Association between physical activity and the N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in a middle-aged Japanese population: The interaction with alcohol consumption, 2005-2006.

Objective: Higher N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels are a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The current study aimed to clarify the cross-sectional association of physical activity (PA) with NT-proBNP and to identify the interaction of PA with alcohol consumption or cigarette smoking in middle-aged individuals.

Methods: The study included 4613 individuals (1824 men and 2789 women) (November 2005-November 2006).

Factors affecting the future employment of new graduate nurses as home-visiting nurses: a cross-sectional study in Japan.

In Japan, home-visiting nurse (HVN) stations are at the frontline of providing home-based medical care and end-of-life care. The nursing authorities aim to establish an education program that allows new graduate nurses to become home-visiting nurses. However, previous studies have indicated gaps in education between new graduates recently employed as HVNs and experienced home-visiting nurses.

Moderate-to-vigorous Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Are Independently Associated With Renal Function: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Little is known about whether insufficient moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and longer sedentary behavior (SB) are independently associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), whether they interact with known risk factors for CKD, and the effect of replacing sedentary time with an equivalent duration of physical activity on kidney function.

Methods: We examined the cross-sectional association of MVPA and SB with eGFR and CKD in 66,603 Japanese cohort study in 14 areas from 2004 to 2013. MVPA and SB were estimated using a self-reported questionnaire, and CKD was defined as eGFR <60 mL/min/1.

Sedentary time, physical activity, and serum SPARC in a middle-aged population.

The influence of habitual physical activity (PA) on the circulating levels of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) remains unclear. The purpose of the current study was to clarify the effects of sedentary time, light-intensity PA (LPA), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) on the serum SPARC in a general middle-aged population. The current study is a cross-sectional study of 4,000 men and 6,040 women (40-69 years).

Proposal of a Model of Disaster Medical Education for Practical Risk Management and Disaster Nursing: The SINCHI Education Model.

Education in disaster nursing and risk management is important, and developing the human resources of medical staff who participate in disaster response is also necessary. However, a practical educational model for risk management and disaster nursing has not yet been established in Japan. In the present study, a model of disaster medical education for practical risk management and disaster nursing was proposed.

Intensity-Specific and Modified Effects of Physical Activity on Serum Adiponectin in a Middle-Aged Population.

Context: The effects of intensity-specific physical activity (PA) and its interaction with other lifestyle factors on serum adiponectin are currently unclear.

Objective: To investigate the effects of replacing sedentary time with either light-intensity PA (LPA) or moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) on total and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin and to examine interactions with smoking, alcohol drinking, coffee consumption, and menopausal status in a general population.

Design/setting: Cross-sectional study of 4013 men and 6050 women (40 to 69 years of age).

Influence of cigarette smoking and inflammatory gene polymorphisms on glycated hemoglobin in the Japanese general population.

Objective: Inflammation is closely involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, and cigarette smoking acts as potent inducer of inflammation. We therefore investigated interactions between inflammation-related gene polymorphisms and cigarette smoking on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the Japanese general population.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data collected from 2619 Japanese (1274 males and 1345 females) 40-69 years of age who participated in baseline survey of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study (2005-2008).

Development and validation of the Humanitarian Aid Difficulty Scale for Japanese healthcare workers.

Few studies have investigated deployment-related experiences of healthcare workers dispatched for medical humanitarian aid or attempted to assess their difficult living and working environments. This is the first study to develop and validate a scale to measure these kinds of difficulties, in 264 Japanese healthcare workers. The Humanitarian Aid Difficulty Scale was developed in three stages.

What Kinds of Skills Are Necessary for Physicians Involved in International Disaster Response?

Unlabelled: Introduction Physicians are key disaster responders in foreign medical teams (FMTs) that provide medical relief to affected people. However, few studies have examined the skills required for physicians in real, international, disaster-response situations. Problem The objectives of this study were to survey the primary skills required for physicians from a Japanese FMT and to examine whether there were differences in the frequencies of performed skills according to demographic characteristics, previous experience, and dispatch situations to guide future training and certification programs.

Factors Associated with Nursing Activities in Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief.

Background: Although nurses play an important role in humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HA/DR), little is known about the nursing activities that are performed in HA/DR. We aimed to clarify the nursing activities performed by Japanese nurses in HA/DR and to examine the factors associated with the frequency of nursing activities.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was completed by 147 nurses with HA/DR experience.

Variant of the clock circadian regulator (CLOCK) gene and related haplotypes are associated with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the Japanese population.

Background: Circadian rhythm disruptions can cause various health disorders. The present study evaluated associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the core circadian gene clock circadian regulator (CLOCK) and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the Japanese population.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were analyzed from 2485 subjects (1243 men, 1242 women; age 35-69 years) enrolled in the baseline surveys of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study.

Dietary patterns and serum gamma-glutamyl transferase in Japanese men and women.

Background: Although specific foods and nutrients have been examined as potential determinants of serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) concentrations, the relationship between dietary patterns and GGT remains unknown. The present cross-sectional study aimed to determine relationships between dietary patterns and GGT concentrations, and the effects of lifestyle factors on GGT.

Methods: Relationships between dietary patterns and GGT were analyzed in 9803 Japanese individuals (3723 men and 6080 women age 40-69 years) without a history of liver diseases or elevated serum aminotransferase.

Perceived stress and coping strategies in relation to body mass index: cross-sectional study of 12,045 Japanese men and women.

Background: Accumulated evidence suggests a weak positive relationship between psychosocial stress and body mass index (BMI), but little is known about stress coping strategies and BMI.

Objective: We aimed to examine if perceived stress and coping strategies are related to BMI, with any of their mutual interactions on BMI.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 5,063 men and 6,982 women aged 40-69 years.

Objectively measured physical activity and inflammatory cytokine levels in middle-aged Japanese people.

Objective: Studies using self-reported physical activity (PA) showed that higher PA is associated with lower circulating levels of C-reactive protein; in contrast, studies investigating associations of objective PA and other inflammatory markers are limited. We investigated cross-sectional associations of accelerometer-determined PA with circulating levels of myokine-type inflammatory cytokines in a middle-aged Japanese population.

Method: A total of 1838 individuals (737 men and 1101 women) aged 40 to 69 years participated in the baseline survey of a population-based cohort study in Saga, Japan (2005-2007).

Gender-specific associations of perceived stress and coping strategies with C-reactive protein in middle-aged and older men and women.

Background: Perceived stress and coping strategies may influence the risk of cardiovascular disease through their possible association with inflammation, but data remain controversial for perceived stress or scanty for coping strategies.

Purpose: We examined the associations of perceived stress and coping strategies with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) in a Japanese general population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2,971 men and 4,902 women aged 40-69 years who were enrolled between 2005 and 2007.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 gene polymorphisms and chronic kidney disease.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the associations between the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and polymorphisms in the genes encoding matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs). MMPs degrade extracellular matrix proteins in the glomerulus, and play important roles in kidney disease progression.

Methods: DNA samples from 3,309 subjects aged 35-69 years were genotyped for 10 potentially functional polymorphisms in MMP and TIMP genes.

Effect of the PPARG2 Pro12Ala polymorphism and clinical risk factors for diabetes mellitus on HbA1c in the Japanese general population.

Background: Although the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ2 (PPARG2) Pro12Ala gene variant is associated with diabetes mellitus, the associations and interactions of this polymorphism and known clinical risk factors with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) remain poorly understood. We investigated if carrying the Ala allele was inversely associated with HbA1c level and examined possible interactions.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used data collected from 1281 men and 1356 women aged 40 to 69 years who completed the baseline survey of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study.

Profile of participants and genotype distributions of 108 polymorphisms in a cross-sectional study of associations of genotypes with lifestyle and clinical factors: a project in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study.

Background: Most diseases are thought to arise from interactions between environmental factors and the host genotype. To detect gene-environment interactions in the development of lifestyle-related diseases, and especially cancer, the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study was launched in 2005.

Methods: We initiated a cross-sectional study to examine associations of genotypes with lifestyle and clinical factors, as assessed by questionnaires and medical examinations.

Optimal cutoff values of waist circumference and the discriminatory performance of other anthropometric indices to detect the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors for metabolic syndrome in Japanese men and women.

Objective: To evaluate the pertinent cutoffs of waist circumference (WC) and the discriminatory performance of other anthropometric indices to detect clustering cardiovascular risk factors for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Japan, where the current WC cutoffs for MetS (85 cm for men and 90 cm for women) remain controversial.

Methods: We analyzed the baseline data from 844 subjects (330 men and 514 women) aged 40-69 years who participated in a cohort study in Saga city, Japan, between November 2005 and December 2007. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to find an appropriate cutoff (defined as the point nearest to the upper left corner of the ROC curve) of each anthropometric index for the presence of multiple risk factors among dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia [which was defined as hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels at and above 5.

Association between dietary pattern and serum C-reactive protein in Japanese men and women.

Background: Dietary pattern may influence the risks of cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome through its effects on inflammation. We evaluated the association between dietary pattern and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in a Japanese population.

Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis, we used baseline data from 3905 men and 5640 women (age 40-69 years) who participated in a population-based cohort study between November 2005 and December 2007.

Burnout and characteristics of mental health of caregivers of elderly dementia patients.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify burnout and the characteristics of mental health of caregivers of elderly dementia patients, which have been little studied.

Methods: The subjects of this study were 107 caregivers who were engaged in the care of dementia patients at 12 facilities in northern Kyushu. We examined age, sex, status of nursing-care related qualifications, years of working experience, physical health (Present state of health and Presence of perceived ill health), status at work (Problems at work and Job stress) and satisfaction with life using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and WHO Subjective Well-Being Inventory (SUBI).

Factors influencing participation rate in a baseline survey of a genetic cohort in Japan.

Background: Although many studies have examined factors that influence the response to postal questionnaires, few have addressed baseline recruitment for cohort studies involving genetic analyses. The aim of this study was to describe the method used for a baseline survey, the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort Study (J-MICC Study), in Saga Prefecture, and to examine the factors that might influence the recruitment of participants in such studies.

Methods: The Saga J-MICC Study is an ongoing population-based prospective cohort study of the genetic and environmental interactions associated with lifestyle-related disease.

Relation of plasma folate and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism to colorectal adenomas.

Background: Folate intake may be related to decreased risk of colorectal cancer and adenomas. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key regulatory enzyme in folate metabolism. We examined the relation between plasma folate status and colorectal adenomas with reference to effect modification by the genetic polymorphism (C677T) of MTHFR.

Proposal of a model for medical records for international disaster relief operations.

The triage of a large number of victims in an international disaster relief operation is very important. To ensure the correct way of registration of patients and effective triage and treatment, useful medical records are necessary. The authors proposed a model for medical records (Shinchi's Medical Record (SMR)) for international disaster relief operations for medical teams from our experience of the Honduras Disaster Relief Operation in November 1998.

Relation of impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus to colorectal adenomas in Japan.

Objective: Because a link between hyperinsulinemia and colorectal carcinogenesis has been hypothesized, we explored the relation between glucose tolerance status and colorectal adenomas.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study of 560 cases of histologically confirmed colorectal adenomas and 829 controls of normal total colonoscopy in Japanese middle-aged men. Subjects were classified into normal, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and known DM based on fasting blood glucose, 75 g glucose tolerance test, and medical history.