a type of immune cell in the brain, increases as the brain ages. When it removed the protein from a mouse with Alzheimer’s disease by genetic modification, the accumulation of amyloid beta decreased by 50 to 60 pct, and the mouse showed an improvement in cognitive function.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 2, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Hospitals Japan Medical Mental Health

Japanese Society of Sleep Research Requests Government Add ‘Sleep Disorders’ to Names of Medical Departments

As the number of people struggling with insomnia and insufficient sleep increases, the Japanese Society of Sleep Research has submitted a formal request to the government to add “Sleep Disorders” to the names of medical departments. They envision combining this term with existing department names, such as “Sleep Disorder Internal Medicine,” and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is now considering the proposal.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 29, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Children developmental disabilities Japan Medical

Japan Government Strengthens Support for Local Government to Conduct Medical Checkups of 5-Year-Olds for Early Detection of Developmental Disabilities

The government has begun to strengthen its support for local governments to promote health checkups for infants and toddlers at the age of 5 years old, as it is effective in early detection of developmental disabilities. The program aims to provide appropriate support for children with developmental disorders before they start school, as it is easy to recognize the characteristics of developmental disorders. While local governments are obligated to conduct health checks for 18-month-olds and 3-year-olds, and “school entry health checks” conducted about six months before entering elementary school, 5-year-old health checks are optional, and only 14% of local governments conducted them in fiscal 2011. The Child and Family Agency aims to implement 100% nationwide by fiscal 2028.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 26, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Japan Medical

Exposure to 1-minute sound may prevent motion sickness: Japan team

People suffering from motion sickness may be able to prevent their symptoms from developing just by listening to a minute of special sound, a Japanese research team said. The research found a sound at 100 hertz stimulates the inner ear and helps to reduce motion sickness by improving balance, the team said, while current preventive measures are largely limited to taking medicines.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 24, 2025 Number of comments0
Elderly Health Japan Medical

Japan Health Insurance Premium Rate to Hit Record High

The National Federation of Health Insurance Societies, or Kenporen, said Wednesday that the average premium rate at corporate health insurance societies in Japan is expected to hit a record high of 9.34 pct in fiscal 2025. The rate is projected to rise 0.03 percentage point from the previous year ended in March, affected by higher contributions to the medical care services for the elderly, according to the group of health insurance societies for employees of large corporations and their families.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 16, 2025 Number of comments0
iPS Japan Medical

Kyoto Hospital Succeeds in iPS Sheet Transplant to Diabetic

Kyoto University Hospital has succeeded in transplanting pancreatic cell sheets made from induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells into a diabetic patient, achieving the first clinical application of such sheets in Japan. Announcing the results Monday, the hospital said that the patient in her 40s has already been discharged with a favorable prognosis.  The hospital observed her for one month after the surgery and confirmed that there was no safety problem.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 18, 2025 1
Children Education Health Medical

School Health Checkups in Japan Still Cause Trouble with Parents

School doctors in Japan still have to take the risk of facing complaints from parents about their children’s body parts being exposed during regular health checkups although the education ministry took measures to soothe such parental anxiety over a year ago. According to a survey conducted in June by online medical information provider m3.com, more than 80 pct of the 1,970 responding practitioners and physicians did not want to become school doctors chiefly out of concern that parents “more than necessary” tend not to allow their children’s bodies to be shown to the doctors.