Risk assessment of lung cancer and asbestosis in workers exposed to asbestos fibers in brake shoe factory in Iran.

Chrysotile asbestos fiber, imported from Russia, is used mainly for manufacturing purposes in Iran and related risks in the form of asbestosis and cancer were studied. Occupational exposure of all male workers (61 persons) to asbestos in a brake shoe factory was monitored. Cumulative exposures were determined through multiplication of typical exposure and work history.

Survival rate of gastric cancer in Iran.

Background: Stomach cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. In Iran, the mortality of stomach cancer is the first cause of death due to cancer in both sexes. This study was designed to estimate survival rate of stomach cancer at national level.

Socioeconomic status and health in the Japanese population.

There is growing interest in the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on health. Individual SES has been shown to be closely related to mortality, morbidity, health-related behavior and access to health care services in Western countries. Whether the same set of social determinants accounts for higher rates of mortality or morbidity in Japan is questionable, because over the past decade the magnitude of the social stratification within the society has increased due to economic and social circumstances.

[Relationships of positive and negative affectivity to sleep quality in Japanese civil servants: 3-year follow-up study].

We conducted this longitudinal study to evaluate the relationships of positive and negative affectivity (Affect Balance Scale) to sleep quality among civil servants. For this study we evaluated 827 civil servants of T city in Toyama prefecture in the springs of 2001 (Baseline) and 2004 with complete information in both phases of the study. Based on the median score at each phase, we divided Affect Balance Scale (ABS) scores into high and low groups.

Prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy in Japan.

Background: There have been few large-scale nationwide studies investigating both the prognosis and the prognostic factors of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC). A predictive score that can be used in clinical practice has not been established.

Methods And Results: A nationwide epidemiological study of the prognosis of IDC was conducted in 1999 among randomly selected hospitals in Japan, and 147 departments participated in the present 5-year follow-up survey.

Associations of job strain and working overtime with adverse health behaviors and obesity: evidence from the Whitehall II Study, Helsinki Health Study, and the Japanese Civil Servants Study.

Adverse health behaviors and obesity are key determinants of major chronic diseases. Evidence on work-related determinants of these behavioral risk factors is inconclusive, and comparative studies are especially lacking. We aimed to examine the associations between job strain, working overtime, adverse health behaviors, and obesity among 45-60-year-old white-collar employees of the Whitehall II Study from London (n=3,397), Helsinki Health Study (n=6,070), and the Japanese Civil Servants Study (n=2,213).

Association of smoking behavior and socio-demographic factors, work, lifestyle and mental health of Japanese civil servants.

Few studies have examined the individual and social impact of smoking behavior in the Japanese population. The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between smoking behavior and socio-demographic factors, lifestyle, mental health and work characteristics of Japanese civil servants. A self-administered questionnaire survey of 1,439 employees (821 men and 618 women) aged 20-64 yr was conducted in a local government department in 2001.

Prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Japan: results from a nationwide study.

Objective: To investigate prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Japan.

Design: A nationwide epidemiological study.

Setting: Hospitals selected randomly from among all hospitals in Japan.

Spa resort use and health-related quality of life, sleep, sickness absence and hospital admission: the Japanese civil servants study.

Objective: To examine whether spa resort use is associated with the health of Japanese employees.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Participants: 3341 employees (2280 males and 1061 females) aged 20-65 in local government in Japan.

Intra-individual variability of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein: age-related variations over time in Japanese subjects.

Background: Prospective studies have demonstrated a direct association between the baseline level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The potential for hsCRP variability during the follow-up interval is of great interest, so the repeatability of measurements of hsCRP in men and women, and in different age groups, was investigated in the present study.

Methods And Results: The measurement of hsCRP was performed in 899 male and 780 female Japanese civil servants aged 18-60 years in the spring of 2004 and 2005.

Gender differences in associations of C-reactive protein with atherosclerotic risk factors and psychosocial characteristics in Japanese civil servants.

Objective: Several prospective studies have demonstrated a direct association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and the risks of developing cardiovascular disease. A strong sense of coherence (SOC) has also been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality, but the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism remains unclear. We have evaluated the relationship of serum CRP and SOC and assessed the association of atherosclerotic risk factors with CRP in male and female subjects.

Association of sleep quality and free time leisure activities in Japanese and British civil servants.

Sleep disturbance as a pervasive health problem can directly affect the physical and psychological well-being of individuals. Factors that positively relate to sleep quality can therefore improve healthy functioning. We examined whether leisure time activities are associated with sleep quality in two culturally different samples of civil servants.

Balneotherapy in medicine: A review.

Bathing in water (balneotherapy or spa therapy) has been frequently and widely used in classical medicine as a cure for diseases. This paper reviews the present literature on the use of balneotherapy in dermatologic, chronic musculoskeletal (inflammatory and non-inflammatory), metabolic and psychological conditions.We performed a systematic review on related papers appearing in the Medline and Cochrane Library database from 1966 to 2003 that included randomized controlled and non-randomized clinical trials using balneotherapy.

Effect of moderate alcohol intake on nocturnal sleep respiratory parameters in healthy middle-aged men.

Purpose: It is known that a moderate to large volume of alcohol produces deterioration in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), however, no consensus has been achieved with respect to the influence of a moderate volume of alcohol on mild to moderate OSA. In this study, we investigated the influence of alcohol on OSA-associated parameters in healthy middle-aged males drinking a moderate volume of alcohol (<1 g alcohol/kg bodyweight per day).

Methods: Subjects were 23 healthy males (mean age of 46.

Association between sense of coherence and heart rate variability in healthy subjects.

Objectives: This report investigates whether there is any association between sense of coherence (SOC), as a coping measure in confronting stressful conditions, and heart rate variability (HRV), as a measure of the cardiac autonomic nervous system during the daily life pattern.

Methods: Sixteen healthy university students (14 males and 2 females) filled in the validated Japanese version of the SOC-13 questionnaire before being informed about the study protocol. For each participant, we calculated 5-minute HRV indices using logarithmically transformed data on frequency domains for HRV derived by 24-hour Holter monitoring.

Does conflict between home and work explain the effect of multiple roles on mental health? A comparative study of Finland, Japan, and the UK.

Background: Although there have been a number of studies on the effects of multiple roles on health and how a combination of work and family roles may be either advantageous (role enhancement) or disadvantageous (role strain) for health, there has been relatively little investigation on the psychosocial content of such roles. Work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict could arise from inability to combine multiple roles and result in stress and ill health. The question of whether both types of conflict mediate between the association of multiple roles with health has not been analysed before.

Psychosocial stressors in inter-human relationships and health at each life stage: A review.

Currently, psychosocial stressors' impacts on health are increasing. Among these stressors, this review focused on inter-human relationships. Since social supports could be protective against ill health, consequences contributing to psychosocial stressors are discussed here in relation to social supports for each stage of childhood, adulthood and elderly status.

Associations between sense of coherence and psychological work characteristics with changes in quality of life in Japanese civil servants: a 1-year follow-up study.

We conducted a 1-year follow-up study to evaluate the lasting effect of psychosocial characteristics on quality of life among Japanese civil servants. For this purpose, sense of coherence (SOC), which has been associated with adoptive measures in responding to life stress, and job strain components of demand and control, were used. We evaluated 1392 civil servants working in departments related to the municipality of T city in Toyama prefecture, Japan, in the springs of 2001 and 2002 with complete information in both phases of the study.

Job strain does not relate to morning level vanilmandelic acid in Japanese civil servants.

Epidemiologic and clinical studies have related acute and, less frequently, chronic life stress to cardiovascular diseases. In addition, animal models suggest that chronic psychological stress could cause atherosclerosis, probably by increasing sympathetic activation. In this cross-sectional study we evaluated the association between job strain, as one of the markers of workplace stress, and the urinary excretion of Vanilmandelic acid (VMA) upon awakening as a sympathoadrenal activity marker in the morning.