Biomedical subjects

K Tatara

Publications and source records attributed to K Tatara.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Lifestyle and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase: a study of middle-aged Japanese men.

The association of lifestyle factors with serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) was examined in 1176 Japanese male office workers aged 40-59 years. Those who had serum aminotransferase levels exceeding the normal range and/or who took prescription medication for, or had a past history of, liver disease were excluded. From the logistic regression analysis, lifestyle factors showing a positive association with high serum GGT (> or = 60 U/l) were body mass index, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, and snacking between meals. On the other hand, coffee drinking showed an inverse association with high serum GGT. As for the relationships between snacking between meals and other lifestyle factors, snacking between meals was significantly related to alcohol intake (negative) and coffee drinking. Influences of snacking between meals on serum GGT are likely to be indirectly mediated through coping mechanisms of less alcohol drinking and more coffee drinking. Our findings support the conclusions that alcohol drinking, obesity, and cigarette smoking are positively associated with raised serum GGT and that coffee consumption is inversely related to raised serum GGT.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Relation of body weight change to changes in atherogenic traits; a study of middle-aged Japanese obese male office workers.

We examined the effect of body weight change on the modification of atherogenic risk factors in 296 middle-aged obese male office workers without medication for hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia or diabetes mellitus. During a 1-year education program, 39.2% of the participants could reduce their weight, and the percentage of those who lost 2 kg or more was only 17.7%. Concomitant with the decrease of weight, however, the levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressures, total cholesterol, triglyceride, uric acid and hemoglobin A1c and the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol decreased significantly, whereas the HDL cholesterol level increased significantly. In a multivariate regression analysis, in addition to the initial risk-factor level, weight change was an important factor determining the changes in atherogenic risk factors. Changes in alcohol consumption were significantly associated with the changes in systolic blood pressure and HDL cholesterol levels. Changes in cigarettes smoking also showed significant associations with the changes in triglyceride level and the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol. These results suggest that although the education program for controlling weight may have limited success, weight reduction exhibits beneficial changes in the atherogenic risk-factor profile in middle-aged obese men.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Effects of coffee consumption against the development of liver dysfunction: a 4-year follow-up study of middle-aged Japanese male office workers.

The association of coffee consumption with the development of increased serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and/or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities over 4 years was studied in 1221 liver dysfunction-free (serum AST and ALT < or = 39 IU/l and no medical care for or no past history of liver disease) Japanese male office workers aged 35 to 56 years. From the analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method, the estimated incidence of serum AST and/or ALT > or = 40 IU/l, > or = 50 IU/l, and > or = 60 IU/l decreased with an increase in coffee consumption. From the Cox proportional hazards model, coffee drinking was independently inversely associated with the development of serum AST and/or ALT > or = 40 IU/l (p = 0.019 by test for tendency), > or = 50 IU/l (p = 0.002), and > or = 60 IU/l (p = 0.007), controlling for age, body mass index, alcohol intake, and cigarette smoking. These results suggest that coffee may be protectively against the liver dysfunction in middle-aged Japanese men.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Relationship between lifestyle and serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in middle-aged Japanese men.

Cross-sectional associations between lifestyle factors [cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, overall obesity indicated by body mass index (BMI), eating breakfast, snacking between meals, considering nutritional balance, coffee drinking, physical exercise, and hours of work and sleep] and serum lipid and lipoprotein levels were examined in 1580 middle-aged Japanese men in Osaka, Japan. From stepwise regression analyses, significant correlates with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and Log triglyceride levels were, in the order of relative importance: BMI, alcohol intake (negative), and age for LDL cholesterol level; BMI (negative), cigarette smoking (negative), alcohol intake, considering nutritional balance, and physical exercise for HDL cholesterol level; and BMI, cigarette smoking, working hours (negative), considering nutritional balance (negative), alcohol intake, and coffee drinking (negative) for Log triglyceride level. The cumulative percentages of variation for LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and Log triglyceride levels were 4.2%, 15.4% and 14.7%, respectively. From stepwise regression analyses, excluding BMI as a factor in the model, snacking between meals emerged as a significant factor for LDL cholesterol level and HDL cholesterol level (negative). The cumulative percentage of variation for each serum lipid and lipoprotein level was decreased (1.5% for LDL cholesterol, 6.8% for HDL cholesterol, and 3.1% for Log triglyceride). These results suggest that BMI has the strongest association with serum lipid and lipoprotein levels and that good daily lifestyles may have an anti-atherogenic effect by altering serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in middle-aged Japanese men.

Body Mass Index↗

PubMed1999

Mortality in relation to urinary and faecal incontinence in elderly people living at home.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between incontinence and mortality in elderly people living at home. DESIGN: Of the randomly selected people aged 65 years and older living in Settsu city, Osaka in October 1992, 1405 were contacted and constituted the study cohort. Follow-up for 42 months was completed for 1318 (93.8%; 1129 alive, 189 dead). MEASURES: Data on general health status, history of health management, psychosocial conditions and urinary and faecal incontinence were collected by interview during home visits at the time of enrolment. RESULTS: From the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the estimated survival rates decreased with a decline in continence in both the 65-74 and 75 years and older age groups. From the Cox proportional hazards model, unadjusted hazard ratios of minor, moderate and severe incontinence for mortality, compared with continence, were 2.27, 2.96 and 5.94, respectively. Multivariate analysis yielded adjusted hazard ratios of minor, moderate and severe incontinence of 0.99, 1.17 and 1.91, respectively, leaving severe incontinence as the significant factor, when other indicators are controlled. CONCLUSIONS: Incontinence is related to mortality and severe incontinence represents an increased risk factor for mortality in elderly people living at home.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1999

Risk factors for the incidence of hyperuricaemia: a 6-year longitudinal study of middle-aged Japanese men.

BACKGROUND: Few longitudinal studies on the determinants of increase in serum uric acid (SUA) have been completed. METHODS: In all, 1445 hyperuricaemia-free (<7.5 mg/dl SUA, no medication for and no past history of hyperuricaemia) male office workers aged 30-54 years of T Corporation in Osaka, Japan were re-examined for six successive years. Subjects who were found to be hyperuricaemic or had started medication for hyperuricaemia during repeat surveys were defined as incident cases. RESULTS: Among the subjects (n = 1365) not receiving medication for hypertension, diabetes mellitus or renal disease, multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model indicated that the incidence of hyperuricaemia had significant relationships with body mass index (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.13 for a 2 kg/m2 increase; 95% CI: 1.02-1.26), mean blood pressure (HR = 1.07 for a 5 mmHg increase; 95% CI: 1.00-1.13), log triglyceride level (HR = 2.21 for a 10 mg/dl increase; 95% CI: 1.12-4.37), alcohol intake (HR = 2.33 for drinking 46.0 g of ethanol per day or more relative to non-drinking; 95% CI: 1.55-3.50) and smoking (HR = 0.65 for current-smoking relative to non-smoking; 95% CI: 0.46-0.92). Age (HR = 0.89 for a 5-year increase; 95% CI: 0.78-1.00) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (HR = 0.89 for a 0.5% increase; 95% CI: 0.78-1.00) achieved marginal significance. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity, high blood pressure, high triglyceride level, and alcohol intake are contributory factors for the development of hyperuricaemia among middle-aged Japanese men. High HbA1c level and smoking may be negative factors for the incidence of hyperuricaemia.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1999

Lifestyle and the development of hypertension: a 3-year follow-up study of middle-aged Japanese male office workers.

The association of lifestyle factors with the development of hypertension (blood pressure > or = 140/90 mmHg) over a 3-year follow-up period was studied in 949 hypertension-free Japanese male office workers aged 35 to 54 years. From the Cox proportional hazards model, age, alcohol intake, body mass index (BMI) and hours of work were independent factors associated with the development of hypertension. Adjusted hazard ratios for 5-year increases in age, daily consumption of alcohol, 5-kg/m2 increases in BMI and working 10 hours per day or more were 1.18 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02-1.35]; 1.53 (CI = 1.14-2.05); 1.79 (CI = 1.38-2.33) and 0.58 (CI = 0.41-0.82), respectively. In the analysis using logistic regression, BMI was independently related to working 10 hours per day or more, controlling for other lifestyle factors. Adjusted odds ratio for 5-kg/m2 increase in BMI was 0.66 (CI = 0.49-0.88). These results suggest that the influences of long working hours on blood pressure are likely to be indirectly mediated through less overall obesity.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Associations between self-assessed masticatory disability and health of community-residing elderly people.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the self-assessed masticatory disability and the health of community-residing older people. METHODS: Of 1473 randomly selected people aged 65 years and older living in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture, in October 1992, data on general health status, history of health management, psychosocial conditions, and dental conditions were obtained from 1405 people by interviews made during home visits. Follow-up for 54 months was completed for 1306 subjects (93.0%; 1072 living, 234 deceased). RESULTS: Being over 75 years of age, having poor general health and poor dental status, not using dental health checks, not using general health checks, not participating in social activities, not feeling that life is worth living (no "ikigai"), and feeling anxious about the future were univariately and significantly associated with self-assessed masticatory disability. Logistic regression analyses indicated that being older than 75 years, having poor general health and poor dental status, not using dental health checks, and not participating in social activities were independently associated with self-assessed masticatory disability. The Cox proportional hazards model showed that being male, over 75 years of age, and in poor general health, as well as not using general health checks, and not participating in social activities were independently associated with mortality. Self-assessed masticatory disability was univariately and significantly related to mortality, but by itself was not a significant risk factor for mortality, because of the potential influence of other variables. CONCLUSIONS: Certain health and psychosocial factors are closely associated with self-assessed masticatory disability among older people. Further investigations are needed to determine whether masticatory disability is a significant risk factor for mortality.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Serum uric acid: correlation with biological, clinical and behavioral factors in Japanese men.

Cross-sectional associations between biological, clinical and behavioral factors and serum uric acid (SUA) levels were examined in 2,438 Japanese male office workers aged 20 to 59 years in Osaka, Japan. Stepwise regression analysis for SUA was carried out for all persons and repeated excluding those under medication for hypertension, hyperuricemia or diabetes mellitus. The results were essentially the same without change in the sequence of the seven most important variables. When 150 men under medication were excluded, independent correlates with SUA levels were, in order of relative importance, history of gout, log triglyceride, creatinine, hemoglobin A1c (negative association), body mass index, total protein, alcohol intake, age (negative association), and total cholesterol. 32.7 percent of total variation in SUA was accounted for by these variables combined. Our data suggest that weight and serum lipids control and avoiding excessive drinking may be beneficial in the prevention of hyperuricemia.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

[Progress of the stroke registry system by public health centers, and factors associated with its advancement].

In Japan, a community-based stroke registry was started in 1992 based on the policy of the central government. There are mainly two objectives in this registry system. One is to analyze factors related to the incidence of stroke, and the other is to support home care of stroke patients after leaving the hospital. This system has experienced many difficulties, such as obtaining appropriate information smoothly from the hospitals. Therefore, we investigated all 895 public health centers in Japan through a questionnaire sent by mail, in February 1996. We obtained valid replies from 612 (68%) of the public health centers by March 1996. Results showed that 75% of health centers have established a stroke registry system. Some health centers have promoted the system since 1984. In these systems, the flows of information are mainly of two types: ones which flow to the health centers from the hospitals and the ones which flow to the municipalities. In the former, the number of registered cases were significantly higher and the registry was functioning better than the latter. It has become clear that the health center plays a key role in the successful development of a stroke registry system.

Cerebrovascular Disorders↗

PubMed1999

Effect of early fosfomycin treatment on prevention of hemolytic uremic syndrome accompanying Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the effect of early fosfomycin treatment, an antimicrobial agent in common use in Japan, on children with E. coli O157 with the aim of preventing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). PATIENTS AND METHODS DESIGN: Non-randomized prospective study for development of HUS among inpatients with E. coli O157. SETTING: The hospitals where the 292 inpatients were treated. CASES: A total of 292 inpatients aged six to eleven years with E. coli O157 infection, 36 (12.3%) of whom were HUS cases. RESULTS: Most of the HUS inpatients (91.7%) developed this complication between the sixth and ninth day of illness. We therefore analyzed the effects of antimicrobial therapy, especially that of fosfomycin, on prevention of HUS within the first five days of illness, because fosfomycin was the most frequently used (88.0%). To clarify the effect of fosfomycin alone on prevention of HUS, we carried out an analysis using the data for 130 inpatients who received fosfomycin alone or did not receive any antimicrobial agents, within the first five days of illness. multivariate analysis, controlled for age, gender and presence of fever, showed that all adjusted odds ratios for the development of HUS with the use of fosfomycin within the first three days of illness were less than 1.0, with the use of fosfomycin on the second day of illness achieving statistical significance (adjusted OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01-0.79). Furthermore, inpatients who took fosfomycin within the first two days of illness developed HUS significantly less often than those who did not (adjusted OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.03-0.78). On the other hand, fosfomycin therapy on and after the third day of illness was not associated with the prevention of HUS. CONCLUSION: The early use of fosfomycin within the first two days of illness might prevent the development of HUS.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1998

Risk factors for the development of hypertension: a 6-year longitudinal study of middle-aged Japanese men.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors related to the development of hypertension on the basis of annual health examinations at the workplace. SETTING: A cohort of Japanese male office workers who were reexamined for six successive years after their initial examinations in 1990. SUBJECTS: The study cohort comprised 1089 hypertension-free subjects aged 30-54 years. Six-year follow-ups were completed for 934 subjects (85.8%) RESULTS: An analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method showed that the incidence of hypertension above the borderline level increased significantly with increasing age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol level, uric acid level, total protein level, hematocrit level, and alcohol intake. This increase was significant for systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and hematocrit level. The highest cumulative incidences both of hypertension above the borderline level and of definite hypertension were observed among those with 85-89 mmHg diastolic blood pressure, and the second highest among those with 130-139 mmHg systolic blood pressure. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model indicated that age, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and alcohol intake were independent factors associated with the incidence of hypertension above the borderline level. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and hematocrit level proved to be independently predictive of hypertension, and alcohol intake was of borderline significance as a risk factor for hypertension. CONCLUSION: High normal blood pressure is the strongest predictor for the development of hypertension among middle-aged Japanese men. In addition, high alcohol intake and high hematocrit level may be contributory factors.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Relation between intellectual dysfunctioning and mortality in community-residing older people.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between intellectual dysfunctioning and mortality in a community-residing older population. DESIGN: Of the 1473 randomly selected people aged 65 years and older living in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture, in October 1992, 1405 were contacted. Data for assessment of intellectual dysfunctioning were obtained from 1383 people (98.4%), who constituted the study cohort. Follow-up for 42 months was completed for 1300 subjects (94.0%; 1117 living, 183 deceased). MEASURES: Data on general health status, history of health management, psychosocial conditions, and intellectual dysfunctioning were collected by means of interviews during home visits at the time of enrollment. Intellectual dysfunctioning was determined with the assessment instrument developed by the Social Survey Division of the Office of Population Censuses (OPCS) in Great Britain. RESULTS: The Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the estimated survival rates for men and women decreased with a decline in intellectual function in two age groups: 65 to 74 and 75 years and older. For both sexes, the log rank test showed that the curves among the four groups based on intellectual dysfunctioning (intact, mild, moderate, and severe) achieved statistical significance for the age group of 75 years and older. For both age groups and each of the levels of intellectual dysfunctioning, the estimated survival rate for men was lower than that for women. Application of the Cox proportional hazards model resulted in unadjusted hazard ratios of mild, moderate, and severe intellectual dysfunctioning for mortality of 1.68, 2.44, and 5.37, respectively. Multivariate analysis on the other hand, yielded adjusted hazard ratios of mild, moderate, and severe intellectual dysfunctioning of 1.19, 1.12, and 1.74, respectively, leaving severe dysfunctioning as the only statistically significant factor associated with mortality. Other factors such as sex, age, general health status, history of management, and psychosocial conditions were controlled. CONCLUSION: Intellectual dysfunctioning, as measured by an assessment instrument developed by OPCS, represents an increased risk factor for mortality among community-residing older people.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1998

Prevalence of intellectual dysfunctioning and its correlates in a community-residing elderly population.

To examine the prevalence of intellectual dysfunctioning and its correlates in community-residing elderly people, a randomly selected sample of 1,405 people aged 65 and over living in Settsu, Osaka, were investigated in October 1992. Data for assessing intellectual dysfunctioning were obtained from 1,364 people (97.1%), excluding 21 clinically demented people (1.5%); 17.6/100, 5.6/100, and 3.3/100 of the population showed minor, moderate, and appreciable intellectual dysfunctioning, respectively, and the prevalence of intellectual dysfunctioning increased with age. By multivariate analyses using logistic regression, age over 75, poor general health, including current medical treatment, and psychosocial conditions such as no participation in social activities, no life worth living (no Ikigai), and anxiety about the future were independent risk factors for intellectual dysfunctioning. We conclude that intellectual dysfunctioning is closely associated with health and psychosocial conditions.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

[The relationship between stress and health indicators in an urban population--from a study of subjects selected by sex and age groups who underwent health check-ups in S city in Osaka Prefecture].

Many people in recent years are living under conditions involving various kinds of major and minor stress. This study was done to analyze how an urban population experience stress in daily life and to establish any relationship between the feeling of stress and people's daily habits or health conditions. The subjects were 2,234 residents, who availed themselves of general health check-ups in a city in Osaka Prefecture in 1992. The main results were as follows: 1) We designed and assessed a total stress score for causes of stress in daily life and a total depression score for the depression condition of subjects. 2) The proportion of subjects who showed a high total stress score decreased with age. The proportion of subjects who showed the highest total stress score was the largest in the age group of 40-49 years for men and of 30-39 years for women. 3) The proportion of subjects who had short working hours, much leisure time available, and low total depression score and complained much about health conditions increased with age. The proportion of subjects who had the longest working hours was the largest in the age group of 30-39, that of those who had little leisure time available and showed the highest total depression score was the largest in the age group of 40-49, and that of those who complained most about health conditions was the largest in the age group of 60-69 for men. The proportion of subjects who had the shortest sleeping hours and the longest working hours was the largest in the age group of 40-49, that of those who had little leisure time was the largest in the age group of 30-39, and that of those who showed the highest total depression score was the largest in the age group of 30-39 and 50-59 for women. 4) The total stress score showed significant relationships with the amount of leisure time available, the degree of complaints about health condition, and the total depression score for men and with sleeping hours, the amount of leisure time available, the degree of complaints about health condition and the total depression score for women. 5) The total stress score showed a significant correlation with high blood pressure for men and women. 6) The amount of leisure time available showed significant relationships with sleeping hours for men and working hours for men and women. The total depression score showed significant relationships with the degree of complaints of health condition for men and with sleeping and working hours, the amount of leisure time available and the degree of complaints of health condition for women.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Relationships of disability, health management and psychosocial conditions to cause-specific mortality among a community-residing elderly people.

To examine the factors associated with cause-specific mortality, a cohort of 1,405 randomly selected elderly people aged 65 years and over living in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture, was followed up for 54 months. Multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards model identified male sex, age, disability, medical treatment, and no participation in social activities as independent factors for overall mortality. Use of health checks and daily health enhancing practices showed an independent negative association with overall mortality. As for cause-specific mortality, male sex was a constant factor for the three major causes of death: cancer, heart disease and stroke. Advanced age and no participation in social activities showed a close association with heart disease mortality, while disability and medical treatment were independent factors for death caused by stroke and cancer, respectively. Use of health checks and daily health enhancing practices exhibited a strong negative association with all three major causes of death. The same tendencies were seen after those who reported undergoing medical treatment for the index diseases of heart disease and stroke at entry were excluded. These results suggest that predictive factors for mortality vary for specific causes of death, but that health promoting measures contribute to a reduction in mortality related to three major causes of death, thus resulting in a decrease in overall mortality among the elderly.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1998

Relationship between preventive health services and use of inpatient and outpatient care by residents aged 40 or older in 44 municipalities in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

We examined the relationships between preventive health services provided under the Law for Health and Medical Services for the Elderly and the use of inpatient and outpatient care by insured residents aged 40 or older covered by the National Health Insurance in 44 municipalities in Osaka Prefecture. Factor analyses showed that hospital admission rate and inpatient days per 100 insured persons, bed days per insured person, inpatient days per case, mean bed days, the proportion of long-stay (180 days or more), and the rate of long-stay per 1,000 insured persons accounted for the first factors of inpatient care with factor loadings of more than 0.82. Outpatient utilization rate and outpatient days per 100 insured persons comprised the first factors of outpatient care with factor loadings of more than 0.80. Patient cost per case and the proportion of high patient cost (600,000 Yen or more for inpatient care and 60,000 Yen or more for outpatient care) made up the second factors of either type of patient care with factor loadings of more than 0.87. The frequency of use of health check-ups and the numbers of instruction classes and participants in health education and health counseling per 100 residents showed negative correlations with indices of inpatient and outpatient care, except for patient cost per day. The scores for the first and second factors of inpatient care and for the first factor of outpatient care correlated negatively with all indices of the use of preventive health services. More active provision of preventive health services may therefore contribute to reducing the subsequent use of inpatient and outpatient care among residents aged 40 or older.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Mortality in relation to the type of household among elderly people living in a community.

The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association of mortality with the type of household in elderly people. A cohort of 1,352 elderly people aged 65 years and over at baseline in October 1992 was followed for 42 months. Follow-up was completed for 1,266 (93.6%) (172 deceased and 1,094 alive). From the analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test, male sex, older age group (75 years and over), no satisfaction with present dwelling, disability, no use of health checks, no practices of daily preventive health promotion, no participation in social activities, and no finding life worth living (no Ikigai) were univariately statistically significantly related to mortality. Furthermore, elderly people living with their spouse only or living alone had higher survival rates than those living with their spouse and children or living with their children, and the curves among the four subclasses of household were significantly different. From the Cox proportional hazards model, living with a spouse only remained as an independent predictor for survival, and living alone was not an increased risk factor for mortality, controlling for sex, age, housing conditions, disability, use of health management, and psychosocial conditions.

Aged↗