Risk Factors for Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease Mortality Based on the National Vital Statistics During a 25-Year Follow-up in Japan - NIPPON DATA90.

Background: Prevention of heart failure (HF) is a public health issue. Using the National Vital Statistics, we explored risk factors for HF and coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality.

Methods And Results: Altogether, 7,556 Japanese individuals aged ≥30 years in 1990 were followed over 25 years; of these, 139 and 154 died from HF and CAD, respectively.

[Development of a new method for assessing the availability of low-sodium foods in Japan].

Objectives　Food environment improvement involving salt reduction requires improving access to and labeling low-sodium foods. Assessing the implementation status of these measures is also necessary. However, to date, no established methods exist for assessing the availability of low-sodium foods in communities.

Relationship Between Hemoglobin Concentration and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in a 25-Year Follow-up Study of a Japanese General Population - NIPPON DATA90.

Background: Deviations of hemoglobin from normal levels may be a factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk; however, conclusive evidence is lacking. In addition, preclinical conditions may influence hemoglobin concentrations, but studies focusing on reverse causation are limited. Thus, we examined the relationship between hemoglobin concentrations and CVD mortality risk, considering reverse causation.

Mortality from major causes and lifestyles by proportions of public assistance recipients among 47 prefectures in Japan: Ecological panel data analysis from 1999 to 2016.

Objective: Comprehensive investigations of correlations between subnational socioeconomic factors and trends in mortality and lifestyle are important for addressing public health problems.

Methods: Forty-seven prefectures in Japan were divided into quartiles based on the proportion of public assistance recipients (PPAR). Age-standardized mortality from all causes, cancer, heart disease, and stroke in each prefecture were averaged for these quartiles in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015.

Seven-plus hours of daily sedentary time and the subsequent risk of breast cancer: Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study.

This study aimed to investigate the association between daily sedentary time and the risk of breast cancer (BC) in a large Japanese population. The participants were 36,023 women aged 35-69 years from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for BC incidence in relation to time spent sedentarily (categorical variables: <7 and ≥7 hours/day [h/d]).

Association of Pro-Inflammatory Diet with Long-Term Risk of All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: NIPPON DATA80.

Aim: A pro-inflammatory diet may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. However, this remains inconclusive as there is yet no study using a dietary record method that has been conducted in a large general population. Furthermore, an underestimation of the pro-inflammatory diet may exist due to the unmeasured effect of salt intake.

Circulating plasma phospholipid fatty acid levels as a biomarker of habitual dietary fat intake: The INTERMAP/INTERLIPID Study.

Background: Accurate assessment of fat intake is essential to examine relationships between diet and disease risk. However, estimating individual intakes of fat quantity by dietary assessment is difficult.

Objective: We assessed the association of plasma phospholipid fatty acid levels with dietary intake of fatty acids in the INTERMAP/INTERLIPID study, conducted with a standardized protocol.

Investigation of the urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio target level based on the recommended dietary intake goals for the Japanese population: The INTERMAP Japan.

Growing epidemiological evidence has shown an association of the urinary sodium (Na) to potassium (K) ratio (Na/K ratio) with blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. However, no clear cutoff level has been defined. We investigated the cutoff level of the urinary Na/K ratio under different dietary guidelines for Japanese individuals, especially that endorsed by the 2020 revised Japanese Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs).

Small High-Density Lipoprotein and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake Differentiates Japanese and Japanese-Americans: The INTERLIPID Study.

Aim: To identify the most differentiated serum lipids, especially concerning particle size and fractions, between Japanese living in Japan and Japanese-Americans in Hawaii, in the absence of possible genetic confounders, and cross-sectionally examine the associated modifiable lifestyle factors.

Methods: Overall, 1,241 (aged 40-59 years) Japanese living in Japan and Japanese-Americans in Hawaii were included. We quantified 130 serum lipid profiles (VLDL 1-5, IDL, LDL 1-6, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] 1-4, and their subfractions) using Bruker's H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for the primary outcome.

Effectiveness of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in preventing pneumonia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to re-evaluate the effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) in the reduction of pneumonia risk. We searched relevant publications in five databases. All studies included patients older than 18 years, who had used ACE-I as an intervention, and had assessed pneumonia.

Trends in Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension According to 40-Year-Old Life Expectancy at Prefectures in Japan from the National Health and Nutrition Surveys.

The prevalence of hypertension has been decreasing in Japan due to improved medical treatment and a decrease in dietary salt intake. However, disparities in the prevalence, treatment, and control of hypertension are expected to occur in different regions. This study aimed to investigate the trends in the prevalence, treatment, and control of hypertension at the prefectural level of life expectancy among Japanese population.

Efficacy of a meal sequence in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: This systematic review investigated the efficacy of a meal sequence, the carbohydrate-later meal pattern (CL), on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Research Design And Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and ClinicalTrials.gov until April 2020 to perform meta-analyses using random-effects models.

Relationships of Alcohol Consumption with Coronary Risk Factors and Macro- and Micro-Nutrient Intake in Japanese People: The INTERLIPID Study.

Several studies have reported a J-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. However, the mechanisms of this relationship remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships of alcohol consumption with established CHD risk factors and with macro-/micro-nutrient intake among Japanese people.

Risk Factors That Most Accurately Predict Coronary Artery Disease Based on the Duration of Follow-up - NIPPON DATA80.

Background: This study assessed sex-specific time-associated changes in the impact of risk factors on coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality in a general population over long-term follow-up.

Methods and results: A prospective longitudinal cohort study was conducted on representative Japanese populations followed up for 29 years. Data from 8,396 participants (3,745 men, 4,651 women) were analyzed.

Time-Related Changes in Relationships Between the Keys Score, Dietary Lipids, and Serum Total Cholesterol in Japan - NIPPON DATA80/90/2010.

Background: In recent years, individuals with high serum total cholesterol (TC) have been more likely to modify their diet by reducing their intake of dietary lipids. The aim of this study was to investigate time-related changes in the relationships between the Keys score, dietary lipids, and TC between 1980 and 2010 in representative Japanese populations.

Methods and results: We used 3 cross-sectional cohort studies conducted among Japanese representative populations in 1980, 1990, and 2010 (NIPPON DATA80/90/2010) for the analyses.

The Relationship of Dietary Cholesterol with Serum Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Confounding by Reverse Causality: The INTERLIPID Study.

Aim: The positive relationship between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol has been questioned by a set of recent cohort studies. This study aimed to investigate how employment status and education years relate to the association between dietary cholesterol and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in a Japanese population.

Methods: A population-based, random sample, cross-sectional study (INTERLIPID) was performed.

Lifestyle and psychological factors related to irritable bowel syndrome in nursing and medical school students.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder comprising abdominal pain, abdominal discomfort, and disordered defecation. The prevalence of IBS is 10-15% in the general population. This study investigated the prevalence of IBS and the relationship between IBS and stress, lifestyle, and dietary habits among nursing and medical school students.

The improvement of sweet taste sensitivity with decrease in serum leptin levels during weight loss in obese females.

Leptin may influence sweet taste sensitivity. However, there are no reports on an association between the sweet taste threshold and serum leptin levels during weight loss in humans. We investigated the changes in the sweet taste threshold and the serum leptin levels during a weight-loss program, in connection with a leptin receptor polymorphism (Lys109Arg) that may be related to insulin and glucose metabolism.

Intergenus protoplast fusion between Streptomyces and Micromonospora with reference to the distribution of parental characteristics in the fusants.

The protoplasts of two strains of Micromonospora which were sensitive to kanamycin (KM(s)) and utilized raffinose (Raf+), and one strain of Streptomyces griseus which was resistant to KM (KM(r)) and did not utilize raffinose (Raf-), were prepared, mixed in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and incubated on regeneration agar plates. Recombinant colonies showing KM(r)*Raf+ were obtained at a frequency of 2 x 10(-6). Their recombinants displayed a significant exchange of taxonomic characteristics between the two genera, although the majority appeared similar to the parent Micromonospora in their morphology as well as growth at 40 degrees C.