A haplotype of the GOSR2 gene is associated with myocardial infarction in Japanese men.

Aims: The Golgi SNAP Receptor Complex Member 2 (GOSR2) gene is a Golgi-associated soluble factor attachment receptor (SNARE) protein. Some single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GOSR2 gene have been found to be associated with myocardial infarction (MI). The aim of the present study was to assess the association between the human GOSR2 gene and MI using a haplotype-based case-control study.

Changes in ankle brachial pulse wave velocity during a five-year follow-up period in older Japanese adults: sub-analysis results of the health research volunteer study in Japan.

Objective: Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a measure of arterial stiffness. However, precisely how aging, hypertension and other factors influence this in progressively stiffening large arteries, especially in older adults, remains uncertain. We examined changes in arterial stiffness in a population of active older Japanese adults using a five-year follow-up cohort study.

The insulin-like growth factor-1 gene is associated with cerebral infarction in Japanese subjects.

Atherosclerosis leads to cerebral infarction (CI) and the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) signaling pathway plays an important role in this process during adult life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the human IGF1 gene and CI in the Japanese population via a case-control study that also included a separate analysis of the two gender groups. A total of 155 CI patients and 316 controls were genotyped for six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the human IGF1 gene (rs2162679, rs7956547, rs2288378, rs2072592, rs978458 and rs6218).

Association of the smoothelin (SMTN) gene with cerebral infarction in men: a haplotype-based case-control study.

Smoothelin is a specific type of cytoskeletal protein found in smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Several previous research studies have examined the relationship between smoothelin and atherosclerotic plaque. The aim of the present study was to further assess the association between the human SMTN gene and cerebral infarction (CI) using a haplotype-based case-control study.

A pilot trial to predict frailty syndrome: the Japanese Health Research Volunteer Study.

Most definitions of frailty utilize US populations in their development. The concept of frailty has not been well studied in Japan, which has the largest percentage of older patients (per capita) in the world. We created a 5-year prospective cohort study of community-dwelling older Japanese adults.

Factors affecting health care utilization for children in Japan.

Background And Objective: Studies on the ecology of medical care for children have been reported only from the United States. Our objective was to describe proportions of children receiving care in 6 types of health care utilization seeking behaviors in Japan on a monthly basis and to identify care characteristics.

Methods: A population-weighted random sample from a nationally representative panel of households was used to estimate the number of health-related symptoms, over-the-counter medicine doses, and health care utilizations per 1000 Japanese children per month.

Sex differences in the change in health-related quality of life associated with low back pain.

Purpose: To examine the sex differences in the impact of low back pain (LBP) on health-related quality of life among community-dwelling persons from a nationwide sample.

Methods: Our analysis enrolled 2,358 participants from among 3,477 randomly selected subjects in Japan. The cumulative days each individual experienced LBP were prospectively measured over 1 month.

Effects of aging and persistent prehypertension on arterial stiffening.

An age-related association of blood pressure in the non-hypertensive range (non-hypertensive blood pressure) to the cardiovascular mortality has been demonstrated. This prospective study was conducted to examine the effects of age, persistence of pre-hypertension (preHYP) during the study period, and the interaction between these factors on the rate of progression of arterial stiffening. Among 1563 healthy Japanese subjects without hypertension (age range: 29-95 years), the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured twice (i.

Associations between hours worked, symptoms and health resource utilization among full-time male Japanese workers.

Objectives: To investigate the association between hours worked, symptoms experienced, and health resource utilization.

Methods: Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of households in Japan. We studied full-time male workers aged 18-65 yr who worked 100 h or more per month.

The haplotype of the CACNA1B gene associated with cerebral infarction in a Japanese population.

Cerebral infarction (CI) is thought to be a multifactorial disease that is affected by several environmental factors and genetic variants. N-type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), which are expressed primarily in the neurons, have various roles in neuronal functions and are especially involved with neurotransmitter release at the sympathetic nerve terminals. We considered the α1B subunit of the N-type voltage-gated calcium channel (CACNA1B) to be representative of the general characteristics of this channel type.

A 2-week prognostic prediction model for terminal cancer patients in a palliative care unit at a Japanese general hospital.

Objective: We aimed to develop a prognostic prediction model for 2-week survival among patients with terminal cancer in a palliative care unit (PCU).

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on terminal cancer patients in the PCU for 11 months at a general hospital in Tokyo, Japan. We collected data regarding demographics, treatment history, performance status, symptoms, and laboratory results.

Ambulance transport of the oldest old in Tokyo: a population-based study.

Background: Few studies have investigated ambulance utilization in people aged 85 years or older, ie, the oldest old.

Methods: We conducted a 1-year population-based observational study of patients transported by ambulance to emergency departments in Tokyo, Japan, which has a population of about 12 million. Demographic data, symptoms/events associated with ambulance transport, and the proportion of hospital admissions were recorded.

Serum free testosterone and metabolic syndrome in Japanese men.

To examine the association between late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) and metabolic syndrome (Mets) or insulin resistance in the Japanese adult male population, we evaluated anthropometric parameters, indices of glucose and lipid metabolism, and hormones related to sexual function in 274 men (mean age: 46.0 +/- 11 years) who underwent general health checks. Seventy subjects (25.

Population-level preferences for primary care physicians' characteristics in Japan: a structural equation modeling.

Objective: Primary care has potential to play a role for improving the patient care in Japanese health care system; however, little information is available about how patients perceive the roles of primary care physicians (PCPs) within the Japanese health care system. We aimed to assess population-level preferences for PCPs and investigated the extent to which preferences vary in relation to different population groups in Japan.

Methods: Data were extracted from a cross-sectional questionnaire survey in October 2003.

Association between frequency of pruritic symptoms and perceived psychological stress: a Japanese population-based study.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between frequency of pruritic symptoms experienced over a 1-month period and psychological stress.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Population-based study in Japan.

Association of the purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 2 (P2RY2) gene with myocardial infarction in Japanese men.

Background: Atherosclerosis leads to myocardial infarction (MI) and P2RY2 plays an important role in this process. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between human P2RY2 and MI via a haplotype-based case-control study that additionally analyzed the group by sex.

Methods And Results: The 310 MI patients and 254 controls were genotyped for 5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the human P2RY2 gene (rs4944831, rs1783596, rs4944832, rs4382936, rs10898909).

Purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 2 (P2RY2) gene is associated with cerebral infarction in Japanese subjects.

G-protein-coupled purinergic receptor P2Y2 (P2RY2) has an important role in the process of atherosclerosis related to cerebral infarction (CI). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the P2RY2 gene and CI through a haplotype-based case-control study, including the separate analysis of two gender groups. A total of 237 CI patients and two control groups (control 1, 254; control 2, 255) were genotyped for five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human P2RY2 gene (rs4944831, rs1783596, rs4944832, rs4382936, rs10898909).

Haplotype-based case-control study of receptor (calcitonin) activity-modifying protein-1 gene in cerebral infarction.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor is a complex molecule that consists of calcitonin receptor-like receptor and receptor activity-modifying protein-1 (RAMP1). It was recently reported that RAMP1-deficient mice (RAMP1(-/-)) showed inflammatory responses with a transiently significant increase in serum CGRP levels and proinflammatory cytokines when compared with RAMP1(+/+) mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the human RAMP1 gene and cerebral infarction (CI) using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a Japanese population.

Relationship between haplotypes of KCNN4 gene and susceptibility to human vascular diseases in Japanese.

Background: Human vascular diseases such as myocardial infarction (MI) and cerebral infarction (CI) are thought to be affected by several environmental factors and genetic variants. It has been suggested that the expression of the KCNN4 calcium-activated potassium channel is associated with the developing vascular smooth-muscle cells of human neointimal hyperplasia. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human KCNN4 gene or haplotypes and the incidence of MI or CI in Japanese.

Haplotype-based case-control study between human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox effector factor-1 gene and cerebral infarction.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cerebral infarction (CI) and the human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox effector factor-1 (APE1/REF-1) gene using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a haplotype-based case-control study.

Design And Methods: We selected 5 SNPs in the human APE1/REF1 gene (rs1760944, rs3136814, rs17111967, rs3136817 and rs1130409), and performed case-control studies in 177 CI patients and 309 control subjects.

Results: rs17111967 was found to have no heterogeneity in Japanese.

Association of extracellular superoxide dismutase gene with cerebral infarction in women: a haplotype-based case-control study.

It has been reported that oxidative stress is a factor in cerebral infarction (CI). Extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is important in preventing oxidative stress, and the cerebral infarct size of EC-SOD knockout mice is significantly larger than that in wild-type controls. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between CI and the human EC-SOD gene using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in Japanese individuals.