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).

Association Between the Appendicular Extracellular-to-Intracellular Water Ratio and All-Cause Mortality: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study.

The appendicular extracellular-to-intracellular water ratio (A-E/I) is a potential marker of skeletal muscle quality, reflecting the balance of water distribution between the extracellular and intracellular compartments of the appendicular limb regions. A-E/I has been increasingly used in recent studies; however, its association with adverse outcomes remains unclear. This study investigated the potential association between A-E/I and all-cause mortality.

Dose-response relationship between daily step count and prevalence of sarcopenia: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Daily step counts are an easy-to-understand indicator of physical activity; however, there is limited evidence regarding the optimal daily step count to prevent sarcopenia. This study examined the dose-response relationship between daily step count and the prevalence of sarcopenia and explored the optimal dose.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Epigenome-Wide Association Study Identified VTI1A DNA Methylation Associated With Accelerometer-Assessed Physical Activity.

Introduction: Health benefits of physical activity (PA) may be mediated by DNA methylation alterations. The purpose of the current study was to comprehensively identify CpG sites whose methylation levels were associated with accelerometer-assessed total PA in a general Japanese population.

Methods: The study participants were from the baseline survey of Saga Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort.

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).

Association between habitual coffee consumption and skeletal muscle mass in middle-aged and older Japanese people.

Aims: Coffee consumption has been suggested, in animal studies, to inhibit the progression of sarcopenia, possibly through its anti-inflammatory effects; however, few studies have been carried out in humans. We aimed to examine whether coffee consumption was related to indicators of sarcopenia in a Japanese population, and whether the association was mediated by reduced inflammation.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design.

Perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and cortisol-to-cortisone ratio in spot urine in 6878 older adults.

Background: Late life depression and perceived stress could influence disease pathways via reduced 11β-HSD2 activity, particularly given suggestions that reduced 11β-HSD2 activity, which is reflected in the cortisol-to-cortisone ratio, is a risk factor of disease. To date, however, examination of the relationship between the cortisol-to-cortisone ratio and perceived stress or depressive symptoms is insufficient.

Methods: We examined the cross-sectional association of the cortisol-to-cortisone ratio with perceived stress and depressive symptoms, and analyzed whether cortisol levels modify this association, in 6878 participants aged 45-74 years.

The interaction between mitochondrial haplogroups (M7a/D) and physical activity on adiponectin in a Japanese population.

Mitochondrial haplogroups F, A, and M7a are associated with increased risks of lifestyle diseases, while haplogroups N9 and D are associated with decreased risks of lifestyle diseases or with longevity. The current study determined the existence of interactions between 5 selected haplogroups and physical activity (PA) on total and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin in 3,994 men and 6,014 women. The interactions between haplogroups (M7a/D) and PA on adiponectin were significant in men (total and HMW: P-interaction = 0.

Habitual Light-intensity Physical Activity and ASC Methylation in a Middle-aged Population.

Apoptosis-associated, speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) plays an important role in inflammatory cytokine synthesis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and the expression of ASC is suppressed by increased methylation of its CpG sites. The current study investigated the longitudinal association of replacing sedentary time with light-intensity physical activity (LPA) or moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) on the ASC methylation in middle-aged people. We investigated 1 238 individuals who participated in baseline and 5-year follow-up surveys of a population-based cohort study.

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 Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in PPAR-δ, PPAR-γ, and PRKAA2 on the Changes in Anthropometric Indices and Blood Measurements through Exercise-Centered Lifestyle Intervention in Japanese Middle-Aged Men.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ (PPAR-δ), PPAR-γ, and α2 isoforms of the catalytic subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (PRKAA2) on the extent of changes in anthropometric indices and blood measurements through exercise-centered lifestyle intervention in middle-aged men. A total of 109 Japanese middle-aged male subjects (47.0 ± 0.

Coping strategy and social support modify the association between perceived stress and C-reactive protein: a longitudinal study of healthy men and women.

Inconsistent associations have been reported between perceived stress and C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation. We previously observed a male-specific inverse relationship between perceived stress and CRP in a cross-sectional study. In the present study, we examined the longitudinal association between changes in perceived stress and CRP, and further analyzed whether changes in coping strategies and social support modify this association.

Perceived Stress, Depressive Symptoms, and Oxidative DNA Damage.

Objective: Psychosocial stress may influence the risk of disease through its association with oxidative DNA damage. We examined whether perceived stress and depressive symptoms were associated with urinary excretion of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), with mutual interaction on 8-OHdG.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 6517 individuals aged 45 to 74 years who participated, between 2010 and 2012, in a follow-up survey of an ongoing cohort study.

Intensity-specific effect of physical activity on urinary levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in middle-aged Japanese.

Physical activity (PA) is recommended to both promote and maintain health and prevent cancer by improving the body's DNA repair system, which is considered a mechanism of cancer prevention. However, associations between PA and urinary levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), which reflects DNA damage, are unclear. This cross-sectional study included 2370 men and 4052 women aged 45-74 years enrolled between 2010 and 2012.

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.

Association between the PPARGC1A polymorphism and aerobic capacity in Japanese middle-aged men.

Objective: A lower frequency for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PPARGC1A) Ser482 allele has been reported in elite-level endurance athletes among Caucasians, although this gene polymorphism has not been found to be associated with aerobic capacity in German, Dutch or Chinese populations. The purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between the Gly482Ser polymorphism and aerobic fitness in 112 Japanese middle-aged men.

Methods: The PPARGC1A Gly482Ser polymorphism was identified according to a TaqMan(®) SNP genotyping assay.

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.

Factors associated with non-participation in a face-to-face second survey conducted 5 years after the baseline survey.

Background: Non-participation in second surveys is reported to be associated with certain baseline characteristics; however, such data are unavailable for Japanese populations. Although disease incidence during follow-up might influence participation, few reports have addressed this possibility. This study sought to identify factors associated with non-participation in a second survey of a population-based cohort, and to evaluate the influence of self-reported disease incidence on non-participation.

Polymorphisms of genes involved in lipid metabolism and risk of chronic kidney disease in Japanese - cross-sectional data from the J-MICC study.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is known to be one of the causes of cardiovascular disease and end-stage renal disease. Among the several treatable risk factors of CKD, that of dyslipidemia is relatively controversial. To clarify the association of polymorphisms in genes involved in lipid metabolism with the risk of CKD in the Japanese population, we used cross-sectional data from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study.

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).

Immunogenicity and safety after booster vaccination of diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis in young adults: an open randomized controlled trial in Japan.

The recent increase of pertussis in young adults in Japan is hypothesized to be due in part to waning protection from the acellular pertussis vaccine. While a booster immunization may prevent an epidemic of pertussis among these young adults, little is known about the safety and immunogenicity of such a booster with the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP), which is currently available in Japan. One hundred and eleven medical students with a mean age of 19.

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.

Detailed analysis of Japanese population substructure with a focus on the southwest islands of Japan.

Uncovering population structure is important for properly conducting association studies and for examining the demographic history of a population. Here, we examined the Japanese population substructure using data from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC), which covers all but the northern region of Japan. Using 222 autosomal loci from 4502 subjects, we investigated population substructure by estimating F(ST) among populations, testing population differentiation, and performing principal component analysis (PCA) and correspondence analysis (CA).