Researchers at University of Tsukuba found that watching sports more frequently was associated with fewer depressive symptoms in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). Specifically, attending sporting events in person at least once in the previous year and watching sports on television or the internet at least once a week were each associated with fewer depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that watching sports may be an accessible leisure activity that could contribute to mental well-being in adults with CHD.

Researchers at University of Tsukuba found that physicians providing home healthcare experienced greater clinical burden when caring for patients receiving excessive numbers of medications or following highly complex medication regimens. As populations age and demand for home-based medical care continues to grow, optimizing medication use has become an increasingly important challenge for healthcare professionals. The findings suggest that simplifying medication regimens, with attention to both the number of prescribed medications and the complexity of their administration, may help reduce physician burden while supporting safe and appropriate patient care.

An Osaka Metropolitan University research team investigated the association between low back or leg pain-related restriction of going out and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) limitation among older adults in Japan. The results of this study suggest that pain-related restriction of going out may be an important marker for IADL limitation. 

A new study using national health insurance data found that diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are rising in Japan. Researchers identified a second ADHD diagnosis peak among women aged 20 to 24 years and found that adult ADHD diagnoses surpassed autism diagnoses in 2013 among females and 2014 among males. The findings may help services plan support, while highlighting that diagnosis trends do not necessarily indicate rising prevalence.

A purely optical effect in thin films can mimic light-induced changes in molecular vibrations. The analysis reproduces most of a puzzling infrared signal in a perovskite film without any change in molecular vibrations. The effect can appear as increased absorption, a peak shift, or bleaching, depending on the charge response. Measuring dilute nanocrystal solutions is predicted to eliminate the misleading signal. The work provides a framework for interpreting past and future infrared studies and lays the groundwork for quantitative nanoscale infrared spectroscopy.