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N Kawakami

Publications and source records attributed to N Kawakami.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

[Evaluation of the operation of supporting programs for social activity of the elderly by city, town, village governments in Japan].

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to clarify the operative situation of the supporting programs for social activity of the elderly by city, town, village governments in 1997. METHODS: We conducted a study of 3,255 of cities, towns and villages in Japan using a mailed questionnaire, which had been developed to assess the activities of supporting programs for social activity of the elderly. The questionnaire asks government officers whether they had each of the 33 programs in 1997. Each one of these programs belongs to one of the four different aspects of social activities: 1. employment, 2. social participation/volunteering, 3. education/training, 4. individual activities. For each program, the frequency of regions having the program were counted in total, as well as for each of four levels on governments scale: 1. ordinance-designated city, 2. city, 3. town, 4. village. The number of programs operated by the municipality were also evaluated. The main results were as follows One thousand six hundred (49.2%) of cities, towns and villages responded to our questionnaire. 1. Four programs, the promotion of clubs for elderly people, class/lecture meetings for the elderly, sporting events/athletic meetings for the elderly, and a respect-for-age congratulatory gift/money, were put into operation by over 80% of cities, towns and village governments. 2. The number of programs in total or for each of the three aspects of social activities except for social participation/volunteering tended to be high for the large scale governments. There were wide gaps in the number of programs among the regions even of the same level of the government scale. 3. The regions having supporting programs for employment consisted mainly of cities. Seventy-five percent of villages had no supporting program for employment. CONCLUSION: The operational situation of the supporting programs for social activity of the elderly by city, town, village governments was clarified. Furthermore, results obtained by this study can be used for self-assessment of operational situations by municipalities and can contribute to the activation of their supporting programs.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

[Evaluation of social activities of the elderly in 27 regions with use of the 'check list for vivid social activities'].

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the utility of a 'Check list for vivid social activities (Check list)' developed for self-evaluates of social activities by the elderly. In this study, two surveys were made. First, the usefulness of the 'Check list' was evaluated by the person in charge of health and welfare for elderly in each region. Then a survey of the elderly using the 'Check list' was made in some regions to further assess its. METHODS: 1. We conducted a study of 3,255 cities, towns and villages in Japan using a mailed questionnaire. 2. About 4,100 elderly 65 years of age or older from 27 regions filled in the 'Check list'. The participants belonged to various groups such as those receiving physical care and senior citizen organizations. RESULTS: 1. One thousand four hundred and seventy (45.2%) cities, towns and villages responded to our questionnaire. About 50% of those were in favor regarding 'the utility of the Check list' and 'ease of filling in the Check list'. About 25% of them were in favor in terms of 'the efficiency of the Check list for making elderly initiate some social activities'. Forty-four percent of them answered that they intended to take advantage of the 'Check list'. 2. By comparing results from each of the 27 regions, it was possible to evaluate the levels of social activities by the locality. By comparing activities of groups composed of regions with same characteristic, it was possible to characterize social activities at the group. CONCLUSION: These finding suggest utility for the 'Check list'.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

Green fluorescent protein-transgenic mice: immune functions and their application to studies of lymphocyte development.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic (GFP+) mice express GFP in most tissues except erythrocytes and hair. Immune responses of GFP+ mouse and their application to studies of lymphocyte development were investigated. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that differentiation patterns of lymphocytes from GFP+ mice are equivalent to those from parental C57BL/6 mice. There was no difference in mature T-cell proliferative ability in response to allogeneic stimulator cells or anti-CD3epsilon stimulation between GFP+ and C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, the anti-OVA antibody response of GFP+ mice was also the same as that of C57BL/6 mice. Taken together, these results show no immunological differences between GFP+ and C57BL/6 mice. Bone marrow transplantation and in vitro thymus reconstitution experiments were performed in an attempt to apply the GFP+ mice to the analysis of lymphocyte development. When bone marrow cells from GFP+ mice were transplanted. T and B lymphocytes containing GFP developed normally in scid recipients. Next we examined intrathymic T-cell development by hanging drop culture methods. GFP+ and CD4+8+ immature T-cells developed normally from bone marrow cells in the reconstituted thymus. The experimental system using hematopoietic cells from GFP+ mice is a powerful tool for visualizing lymphocyte development.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Roles of integrins and CD44 on the adhesion and migration of fetal liver cells to the fetal thymus.

Adhesion and migration of mouse fetal liver (FL) cells to the thymus were investigated using cells from green fluorescent protein transgenic (GFP+) mice. FL cells from GFP+ embryos at 12 gestational days (E12) of mice were incubated with 2'-deoxyguanosine-treated fetal thymus lobe (from E14) by thymic repopulation (hanging drop) culture methods. GFP+ cells were observed in the thymus lobe at the end of the repopulation culture period. A large part of the infiltrated cells expressed CD44 until day 2 of culture on a permeable membrane, then lost the expression. CD25 expression was observed from day 1 to day 4. Around day 8, GFP+ cells became both CD4+ and CD8+. The results support the early observation of the sequential expression of CD44, CD25, and CD4/8 during the early stages of thymocyte development. When anti-CD44 mAb was added at the beginning of the repopulation culture period, GFP+ FL cells adhered to the surface of the thymus lobe but did not migrate into the thymus. Pretreatment of the thymus with hyaluronidase or hyaluronate produced results similar to the results of anti-CD44 treatment. On the other hand, the addition of anti-integrin alpha4 mAb inhibited adhesion to the thymus, and almost no GFP+ cells were seen on the surface of the thymus lobe. The data suggest that integrin alpha4 and CD44 play different roles, i.e., integrin alpha4 is required for the adhesion of FL cells to the thymus lobe and CD44 is required for the migration of the cells into the thymus.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Evaluation of a screening program on reduction of gastric cancer mortality in Japan: preliminary results from a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Systematic population-based screening for gastric cancer is widely spread in Japan. However, the case-control study method has been the main method used to evaluate the effectiveness of the screen ing to reduce gastric cancer mortality in Japan. METHODS: This article presents a population-based cohort study. A questionnaire about lifestyles and dietary habits was distributed to 36,990 residents in a city of Japan. The response rate to the questionnaire was 92.0%. After ineligible responders had been excluded, 24,134 subjects were classified into screened and un screened groups according to their self-reports of participation in the screening the previous year. We followed them up for 40 months and linked resident death records in the city. We compared mortality from gastric cancer and all other causes between the groups by us ing the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The follow-up period was 78,156.6 person-years from September 1992 to December 1995. The multivariate relative risks for gastric cancer death of the screened group in comparison with the unscreened group were 0.72 (95% CI 0.31-1.66) among males and 1.46 (95% CI 0.43-4.90) among females. CONCLUSION: Although our data are preliminary, we were unable to demonstrate a large contribution of the present screening program to decreasing gastric cancer mortality. Further follow-up is needed to in crease the precision.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Differences of genetic effects for the development of allergic diseases in two cities of Japan.

BACKGROUND: Differences in the effects of genetic factors on allergic diseases in two areas of the same race within the same country have not been studied with multiple logistic regression. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the effects of genetic factors on allergic diseases differ between two areas. METHODS: A questionnaire provided information about family histories of allergic diseases and environmental factors was distributed to children attending kindergarten, elementary, or junior high school in two Japanese cities: Gifu, with a temperate climate, and Itoman, with a subtropical one. The number of subjects analyzed were 1,243 in Gifu and 1,953 in Itoman. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with SAS. RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that in both cities children of families with allergic histories have significantly higher risk of contracting allergic disease and atopic dermatitis, even after being controlled for environmental factors. In Gifu, in families where both parents suffered from allergy, there was a higher incidence of allergic diseases than when only one of the parents was suffering from it. On the other hand, in Itoman there were no differences of relative risk between paternal history and maternal history. CONCLUSIONS: We speculated that there are some differences of genetic factors between different areas of the same country, and these differences of genetic effects may influence on the difference of the prevalence of allergic diseases as well as the environmental factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Vasorelaxation and inhibition of the voltage-operated Ca2+ channels by FK506 in the porcine coronary artery.

Using fura-2 fluorometry, the effects of FK506, an immunosuppressant, on changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) and tension were investigated in porcine coronary arterial strips. The effects of FK506 on the activity of voltage-operated Ca2+ channels were examined by applying a whole cell patch clamp to the isolated smooth muscle cells of porcine coronary artery. FK506 inhibited the sustained increases in both [Ca2+]i and tension induced by 118 mM K+ depolarization and 100 nM U46619 in a concentration-dependent manner (1-30 microM). The extent of inhibition of the K+-induced contraction was greater than that of the U46619-induced contraction. The increases in [Ca2+]i and tension induced by histamine and endothelin- in the presence of extracellular Ca2+ were also inhibited by 10 microM FK506. FK506 (10 microM) had no effect on Ca2+ release induced by caffeine or by histamine in the Ca2+-free solution. FK506 (10 microM) had no effect on the [Ca2+]i-tension relationships of the contractions induced by cumulative increases of extracellular Ca2+ during K+ depolarization or stimulation with U46619. In the patch clamp experiments, FK506 (30 microM) partially inhibited the inward current induced by depolarization pulse from -80 mV to 0 mV. In conclusion, FK506 induces arterial relaxation by decreasing [Ca2+]i mainly due to the inhibition of the L-type Ca2+ channels, with no effect on the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile apparatus.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5↗
PubMed1999

Validity and reproducibility of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire for a cohort study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: A self-administered quantitative food frequency questionnaire (Qx) was developed for a population-based cohort study on cancer in Takayama, Japan. METHODS: The Qx was tested among 58 male and 59 female volunteers. Average daily nutrient intakes for the previous year calculated from the Qx were compared with those from 3-day food records and four 24-h recalls. The Qx was also validated among 37 volunteers by comparing the nutrient intakes calculated from the Qx with 12 1-day food records during a year. We also calculated the intra-class correlation coefficients for various nutrients between the Qx and the second Qx administered by the same volunteers 1 year after the first survey. RESULTS: Pearson correlation coefficients between total energy from the Qx and 3-day records were 0.38 for men and 0.25 for women and those between the Qx and 24-h recalls were 0.19 and -0.02 for men and women, respectively. Correlations between the several nutrients from the Qx and 3-day records ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 for both men and women. These correlations after energy adjustment ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 for men and from 0.1 to 0.7 for women. In general, the correlations for various nutrients between the Qx and 12 1-day records were higher than those described above. The intra-class correlation coefficients ranged from 0.46 to 0.78 in men and from 0.36 to 0.67, except for vitamin C in women. When the information on portion size was excluded, almost all of the above indices showed somewhat lower figures. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that our food frequency questionnaire with portion size information can be used to estimate nutrient intakes of each individual.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Overtime, psychosocial working conditions, and occurrence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in Japanese men.

OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the effects of overtime and psychosocial job conditions on the occurrence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in Japan. DESIGN: An eight year prospective cohort study. SETTING: An electrical company in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: In 1984, a mailed questionnaire was sent to industrial workers of an electrical company in Japan. After excluding those who had a history of diabetes mellitus or other chronic diseases, 2597 male respondents were prospectively followed up for the succeeding eight years. Data from 2194 (84%) who were completely followed up were analysed. The occurrence of NIDDM during the follow up period was assessed according to the WHO criteria on the basis of an annual screening programme. MAIN RESULTS: The age adjusted incidence of NIDDM was significantly higher in those who worked overtime more than 50 hours per month than in those who worked 25 hours or less per month (p < 0.05). It was significantly higher in those who worked with new technology at baseline than in those who did not (p < 0.05). Cox's proportional hazard model indicated that those who worked overtime more than 50 hours per month had 3.7 times higher risk of NIDDM after controlling for known risk factors (p < 0.01) and those who worked with new technology had 2.4 times higher risk of NIDDM (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that longer overtime and use of new technology are risk factors of NIDDM in Japanese men.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

The hydroxyl radical formation system in polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

We studied the hydroxyl radical (OH*)-generating system in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). When phenylalanine was incubated with the alpha, beta and gamma fractions prepared from pig polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), significant levels of formation of m- and o-tyrosine were observed in the alpha and beta fractions, but not in the gamma fraction. The amount of tyrosine formation per milligram of protein was greater with the beta than with the alpha fraction. Further, when phenylalanine was incubated with alpha or beta fractions with similar myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities in the presence of H2O2, tyrosine formation by the beta fraction was also more effective. Using the beta fraction in which the MPO activity was destroyed by heat treatment, no significant amount of tyrosine was formed. However, with the heat-treated beta fraction and MPO preparations from human neutrophils in the presence of H2O2, the amount of tyrosine formation increased with the addition of increasing amounts of heat-treated beta fraction. Tyrosine formation by the beta fraction in the presence of H2O2 was significantly reduced by OH* scavengers. The above results suggest the existence of an OH*-generating system in which MPO and H2O2 participate in the granules of PMNs and, especially, in specific granules, there may exist some factors that cause more effective OH* generation.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Participation of cytosolic protein phosphatase in regulation of NADPH oxidase in polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Calyculin A, a protein phosphatase inhibitor, enhanced phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced superoxide anion (O2-) production and translocation of the cytosolic NADPH oxidase factor, p47phox, to the plasma membrane in guinea pig polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). When PMNs were treated with t-(5-isoquino-line-sulfonyl)-3-methyl-piperazine (H-7), a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, after exposure to PMA, inhibition of O2- production and of translocation of p47phox to the membrane fraction in PMA-stimulated PMNs were observed. When calyculin A was added to the PMA-stimulated PMNs after the addition of H-7, O2- production was again observed, and translocation of p47phox to the membrane fraction also occurred. The activity of NADPH oxidase, the amount of p47phox and the level of phosphorylation of p47phox in the membrane fraction prepared from PMA-stimulated PMNs, were reduced by the addition of the cytosol fraction from unstimulated PMNs. These reductions were attenuated by calyculin A. These results indicate that the active form of NADPH oxidase in PMNs can be reconstituted after the active complex of the enzyme has disappeared once, and that one of the mechanisms of regulation of this enzyme activity involves the phosphorylation of p47phox in the cyotosol and dephosphorylation of phosphorylated p47phox in the NADPH oxidase complex by protein kinase and protein phosphatase, respectively.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗
PubMed1999

Mechanisms mediating the vasorelaxing action of eugenol, a pungent oil, on rabbit arterial tissue.

The inhibitory actions of eugenol on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and the contractions induced by excess extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o) in rabbit thoracic aorta were investigated. Application of excess [K+]o solution (30-90 mM) produced contraction and increased the intensity of the Ca2+ fluorescence signal. Pretreatment with eugenol (> or =0.1 mM) reduced both the amplitude of contraction and the intensity of the Ca2+ fluorescence signal, but the contraction was more strongly affected than the [Ca2+]i. Application of eugenol (0.3 mM) to tissue precontracted by 90 mM [K+]o solution (immediately after the removal of the 90 mM [K+]o solution) slowed the decay of the [Ca2+]i signal, but it did not change the rate of relaxation. Carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrozone (10 microM), a mitochondrial metabolic inhibitor, produced a reduction in tension despite a slight increase in [Ca2+]i when applied to muscle precontracted by 90 mM [K+]o solution. These results indicate that eugenol relaxes the rabbit thoracic aorta while suppressing the Ca2+-sensitivity and both the uptake and extrusion mechanisms for Ca2+. To judge from the similarities between its actions and those of metabolic inhibitors, eugenol may produce its actions at least partly through metabolic inhibition.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Depressive symptoms and occurrence of type 2 diabetes among Japanese men.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and the incidence of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In 1984, 2,764 male employees of an electrical company in Japan completed a self-administered questionnaire including the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). They were followed for the next 8 years, and 2,380 (86%) responded to the follow-up survey in 1992. During the follow-up survey, occurrence of type 2 diabetes was diagnosed according to World Health Organization criteria. RESULTS: A total of 41 cases of type 2 diabetes were identified during the 8-year follow-up survey. After controlling for other known risk factors for type 2 diabetes, a proportional hazard analysis indicated that subjects who had moderate or severe levels of depressive symptoms (> or = 48 on the SDS) at baseline had a 2.3 times higher risk of having type 2 diabetes at the follow-up survey than those who were not depressed (< or = 39 on the SDS) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms may be associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Epidemiology of job stress and health in Japan: review of current evidence and future direction.

With the increasing concern about job stress, there is a growing body of literature addressing psychosocial job stress and its adverse effects on health in Japan. This paper reviews research findings over the past 15 years concerning the assessment of job stress, the relationship of job stress to mental and physical health, and the effects of worksite stress reduction activities in Japan. Although studies were conducted in the past using ad-hoc job stress questionnaires, well-established job stressor scales have since been translated into Japanese, their psychometric properties tested and these scales extensively used in recent epidemiologic studies. While the impact of overtime and quantitative job overload on mental health seems moderate, job control, skill use and worksite support, as well as qualitative job demands, had greater effects on psychological distress and drinking problems in cross-sectional and prospective studies. These job stressors also indicated a strong association with psychiatric disorders, including major depression, even with a prospective study design. Long working hours were associated with a higher risk of myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. There is evidence that the job demands-control model, as well as the use of new technology at work, is associated with higher levels of blood pressure and serum lipids among Japanese working populations. Fibrinolytic activity, blood glucose levels, immune functions and medical consultation rates were also affected by job stressors. It is further suggested that Japanese workers tend to suppress expression of positive feelings, which results in apparently higher psychological distress and lower job satisfaction among Japanese workers compared with workers in the U.S. Future epidemiologic studies in Japan should focus more on a prospective study design, theoretical models of job stress, job stress among women, and cultural difference and well-designed intervention studies of various types of worksite stress reduction.

Burnout, Professional↗
PubMed1999

Effects of mailed advice on stress reduction among employees in Japan: a randomized controlled trial.

We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effects of mailed advice on reducing psychological distress, blood pressure, serum lipids, and sick leave of workers employed in a manufacturing plant in Japan. Those who indicated higher psychological distress (defined as having GHQ scores of three or greater) in the baseline questionnaire survey (n = 226) were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. Individualized letters were sent to the subjects of the intervention group, informing them of their stress levels and recommending an improvement in daily habits and other behaviors to reduce stress. Eighty-one and 77 subjects in the intervention and control groups, respectively, responded to the one-year follow-up survey. No significant intervention effect was observed for the GHQ scores, blood pressure, serum lipids, or sick leave (p > 0.05). The intervention effect was marginally significant for changes in regular breakfasts and daily alcohol consumption (p = 0.09). The intervention effect was marginally significant for the GHQ scores among those who initially did not eat breakfast regularly (p = 0.06). The study suggests that only sending mailed advice is not an effective measure for worksite stress reduction. Mailed advice which focuses on a particular subgroup (e.g., those who do not eat breakfast regularly) may be more effective.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1999

Job stressor-mental health associations in a sample of Japanese working adults: artifacts of positive and negative questions?

To examine whether positive and negative components of mental health were differently related to job stressors and life events, correlational analyses were conducted using data for the GHQ-12 and some scales of the NIOSH Generic Job Stress Questionnaire collected from 765 workers in Japan. Six positive items and six negative items of the GHQ-12 were summed up for positive and negative components of mental health (GHQ-POS, GHQ-NEG). The GHQ-POS was significantly correlated with only positively-oriented job stressors. The GHQ-NEG was significantly correlated with only negatively-oriented job stressors. Most correlations were significantly different between GHQ-POS and GHQ-NEG. This correlation pattern resulted in smaller, but significant, correlations between job stressors and the GHQ-12. These results may reflect "measuring similarity" due to item-wording. Detailed inspection suggested that GHQ-POS and GHQ-NEG, as well as positively- and negatively-oriented job stressors, were not attributable only to positive affectively or negative affectivity, respectively. Work-related events showed higher correlations with all mental health variables than their job stressors' counterparts. For females, mental health variables were seldom correlated with job stressors, but significantly correlated with life events. These results might indicate the superiority of "event-type stress measure" as compared to perceived rating scale in assessing job stressors. Further direction was discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

The first Japanese family with Sebastian platelet syndrome.

This report describes the first Japanese family diagnosed with Sebastian platelet syndrome. Within this family, a 6-year-old boy and 3 family members on his paternal side demonstrated thrombocytopenia with giant platelets and inclusion bodies in granulocytes, but the additional clinical features of Alport's syndrome occurring in the Fechtner syndrome were lacking. Light microscopy and ultrastructural findings of the leukocyte inclusion bodies distinguished these patients from the May-Hegglin anomaly. This family showed consistently higher levels of platelet-associated IgG (PAIgG), while surface expression of platelet membrane glycoproteins (GPIIb/IIIa and GPIb) and plasma glycocalicin levels were within the normal range. Careful observation of the giant platelet and leukocyte inclusion bodies in blood smears may help the diagnosis of this rare disease entity.

Adult↗