Japan is subject to global interest due to its waste management system, which aims for sustainability and is known for its efficiency. The purpose of this study is to examine Japan’s steps towards sustainable waste management practices and highlight its formation, achievements, problems, and prospects for the future. Through a comprehensive review of official governmental data and the academic literature, the main achievements—including extensive government initiatives such as proposing programs, plans, and legislation for sustainable waste management and encouraging public involvement in establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society (SMCS) and 3Rs—were defined. Thus, the state and the population alike take general measures to combat pollution. Looking at the future of waste management in Japan, the country continues to struggle despite all these efforts and impressive results. It is focusing on developing more sustainable and cost-effective solutions. This includes investing in new technologies, increasing efforts to reduce and recycle waste, and promoting environmental awareness.

The aging transformation of digital health services faces issues of how to distinguish influencing factors, redesign services, and effectively promote measures and policies. In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted, and grounded theory applied to open coding, main axis coding, and selective coding to form concepts and categories. Trajectory equifinality modeling clarified the evolution logic of digital transformation. Based on the theory of service ecology, a digital health service aging model was constructed from the “macro–medium–micro” stages and includes governance, service, and technology transformation paths. The macro stage relies on organizational elements to promote the institutionalization of management and guide the transformation of governance for value realization, including the construction of three categories: mechanism, indemnification, and decision-making. The meso stage relies on service elements to promote service design and realize service transformation that is suitable for aging design, including the construction of three categories: organization, resources, and processes. The micro stage relies on technical elements to practice experiencing humanization, including the construction of three categories: target, methods, and evaluation. These results deepen the understanding of the main behaviors and roles of macro-organizational, meso-service, and micro-technical elements in digital transformation practice and have positive significance for health administrative agencies to implement action strategies.

The most common type of diabetes among children and adolescents is type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Additionally, lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are linked to an increased risk of CVD. Regular exercise is associated with a decreased risk of CVD and improved CRF. We conducted this scoping review to assess the effects of exercise on CRF in youth with T1DM. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were used to search for the relevant literature. In this analysis, the PICOS method was used to select studies and was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Guidelines scoping review guidelines for the evaluation of the effects of physical activity and cardiac function; the criteria may include the type and intensity of physical activity, the duration of the intervention, peak oxygen consumption (VO₂), peak minute ventilation (VE), and peak heart rate of cardiorespiratory fitness. Screening resulted in 434 records. Of these, nine articles were included in our study. These nine studies were experimental (noncontrolled trials or randomized controlled trials) (n = 7) and observational (cross-sectional) (n = 2), and could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on cardiac function. The effects of exercise on CRF in youth with T1DM vary according to the type, frequency, and intensity of the exercise. According to our review, the duration of exercise included in the studies did not meet the recommendations of the guidelines for youth with T1DM. Additionally, half of the studies revealed that exercise could optimize the lipid profile in youth with T1DM. Hence, this research is to provide an overview of the effects of physical activity and exercise on CRF, cardiovascular fitness, lipid profile, and blood pressure in youth with T1DM, as well as identified potential limitations of the existing studies. Nevertheless, the limited number of clinical studies employing exercise interventions for children and adolescents with T1DM emphasize the need for more studies in this area, and more specific modes of exercise should be developed in the future.

Background: In the post–COVID-19 pandemic era, many countries have launched apps to trace contacts of COVID-19 infections. Each contact-tracing app (CTA) faces a variety of issues owing to different national policies or technologies for tracing contacts. Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate all the CTAs used to trace contacts in various countries worldwide, including the technology used by each CTA, the availability of knowledge about the CTA from official websites, the interoperability of CTAs in various countries, and the infection detection rates and policies of the specific country that launched the CTA, and to summarize the current problems of the apps based on the information collected. Methods: We investigated CTAs launched in all countries through Google, Google Scholar, and PubMed. We experimented with all apps that could be installed and compiled information about apps that could not be installed or used by consulting official websites and previous literature. We compared the information collected by us on CTAs with relevant previous literature to understand and analyze the data. Results: After screening 166 COVID-19 apps developed in 197 countries worldwide, we selected 98 (59%) apps from 95 (48.2%) countries, of which 63 (66.3%) apps were usable. The methods of contact tracing are divided into 3 main categories: Bluetooth, geolocation, and QR codes. At the technical level, CTAs face 3 major problems. First, the distance and time for Bluetooth- and geolocation-based CTAs to record contact are generally set to 2 meters and 15 minutes; however, this distance should be lengthened, and the time should be shortened for more infectious variants. Second, Bluetooth- or geolocation-based CTAs also face the problem of lack of accuracy. For example, individuals in 2 adjacent vehicles during traffic jams may be at a distance of ≤2 meters to make the CTA trace contact, but the 2 users may actually be separated by car doors, which could prevent transmission and infection. In addition, we investigated infection detection rates in 33 countries, 16 (48.5%) of which had significantly low infection detection rates, wherein CTAs could have lacked effectiveness in reducing virus propagation. Regarding policy, CTAs in most countries can only be used in their own countries and lack interoperability among other countries. In addition, 7 countries have already discontinued CTAs, but we believe that it was too early to discontinue them. Regarding user acceptance, 28.6% (28/98) of CTAs had no official source of information that could reduce user acceptance. Conclusions: We surveyed all CTAs worldwide, identified their technological policy and acceptance issues, and provided solutions for each of the issues we identified. This study aimed to provide useful guidance and suggestions for updating the existing CTAs and the subsequent development of new CTAs.

Background: Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are essential in treating infertility but often face limited success due to low implantation and live birth rates. East Asian traditional medicine (EATM), including acupuncture and herbal medicine (HM), may enhance physiological responses during ART cycles. This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of EATM in improving clinical pregnancy and live birth outcomes in women undergoing ART. Methods: This review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023411712), systematically searched 11 databases up to 31 March 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing EATM interventions to control groups. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two authors. Meta-analysis used the inverse-variance method in Stata 12.0. A total of 37 RCTs involving 10,776 women (aged 29–38) were analyzed. Studies addressed infertility causes including polycystic ovary syndrome, tubal blockage, diminished ovarian reserve, and unexplained infertility. Acupuncture therapies included body, electro-, laser, and auricular acupuncture. Herbal treatments were administered as powders, pills, granules, decoctions, and ointments based on traditional Chinese formulas. Results: EATM interventions were associated with significant improvements in clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. Acupuncture increased clinical pregnancy rates (CPR: RR 1.316, 95% CI 1.171–1.480) and live birth rates (LBR: RR 1.287, 95% CI 1.081–1.533). HM also enhanced CPRs (RR 1.184) and LBRs (RR 1.147). Subgroup analysis showed true acupuncture and HM were more effective than sham or placebo. No significant differences in adverse events were found. Conclusions: EATM, particularly acupuncture and HM, appears to be a safe and effective complementary therapy that can be used to improve ART outcomes. Future research should focus on developing standardized acupuncture and herbal protocols to optimize integration with ART.

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a cervical cancer education program for students and evaluate the process for female students of an HPE teacher education university who were training to become Japanese Health and Physical Education teachers.Methods: This study used Action Research (AR) methodology. In developing program, we analyzed the description of the teaching material development process, the lectures, and the students’ report contents, which was the main activity in the program development. Thirty five third- and fourth-year students majoring in health promotion at a Health and Physical Education teacher education university, which trains Health and Physical Education teachers in Tokyo, Japan, participated in this study.Results: After a review of the prototype version of the cervical cancer education material, six out of nine reviewers determined that it can be published. In the revised cervical cancer education materials, messages from students, university lecturers, and gynecologists have been added as a column in the section on 'how to prevent cervical cancer. Analysis of the contents of the texts (16,792 characters in total) of 35 student reports resulted in the generation of 51 codes, 3 categories, and 15 subcategories.Conclusions: This study reflects the intentions of female university students to contribute their knowledge to the development of educational materials on cervical cancer, which, alongside the lectures, have deepened the knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer. Based on this, the teaching material development process, lectures by experts, and students’ mindset after learning about cervical cancer is reported in this study. There is a need for more educational programs on cervical cancer that are implemented through the education of female university students.