Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Hisamichi

Publications and source records attributed to S Hisamichi.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Community screening programs of cancer and cardiovascular diseases in Japan.

The Health and Medical Services Law for the Aged was implemented from February, 1983 in Japan. This paper describes the present status of health examination programs and cancer screening programs and related issues as follows : methods of the basic health examination and cancer screening, the number of the examinees, detection numbers and rates of targeted diseases, i.e. hypertension, anemia, cancer of the stomach, uterus, lung, breast, and colon etc. The Goals of Japanese Government of the Health Services by the year 2000 are discussed from the several points of view.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Prevalence of hypertension and rate of blood pressure control as assessed by home blood pressure measurements in a rural Japanese community, Ohasama.

A cross-sectional community survey using home blood pressure measurements was performed in northern Japan to estimate the prevalence of definite hypertension, white coat hypertension and the success of blood pressure control in patients receiving antihypertensive drugs. A total of 1334 subjects (mean age +/- SD, 53.8 +/- 17.3 years; 8-91 years) participated in the screening and home blood pressure measurement program. They measured blood pressure at home at least 3 times (mean measurement frequency, 20.8 +/- 8.3 times). Of these 1334 subjects, 314 (65.1 +/- 8.9 years) were taking drugs (treated group) while 1020 (50.3 +/- 17.8 years) were not (untreated group). The WHO criteria were used to categorize screening blood pressure. Criteria for diagnosis of hypertension by home blood pressure measurements were as follows: definitely hypertensive (systolic blood pressure > or = 144 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure > or = 89 mmHg) and normotensive (104 < systolic blood pressure < or = 131 mmHg and 60 < diastolic blood pressure < or = 79 mmHg). Of the 1018 subjects identified as normotensive on screening measurements, home measurements indicated that 73 (7.2%) were hypertensive and 765 (74.7%) were normotensive or lower. Of the 112 subjects identified as hypertensive on screening measurements, home measurements showed that 42 (37.5%) were hypertensive and 30 (26.8%) were normotensive or lower. Of the 314 treated subjects, 45 (14.3%) were identified as hypertensive by screening measurements and 88 (28.0%) as hypertensive by home measurements. Only 20 (44.4%) of the former 45 subjects were also defined as definitely hypertensive by home measurements. Of the 1020 untreated subjects, 67 (6.6%) were hypertensive by screening measurements and 84 (8.2%) by home measurements. Only 22 (32.8%) of the former 67 subjects were classified as hypertensive by home measurements. Of the 67 untreated subjects identified as hypertensive by screening measurements, 20 (29.9%) were normotensive or lower by home measurements, suggesting that these subjects were "white coat" hypertensives. The study first confirmed based on the large community data that there are large discrepancies between screening (casual) blood pressure and home blood pressure measurements for recognition of hypertension and normotension. Determination of blood pressure levels by home blood pressure measurements may predict prognosis of hypertension differently from that by screening blood pressure measurements. Further prospectively study is needed to validate the prognostic value of home blood pressure measurements.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Predictive power of screening blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure and blood pressure measured at home for overall and cardiovascular mortality: a prospective observation in a cohort from Ohasama, northern Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risks of high and low blood pressure levels determined by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and home blood pressure measurements. METHODS: A long-term prospective study of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality has been conducted in Ohasama, Japan since 1987. RESULTS: The Cox proportional hazards model after adjusting for age and sex demonstrated that, during a 5-year follow-up period involving 893 of the subjects aged 50 years or more in this cohort, those with the lowest quintile of ambulatory blood pressure levels exhibited a significantly higher hazard ratio for cardiovascular and for all-cause mortality. During the same follow-up period, of 1226 subjects aged 50 years and more, those with the lowest and highest quintiles of home blood pressure levels demonstrated a significantly higher hazard ratio with respect to cardiovascular and all-cause mortality (i.e., a J-shaped relationship). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that there is a significant risk associated with low blood pressure levels, which can be determined by ambulatory and home blood pressure measurements, but not by casual blood pressure measurements.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Temporal change in the reproducibility of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire.

The authors studied temporal change in the reproducibility of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. During 1988-1994, 492 residents of a rural Japanese town completed five questionnaires including 27 food items, with intervals ranging from 2 weeks through 5.5 years. The reproducibility decreased steadily over time for pairs of the questionnaires administered in the same season (median Spearman's r at 2 weeks and 5 years = 0.62 and 0.28, respectively). The reduction was less marked for those surveyed in different seasons (median r at 5 months and 5.5 years = 0.35 and 0.28, respectively). The short-term, different season correlation at 5 months was lower than the short-term, same season correlation at 1 year. For individual food items, a lower initial reproducibility, infrequent consumption, and a larger difference in seasonal intake were associated with a greater reduction in reproducibility over time. The results indicate that reproducibility studies should deliberately choose the intervals and the seasons for surveys.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed1995

Perceptions of change in diet have limited utility for improving estimates of past food frequency of individuals.

Accuracy of methods to assess past diet in retrospective studies is of concern. Adjustment of current intake for subjects' perceptions of change is one alternative to estimate past intake. The authors studied the potential utility of perceived change in diet in residents of a rural Japanese community who participated in three sequential surveys with self-administered questionnaires. Frequencies of consumption for 27 foods were investigated in the first and second questionnaires administered in 1988 and 1993 (n = 451), and perceived changes in their frequencies during this period were asked in the second and third questionnaires surveyed within two weeks (n = 214). Perceptions of change in diet were highly reproducible. At a group-level analysis, they were consistent with the changes in food frequencies in 21 of the 27 items. Nevertheless, whereas current diet adjusted for perceived change correlated better with past intake than did current intake alone in 17 foods, improvement in Pearson's correlations was only marginal (median = 0.02). Perceptions of change in diet would therefore be of limited utility in improving estimate of past intake among individuals in retrospective studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Active life expectancy among elderly Japanese.

BACKGROUND: This study estimated the active life expectancy (ALE) among the elderly in a Japanese urban society to determine whether or not the Japanese live long lives at the expense of life quality. METHODS: Survival and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) were followed up on a probability sample (n = 3,459) of the aged people living in Sendai City, Japan, between 1988 and 1991. ALE was calculated by an increment-decrement life table method. RESULTS: At age 65, ALE was 14.7 years for men and 17.7 years for women. The duration of active life occupied 91% of the total life expectancy for men and 87% for women. These values were further compared with those reported for the elderly in the United States. ALE among the Japanese subjects was longer than that among the American elderly. The percentage of remaining life that was active was comparable with that in the United States. However, the interpretation of the results requires caution because of the difficulty in comparing self-reported disabilities across cultures. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that it is premature at this time to judge which country is better in terms of functional status among the elderly. An international comparison of ALE would create an opportunity to evaluate and promote health and function of the elderly population worldwide. For this purpose, an international standardization of ALE measurement is urgently needed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Physical status and dementia risk: a three-year prospective study in urban Japan.

A three-year prospective study of 3,180 non-dementia persons in Sendai City, Japan was conducted to examine the effects of physical status and diseases diagnosed on dementia incidence. This cohort had been made at the initial survey in 1988 and the evaluation for incident dementia was performed on 2,461 respondents (77.4%) in a follow-up survey in 1991. Regarding physical status, the logistic regression including sex, age, health status, ambulatory activity and activities of daily living indicated that the poor health status and the limitation of ambulatory activity were significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia. The significant positive association with dementia was observed on stroke, respiratory disease and depression. This study identified the high risk population for dementia in the aspect of physical status.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Dementia and physical disability as competing risks for mortality in a community-based sample of the elderly Japanese.

To examine whether an excess mortality due to dementia is independent of coexisting physical disability, a probability-sample of the non-institutionalized elderly (n = 3,308) living in Sendai City, Japan was followed between 1988 and 1991. Of those, 128 were diagnosed as dementia in 1988 by psychiatrists, using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition-Revised as a diagnostic standard. Information on the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) was collected by self-report of the study subjects in 1988 baseline survey. The survival status was investigated three years later. The risks of dementia and co-existing ADL disability for mortality was examined by Cox proportional hazard models. The results indicated that the relation between dementia and mortality was two-fold, depending upon the physical functions. Dementia increased the risk for mortality among those without ADL disability, but it did not so among those with ADL disability, rather ADL function was a stronger predictor for mortality among the latter individuals. Prevention and treatment of physical disability would be important for improving the survival of the demented people.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

The secular trend in the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage in Miyagi, Japan: 1979-1990.

Since 1978, a stroke registry has been carried out in Miyagi Prefecture (2.2 million in population), Japan. Approximately 2,000 cases of stroke were annually registered through 16 hospitals which have cerebrovascular disease units. The incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage was 17.4 per 100,000 population in 1990. The incidence increased gradually during early 1980's and reached plateau during late 1980's. Further, the trend in the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage is compared with those in other communities in other countries as well as Japan.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Accuracy of self-report for stomach cancer screening.

Limited evidence is available regarding the accuracy of recall for cancer screenings. We compared the self-report of stomach cancer screening with medical records in 337 residents of a rural town in northeastern Japan, who were eligible for annual screening offered by the town. Frequencies of attendance within the last 5 years were asked in a self-administered questionnaire, and determined from the records of the organization conducting the screening. When the frequencies were dichotomized as ever/never screened within 5 years, the self-report agreed substantially with medical records, but tended to overestimate the actual attendance (kappa = 0.68, sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 75.6%). Past history of gastroduodenal diseases and family history of stomach cancer were associated with the overreport. Although the population studied was highly selective (rural Japanese volunteers), review of the previous studies on mammography and Pap smear also showed that self-reports tended to be exaggerated. Self-report of cancer screening should be regarded as an overestimated indicator of its true prevalence.

Female↗
PubMed1994

The predictive power of self-rated health, activities of daily living, and ambulatory activity for cause-specific mortality among the elderly: a three-year follow-up in urban Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the predictive power of self-rated health, activities of daily living (ADL), and ambulatory activity for different causes of death in a representative sample of older persons. DESIGN: Three-year prospective cohort study. SETTING: Sendai City, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: 2,552 persons 65 years and older at baseline in 1988. MEASUREMENTS: Independent variables (measured by self-report of participants) were age, sex, self-rated health, ADL, ambulatory activity level, and use of medical care. Dependent variables were mortalities from cancer, stroke, and heart disease. MAIN RESULTS: Self-rated health significantly predicted cancer mortality but not the other two causes of mortality. ADL disability was a significant predictor for stroke mortality, and limitation in ambulatory activity significantly increased the risk of heart disease mortality. The associations between ADL and stroke mortality as well as between ambulatory activity and heart disease mortality remained significant even after excluding those who reported having the index disease in 1988. CONCLUSION: The predictive powers of self-rated health, ADL function, and ambulatory activity varied significantly with the underlying causes of death among the elderly.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

[Changes in physical disability among Japanese elderly].

In order to investigate the natural course of physical disability among the elderly, the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) was examined on a probability sample (N = 3384) of residents aged 65 years and over in Sendai City, Japan, in 1988 and 1991. Information on ability to perform four ADL tasks-dressing, eating, using the toilet, and bathing-were collected by self-report. In 1988, 7.2% of the males and 7.9% of the females reported at least one ADL dependency. The prevalence of disability was the highest in bathing, followed by dressing, using the toilet, and the lowest in eating. The Cox proportional hazard models on three-year mortality indicated that those who were ADL dependent at baseline had 4.1 times the mortality risk of those who were ADL independent. Among those who were ADL independent in 1988 and who were alive in 1991, 5.0% of the males and 4.8% of the females became dependent in at least one ADL task in 1991. The incidence of disability was the highest in bathing, followed by dressing, using the toilet, and the lowest in eating. Among those who were ADL dependent in 1988 and who were alive in 1991, about one-third of them improved in ADL functioning. Improvement was more common among those who were younger in age. These results suggest that levels of ADL functioning is highly dynamic, and that physical disability is, to a certain extent, reversible among the elderly.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

[Response rate, missing values, validity and reproducibility of responses in mark-sheet and conventional questionnaires].

A self-administered questionnaire using the mark-sheet method (MSM), in which responses of subjects are computer processed directly through an optical scanning device, has recently been utilized in epidemiologic surveys. Compared to the data coding process for a conventional questionnaire, in which a keypuncher enters the responses manually into a computer (manual method; MM), optical scanning requires less time and cost. Accuracy of the MSM for use in the general population in Japan, however, remains uncertain. Therefore the response rates, frequencies of missing values, validity and reproducibility of the answers in self-administered questionnaires were compared between the MSM and MM. Subjects were 463 residents aged 40-69 years living in 6 local districts of a rural town in northeastern Japan. They were randomly allocated, by district basis, to the MSM group (n = 242) or the MM group (n = 221). The questionnaire was delivered and collected at the subject's home by volunteers. Two weeks after collecting the original questionnaire, the same type of questionnaire was again distributed to half of the responders randomly chosen to investigate reproducibility. The overall response rate did not differ in MSM and MM (96.7% vs 98.2%, p = 0.312). Among questions with a multiple-choice type of answer, proportions of missing values were not different for most of the items, but it was lower in MSM for all of the 33 food frequency items. Reproducibilities of food frequency items measured by Spearman's rank correlation did not differ substantially in two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic atrophic gastritis among Japanese blood donors: a cross-sectional study.

To evaluate an association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), an established precursor of gastric cancer, we performed a cross-sectional study using IgG antibody against H. pylori and pepsinogens of blood donors in four prefectures in Japan. Although a geographic correlation between the age-adjusted prevalence rates for H. pylori infection and those for CAG was not seen, the age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) of H. pylori infection for CAG were high in each area (around five for men and from four to 12.6 for women). The association between them weakened with advancing age; the ORs in the youngest age group (16-29 yrs) and in the oldest age group (50-64 yrs) were 12.5 and 2.8 for men, and 11.5 and 5.2 for women, respectively. These findings suggest that H. pylori infection is strongly associated with CAG, while there are some other factors interacting in the development of CAG. A prospective cohort study in which CAG and H. pylori infection are taken into account will be necessary to assess the risks of gastric cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Correlation between the prevalence of gastritis and gastric cancer in Japan.

To verify the hypothesis that chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a precancerous lesion for gastric cancer, we investigated the correlation between the prevalence rates for CAG determined by levels of serum pepsinogens (I and II) of randomly selected, healthy, blood donors and the mortality rates for gastric cancer among four prefectures (Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, and Okinawa) in Japan. The prevalence rates for CAG according to a criterion that the level of pepsinogen I is below 70 ng/ml and the pepsinogen I to pepsinogen II ratio is below 3.0, were the highest in Akita for both sexes (38.8 percent in males, 37.8 percent in females) and the lowest in Okinawa (13.9 percent in males, 12.3 percent in females), where mortality rates for gastric cancer are the highest and the lowest in Japan, respectively. The correlation between the prevalence rates for CAG and the standardized mortality ratios for gastric cancer among these four prefectures was statistically significant in males (r = 0.97, P = 0.03), but less significant in females (r = 0.92, P = 0.08). These data strongly support the hypothesis that CAG is a precancerous lesion. The limitations of our cross-sectional study and the advantages of measuring the levels of serum pepsinogens in epidemiologic studies and in mass-screening programs for gastric cancer are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

An evaluation of mass screening using fecal occult blood test for colorectal cancer in Japan: a case-control study.

There is as yet no firm evidence showing that mass screening for colorectal cancer using fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) reduces the mortality from this cancer. Therefore we evaluated the effectiveness of the screening by a case-control study in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The study included as case subjects 28 individuals who had died from colorectal cancer and had had an opportunity to participate in the mass screening before the date of diagnosis as colorectal cancer, and 3 controls for each case subject randomly selected from residents who were alive on the date of death of case subjects and matched by sex, age (within 3 years) and living area using residential files. For each set, i.e., a case subject and 3 controls, screening histories before the date of the diagnosis of the case as colorectal cancer were examined. Both the case subjects and the controls who had participated in the screening at least once within 3 years before the date of diagnosis of the case were classified as "screened." The 28 case subjects consisted of 12 males and 16 females (average age: 60.8 years). The odds ratio of death from colorectal cancer for the screened versus the non-screened persons was 0.24 (95% confidence interval = 0.08-0.76) by the Mantel-Haenszel method. The present study suggests that mass screening using FOBTs for colorectal cancer significantly reduces the mortality from this cancer epidemiologically.

Aged↗