Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Y Komachi

Publications and source records attributed to Y Komachi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Antigens of tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1: correlates in nonsmoking Japanese and Caucasian men and women.

We reported in a 1987 preliminary study that tissue plasminogen activator antigen was significantly higher in American Caucasian men than in Japanese men. To further examine possible differences in fibrinolytic activity between the two races, an expanded study was conducted in a total of 300 nonsmoking men and women aged 47-69 years in two population-based samples: rural Japanese living in Akita and Caucasians living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Antigens of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) were measured. Mean t-PA antigen was 2.3 ng/ml higher in Caucasian men than in Japanese men (P < 0.001), but no race difference was seen for women (P = 0.59). Mean PAI-1 was higher in Caucasians than in Japanese for both sexes, and the race difference in mean was 1.8 ng/ml for men (P = 0.07) and 4.4 ng/ml for women (P < 0.001). Both t-PA and PAI-1 were associated positively with body mass index and blood triglycerides for all sex-race groups, and positively with alcohol intake for Japanese and Caucasian men. Compared to Japanese, Caucasians of both sexes had higher levels of body mass index and blood triglycerides, and lower average intake of alcohol among men. Even when adjusted for body mass index, triglycerides, alcohol and other cardiovascular risk factors, the race difference in mean t-PA antigen persisted for men (P < 0.001), as did the difference in mean PAI-1 for men (P = 0.03) and women (P = 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Plasma fibrinogen and its correlates in Japanese and US population samples.

In a preliminary 1987 study, we reported that the plasma fibrinogen level was significantly higher in Caucasian American men than Japanese men. To confirm this finding, we used data from 1,020 Japanese men and women in a 1989-1991 Akita, Japan, population study and from > 15,000 men and women from the 1986-1989 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. To examine further the correlates of plasma fibrinogen level, subsamples of nonsmoking Akita Japanese (n = 150) and Minneapolis Caucasians (n = 150) were also studied separately in 1990. Compared with the Japanese in the Akita study, Caucasians and African Americans in ARIC had a 23-40 mg/dL higher age-adjusted fibrinogen level for men and a 25-67 mg/dL higher level for women. In the subsample, the mean plasma fibrinogen value was 288 mg/dL in Caucasian men and 248 mg/dL in Japanese men (test for difference: p < 0.001). Women showed a similar racial difference: 300 mg/dL in Caucasians and 257 mg/dL in Japanese (p < 0.001). There were weak but positive correlations of plasma fibrinogen with age and body mass index and weak inverse correlations with alcohol intake, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides in most of the sex-race groups. For women, plasma fibrinogen was positively associated with menopause and inversely associated with the use of hormone replacement therapy. Total fish intake was inversely associated with plasma fibrinogen in all sex-race groups, and the association was statistically significant for Caucasian men.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Asian People↗
PubMed1993

Associations of serum total cholesterol, different types of stroke, and stenosis distribution of cerebral arteries. The Akita Pathology Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relation between serum total cholesterol levels and stroke is controversial. The Akita Pathology Study provides data on the association of serum total cholesterol, different types of stroke, and distribution of stenosis in cerebral arteries. METHODS: The data are based on 750 autopsied men aged 30 years and older who were admitted to a local hospital in northeast Japan between 1966 and 1984. The overall autopsy rate was 88%. The grade of stenosis in the cerebral arteries was determined blindly by one pathologist using Baker's method for basal cerebral arteries (atherosclerosis scores) and using microscopic examination of a single basal ganglion slide for the intracerebral penetrating arteries (arteriolosclerosis scores). RESULTS: The age-adjusted mean value of serum total cholesterol concentration was 164 mg/dL for cerebral hemorrhage, 177 mg/dL for infarction in penetrating artery regions, and 200 mg/dL for infarction in cortical artery regions. Mean serum cholesterol was lower in deaths caused by cerebral hemorrhage than in those caused by myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular disease. Mean atherosclerosis score of basal cerebral arteries was low for cerebral hemorrhage, intermediate for penetrating artery infarction, and high for cortical artery infarction. Stenosis of both basal and penetrating arteries was minimum or absent in cases of cerebral hemorrhage. Only the basal arteries were stenotic in cases of cortical artery infarction, whereas both basal and penetrating arteries were stenosed in cases of penetrating artery infarction. There were positive associations of serum cholesterol with stenosis of basal and penetrating arteries. Among cases of cerebral hemorrhage, serum total cholesterol levels were even lower in men with no significant stenosis in either basal or penetrating arteries than in men with stenosis in either type of artery. CONCLUSIONS: The association of serum cholesterol with pathogenesis varies among stroke types. Elevated serum cholesterol levels were associated with the presence of cortical artery infarction, while low serum cholesterol levels were associated with cerebral hemorrhage.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Population-based comparative study on dietary habits and serum fatty acid compositions].

Appropriate dietary instruction on fat intake is required for Japanese to prevent coronary heart disease because there has been a consistent increase in fat intake during the past two decades. To gain fundamental information for dietary instruction, we examined the relation between dietary habits related to fat and serum fatty acid compositions in women aged 40-69 of four Japanese populations (fishing, coastal farming, inland farming and urban populations) and a Caucasian population in which different dietary habits have been reported. Among Japanese, dietary intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (in particular omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acid) were higher in the urban population than in the other populations. Intake of omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids did not vary among the Japanese populations, but intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were higher in fishing and coastal farming populations than in the other two populations. Serum concentrations and compositions of omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids (mostly linoleic acid) were higher in the urban and inland farming populations than in the other two populations whereas those of omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (in particular eicosapentaenoic acid) showed the opposite trend. The proportion of omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids was higher and that of omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids was lower in Caucasian women than in the Japanese populations. The ratio of omega 3 (polyunsaturated fatty acids) to omega 6 was highest in the fishing population (ratio = 0.38), intermediate in coastal farming (0.35), urban (0.27) and inland farming (0.24) populations, and lowest in Caucasians (0.07). Within populations, the percentage of serum omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids increased with the increase of frequency of meat intake and oil intake. The percentage of serum omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids increased with the increase in frequency of fish intake. Because there are evident associations between the frequency of fish, meat and oil intake and serum fatty acid compositions, a frequency questionnaire on these foods would be useful for dietary instruction in the prevention of coronary heart disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Dietary fiber intake of Japanese younger generations and the recommended daily allowance.

A method was introduced for the estimation of total dietary fiber (TDF) intake of a population using a menu-oriented questionnaire and a menu-based calculation table. TDF intake correlated well with age in a population investigated, and in younger generations TDF consumption was very low (less than 11.5 g/day in teenagers). The similar results were obtained from the calculation using data of National Nutrition Survey (10.7 g/day). The foodstuffs they consumed were more processed and refined. This fact suggested that in younger generations a future resumption of their present eating habits might produce a serious lack of TDF intake in later years. To clarify the optimal level of TDF intake for the upper limit of recommended daily allowance (RDA) of an average Japanese, the following were measured and calculated. (I) Estimation of recent TDF intake (1990) and of 30 and 50 years ago (1955, 1935), based on TDF data of foodstuffs by the enzymatic-gravimetric method. (II) Measurement of the TDF of model duplicate meals and model composite diets for the average Japanese in 1985 using the same assay method. (III) Conversion of a recommendation of 20-35 g/day for American into RDA for Japanese considering energy consumption and lower fat intake. (IV) Re-estimation of the literature data on the adverse effects of DF on the human mineral balance considering the insufficient calcium intake of Japanese. The results indicated an RDA of 10-12 g TDF/1,000 kcal fit better for an average Japanese.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Alcohol drinking and high blood pressure: data from a 1980 national cardiovascular survey of Japan.

Many epidemiological cross-sectional studies have confirmed that alcohol drinking is related to high blood pressure. However, the impact of alcohol drinking on high blood pressure in the general population including older people has only been reported on in a few studies. The association between alcohol drinking and blood pressure or the prevalence of hypertension was examined using cross-sectional data of 4795 men and 6102 women aged 30-94, randomly selected from the Japanese population in 1980. The response rates were 74 and 84% for men and women, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension adjusted for body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was significantly higher in everyday male drinkers than in male non-drinkers from the youngest age group (30-39 years) to oldest age group (70 years and over). A relationship between alcohol and blood pressure was found only in the youngest age group (30-39 years) of female drinkers. In each 10-year age-group of men, the BMI-adjusted systolic and diastolic blood pressures in everyday drinkers were 7-10 and 4-6 mmHg higher than those in non-drinkers. The relationship between alcohol and blood pressure in men was confirmed by multiple regression analysis adjusting for age and BMI in both younger (30-59 years) and older (60-94 years) people. The impact of alcohol drinking on blood pressure in men should be taken into account in the primary prevention of blood pressure related diseases and in the treatment of hypertension in both younger and older people.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The relation of body fat distribution and body mass with haemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and blood lipids in urban Japanese men.

The relation of body fat distribution and body mass with haemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and blood lipids were examined in 874 men aged 40 to 59 not taking medication for diabetes mellitus and who worked for an urban company in Japan. Body fat distribution was measured by the waist hip circumference ratio. Body mass was estimated by Quetelet index. Haemoglobin A1c was measured from casual venous blood samples by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Measurement of haemoglobin A1c was validated by a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test conducted in a 7% sample. There was a dose-response relation between waist-hip ratio and haemoglobin A1c concentration while the relation between body mass index and haemoglobin A1c was not evident. Using linear regression to control for age, serum total cholesterol, usual alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and body mass index, the positive association between waist-hip ratio and haemoglobin A1c remained significant (p = 0.02). This was not true for the positive association between body mass index and haemoglobin A1c (p = 0.32). Both waist-hip ratio and body mass index were positively associated with blood pressure and serum total cholesterol, and inversely associated with HDL-cholesterol. The associations of waist-hip ratio with blood pressure and blood lipids were significant after controlling for body mass index. Therefore, the waist-hip ratio is a correlate of both glucose abnormalities and known coronary risk factors in urban Japanese men even when body mass is controlled for.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[The effect of storage on serum fatty acids].

To investigate the effect of storage on serum fatty acids, we examined the composition of serum fatty acids in samples from healthy men stored at different temperatures for various periods of time. The following experimental storage conditions were studied: 1) 4 degrees C for three weeks, 2) -20 degrees C for 12 months and 3) -80 degrees C for 24 months. The fatty acid composition did not change after two-week storage at 4 degrees C. At -20 degrees C, there was a decline in the content of docosapentaenoic acid (22: 5, omega 3) after one month, and docosahexaenoic acid (22: 6, omega 3) after three months. However, omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acid as a whole did not show a significant change. At -80 degrees C, there was a decline of docosapentaenoic acid after three months, arachidonic acid (20: 4, omega 6) after 12 months, and linoleic acid (18: 2, omega 6) after 24 months. As a whole, omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids did not change. Omega 6-Polyunsaturated fatty acids significantly declined 5% after 24 months. Therefore, it is recommended that serum fatty acids be measured within two weeks at 4 degrees C, within a few months at -20 degrees C and within one year at -80 degrees C to estimate the composition of the major fatty acids.

Blood Specimen Collection↗
PubMed1991

[Secular trends in prevalence and incidence of atrial fibrillation and associated factors in a Japanese rural population].

To investigate secular trends in prevalence and incidence of atrial fibrillation and associated factors, data from population studies of a northeast rural Japanese community, were explored. Cross-sectional studies for men and women aged 40-69 year were conducted in 1963-1966, 1972-1975 and 1984-1987. Age-adjusted prevalence rates of atrial fibrillation show no significant change in both men and women during these three periods. Over 80% of atrial fibrillation in each period showed no clinical evidence of rheumatic valvular disease, myocardial infarction, idiopathic cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease and hyperthyroidism. Cohorts of men and women aged 40-69 year without atrial fibrillation at baseline were constructed in 1963-1966 (1,920 persons) and in 1972-1975 (2,325 persons) and followed until 1974 and 1987, respectively. In both cohorts, incidence of atrial fibrillation without these organic diseases was positively associated with hypertension related funduscopic abnormality and urine protein. Age-adjusted incidence rates of atrial fibrillation declined in both men and women between the two cohorts. This decline which was greater in hypertensives than in normotensives may in part reflect improvements in hypertension control in this community.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Blood pressure levels, related factors, and hypertension control status of Japanese and Americans.

Blood pressure levels and related factors in Japanese, US whites and US blacks aged 30 to 74 years were compared, using data from the similarly designed national survey of each country in a similar period, i.e., the National Survey on Circulatory Disorders of Japan, 1980 (10,897 persons from all over Japan) and the second National Health and Nutrition Survey of the US, 1976 to 1980 (NHANES-II) (16,204 persons from all over the USA). Data collection methods were judged to be comparable. Data were stratified by age (30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-74 yrs) and sex. Age-specific and age-adjusted mean systolic BPs of Japanese were generally higher than those of US whites; mean diastolic pressures were similar in the two populations in both men and women. Mean weight and body mass index (BMI) and their standard deviations were lower for Japanese than Americans. In US blacks, BP was higher than in Japanese or in US whites for diastolic in men, and for both systolic and diastolic in women. Systolic BP levels of black men were between those of Japanese and US whites. At specific levels of BMI, Japanese systolic BPs were markedly higher than those of US whites in all age-sex groups, and diastolic pressures were higher in Japanese than in US whites, slightly so at younger ages and more so at ages 60 and over in both sexes. The proportions of all persons with high BP who were receiving antihypertensive treatment and who were controlled were similar in most age-sex groups of the Japanese and US white populations; they were lower in US black men and higher in US black women. In linear regression analyses of BP on BMI controlled for age, slopes were similar for Japanese and Americans. However, given the lower mean BMI and smaller BMI standard deviation (less overweight), partial correlation coefficients between BMI and BP were smaller for Japanese than Americans. These results indicate that overweight plays a lesser role in Japanese than Americans in producing high prevalence rates of hypertension and that other factors are critically involved (e.g., intake of sodium, potassium, calcium, alcohol).

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Hemostatic variables in Japanese and Caucasian men. Tissue plasminogen activator, antithrombin III, and protein C and their relations to coronary risk factors.

Mortality rates of coronary heart disease are much lower in Japan than in the United States. The authors' previous report on coagulation factors showed that population levels of plasma fibrinogen and factor VII activity parallel this mortality difference. To investigate other hemostatic variables, the authors assessed indicators of fibrinolytic activity (tissue plasminogen activator antigen) and coagulation inhibition (antithrombin III activity and protein C) in 136 men aged 34-55 years in four different samples: rural Japanese, urban Japanese, Japanese Americans, and Caucasian Americans. Mean tissue plasminogen activator antigen was higher in Caucasians and Japanese Americans than in rural and urban Japanese (p less than 0.01), while a contrasting trend in mean antithrombin III activity was suggested (p = 0.10). No significant differences were observed in mean levels of protein C. After controlling for known coronary risk factors, mean levels of tissue plasminogen activator antigen remained significantly different across the four samples (p less than 0.01); mean antithrombin III activity was not different (p = 0.23). Population differences in tissue plasminogen activator antigen parallel the coronary heart disease mortality difference between Japan and the United States. Although no definite evidence is available showing that tissue plasminogen activator antigen is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, the present study suggests a positive ecologic association between this hemostatic factor and coronary heart disease mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Prognosis and disability of stroke patients after 5 years in Akita, Japan.

The system of registering stroke patients was begun in 1963 in Ikawa Town, Akita Prefecture, Japan. The town is located in the northeastern part of the country and in 1975 had a population of 6,427. From 1975 to 1981, 109 patients who suffered their first stroke were registered and were monitored for 5 years. The average annual incidence rates of stroke were 2.8 and 2.0 per 1,000 population in males and females, respectively. Mean age at stroke onset was 63.3 and 71.4 years in males and females, respectively (p less than 0.01). According to the clinical classification of stroke, 76 patients suffered cerebral infarction, 21 cerebral bleeding, and six subarachnoid hemorrhage; six strokes were unclassified. The survival rates were compared by sex, age, and clinical stroke type using Cox's proportional hazards model. The survival rate of female stroke patients was lower than that of males, but not significantly so. The survival rate of stroke patients greater than or equal to 65 years old was significantly lower (p less than 0.01) than that of younger patients. Moreover, the survival rate of patients with cerebral bleeding was significantly lower (p less than 0.01) than that of patients with cerebral infarction. In the analysis of self-care among the survivors, performance of the activities of daily living in older patients indicated significantly less independence (p less than 0.01) in younger patients. Follow-up of new stroke cases showed that age and clinical stroke type were significantly associated with survival and that age was also related to disability of the survivors.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Trends for coronary heart disease and its risk factors in Japan: epidemiologic and pathologic studies.

Epidemiologic and pathologic studies were conducted between 1965 and 1986 to investigate trends for the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and its risk factors in urban and rural populations and to relate the risk factor changes to trends for CHD incidence and pathologic findings. The epidemiologic study included men aged 40-59 years who urban residents of Osaka, clerical and manual workers in Osaka, and rural residents of Akita prefecture. The pathologic study subjects were autopsied men aged 30 and over, admitted to a local hospital in Akita, whose autopsy rate was 88%. From a cohort of 8,835 urban employees between 1975 and 1987, risk factors for myocardial infarction were identified: blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, blood glucose and cigarette smoking all which were compatible with findings in the US and European countries. For rural residents, serum cholesterol was less likely to be associated with the CHD incidence. Little contribution of serum cholesterol to development of coronary heart disease in rural men was supported by the pathologic study showing no significant association between serum cholesterol and the coronary atherosclerosis. Myocardial infarction from urban patients was characterized as massive necrosis in the myocardium with coronary artery stenosis and minimum atherosclerosis of basal cerebral arteries while that from rural men was small scattered necrosis in myocardium with atherosclerosis in both coronary and basal cerebral arteries. There was an increasing trend in the incidence of myocardial infarction in urban men but no change in rural men. The difference in the incidence trend can be attributed in part to differences in pathologic etiology and in blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels. Systematic surveillance is underway in both urban and rural population to clarify future trends for coronary heart disease and its risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Serum fatty acids and fish intake in rural Japanese, urban Japanese, Japanese American and Caucasian American men.

To examine the relationship of fish intake with serum fatty acids cross-culturally, we surveyed a total of 136 men aged 34 to 55 years in four different populations: rural Japanese (RJ), urban Japanese (UJ), Japanese Americans (JA), and Caucasian Americans (CA). Mean levels of estimated total fish intake per day were 124.9 g in RJ, 70.8 g in UJ, 45.7 g in JA, and 32.3 g in CA. The percentage of total serum fatty acids contributed by omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in these populations was 11.8% in RJ, 9.0% in UJ, 3.4% in JA and 2.5% in CA. Means of omega-3 fatty acids and intake of fish were correlated at the population level; this relationship was strongest when intake of dark-meat fish was considered (n = 4, r = 0.979, p = 0.02). Within each population, except for UJ, individual omega-3 fatty acid levels and dark-meat fish intake were significantly associated (p less than 0.05). A 20 g increase in dark-meat fish consumption was associated with an estimated relative increase in omega-3 fatty acid content of serum by 0.76% in RJ, 0.75% in UJ, 0.64% in JA, and 0.22% in CA. The association between fish intake and serum omega-3 fatty acids at the individual level was not explained by other coronary risk factors. Mortality from coronary heart disease is much lower in Japan than in the US. Population differences in fish intake and serum omega-3 fatty acid levels may contribute to the population difference in the risk of coronary heart disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Hemostatic variables in Japanese and Caucasian men. Plasma fibrinogen, factor VIIc, factor VIIIc, and von Willebrand factor and their relations to cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Mortality rates of coronary heart disease are much lower and hemorrhagic stroke rates are higher in Japanese than in Caucasians. To investigate whether population differences in plasma concentrations of coagulation factors are consistent with these mortality differences, the authors examined, in 1987, a total of 136 men aged 34-55 years in four different samples: rural Japanese living in Akita, Japan; urban Japanese living in Osaka, Japan; and Japanese Americans and Caucasian Americans living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. The mean plasma fibrinogen level in Caucasians was 290 mg/dl, which was significantly higher than that in each of the Japanese samples (223-250 mg/dl; test for difference: p less than 0.001). The mean coagulation activities of factor VII and factor VIII (factor VIIc and factor VIIIc) were higher in Caucasian and Japanese Americans than in rural and urban Japanese (p less than 0.01 for factor VIIc and p = 0.03 for factor VIIIc). von Willebrand factor did not differ significantly across the populations. The relations of these coagulation factors with other cardiovascular risk factors (age, body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)2), blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, serum triglyceride, cigarette smoking, and alcohol intake) were also examined. Mean plasma fibrinogen was consistently higher in current smokers than in nonsmokers within each sample. Factor VIIc and factor VIIIc levels were positively associated with serum total cholesterol and serum triglyceride. No consistent associations were seen between von Willebrand factor and cardiovascular risk factors. After the authors controlled for these covariates, mean fibrinogen and factor VIIc levels remained significantly different, but factor VIIIc levels did not. Different levels of coagulation factors across these samples are probably attributable to differences in environmental factors, especially diet, as well as genetic differences between Caucasians and Japanese. Furthermore, the differences in plasma fibrinogen and factor VIIc levels may explain part of the difference in mortality from cardiovascular disease across these populations.

Adult↗