Reproductive and lifestyle factors related to breast cancer among Japanese women: An observational cohort study.

The incidence of breast cancer among Japanese women is substantially increasing. This study evaluated the effects of reproductive and lifestyle factors with respect to breast cancer overall and separately among pre- and postmenopausal women using data from the Three-Prefecture Cohort Study of Japan.A total of 33,410 women aged 40 to 79 years completed a self-administered questionnaire, which included items about menstrual and reproductive history and other lifestyle factors.

Coffee Consumption and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality - Three-Prefecture Cohort in Japan.

Background: Coffee, which contains various bioactive compounds, is one of the most popular beverages. Further accumulation of evidence is needed, however, to confirm whether coffee consumption would be effective in preventing cardiovascular disease in the general Japanese population.

Methods and results: We evaluated the association between coffee consumption frequency (never, sometimes, 1-2 cups/day, 3-4 cups/day and ≥5 cups/day) and mortality from all causes, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease, in 39,685 men and 43,124 women aged 40-79 years at baseline, in a 3-prefecture cohort study.

Association between coffee consumption and all-sites cancer incidence and mortality.

The preventive effect of coffee on cancer at different sites has been reported, but the effect on all-sites cancer incidence has not been extensively investigated. We evaluated the association between frequency of coffee consumption and risk of all-sites cancer incidence and mortality among 39 685 men and 43 124 women (age 40-79 years, at baseline), in the Three-Prefecture Cohort Study. The association between frequency of coffee consumption and risk of all-sites cancer incidence and mortality was assessed by a Cox proportional hazards regression model, adjusted for potential confounders.

Rationale, design, and profile of the Three-Prefecture Cohort in Japan: A 15-year follow-up.

Background: We reutilized the existing Three-Prefecture Cohort to evaluate the relationship between lifestyle factors and the incidence or mortality from non-communicable diseases.

Methods: This study was a prospective population-based observation conducted from the 1980s to 2000 in three prefectures (Miyagi, Aichi, and Osaka) in Japan. The study subjects were residents aged ≥40 years who received a questionnaire.

Stroke mortality associated with environmental tobacco smoke among never-smoking Japanese women: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: This study examined the association of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during adulthood with stroke and its subtypes using data from a large-scale prospective cohort study in Japan.

Methods: The study population included 36,021 never-smoking Japanese women who were enrolled between 1983 and 1985 and were followed-up for 15 years. We used Cox proportional hazard regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for stroke death associated with ETS exposure at home during adulthood.

[A survey examining the countermeasures taken by restaurants to prevent passive smoking and an analysis of the economic impact of smoking prohibition in restaurants].

Objectives: This study examines the countermeasures taken by restaurants to prevent passive smoking and the impact of smoking prohibition on both the number of customers and sales volume in restaurants.

Methods: An interview-based survey was administered to 8,558 restaurant managers in Aichi prefecture. The survey questions concerned the countermeasures taken against passive smoking within each restaurant and the effect of the prohibition of smoking on both the number of customers and sales volume between November 1, 2009, and February 26, 2010.

An association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and mortality from lung cancer and respiratory diseases in Japan.

Background: Evidence for a link between long-term exposure to air pollution and lung cancer is limited to Western populations. In this prospective cohort study, we examined this association in a Japanese population.

Methods: The study comprised 63 520 participants living in 6 areas in 3 Japanese prefectures who were enrolled between 1983 and 1985.

Design and planned analyses of an ongoing randomized trial assessing the preventive effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on occurrence of new gastric carcinomas after endoscopic resection.

Background: A causal relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer has been established. A nonrandomized study has shown eradication of H. pylori after endoscopic resection (ER) of early gastric cancer inhibits development of new carcinomas.

[Utility of cycle ergometer stress testing as a measure to assess health status and physical functioning for elderly people].

Purpose: This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of abnormal cardiovascular findings for elderly persons on exercise stress testing, and examine the relationship between exercise capacity estimated by the test and other physical functions or self-rated functional capacity cross-sectionally.

Methods: Participants of this study were 83 elderly persons (24 males and 59 females, mean age, 80 years old) who were planning to undergo a falls prevention program. A questionnaire asking about functional capacity, physical functional testing (maximum stride length, maximum speed walking for 10 meters, one leg standing time, and grip strength), and cycle ergometer exercise stress testing were applied.

Lung cancer death rates by smoking status: comparison of the Three-Prefecture Cohort study in Japan to the Cancer Prevention Study II in the USA.

Cigarette smoking is an established risk factor for lung cancer. However, the magnitude of the relative risk (RR) on lung cancer mortality in relation to cigarette smoking is reported to be lower in Japan than in Western countries. We investigated whether this discrepancy could be explained by differences in the exposure to cigarettes smoked, by differences in sensitivity to smoking, or by differences in lung cancer mortality among non-smokers.

Subjects with TNF-A-857TT and -1031TT genotypes showed the highest Helicobacter pylori seropositive rate compared with those with other genotypes.

Background: A possible association between Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) a G-308A has been reported in Korea. The present study examined the associations of H. pylori with functional polymorphisms, TNF-A G-308A, C-857T, and T-1031C and TNF-B A252G in Japanese subjects.

Lifestyle factors associated with atrophic gastritis among Helicobacter pylori-seropositive Japanese-Brazilians in São Paulo.

Background: Studies of lifestyle factors related to gastric atrophy development in Helicobacter pylori-infected individuals are limited. The present cross-sectional study aimed to examine the associations between lifestyle factors and serum pepsinogens (PGs) among anti- H. pylori antibody-seropositive Japanese in Brazil, where gastric cancer mortality was reported to be as high as in Japanese in Japan, and seropositive individuals were still frequently detected.

Probabilities of developing cancer over the life span of a Japanese--update.

In a previous study, we investigated the probability of developing cancer in the entire life span of a Japanese using population-based cancer incidence data from 1994, to obtain a relevant index of the impact of cancer occurrence on the Japanese population (APJCP, 1: 333-336, 2000). In the present paper, we have updated the information using the latest reports on cancer incidence in Japan in 1998. A method based on the cumulative risk of cancer was employed to estimate the probability of developing cancer up to 84 years of age, the average life expectancy of a Japanese female, and 79 years of age, the average life expectancy of a Japanese male.

Diet and lung cancer risk from a 14-year population-based prospective study in Japan: with special reference to fish consumption.

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil exhibit a variety of health benefits, and there is evidence that they can inhibit the development of human lung mucoepidermoid and other carcinomas. To examine the hypothesis that fish consumption reduces the risk of lung cancer, we conducted a population-based prospective study, following 5,885 residents for 14 yr. Person-years were used to calculate the relative risk (RR) by the Cox proportional hazards model, with adjustment for potential confounding factors.

Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and the myeloperoxidase G-463A polymorphism in combination with interleukin-1B C-31T in Japanese health checkup examinees.

Objective: Genetic susceptibility appears to play an important role in Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. The present study was conducted to re-examine the reported association between the myeloperoxidase (MPO) G-463A polymorphism and HP seropositivity in different subjects and to investigate interactions with smoking behavior and the interleukin-1B (IL-1B) C-31T polymorphism.

Methods: The subjects were 468 health checkup examinees in Nagoya, who consented to anonymous genotyping of residual blood samples.

A New Model Population-based Cancer Registration System in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

A dramatic overhaul of the population-based cancer registration system in Aichi Prefecture, Japan - Aichi Cancer Registry (ACR) - was undertaken in 1998, with a view to rationalization and strengthening of its effectiveness, supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. A more comprehensive organization encompassing the prefectural cancer center and prefectural public health centers (PPHCs), promoting PPHC-based primary and secondary cancer prevention has now been in operation since January 1999. Application of its basic components is also feasible for other population-based cancer registries in Japan, which share similar operation characteristics.

Why Did Cancer Deaths Increase in Japan after the Introduction of the Tenth Version of the International Classification of Disease? : Assessment Based on a Population-Based Cancer Registry.

Considerable increase in cancer deaths has been observed since 1995, after when the tenth version of the international classification of disease (ICD) was introduced in Japan according with the revision of a death certificate form at the same time. We assessed the contributing factors for this unnatural fluctuation, using a population-based cancer registry data as a model. All deaths of the prefectural residents are collated with the cancer registry database in the registration process.

An Estimate of the Potential for Cancer Prevention in Japan.

Cancer prevention is an important strategy in cancer control and it consists of primary prevention and secondary prevention. Major avoidable or manageable risk factors for cancer identified from previous studies are tobacco, diet and infection. Some cancer could be prevented by controlling those risk factors.

Helicobacter Pylori Seropositivity, the Interleukin 1B Polymorphism, and Smoking among First-visit Outpatients.

Our previous studies of 241 re-visit outpatients in the Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication program (HPE) of Aichi Cancer Center Hospital (Jpn J Cancer Res 2001;92:383-389 ) and of 462 health checkup examinees (HCE) in Nagoya (Jpn J Public Health 2001;48:604-612) found a significant association between HP seropositivity and the Interleukin 1B (IL-1B) C-31T genotype, especially among current smokers. This study aimed to confirm the association for 547 first-visit outpatients (277 males and 270 females) of Aichi Cancer Center Hospital aged 40 to 79 years. Samples were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction with confronting two-pair primers (PCR-CTPP), the same method as that used in the previous studies.

Probabilities of Developing Cancer over the Whole Life Span of a Japanese.

To obtain a relevant index of the impact of cancer on the Japanese population, considering curable cases as well as mortalities, the probability of developing cancer in the entire life span of a Japanese was estimated. A method based on the cumulative risk of cancer was employed to estimate the probability. This cumulative risk method gave a lifetime probability of developing cancer in any site of 52 % for males and 31 % for females in 1994 up to 85+ years of age.

Epidemiology of pancreatic cancer in Japan: a nested case-control study from the Hospital-based Epidemiologic Research Program at Aichi Cancer Center (HERPACC).

Background: To clarify lifestyle factors that affect the risk of pancreatic cancer among the Japanese population, a nested case-control study was conducted using data from the Hospital-based Epidemiologic Research Program at Aichi Cancer Center (HERPACC), Japan.

Methods: The study subjects included 200 incident cases of pancreatic cancer and 2000 age-class frequency-matched cancer-free outpatients attending the baseline questionnaire of HERPACC in the period 1988-1999. Associations between lifestyles and the risk of pancreatic cancer were evaluated using odds ratios estimated by the unconditional logistic regression model, adjusting for potential confounding factors.

ABO blood type, Lewis and Secretor genotypes, and chronic atrophic gastritis: a cross-sectional study in Japan.

Background: the H type I structure, synthesized by the secretor (Se) enzyme in gastric foveolar cells, and its metabolite, Lewis b (le(b)) antigen, mediate the adhesion of Helicobacter pylori ( H. Pylori) to the gastric epithelium, whereas H. Pylori does not bind to modified forms of Le(b) specific for blood types A and B.

High anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody seropositivity associated with the combination of IL-8-251TT and IL-10-819TT genotypes.

Background: Helicobacter pylori induces inflammation of gastric mucosa regulated by several interleukins. This study examined associations between anti-Helicobacter pylori immunoglobulin G antibody seropositivity and functional polymorphisms of interleukin-8 T-251 A and interleukin-10 T-819C.

Materials And Methods: The subjects were 454 health check-up examinees (126 males and 328 females) without a history of cancer, aged 35-85 years, residing in Nagoya, Japan.