Japanese medical academia continues to depend on quantitative indicators, contrary to the general trend in research evaluation. To understand this situation better and facilitate discussion, this study aimed to examine how Japanese medical researchers perceive quantitative indicators and qualitative factors of research evaluation and their differences by the researchers’ characteristics.

We employed a web-based cross-sectional survey and distributed the self-administered questionnaire to academic society members via the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences.

We received 3139 valid responses representing Japanese medical researchers in any medical research field (basic, clinical and social medicine).

The subjective importance of quantitative indicators and qualitative factors in evaluating researchers (eg, the journal impact factor (IF) or the originality of the research topic) was assessed on a four-point scale, with 1 indicating ‘especially important’ and 4 indicating ‘not important’. The attitude towards various opinions in quantitative and qualitative research evaluation (eg, the possibility of research misconduct or susceptibility to unconscious bias) was also evaluated on a four-point scale, ranging from 1, ‘strongly agree’, to 4, ‘completely disagree’.

Notably, 67.4% of the medical researchers, particularly men, younger and basic medicine researchers, responded that the journal IF was important in researcher evaluation. Most researchers (88.8%) agreed that some important studies do not get properly evaluated in research evaluation using quantitative indicators. The respondents perceived quantitative indicators as possibly leading to misconduct, especially in basic medicine (strongly agree—basic, 22.7%; clinical, 11.7%; and social, 16.1%). According to the research fields, researchers consider different qualitative factors, such as the originality of the research topic (especially important—basic, 46.2%; social, 39.1%; and clinical, 32.0%) and the contribution to solving clinical and social problems (especially important—basic, 30.4%; clinical, 41.0%; and social, 52.0%), as important. Older researchers tended to believe that qualitative research evaluation was unaffected by unconscious bias.

Despite recommendations from the Declaration on Research Assessment and the Leiden Manifesto to de-emphasise quantitative indicators, this study found that Japanese medical researchers have actually tended to prioritise the journal IF and other quantitative indicators based on English-language publications in their research evaluation. Therefore, constantly reviewing the research evaluation methods while respecting the viewpoints of researchers from different research fields, generations and genders is crucial.

The femoral head contralateral to the collapsed femoral head requiring total hip arthroplasty (THA) often manifests in the precollapse stage of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). It is not yet demonstrated how autologous concentrated bone marrow injection may prevent collapse of the femoral head concurrent with contralateral THA. The primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of autologous concentrated bone marrow injection for the contralateral, non-collapsed, femoral head in patients with bilateral ONFH, with the ipsilateral collapsed femoral head undergoing THA.

This is a multicentre, prospective, non-randomised, historical-data controlled study. We will recruit patients with ONFH who are scheduled for THA and possess a non-collapsed contralateral femoral head. Autologous bone marrow will be collected using a point-of-care device. After concentration, the bone marrow will be injected into the non-collapsed femoral head following the completion of THA in the contralateral hip. The primary outcome is the percentage of femoral head collapse evaluated by an independent data monitoring committee using plain X-rays in two directions 2 years after autologous concentrated bone marrow injection. Postinjection safety, adverse events, pain and hip function will also be assessed. The patients will be evaluated preoperatively, and at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years postoperatively.

This protocol has been approved by the Certified Committee for Regenerative Medicine of Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Japan’s Ministry of Healthy, Labour and Welfare and will be performed as a class III regenerative medicine protocol, in accordance with Japan’s Act on the Safety of Regenerative Medicine. The results of this study will be submitted to a peer-review journal for publication. The results of this study are expected to provide evidence to support the inclusion of autologous concentrated bone marrow injections in the non-collapsed femoral head in Japan’s national insurance coverage.

jRCTc032200229.

Person-centred care (PCC) is provision of care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs and values, and ensures that patient values guide all clinical decisions. While there is a large body of evidence on the benefits of PCC in high-income countries, little research exists on PCC in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa at large. Most studies on PCC have focused on maternity care as part of the global movement of respectful maternity care. The few studies on patient experiences and health system responsiveness beyond maternal health also highlight gaps in patient experience and satisfaction as well as discrimination in health facilities, which leads to the most vulnerable having the poorest experiences. The protocol for this scoping review aims to systematically map the extent of literature focused on PCC in Ghana by identifying patient expectations and preferences, barriers and facilitators, and interventions.

The protocol will be guided by the Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework and recommendations by Levac et al. A comprehensive search strategy will be used to search for published articles in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and the African Journals Online from their inception to August 2022. Grey literature and reference lists of included studies will also be searched. Two independent reviewers will perform the literature search, eligibility assessments and study selection. Any disagreements will be resolved through discussion with a third reviewer. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram for the scoping reviews will be used to outline the study selection process. Extracted data from the included articles will be synthesised and reported under key concepts derived from the outcomes of the scoping review.

This scoping review does not require ethical approval. The findings will be disseminated through publications and conference presentations.

OSF Registration DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZMDH9.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, termed long COVID. However, in the absence of comparative groups, the differentiation of disease progression remains difficult, as COVID-19 symptoms become indistinguishable from symptoms originating from alternative etiologies. This study aimed to longitudinally investigate the association between COVID-19 exposure and the somatic symptoms in the Japanese general population.

This was a longitudinal cohort study with 1-year follow-up.

Longitudinal data from 19 545 individuals who participated in the Japan Society and New Tobacco Internet Survey (JASTIS) 2022 and 2023 were included. In this study, we used data from the 2022 JASTIS as baseline data and the 2023 JASTIS as follow-up data. Based on questionnaire responses, respondents were classified into three categories of exposure to COVID-19.

The somatic symptoms were assessed by the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8). Using generalised linear models adjusted for baseline covariates, we calculated the ORs of having very high somatic symptoms assessed by SSS-8, attributable to COVID-19 exposure (no COVID-19 cases as the reference group).

Follow-up completers were divided into three groups according to COVID-19 exposure (no COVID-19, n=16 012; COVID-19 without O2 therapy, n=3201; COVID-19 with O₂ therapy, n=332). After adjusting for all covariates, COVID-19 cases with O₂ therapy had a significant positive association (OR 7.60, 95% CI 5.47 to 10.58) with a very high somatic symptoms burden while other COVID-19 exposure groups did not. Pre-existing physical and psychological conditions were also associated with increased risk of somatic symptoms.

The findings of our study suggest that the severity of COVID-19 symptoms requiring O₂ therapy in the acute phase led to high somatic symptoms. Pre-existing conditions were also associated with a subsequent risk of somatic symptoms.

Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the healthcare field are crucial in meeting the healthcare needs of a progressively diverse society. In fact, a diverse healthcare workforce enables culturally sensitive care, promotes health equity and enhances the understanding of various needs and patients’ viewpoints, potentially resulting in more effective patient treatment and improved patient outcomes. Despite this, information on the effectiveness of policies or programmes promoting EDI in health institutions is scarce. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the effects and outcomes of EDI programmes in healthcare institutions.

We will conduct Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-compliant systematic review of studies on EDI programmes and describe their effects and outcomes in healthcare institutions. We will search PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases. Selected studies will include randomised control trials (RCTs), non-RCTs and cross-sectional studies published either in English or French. Quality appraisal of studies and a narrative synthesis of extracted data will be conducted as well as a meta-analysis if possible. The quality of evidence in this review will be assessed by the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation.

We anticipate that this systematic review will reveal information on the effect of EDI programmes and their outcomes in healthcare institutions. We expect this information will provide insights that will lead to improvements in designing EDI policies and programmes in healthcare institutions.

No ethical clearance is required for this study as no primary data will be collected. The final manuscript will be submitted to a journal for publication. In addition to this, the results of the study will also be disseminated through conference presentations to inform the research and clinical practice.

This protocol has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews; registration number CRD42024502781.

Improving sustainable transportation options will help cities tackle growing challenges related to population health, congestion, climate change and inequity. Interventions supporting active transportation face many practical and political hurdles. Implementation science aims to understand how interventions or policies arise, how they can be translated to new contexts or scales and who benefits. Sustainable transportation interventions are complex, and existing implementation science frameworks may not be suitable. To apply and adapt implementation science for healthy cities, we have launched our mixed-methods research programme, CapaCITY/É. We aim to understand how, why and for whom sustainable transportation interventions are successful and when they are not.

Across nine Canadian municipalities and the State of Victoria (Australia), our research will focus on two types of sustainable transportation interventions: all ages and abilities bicycle networks and motor vehicle speed management interventions. We will (1) document the implementation process and outcomes of both types of sustainable transportation interventions; (2) examine equity, health and mobility impacts of these interventions; (3) advance implementation science by developing a novel sustainable transportation implementation science framework and (4) develop tools for scaling up and scaling out sustainable transportation interventions. Training activities will develop interdisciplinary scholars and practitioners able to work at the nexus of academia and sustainable cities.

This study received approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Ethics Research (H22-03469). A Knowledge Mobilization Hub will coordinate dissemination of findings via a website; presentations to academic, community organisations and practitioner audiences; and through peer-reviewed articles.

In Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, there were the rule and goal size changes at the blind football competition. This study aimed to compare the scoring and head impact characteristics during blind football competition between the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games using the official videos.

Video-based observational study.

In total, 36 blind football (men’s football 5-a-side) game videos were obtained from the official International Paralympic Committee.

Head impact was defined as the sudden contact of any object with the head. Videos were analysed to assess the number of scores and head impacts along with their corresponding details (ie, round, playing phase, scoring situation, impact situation, occurrence area, impact object, head impact site, fall and foul).

The total number of goals scored at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games was nearly double that at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Regarding head impacts, a total of 2036 cases (Rio 2016, n=1105; Tokyo 2020, n=931) were evaluated. Significant differences were observed in head impact characteristics between the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games among seven outcomes (round, scoring situation, impact situation, occurrence area, impact object, site of head impact and fall).

Compared with the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games showed an increase in the number of points scored and different head impact characteristics.

Using health facility types as a measure of service availability is a common approach in international standards for health system policy and planning. However, this proxy may not accurately reflect the actual availability of specific health services.

This study aims to evaluate the reliability of health facility typology as an indicator of specific health service availability and explore whether certain facility types consistently provide particular services.

We analysed a comprehensive dataset containing information from 1725 health facilities in Mali. To uncover and visualise patterns within the dataset, we used two analytical techniques: Multiple Correspondence Analysis and Between-Class Analysis. These analyses allowed us to quantitatively measure the influence of health facility types on the variation in health service provisioning. Additionally, we developed and calculated a Consistency Index, which assesses the consistency of a health facility type in providing specific health services. By examining various health facilities and services, we sought to determine the accuracy of facility types as indicators of service availability.

The study focused on the health system in Mali as a case study.

Our findings indicate that using health facility types as a proxy for service availability in Mali is not an accurate representation. We observed that most of the variation in service provision does not stem from differences between facility types but rather within facility types. This suggests that relying solely on health facility typology may lead to an incomplete understanding of health service availability.

These results have significant implications for health policy and planning. The reliance on health facility types as indicators for health system policy and planning should be reconsidered. A more nuanced and evidence-based understanding of health service availability is crucial for effective health policy and planning, as well as for the assessment and monitoring of health systems.

A shared consensus on the safety about physical agent modalities (PAMs) practice in physiotherapy and rehabilitation is lacking. We aimed to develop evidence-informed and consensus-based statements about the safety of PAMs.

A RAND-modified Delphi Rounds’ survey was used to reach a consensus. We established a steering committee of the Italian Association of Physiotherapy (Associazione Italiana di Fisioterapia) to identify areas and questions for developing statements about the safety of the most commonly used PAMs in physiotherapy and rehabilitation. We invited 28 National Scientific and Technical Societies, including forensics and lay members, as a multidisciplinary and multiprofessional panel of experts to evaluate the nine proposed statements and formulate additional inputs. The level of agreement was measured using a 9-point Likert scale, with consensus in the Delphi Rounds assessed using the rating proportion with a threshold of 75%.

Overall, 17 (61%) out of 28 scientific and technical societies participated, involving their most representative members. The panel of experts mainly consisted of clinicians (88%) with expertise in musculoskeletal (47%), pelvic floor (24%), neurological (18%) and lymphatic (6%) disorders with a median experience of 30 years (IQR=17–36). Two Delphi rounds were necessary to reach a consensus. The final approved criteria list comprised nine statements about the safety of nine PAMs (ie, electrical stimulation neuromodulation, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, laser therapy, electromagnetic therapy, diathermy, hot thermal agents, cryotherapy and therapeutic ultrasound) in adult patients with a general note about populations subgroups.

The resulting consensus-based statements inform patients, healthcare professionals and policy-makers regarding the safe application of PAMs in physiotherapy and rehabilitation practice. Future research is needed to extend this consensus on paediatric and frail populations, such as immunocompromised patients.

Children and adolescents with mature B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) are treated with short-intensive chemotherapy. The burden of short-term and long-term toxicity is highly relative to its high cure rate in good-risk patients. Although the addition of rituximab to standard lymphome Malin B (LMB) chemotherapy markedly prolongs event-free survival and overall survival in high-risk patients, the benefit of rituximab in good-risk patients remains to be elucidated. This clinical trial will examine whether the addition of rituximab eliminates anthracyclines in good-risk patients without compromising treatment outcomes.

We will perform a single-arm, open-label, multicentre phase II study. Low-risk (stage I – completely resected, stage II abdominal) and intermediate-risk (stages I and II – incompletely resected; stage II – resected, other than abdominal; stage III with LDH x upper limit of normal) patients with newly diagnosed B-NHL are eligible. Low-risk patients receive two courses of R-COM₁P (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate, prednisolone and intrathecal methotrexate with hydrocortisone), and intermediate-risk patients receive COP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisolone and intrathecal methotrexate with hydrocortisone) followed by two courses each of R-COM₃P and R-CYM (rituximab, cytarabine, methotrexate and intrathecal methotrexate with hydrocortisone). The primary endpoint is a 3-year event-free survival rate in paediatric patients (

This research was approved by the Certified Review Board at NHO Nagoya Medical Center (Nagoya, Japan) on 21 September 2021. Written informed consent is obtained from all patients and/or their guardians. The results of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Japan Registry of Clinical Trials, jRCTs041210104.