Self-management of salt intake: clinical significance of urinary salt excretion estimated using a self-monitoring device.

Self-measured salt excretion from overnight urine samples shows significant correlation with 24-h-urinary salt excretion, but it is not known whether a self-measuring method can monitor daily fluctuations in individual salt consumption. In this study, we measured salt excretion from 24-h urine samples (24-h salt) in 50 volunteers over 3 test days (2 weekdays and 1 holiday), and examined to what extent the values correlated with estimates of 24-h salt excretion from overnight urine samples obtained using a self-monitoring device (ON salt). Urine collection was considered successful when the difference between the predicted and actual 24-h-urinary creatinine excretion was within 30%.

Serum adiponectin multimer complexes and liver cancer risk in a large cohort study in Japan.

Evidence suggests a link between adiponectin, an adipocytokine, and liver tumorigenesis. Different multimer complexes of adiponectin, with low-molecular weight (LMW), middle-molecular weight (MMW) and high-molecular weight (HMW), may have different roles. Therefore the present study was performed with the aim of assessing associations between these multimers and liver cancer development.

Years of life lost due to cancer in a cohort study in Japan.

Background: We estimated the burden of cancer using mortality and years of life lost according to life tables in a cohort study in Japan.

Methods: A cohort of 13,270 subjects established in the late 1980s in Japan was followed annually for the vital status of all subjects until 2003. For subjects who died, the underlying cause of death was ascertained from the death certificate.

Fish intake and the risk of fatal prostate cancer: findings from a cohort study in Japan.

Objective: We investigated the relationship between the intake of fish and the risk of death from prostate cancer.

Design: Data were derived from a prospective cohort study in Japan. Fish consumption obtained from a baseline questionnaire was classified into the two categories of 'low intake' and 'high intake'.

Mortality attributable to cigarette smoking in a cohort study in Japan.

We conducted this study to estimate the association and population attributable risk (PAR) of smoking with all-cause and cause-specific mortality based on a general prospective cohort study in Japan. A total of 8,129 subjects (3,996 males and 4,133 females) aged 40 or over were analyzed. The follow-up period was from 1986 to 2003.

Mortality and risk factors for stroke and its subtypes in a cohort study in Japan.

Objective: To estimate stroke mortality and evaluate risk factors for total stroke deaths and its two principal subtypes in a cohort study in Japan.

Methods: A total of 9651 subjects aged 40 or over and free of stroke were analyzed in a cohort study conducted in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The follow-up period was from 1986 to 2003.

Prospective study of vegetable consumption and liver cancer in Japan.

We examined the relationship between vegetable consumption and the risk of death from liver cancer in a cohort study in Japan. This analysis is based on data from 6,049 subjects aged 40 to 79 years enrolled in a cohort study conducted in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The follow-up period was from 1986 to 1999.

Alcohol consumption and mortality among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men and women.

Purpose: We conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the association between alcohol intake and the risk of all-cause mortality among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men and women.

Methods: At baseline (1988-1990), a total of 110,792 Japanese men and women aged 40 to 79 years were asked to complete a questionnaire that included information on alcohol intake, and were followed up for all-cause mortality through December 31, 1999. Relative risks (95% confidence interval) were calculated using Cox proportional-hazards models.

Alcohol drinking frequency is more directly associated with alcohol use disorder than alcohol metabolizing enzymes among male Japanese.

The development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is related to various social, economic, cultural, environmental and hereditary factors. Several potential risk factors have been proposed for AUD in addition to alcohol consumption, including alcohol dehydrogenase2 (ADH2), acetaldehyde dehydrogenase2 (ALDH2), marital status, educational, occupational or past medical history (e.g.

Dietary habits and risk of death due to hepatocellular carcinoma in a large scale cohort study in Japan. Univariate analysis of JACC study data.

To explore the association between dietary habits and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) mortality in Japan, univariate analyses was performed using data from the JACC Study. A cohort of 46,465 males and 64,327 females aged 40 to 79 in 19 prefectures in Japan completed the baseline survey during 1988-1990 and were followed up until the end of 1999. The hazard ratio (HR) of HCC mortality for each food item by gender, age group (40-59 and 60-79 years) and history of liver diseases was obtained by Cox proportional hazards model.

Risk of death due to hepatocellular carcinoma among smokers and ex-smokers. Univariate analysis of JACC study data.

Hazard ratios (HR) of death due to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were analyzed by gender and age strata (40-59 and 60-79) among smokers and ex-smokers in 65,528 eligible subjects from a large cohort of males and females aged 40-79 years, based on information about several smoking-related characteristics. Both current smokers and ex-smokers among total older males had hazard ratios (HR) for dying from HCC that were 2 to 4 times higher than those who had never smoked at the baseline survey. When subjects were restricted to those without history of liver disease (LD), older male (60-79) ex-smokers presented a statistically significant HR of 5.

Risk of death due to hepatocellular carcinoma among drinkers and ex-drinkers. Univariate analysis of JACC study data.

Hazard ratios (HR) of death due to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were analyzed by gender and age strata (40-59 and 60-79) among drinkers and ex-drinkers in 66,974 eligible subjects from a a large cohort of male and female subjects aged 40-79 years, based on information about several drinking related characteristics. The HR of dying from HCC for ex-drinkers was 4 to 8 times higher than for those who had never consumed alcohol at the baseline survey. When the subjects were restricted to those without history of liver disease (LD), the HR was still high for ex-drinkers among younger males, though the difference was not statistically significant.

Past medical history and risk of death due to hepatocellular carcinoma, univariate analysis of JACC study data.

The relationship between the past history of selected diseases and the risk of dying from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was analyzed using 110,792 cohort members (46,465 males and 64,327 females) recruited between 1988 and 1990 by the JACC Study (the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk). Significantly elevated hazard ratios (HRs) were observed in both genders for the past history of kidney diseases, liver diseases, gallstones or cholecystitis, diabetes mellitus, and blood transfusion. Further, when analyzed by age group (those 40-59 years of age were "younger" and those 60-79 years of age were "older"), although the significant associations were generally maintained, the magnitude of the HRs for liver diseases and diabetes mellitus seemed to be considerably different between the younger and older age groups for male cohort members.

[Critical evaluation of school-based anti-smoking education in Japan].

Objective: A critical evaluation was performed on school-based anti-smoking education reported over the past 25 years in Japan.

Methods: Relevant papers were retrieved by the key words of "smoking prevention" or "anti-smoking education" and those on anti-smoking education actually performed for pupils or students in Japan were collected. According to the criteria for whether they might be regarded as quasi-experimental studies regarding use of a control group, and performance of pretest and posttest assessment.