Biomedical subjects

Mitsuru Mori

Publications and source records attributed to Mitsuru Mori.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Leisure time physical activity as a determinant of self-perceived health and fitness in middle-aged male employees.

Self-perceived health and fitness are epidemiological predictors of subsequent mortality and/or functional limitation. The present study was designed to analyze which lifestyle factors contribute to good status of self-perceived health and fitness in middle-aged male employees. Participants (n=401) aged 50-59 were assessed as to the status of self-perceived health and fitness, and various lifestyle factors including nutrition, smoking, drinking, physical activity, psychological stress, sleeping and relaxation. Logistic regression analysis revealed that among the lifestyle factors surveyed in the present study, doing exercise/sports at a medium level (either > or =4.5METs/1-2 times per week or <4.5METs/> or =3-4 times per week) of physical activity index (PAI) was the only predictor of good self-perceived health. Similarly, doing exercise/sports at or above the medium level of PAI was identified as the only independent predictor of good self-perceived fitness. In addition, maintaining the habit of doing exercise/sports at or above the medium level of PAI throughout the year, and having this habit through the 4th and 5th decades of life or starting to have it from the age of 50 through 59 were important to obtain a good status of self-perceived health and fitness. These findings suggest that leisure time physical activity level is a determinant of good health and fitness in the middle-aged male employees in the present study.

Employment↗

PubMed2003

[Epidemiological study on patients with systemic sclerosis receiving financial aid for treatment].

We conducted an epidemiological study of systemic sclerosis in Japan using the records of patients who had been registered to receive public financial aid. A total of 10,956 patients were registered as having systemic sclerosis in 1999. We statistically analyzed the data on the patients, including sex, age, major symptoms, and laboratory findings. We also made contingency tables in order to evaluate the correlations of the data. Our study estimated that the male/female ratio was 1:7.3. The mean ages of male and female patients were 58.8 and 58.5 years old, respectively. The major symptoms were as follows: Raynaud's phenomenon 92.4%, skin sclerosis 94.7%, dyspnea 29.9%, and dysphagia 32.2%. With respect to specific antibodies, antinuclear antibody was present in 92.2%, antitopoisomerase I antibody in 27.5%, anticentromere antibody in 37.7%, and antiribonucleoprotein antibody in 19.9%. Making contingency tables, we could elucidate the association of antitopoisomerase I with lung fibrosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The relationship between smoking habits and serum levels of 8-OHdG, oxidized LDL antibodies, Mn-SOD and carotenoids in rural Japanese residents.

This study investigated the relationship between smoking habits and serum levels of 8-OHdG, oxidized LDL antibodies (oLAB), Mn-SOD, and carotenoids. Subjects were 79 males (mean age +/- standard deviation; 62.1 +/- 10.0 years) and 79 females (60.3 +/- 10.3 y) who attended a health examination screening in the town of Hokkaido, Japan. Serum 8-OHdG, Mn-SOD, and oLAB levels were measured by ELISA and serum carotenoids levels were measured by HPLC. Smoking habits were assessed by public health nurses using a questionnaire. Serum 8-OHdG levels were significantly higher in males than in females. On the other hand, serum levels of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin and lutein were significantly lower in males than in females. Serum beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin and lutein were significantly lower in males who were current smokers, compared to non-smokers. Serum 8-OHdG levels were also significantly higher in current smokers. Furthermore, in males, serum oLAB and beta-carotene levels were significantly and negatively correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Serum Mn-SOD levels were unrelated to smoking habits in males. In conclusion, this preliminary study suggests that cigarette smoking increases serum 8-OHdG levels and reduces serum levels of oLAB and carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin and lutein in healthy male subjects. Serum levels of 8-OHdG, oLAB, and carotenoids may be useful biomarkers of oxidative conditions affected by smoking.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗

PubMed2003

[Burden on family caregivers of frail elderly persons one year after the introduction of public long-term care insurance service in the Onga District, Fukuoka Prefecture: evaluation with a Japanese version of the Zarit caregiver burden interview].

The present study was conducted to investigate the factors related to the feeling of psychological stress, called heavy burden, in caregivers who took care of frail elderly persons 1 year after the introduction of the public long-term care insurance system (i.e., kaigo hoken) in the northern part of Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Forty-seven caregivers answered a self-administered questionnaire involving the Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI) and thus described their own caregiving situation. Compared to caregivers with a light burden, heavily burdened caregivers were less likely to have time to go out without their frail elderly, but tended to spend a longer time with them in providing for their physical care. Compared with less burdened caregivers, heavily burdened caregivers tended to be concerned with what others thought or said and more likely to use a short-stay service (i.e., temporary nursing home assistance). More social services should be provided to let caregivers have their own time without caring for their patients. In addition, local governments and caremanagers should help caregivers to understand the benefits of services available for the elderly and their caregivers.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

[Path-analysis model of lifestyle factors and subjective health: the Healthy Japan 21 questionnaire survey in Obihiro].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine health problems of citizens of the city of Obihiro with reference to the Healthy Japan 21 plan. METHOD: The subjects were a total of 2,000 men and women (6-74 years old) who were selected at random from the resident ledger of Obihiro. The questionnaire included the 6 fields (nutrient intake/dietary habits, physical activity/exercise, rest/mental health, tobacco, alcohol, dental health) of Healthy Japan 21. The path-analysis model was used by sex, in order to examine the relationship between lifestyle factors (dietary habits, restful sleep, stress, smoking habits, alcohol intake) and subjective health. RESULTS: A total of 979 subjects (49.0%) responded. The items that showed a higher proportion than for all Japan were as follows: the proportions of persons who felt stress, required a drug or alcohol to sleep, drank heavily, and were female smokers. In questions about the harm caused to health by smoking, the following items showed lower awareness than deserved: bronchitis, gastric ulcer, problems with regard to pregnancy, and periodontitis. The following characteristics were found in the path-analysis: 1) If sleep rest is sufficient, subjective health is unaffected by stress in men and women; 2) Smoking affects dietary habits in men and women, especially in the latter; 3) Heavy smoking affects subjective health in men and women independent of whether dietary habits are good; 4) There is a positive relation between drinking and subjective health in women. CONCLUSION: This study showed that stress and smoking are problems for the health of citizens of the city of Obihiro, and suggested that the best measure to counter stress is sufficient sleep, while to counter smoking spread of knowledge about the harm to health caused by smoking is best.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

National institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index for Japanese men.

OBJECTIVES: To establish a Japanese version of the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) and to determine its validity and applicability in patients with chronic prostatitis, comparing the results with those from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and normal men. METHODS: The study included 103 patients with chronic prostatitis, 60 with BPH, and 87 normal men who agreed to respond to a self-administered questionnaire of the Japanese version of the NIH-CPSI (JPN-NIH-CPSI). Testing-retesting was done to confirm the reliability of the index in 23 patients with chronic prostatitis, with a 2-week interval between tests. RESULTS: Pain or discomfort was more prominent in the prostatitis group than in the BPH and normal groups. Overall, quality of life in the prostatitis group was impaired more severely than that in the other two groups. The scores of three domains (pain, urinary symptoms, and quality-of-life impact) in the prostatitis group were clearly higher than those in the BPH and normal groups, except for those of urinary symptoms in the BPH group. The test-retest analysis showed good reliability and internal consistency for the JPN-NIH-CPSI, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of more than 0.8. CONCLUSIONS: The JPN-NIH-CPSI can be reliably used for evaluation of Japanese patients with prostatitis, as is the NIH-CPSI for English-speaking men.

Abdominal Pain↗

PubMed2002

Is daidzein non-metabolizer a high risk for prostate cancer? A case-controlled study of serum soybean isoflavone concentration.

BACKGROUND: It has been postulated that soybean isoflavones act as inhibitory factors in prostate cancer. However, to date there have been no case-controlled clinical studies carried out to compare the circulating concentrations of isoflavones in prostate cancer patients and control subjects. METHODS: The serum levels of genistein, daidzein and equol were determined and compared in 253 experimental subjects (141 prostate cancer patients and 112 cancer-free controls). RESULTS: The serum concentrations of isoflavones were compared in hospitalized and non-hospitalized subjects and for both the prostate cancer patients and the controls the concentrations were lower in the hospitalized subjects. The serum concentrations of genistein and daidzein were compared in subjects <70 years of age and subjects >/=70 years old and the levels were significantly lower in the younger group. Contrary to our expectation, comparison of the patient group and the control group revealed the serum concentrations of isoflavones to be higher in the patient group. Daidzein non-metabolizers were compared in the hospitalized experimental subjects of the patient group and the control group and they were significantly more common in the patient group. The poorly differentiated cancer patient group included a significantly lower percentage of daidzein metabolizers. CONCLUSIONS: The above findings revealed that equol itself or some unknown factor regulating the metabolism of daidzein is deeply involved in the biology of prostate cancer. Future studies are urgently needed to compare the incidence of daidzein metabolizers among various countries.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Familial aggregation of uterine myomas in Japanese women.

To assess the familial aggregation of uterine myomas in Japanese women with myomas, one hundred forty four women requiring surgery for myomas and 288 age-matched healthy controls were studied in Hokkaido, Japan. The incidence of positive first-degree family history of myomas among women aged 45-54 years with myomas was greater than that among controls (31.5% versus 15.2%, respectively, p < 0.01). Analyses categorized by the status of parity and familiality among subjects showed that the risk for myomas was the greatest in women who had both fewer births (parity = 0 or 1) and the positive family history of myomas as compared with those who had both more births (parity > or = 2) and the negative familiality of myomas (odds ratio = 5.8, 95% confidence interval = 2.3 - 14.6). The results of this study suggest that Japanese middle-aged women with myomas have the familial predisposition of uterine myomas. Furthermore, nulliparous women with the familial aggregation of myomas may be at increased risk of the disease.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

[Evaluation of effects of education about a donor card on university or college students].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of education about a donor card on college students. METHODS: Doctors at Kitami Health Center gave education about a donor cards to 548 university students or students of vocational college in Kitami city in 2000. To evaluate the effects according to a time-series design, surveys on knowledge and attitudes to the card as well as behavior regarding possession were carried out before and after the education. The subjects were divided into three groups for comparison, studying nursing at college, learning engineering at university, and welfare at college. RESULTS: The numbers of respondents were 432 (the response rate: 78.8%) and 359 (the response rate: 65.5%) before and after the education, respectively. 1. 94.2% of the respondents knew about the donor card. The proportion was significantly larger for nursing students than for the others (P < 0.05). 2. The proportion of subjects demonstrating accurate knowledge about the card was significantly increased after the education in every group. 3. Before the education, nursing students were most likely to possess the card. The percentage of welfare subjects who possessed the card significantly increased after the education (P < 0.001). 4. The nurse students more than the other groups obtained the card because they were concerned with medicine. The university students with the card were less likely to have appropriate knowledge, while significantly more welfare students than in the other groups obtained the card because it was recommended by another person (P < 0.01). 5. The proportion of the subjects who did not possess the card because they were not willing to donate their organs increased after the education in every group, albeit without significance. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that the education about the donor card promoted not only accurate knowledge about the card, but also a clear decision on whether to possess it.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

[Factors related to admission or institution among the frail elderly with a home-visit nursing service].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors associated with admission of frail elderly to hospitals or nursing homes with a home-visit nursing service. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SUBJECTS: 395 consecutive frail elderly who were receiving domiciliary visits by nurses from St. Mary's home-visit nursing station between April 1993 and March 1998. RESULTS: 1) During the six-month follow-up, malignancy was positively related to admission to either hospitals or nursing homes while severe disability curtailing activities of daily living was negatively related to admission. During both one-year and two-years follow-up, severe disability of daily living was negatively related to admission. 2) Elderly people consulting doctors at general hospitals were more commonly hospitalized or institutionalized than those consulting family doctors in clinics. 3) The need for a short-stay service (i.e., "temporary nursing home assistance") was a risk factor for admission during the six months, one-year and two-years follow-up periods. CONCLUSION: The frail elderly should consult family doctors in clinics in order to avoid admission to hospitals or nursing homes.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2002

Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancers: Do Subtypes Require Separate Treatment in Epidemiological Studies?

Epidemiological studies of cancer of the ovaries, among the leading sites for cancer incidence and mortality in women in very many countries of the world, have pointed to high saturated fat and carbohydrate intake, postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy and use of cosmetic talc as risk factors. Conversely, vegetable consumption, parity, lactation and generally appear to confer protection. Genetic influence also clearly plays a role, women with mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes having an elevated risk, for example. Overall there appear to be shared risk factors for breast cancer. However, there are many types of epithelial ovarian cancer and cross-country comparisons of incidence data from various cancer registries in Europe and North America published in the IARC Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Vol VII suggest that only the serous type is linked to mammary tumour development. Thus future studies should concentrate more attention on the individual subtypes of ovarian cancer in order to better establish preventive measures.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

A Review of Cohort Studies on the Association Between History of Diabetes Mellitus and Occurrence of Cancer.

We conducted a review of previous cohort studies on the association between a history of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the occurrence of cancer. We limited the papers to those concerning cohort studies on 9 cancer sites, i.e. the kidney, liver, biliary tract, pancreas, colon or rectum, prostate, breast, endometrium, and ovary, in addition to all cancers. With regard to kidney, liver, biliary tract, pancreatic, colorectal, breast, and endometrial cancers, the risk of cancer development has been consistently reported to be positively associated with DM by two or more cohort studies. In contrast, DM was shown to relate negatively to the risk of prostate cancer by two cohort studies. However, there were no cohort studies which showed an either significantly positive or negative association of DM with ovarian cancer. Elevated levels of insulin or IGFs among DM patients have been proposed as a causal mechanism of increased risk for most of the reviewed cancers. In addition, increased estrogen levels in DM patients have been suggested to explain the casual mechanism of increased risk for kidney, breast and endometrial cancers, and decreased risk for prostate cancer. On the other hand, the possibility of detection bias has been suggested in the association of DM with the risk of most of these cancers. Obesity and heavy consumption of alcohol have been indicated as confounding factors in the relationship of DM to the risk for some of them. Thus, further studies are necessary for firm conclusions regarding the association of DM with cancer risk.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Magnitude of arsenic toxicity in tube-well drinking water in Bangladesh and its adverse effects on human health including cancer: evidence from a review of the literature.

Only after a decade from 1993, arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh has been reported as the biggest arsenic catastrophe in the world. It is a burning public health issue in this country. More than 50 percent of the total population is estimated at risk of contamination. Already thousands of people have been affected by the disease arsenicosis. Many more may be on the way to manifest lesions in future. We conducted a review of previous studies and published articles including MEDLINE database on this issue. We found that 59 districts out of 64 have been already affected by arsenic in underground drinking water, where this particular source of drinking water is the main source for 97 percent of the rural people. The water is unfortunately now a great threat for the human being due to high level of arsenic. Continuous arsenic exposure can lead people to develop arsenicosis, which in turn elevates the risk of cancer. Skin lesions are the most common manifestations in arsenicosis patients. Relatively poor rural people and other socio-economically disadvantaged groups are more affected by this exposure. Until now cancer patients have been relatively limited in Bangladesh. One of the reasons may be that several years are needed to show cancer manifestations from the beginning of arsenic exposure. But it is suspected that after some years a large number of patients will appear with cancer in different sites for arsenic exposure in drinking water. Various studies have been conducted in arsenic affected countries - notably in Argentina, Chile, China, Japan, and Taiwan -to find the potential of arsenic exposure to cause development of cancer. Among the arsenic related cancers, liver, lung, skin, bladder and kidney cancers are reported to be prevalent in these countries. Unfortunately no scientific study has been yet conducted in Bangladesh to find the relationship between arsenic exposure and cancers in different sites of the body. So our aim is to conduct an ecological as well as a case-control study in the country in the future.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Higher consumption of green tea may enhance equol production.

BACKGROUND: Our previous case-control study revealed that Japanese living in Japan and Koreans living in Korea can be divided into equol producers who have an ability to metabolize daidzein to equol and non-producers, and that the incidence of prostate cancer is higher in the latter group. In the present study, we examined relationships between type of food intake and the capacity for equol production in Japanese subjects. METHODS: The subjects were the individuals analyzed for the ability to produce equol in our previous study and newly registered cases. From December 2000 to December 2002, 276 hospitalized patients were interviewed face-to-face and blood samples were collected before breakfast. These included 122 patients with prostate cancer and 154 age-matched controls. RESULTS: The frequency of equol producers (0.5 ng/ml or more) among cases and controls was 29% and 45%, respectively (p = 0.004). The consumption of soybeans and green tea were significantly higher in equol producers than in the non-producers (p<0.05). By contrast, the consumption of selenium and fiber was significantly lower in equol producers (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that higher consumption of soybean and green tea are strongly related to the establishment of a capacity for equol production.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The experiences of smoking in school children up to and including high school ages and the current status of smoking habits; a survey of male high school students in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The burden of tobacco-induced cancer is so heavy that every country should give the highest priority to tobacco control in its fight against cancer. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the actual conditions of tobacco smoking among boys in Japan. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire survey. Two thousand and fourteen high school boys in Fukuoka City, Japan, answered unsigned self-administered anonymous questionnaires about tobacco smoking. RESULTS: Among 2014 students, 10.9% were current smokers. The rates of current smokers increased with the school age: 6.3% in the first grade; 11.3% in the second grade; and 15.5% in the third grade (P(trend)<0.01). A total of 35.1% of students had the experience of smoking and 30% experienced smoking before entering high school. Of the students with smoking experience, 28.6% answered that they started smoking because their friends had offered them cigarettes and 52.5% of current smokers bought cigarettes from vending machines. CONCLUSIONS: Health education for anti-smoking in all primary and secondary schools as well as restriction of cigarette vending machines should be strongly recommended.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dietary habits and cancer mortality among middle aged and older Japanese living in hokkaido, Japan by cancer site and sex.

Dietary factors are thought to be closely associated with the development of human cancers and hence numerous studies in this area have already been conducted in the United States and other Western countries. Comparatively few prospective studies have been published in Japan, especially for Hokkaido people. The present investigation was therefore performed to assess links between four leading cancers and some of the Japanese common dietary factors through a cohort study (1984-2002) in Hokkaido by analyzing 1,524 men and 1,634 women separately aged 40 and over. Adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression was used to calculate the relative risk (RR) for each dietary factor. For men, two dietary factors, miso soup (RR=0.2, 95% confidence interval (95%CI)=0.1-0.8) and pickled vegetables (RR=0.2, 95%CI=0.1-0.8) were associated with lower risk for stomach and colorectal cancer respectively. For women, three factors, namely salty confectionary (RR=3.5, 95%CI=1.1-10.9), black tea (RR=3.8, 95%CI=1.1-13.6), and carbonated drink/juice (RR=3.9, 95% CI=1.4-11.1) appeared related to an elevated risk of stomach cancer. However, further analysis simultaneously with all other adjusted factors indicated only carbonated drink/juice (RR=3.1, 95%CI=1.1-8.9) to present a significant risk factor for stomach cancer. One factor, namely wild edible plants (RR=3.3, 95%CI=1.1-9.8), increased the risk for colorectal cancer in women. None of the dietary components were significantly associated with lung or pancreatic cancers. This study also indicated a wide variation in the impact of dietary factors by sex and cancer site, in line with earlier work, pointing to a necessity for careful interpretation. Further epidemiological investigations by sex with more study subjects and confounding factors will be useful for determining the contribution of individual dietary factors to development of human cancers in Hokkaido, Japan.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A case-control study of multiple myeloma in Japan: association with occupational factors.

Recently the incidence rate of multiple myeloma (MM) has increased in Japan. Epidemiologic efforts have suggested that certain occupational and chemical exposures are likely to increase the risk for MM. We therefore performed a case-control study of MM, examining occupational factors. Data for 57 cases and 57 controls were obtained from Sapporo Medical University Hospital and its affiliated hospitals in Hokkaido. Controls were matched to each case by gender, age (+/- 5 years) and hospital. Detailed information regarding several factors possibly related to MM was obtained by interviews in hospitals. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated with adjustment for cigarette smoking as confounding factor. The occupational category of agriculture and fishery showed a significant association with increased risk (OR = 5.89, 95% CI = 1.24-28.04). Occupational exposure to chemical products including organic solvents or petroleum showed a significant association with increased risk (OR = 8.05, 95% CI = 1.01-64.45). Medical histories of operation for appendicitis and blood transfusion were associated with decreased risk, but not significantly. Our results suggested that occupational exposure to chemicals might play a role in the risk of MM.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Roles and causes of abnormal DNA methylation in gastrointestinal cancers.

Evidence now suggests that epigenetic abnormalities, particularly altered DNA methylation, play a crucial role in the development and progression of human gastrointestinal malignancies. Two distinct DNA methylation abnormalities are observed together in cancer. One is an overall genome-wide reduction in DNA methylation (global hypomethylation) and the other is regional hypermethylation within the CpG islands of specific gene promoters. Global hypomethylation is believed to induce proto-oncogene activation and chromosomal instability, whereas regional hypermethylation is strongly associated with transcriptional silencing of tumor suppressor genes. To date, genes involved in regulation of the cell cycle, DNA repair, growth signaling, angiogenesis, and apoptosis, are all known to be inactivated by hypermethylation. Recently developed techniques for detecting changes in DNA methylation have dramatically enhanced our understanding of the patterns of methylation that occur as cancers progress. One of the key contributors to aberrant methylation is aging, but other patterns of methylation are cancer-specific and detected only in a subset of tumors exhibiting the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP). Although the cause of altered patterns of DNA methylation in cancer remains unknown, it is believed that epidemiological factors, notably dietary folate intake, might strongly influence DNA methylation patterns. Recent studies further suggest that polymorphisms of genes involved in folate metabolism are causally related to the development of cancer. Identifying epidemiological factors responsible for epigenetic changes should provide clues for cancer prevention in the future.

Aging↗