Survey of students and guardians for assessing the early detection of auditory processing disorder and listening difficulties in school-age students.

Objective: Auditory processing disorders (APD) and listening difficulties (LiD) are becoming increasingly prevalent in young adults. Our study surveyed students and their guardians to assess the early detection of APD and LiDs in students aged 6-18 years. We estimated the percentage of students with LiDs and assessed their guardians' perceptions during different school years.

Lifestyle factors and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a case-control study in Japan.

Purpose: We examined the associations between lifestyle factors and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using a case-control study in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Methods: The study comprised 183 ALS patients diagnosed by the El Escorial World Federation of Neurology criteria as well as 366 gender- and age-matched controls randomly selected from the general population with the use of the basic register of residents. Detailed information on lifestyle factors was obtained through a mailed self-administered questionnaire.

FokI variant of vitamin D receptor gene and factors related to atherosclerosis associated with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine: a multi-hospital case-control study.

Study Design: A sex- and age-matched case-control study with genotyping of the FokI variant of the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) was carried out.

Objectives: To facilitate the early prediction, prevention, and treatment of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the spine, we analyzed the FokI variant of VDR and past body mass indexes, histories of past illness, family history, and body pliability along with lifestyle factors.

Summary Of Background Data: Many possible genetic and environmental risk factors for OPLL have been suggested, including male sex, high body mass index, diabetes mellitus, trauma, hormonal imbalance, and dietary and sleeping habits and genetic variants.

Nutritional status and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Japan.

Only a few human studies have reported the relationship between dietary factors and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We therefore analyzed the relationship between macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat) and the risk of ALS using a case-control study in Japan. The study comprised 153 ALS patients diagnosed by the El Escorial World Federation of Neurology criteria, and 306 gender- and age- matched controls randomly selected from the general population.

Smoking, drinking, sleeping habits, and other lifestyle factors and the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus in Japanese females: findings from the KYSS study.

Many risk factors have been proposed for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, there is little information about the relationship between lifestyles and SLE in Japan. Two case control studies were conducted in Kyushu, southern Japan, and in Hokkaido, northern Japan, to examine the relationship between lifestyles and development of SLE in females.

Case-control study of medical history and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Japan.

Objectives: A few epidemiological studies have indicated that a patient's past medical history may contribute to the risk of developing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A relationship between a history of selected disorders and the risk of IPF was assessed in a multicentre hospital-based case-control study in Japan.

Methodology: Included in the study were 104 patients of IPF, aged 40 years or over, who had been diagnosed within the previous 2 years, in accordance with the most recent criteria.

Descriptive epidemiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Japan, 1995-2001.

Background: This study was conducted to describe the epidemiologic features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Japan by examining annual trends in mortality (1995-2001), and to discuss the background factors possibly responsible for the recent variations in the mortality rate.

Methods: Trends in both the age-adjusted and age-specific mortality rates of ALS were examined by using the data obtained from the vital statistics of Japan between 1995 and 2001.

Results: There were small increases in the number of ALS deaths (from 1249 to 1400 per year) and the crude mortality rates (from 1.

Dietary risk factors for inflammatory bowel disease: a multicenter case-control study in Japan.

To evaluate the role of dietary factors in the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we conducted a multicenter hospital-based case-control study in a Japanese population. Cases were IBD patients aged 15 to 34 years [ulcerative colitis (UC) 111 patients; Crohn's disease (CD) 128 patients] within 3 years after diagnosis in 13 hospitals. One control subject was recruited for each case who was matched for sex, age, and hospital.

Occupational and environmental factors and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Japan.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology. Environmental factors, especially occupational agents, may be of great importance in the manifestation of IPF. We examined the relationship between occupational and environmental factors and IPF in Japan.

Vegetable, fruit, and cereal intake and risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Japan.

Aims: There has been little interest in the role of nutrition in prevention of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We investigated the relationship between dietary intake of vegetables, fruit, cereals, antioxidants, and fiber and the risk of IPF in Japan.

Methods: Included were 104 cases aged 40 years or over who were within 2 years of the diagnosis in accordance with the most recent criteria.

Dietary habits and risk of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligaments of the spine (OPLL); findings from a case-control study in Japan.

The relation between dietary habits and the risk of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligaments of the spine (OPLL) was investigated in a case-control study conducted in Japan from 1998 to 2001. Prevalent OPLL cases (n = 69) were identified and individually matched by age and sex with community controls (n = 138) randomly selected from the general population in Hokkaido. A self-administered food-frequency questionnaire was used to assess habitual dietary intake.

Sleeping habit and other life styles in the prime of life and risk for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine (OPLL): a case-control study in Japan.

Background: Although the average age of onset of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine (OPLL) is at around 50 years, the onset of the symptoms is insidious and the progression is very slow. The etiology of OPLL has not been elucidated in detail. Previous studies have suggested that a high-salt diet and low consumption of animal protein, glucose intolerance and high body mass are risk factors for OPLL.

High body mass index after age 20 and diabetes mellitus are independent risk factors for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine in Japanese subjects: a case-control study in multiple hospitals.

Study Design: A sex- and age-matched case-control study was carried out.

Objectives: To facilitate early prediction, prevention, and treatment of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine, the authors analyzed histories of past illness, past body mass indexes, and body pliableness by nature, adjusted for other factors considered to be risk factors.

Summary Of Background Data: The cause of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine has not yet been elucidated in detail, although many possible causative factors have been suggested, including gender, diabetes mellitus, trauma, hormonal imbalance, and dietary habits.