Kuninori Shiwaku - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Kuninori Shiwaku
Abstract: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the association between the residen... more Abstract: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the association between the residential environment and health. The association between residential environment (i.e., geographic elevation) and bone status is unknown. Furthermore, these associations could differ by exercise habits due to the chronically greater daily activity caused by steep slopes in mountainous areas. The aim of this study was to test whether the association between bone status of elderly people measured using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) and elevation varied according to the exercise habits in a mountainous area population. Data were collected from a cross-sectional study conducted during 2012–2013. QUS value was expressed as a proportion of the young adult mean (%YAM), with higher scores donating better bone status. After excluding subjects with missing data, we analyzed the data for 321 men and 500 women. Our results indicate that %YAM was not associated with elevation
Journal of Rural Medicine, 2021
Objective: Falls in older adults are a major public health issue, and it is unclear whether the n... more Objective: Falls in older adults are a major public health issue, and it is unclear whether the neighborhood environment is associated with falls among this group. This cross-sectional study investigated whether hilly neighborhood environmental factors were associated with fall status (falls or fear of falling) in rural Japanese older adults. Materials and Methods: Data obtained from 965 participants aged 65 years and older living in Unnan City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, in 2017 were analyzed. Fall status was assessed based on the 1-year fall incidence (yes/no) for the past year and fear of falling (yes/no) using a self-report questionnaire. For hilly neighborhood environmental factors, the mean elevation and land slope were assessed using a geographic information system. The logistic regression model examined the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of fall status in quartiles for elevation and land slope, respectively, and was adjusted for confounders. Results: Falls and fear of falling were observed in 16.8% and 43.2% of participants, respectively. Falls were associated with elevation (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.17-3.37 for Q2 vs. Q1; OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.19-3.44 for Q3 vs. Q1) and land slope (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.04-2.93 for Q3 vs. Q1; OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.04-2.93 for Q4 vs. Q1). Fear of falling was associated with elevation (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.19-2.65 for Q3 vs. Q1) and land slope (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.01-2.25 for Q4 vs. Q1). Conclusion: Our study found that elevation and land slope as hilly neighborhood environment factors were positively associated with falls or fear of falling among older adults living in rural Japan. Prospective observational studies that investigate the effects of region-specific environmental factors on falls among older adults should be conducted.
Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi (Japanese Journal of Hygiene), 1994
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 1982
In the present study, we undertook the investigation into health conditions and subjective sympto... more In the present study, we undertook the investigation into health conditions and subjective symptomes by spraying pesticides on farmers in citrus fruit area in Ehime Prefecture. 65 males and 138 females were examined for their health conditions in August , 1981 and the prevalence rate of anemia was 6.2% in males and 37.0% in females, that of hypertension was 20.0% in males and 20.3% in females, and that of the disturbance of liver function was 17 .0% in males and 2.8% in females. There was a serious problem in farmers that the subjects taken these diseases usually sprayed pesticides. The investigation into subjective symptomes by spraying pesticides was performed for 50 males and 54 females from May to July, 1981. The frequency of spraying pesticides was about 2 .5 times per sprayer in May and June, but about 5 times in July. Time of spraying was about 5 hours and dithiocarbamates was most frequently used. The tendency of combinational use with several pesticides was recognized in July than in May and June. The wearing rates of waterproof coat and trausers were high but those of dustproof mask and rubber gloves were low. The incidence rate of subjective symptomes by spraying pesticides was 10.4% in males and 17 .0% in females in May, 14.3% in males and 27.8% in females in June, and increased to 42.0% in males and 63 .0% in females in July. Skin lesion was the most frequent symptome, excessive sweating and general fatigue followed this. Further studies on skin hazards due to pesticides are necessary .
Japanese Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 1991
Onchocerciasis is a widespread filarial disease in Nigeria that produces grave socioeconomic effe... more Onchocerciasis is a widespread filarial disease in Nigeria that produces grave socioeconomic effects. The great majority of the communities are mesoendemic for onchocerciasis while only few are hyperendemic especially in the savanna zone. Sexrelated infection depends on the degree of endemicity while age-infection increases gradually with advancing age. Visible and palpable nodules are more abundant around the pelvic region. The nodules arecountered more in the rainforest zone even when microfilarial density (MFD) is moderate, while the nodules are less numerous in the savanna form with high MFD. The microfilariae in concert with host's immune response precipitate various skin lesions. The resulting pruritus, scratching and itching are generalized in the rainforest and localized in the savanna. In the eye, various ocular lesions are associated with the death of microfilariae. There is high incidence of eye lesion in the savanna zone than in the rainforest zone, especially the anterior lesions. The epidemiological picture presented by onchocerciasis in Nigeria is the summation of a complex array of contributing factors, both intrinsic to the microfilariae and resulting from the host-immune response, bioclimatic factors and vector species complex.
Journal of Occupational Health, 2003
Obesity occurs less frequently in Japanese than in various other ethnic populations. A person wit... more Obesity occurs less frequently in Japanese than in various other ethnic populations. A person with abnormal glucose tolerance is often found to have one or more of the other cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. This clustering has been labeled as metabolic syndrome (WHO, 1998). It was suggested that Japanese, categorized as having normal weight (BMI of less than 25.0), as defined by the WHO (2000), have an increasing tendency toward metabolic syndrome. Our objective was to analyze metabolic syndrome in "Overweight" with BMI of 23.0-24.9 in Japanese workers, and to assess the suitability for Asians of the Regional Office for the Western Pacific Region of WHO criteria pertaining to obesity (WPRO criteria, 2000). We conducted a cross-sectional study in the workplace setting and investigated the relationship between BMI classification based on WPRO criteria and metabolic syndrome by gender and age group (18-44 yr vs. 45-60 yr). Three hundred seventy-nine men and 432 women Japanese workers participated in this study. BMI were categorized as 20% "Overweight" (23.0-24.9 BMI), 20% "Obese I" (25.0-29.9 BMI) and 2% "Obese II" (over 30.0 BMI), based on WPRO criteria. Graded increases in BMI were positively associated with body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist/hip
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 2006
Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1188–91.
Acta Tropica, 1990
In a study to assess the status of filariasis in the Jarawa River Valley of the savanna area of N... more In a study to assess the status of filariasis in the Jarawa River Valley of the savanna area of Nigeria, 940 self-selected residents from 10 villages were examined between March 1984 and April 1987. Overall results showed 105 (11.2%) had microfilaraemia and/or clinical signs of filariasis. Sixty-four (6.8%) and 20 (2.1%) persons, respectively, were infected with Mansonella perstans and Loa loa microfilariae (raft). Four of the 28 villagers examined had Wuehereria bancrofti mff in their night blood samples whereas 17 (1.8%) of all residents surveyed had clinical filariasis mainly due to lympho-obstructive manifestations: hydrocele (n = 11, 64.7%); enlargement of the inguinal nodes (n = 8, 47.1%) and elephantiasis (n = 2, 11.8%).
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2012
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2012
(DOH) is responsible for the nation's government health policy. Similar to other health departmen... more (DOH) is responsible for the nation's government health policy. Similar to other health departments around the world, the DOH, through the National Health Service, makes great effort to influence health outcomes. In England in 2009 Change4Life was established, which attempts to 'drive, coax, encourage and support people ÷ [to] eat well, move more and live longer'. The programme intends to reach 'everyone'. According to the DOH, such was the extent of the obesity problem, the campaign would 'need to achieve a scale never previously witnessed'. Contemporary health promotion logic suggests that health research informs public policy, which in turn leads to a marketing campaign. This research tests this logic through a critical analysis of research, policy and marketing material which contributed to Change4Life. A critical health psychology perspective (Murray & Campbell, 2003; Marks, 2004) is employed to understand how ideas about health are produced between health research, policy and the eventual marketing campaign. A variety of UK Department of Health research, policy and marketing documents from 2008 to 2011 were analysed. The analysis focused on the continuity of ideas about causes of good health and poor health. This research found that ideas about the causes of poor health and good health are modified throughout the health promotion process. In the case of Change4Life, this resulted in marketing tactics which were wholly contrary to the preceding psychographic research. In particular, "critical insights" in the research phase regarding how parents understand health messages were not incorporated into the resultant marketing. In the case of Change4Life, the oscillations identified indicate disjunctures in the health promotion process. For future marketing campaigns, these findings are significant to the extent they suggest a need for a reflection about the flow of ideas throughout the health promotion nexus. The findings also indicate a limitation of framing research, which positions public health as a set of organisations with synonymous principles and practices. The oscillations suggest a more nuanced research approach might be useful to study causal dynamics within policy in general and health promotion in particular. Since oscillations about causal claims appeared despite significant resources devoted to Change4Life, it is apparent there is a need to reflect on the use of social marketing in health campaigns.
Jianjun YANG1, 2, Masayuki YAMASAKI1, Paulin Beya wa Bitadi MUTOMBO1, Mamiko IWAMOTO1, Akiko NOGI... more Jianjun YANG1, 2, Masayuki YAMASAKI1, Paulin Beya wa Bitadi MUTOMBO1, Mamiko IWAMOTO1, Akiko NOGI3, Toru NABIKA4 and Kuninori SHIWAKU1$ 1Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo 693-8501, Japan. 2School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China. 3Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Nursing and Nutrition, Yamaguchi Prefectural University, Yamaguchi 753-8502, Japan. 4Department of Functional Pathology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo 693-8501, Japan. (Received February 20, 2012; Accepted February 27, 2012)
Journal of Rural Medicine
Objective: Engaging in agriculture greatly affects workers' lifestyles, particularly related to p... more Objective: Engaging in agriculture greatly affects workers' lifestyles, particularly related to physical activity. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence of lifestyle-related chronic diseases among workers engaging and not engaging in agriculture in rural areas of Japan. Methods: A total of 4,666 consecutive participants aged ≥40 years (1,929 men and 2,737 women) were recruited during health examinations conducted from 2006 to 2014. For analysis, the participants were divided by sex and age into those engaging in agriculture and those not engaging in agriculture. Results: Engaging in agriculture may be contributing with a low prevalence of dyslipidemia, a constitutive factor of metabolic syndrome, in both sexes between the ages of 40 and 64 years. In the elderly aged ≥65 years, engaging in agriculture may influence the low prevalence of hypertension in men. Hypertension, a strong risk factor for stroke and cardiovascular disease, is very frequent among the Japanese elderly and, therefore, engaging in agriculture may have a significant impact on its prevention and control. Conclusion: In rural areas of Japan, engaging in agriculture may contribute to the control of lipid metabolism in middle-aged individuals and blood pressure in the elderly.
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2012
Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2016
Varicose veins (VVs) cluster in families, but the familial risk of VVs has not been determined am... more Varicose veins (VVs) cluster in families, but the familial risk of VVs has not been determined among adoptees. The aim was to estimate whether the familial transmission of VVs is related to disease in biological and/or adoptive parents. The Swedish Multi-Generation Register and the Swedish Patient Register were used to follow all Swedish-born adoptees (born 1932-2004) that could be linked to both their biological and their adoptive parents (n = 80,214, 50% females). The risk of VVs was estimated in adoptees with at least one biological parent with VVs but no adoptive parent with VVs (n=187) compared with adoptees without a biological or adoptive parent with VVs (n=1,758). The risk of VVs was also determined in adoptees with at least one adoptive parent but no biological parent with VVs (n=87), and in adoptees with both biological and adoptive parents affected (n=21). Adoptees from an affected biological parent, but no adoptive parent, were more likely to have VVs than adoptees from an unaffected biological or adoptive parent (standard incidence ratio [SIR]: 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.91-2.55). The familial SIR for adoptees with both an affected biological and an adoptive parent was 4.58 (2.83-7.01). Adoptees with an affected adoptive parent, but no biological parent, were not at increased risk of VVs (SIR: 1.15, 0.92-1.42). These novel findings suggest that genetic factors make a strong contribution to the familial transmission of VVs from parents to offspring, although familial environmental factors might contribute.
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2014
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2012
Allergology International, 2016
Background: There is no curative treatment for wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEI... more Background: There is no curative treatment for wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA). u-5 Gliadin is one of the dominant allergens affecting WDEIA patients. The use of u-5 gliadinfree wheat flour in the regular diet is considered one of the prophylactic approaches against the elicitation of allergic symptoms and sensitization to u-5 gliadin. We sought to find hypoallergenic bread wheat (or common wheat) that lacked the genes encoding u-5 gliadin and to evaluate its in vitro allergenicity. We also aimed to evaluate the sensitization ability of one of the selected hypoallergenic wheat lines by using a possible animal model of wheat allergy. Methods: We screened the deletion lines of bread wheat by western blotting to ascertain common wheat lines lacking the u-5 gliadin locus. The deletion lines we used have partial deficiency of chromosome 1B (Endo and Gill, 1996). To assess sensitization ability of gluten from the selected deletion line, guinea pigs were fed with either the gluten from the selected deletion line or commercially available gluten, and allergic score was evaluated after challenging the same gluten preparations. Results: We found that a deletion line 1BS-18 had the least deficiency of chromosome 1B among the deletion stocks lacking the u-5 gliadin locus. The challenge test using the guinea pigs revealed that the symptoms induced by application of the 1BS-18 gluten were much less than that of commercially available gluten. Conclusions: The deletion line 1BS-18, which lacked the u-5 gliadin locus, is likely to have a low sensitization capacity in the guinea pig. The use of the wheat products of the 1BS-18 line in daily life may provide a feasible solution for the onset of wheat allergy.
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2010
Abstract: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the association between the residen... more Abstract: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the association between the residential environment and health. The association between residential environment (i.e., geographic elevation) and bone status is unknown. Furthermore, these associations could differ by exercise habits due to the chronically greater daily activity caused by steep slopes in mountainous areas. The aim of this study was to test whether the association between bone status of elderly people measured using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) and elevation varied according to the exercise habits in a mountainous area population. Data were collected from a cross-sectional study conducted during 2012–2013. QUS value was expressed as a proportion of the young adult mean (%YAM), with higher scores donating better bone status. After excluding subjects with missing data, we analyzed the data for 321 men and 500 women. Our results indicate that %YAM was not associated with elevation
Journal of Rural Medicine, 2021
Objective: Falls in older adults are a major public health issue, and it is unclear whether the n... more Objective: Falls in older adults are a major public health issue, and it is unclear whether the neighborhood environment is associated with falls among this group. This cross-sectional study investigated whether hilly neighborhood environmental factors were associated with fall status (falls or fear of falling) in rural Japanese older adults. Materials and Methods: Data obtained from 965 participants aged 65 years and older living in Unnan City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, in 2017 were analyzed. Fall status was assessed based on the 1-year fall incidence (yes/no) for the past year and fear of falling (yes/no) using a self-report questionnaire. For hilly neighborhood environmental factors, the mean elevation and land slope were assessed using a geographic information system. The logistic regression model examined the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of fall status in quartiles for elevation and land slope, respectively, and was adjusted for confounders. Results: Falls and fear of falling were observed in 16.8% and 43.2% of participants, respectively. Falls were associated with elevation (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.17-3.37 for Q2 vs. Q1; OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.19-3.44 for Q3 vs. Q1) and land slope (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.04-2.93 for Q3 vs. Q1; OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.04-2.93 for Q4 vs. Q1). Fear of falling was associated with elevation (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.19-2.65 for Q3 vs. Q1) and land slope (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.01-2.25 for Q4 vs. Q1). Conclusion: Our study found that elevation and land slope as hilly neighborhood environment factors were positively associated with falls or fear of falling among older adults living in rural Japan. Prospective observational studies that investigate the effects of region-specific environmental factors on falls among older adults should be conducted.
Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi (Japanese Journal of Hygiene), 1994
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 1982
In the present study, we undertook the investigation into health conditions and subjective sympto... more In the present study, we undertook the investigation into health conditions and subjective symptomes by spraying pesticides on farmers in citrus fruit area in Ehime Prefecture. 65 males and 138 females were examined for their health conditions in August , 1981 and the prevalence rate of anemia was 6.2% in males and 37.0% in females, that of hypertension was 20.0% in males and 20.3% in females, and that of the disturbance of liver function was 17 .0% in males and 2.8% in females. There was a serious problem in farmers that the subjects taken these diseases usually sprayed pesticides. The investigation into subjective symptomes by spraying pesticides was performed for 50 males and 54 females from May to July, 1981. The frequency of spraying pesticides was about 2 .5 times per sprayer in May and June, but about 5 times in July. Time of spraying was about 5 hours and dithiocarbamates was most frequently used. The tendency of combinational use with several pesticides was recognized in July than in May and June. The wearing rates of waterproof coat and trausers were high but those of dustproof mask and rubber gloves were low. The incidence rate of subjective symptomes by spraying pesticides was 10.4% in males and 17 .0% in females in May, 14.3% in males and 27.8% in females in June, and increased to 42.0% in males and 63 .0% in females in July. Skin lesion was the most frequent symptome, excessive sweating and general fatigue followed this. Further studies on skin hazards due to pesticides are necessary .
Japanese Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 1991
Onchocerciasis is a widespread filarial disease in Nigeria that produces grave socioeconomic effe... more Onchocerciasis is a widespread filarial disease in Nigeria that produces grave socioeconomic effects. The great majority of the communities are mesoendemic for onchocerciasis while only few are hyperendemic especially in the savanna zone. Sexrelated infection depends on the degree of endemicity while age-infection increases gradually with advancing age. Visible and palpable nodules are more abundant around the pelvic region. The nodules arecountered more in the rainforest zone even when microfilarial density (MFD) is moderate, while the nodules are less numerous in the savanna form with high MFD. The microfilariae in concert with host's immune response precipitate various skin lesions. The resulting pruritus, scratching and itching are generalized in the rainforest and localized in the savanna. In the eye, various ocular lesions are associated with the death of microfilariae. There is high incidence of eye lesion in the savanna zone than in the rainforest zone, especially the anterior lesions. The epidemiological picture presented by onchocerciasis in Nigeria is the summation of a complex array of contributing factors, both intrinsic to the microfilariae and resulting from the host-immune response, bioclimatic factors and vector species complex.
Journal of Occupational Health, 2003
Obesity occurs less frequently in Japanese than in various other ethnic populations. A person wit... more Obesity occurs less frequently in Japanese than in various other ethnic populations. A person with abnormal glucose tolerance is often found to have one or more of the other cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. This clustering has been labeled as metabolic syndrome (WHO, 1998). It was suggested that Japanese, categorized as having normal weight (BMI of less than 25.0), as defined by the WHO (2000), have an increasing tendency toward metabolic syndrome. Our objective was to analyze metabolic syndrome in "Overweight" with BMI of 23.0-24.9 in Japanese workers, and to assess the suitability for Asians of the Regional Office for the Western Pacific Region of WHO criteria pertaining to obesity (WPRO criteria, 2000). We conducted a cross-sectional study in the workplace setting and investigated the relationship between BMI classification based on WPRO criteria and metabolic syndrome by gender and age group (18-44 yr vs. 45-60 yr). Three hundred seventy-nine men and 432 women Japanese workers participated in this study. BMI were categorized as 20% "Overweight" (23.0-24.9 BMI), 20% "Obese I" (25.0-29.9 BMI) and 2% "Obese II" (over 30.0 BMI), based on WPRO criteria. Graded increases in BMI were positively associated with body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist/hip
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 2006
Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1188–91.
Acta Tropica, 1990
In a study to assess the status of filariasis in the Jarawa River Valley of the savanna area of N... more In a study to assess the status of filariasis in the Jarawa River Valley of the savanna area of Nigeria, 940 self-selected residents from 10 villages were examined between March 1984 and April 1987. Overall results showed 105 (11.2%) had microfilaraemia and/or clinical signs of filariasis. Sixty-four (6.8%) and 20 (2.1%) persons, respectively, were infected with Mansonella perstans and Loa loa microfilariae (raft). Four of the 28 villagers examined had Wuehereria bancrofti mff in their night blood samples whereas 17 (1.8%) of all residents surveyed had clinical filariasis mainly due to lympho-obstructive manifestations: hydrocele (n = 11, 64.7%); enlargement of the inguinal nodes (n = 8, 47.1%) and elephantiasis (n = 2, 11.8%).
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2012
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2012
(DOH) is responsible for the nation's government health policy. Similar to other health departmen... more (DOH) is responsible for the nation's government health policy. Similar to other health departments around the world, the DOH, through the National Health Service, makes great effort to influence health outcomes. In England in 2009 Change4Life was established, which attempts to 'drive, coax, encourage and support people ÷ [to] eat well, move more and live longer'. The programme intends to reach 'everyone'. According to the DOH, such was the extent of the obesity problem, the campaign would 'need to achieve a scale never previously witnessed'. Contemporary health promotion logic suggests that health research informs public policy, which in turn leads to a marketing campaign. This research tests this logic through a critical analysis of research, policy and marketing material which contributed to Change4Life. A critical health psychology perspective (Murray & Campbell, 2003; Marks, 2004) is employed to understand how ideas about health are produced between health research, policy and the eventual marketing campaign. A variety of UK Department of Health research, policy and marketing documents from 2008 to 2011 were analysed. The analysis focused on the continuity of ideas about causes of good health and poor health. This research found that ideas about the causes of poor health and good health are modified throughout the health promotion process. In the case of Change4Life, this resulted in marketing tactics which were wholly contrary to the preceding psychographic research. In particular, "critical insights" in the research phase regarding how parents understand health messages were not incorporated into the resultant marketing. In the case of Change4Life, the oscillations identified indicate disjunctures in the health promotion process. For future marketing campaigns, these findings are significant to the extent they suggest a need for a reflection about the flow of ideas throughout the health promotion nexus. The findings also indicate a limitation of framing research, which positions public health as a set of organisations with synonymous principles and practices. The oscillations suggest a more nuanced research approach might be useful to study causal dynamics within policy in general and health promotion in particular. Since oscillations about causal claims appeared despite significant resources devoted to Change4Life, it is apparent there is a need to reflect on the use of social marketing in health campaigns.
Jianjun YANG1, 2, Masayuki YAMASAKI1, Paulin Beya wa Bitadi MUTOMBO1, Mamiko IWAMOTO1, Akiko NOGI... more Jianjun YANG1, 2, Masayuki YAMASAKI1, Paulin Beya wa Bitadi MUTOMBO1, Mamiko IWAMOTO1, Akiko NOGI3, Toru NABIKA4 and Kuninori SHIWAKU1$ 1Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo 693-8501, Japan. 2School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China. 3Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Nursing and Nutrition, Yamaguchi Prefectural University, Yamaguchi 753-8502, Japan. 4Department of Functional Pathology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo 693-8501, Japan. (Received February 20, 2012; Accepted February 27, 2012)
Journal of Rural Medicine
Objective: Engaging in agriculture greatly affects workers' lifestyles, particularly related to p... more Objective: Engaging in agriculture greatly affects workers' lifestyles, particularly related to physical activity. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence of lifestyle-related chronic diseases among workers engaging and not engaging in agriculture in rural areas of Japan. Methods: A total of 4,666 consecutive participants aged ≥40 years (1,929 men and 2,737 women) were recruited during health examinations conducted from 2006 to 2014. For analysis, the participants were divided by sex and age into those engaging in agriculture and those not engaging in agriculture. Results: Engaging in agriculture may be contributing with a low prevalence of dyslipidemia, a constitutive factor of metabolic syndrome, in both sexes between the ages of 40 and 64 years. In the elderly aged ≥65 years, engaging in agriculture may influence the low prevalence of hypertension in men. Hypertension, a strong risk factor for stroke and cardiovascular disease, is very frequent among the Japanese elderly and, therefore, engaging in agriculture may have a significant impact on its prevention and control. Conclusion: In rural areas of Japan, engaging in agriculture may contribute to the control of lipid metabolism in middle-aged individuals and blood pressure in the elderly.
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2012
Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2016
Varicose veins (VVs) cluster in families, but the familial risk of VVs has not been determined am... more Varicose veins (VVs) cluster in families, but the familial risk of VVs has not been determined among adoptees. The aim was to estimate whether the familial transmission of VVs is related to disease in biological and/or adoptive parents. The Swedish Multi-Generation Register and the Swedish Patient Register were used to follow all Swedish-born adoptees (born 1932-2004) that could be linked to both their biological and their adoptive parents (n = 80,214, 50% females). The risk of VVs was estimated in adoptees with at least one biological parent with VVs but no adoptive parent with VVs (n=187) compared with adoptees without a biological or adoptive parent with VVs (n=1,758). The risk of VVs was also determined in adoptees with at least one adoptive parent but no biological parent with VVs (n=87), and in adoptees with both biological and adoptive parents affected (n=21). Adoptees from an affected biological parent, but no adoptive parent, were more likely to have VVs than adoptees from an unaffected biological or adoptive parent (standard incidence ratio [SIR]: 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.91-2.55). The familial SIR for adoptees with both an affected biological and an adoptive parent was 4.58 (2.83-7.01). Adoptees with an affected adoptive parent, but no biological parent, were not at increased risk of VVs (SIR: 1.15, 0.92-1.42). These novel findings suggest that genetic factors make a strong contribution to the familial transmission of VVs from parents to offspring, although familial environmental factors might contribute.
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2014
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2012
Allergology International, 2016
Background: There is no curative treatment for wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEI... more Background: There is no curative treatment for wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA). u-5 Gliadin is one of the dominant allergens affecting WDEIA patients. The use of u-5 gliadinfree wheat flour in the regular diet is considered one of the prophylactic approaches against the elicitation of allergic symptoms and sensitization to u-5 gliadin. We sought to find hypoallergenic bread wheat (or common wheat) that lacked the genes encoding u-5 gliadin and to evaluate its in vitro allergenicity. We also aimed to evaluate the sensitization ability of one of the selected hypoallergenic wheat lines by using a possible animal model of wheat allergy. Methods: We screened the deletion lines of bread wheat by western blotting to ascertain common wheat lines lacking the u-5 gliadin locus. The deletion lines we used have partial deficiency of chromosome 1B (Endo and Gill, 1996). To assess sensitization ability of gluten from the selected deletion line, guinea pigs were fed with either the gluten from the selected deletion line or commercially available gluten, and allergic score was evaluated after challenging the same gluten preparations. Results: We found that a deletion line 1BS-18 had the least deficiency of chromosome 1B among the deletion stocks lacking the u-5 gliadin locus. The challenge test using the guinea pigs revealed that the symptoms induced by application of the 1BS-18 gluten were much less than that of commercially available gluten. Conclusions: The deletion line 1BS-18, which lacked the u-5 gliadin locus, is likely to have a low sensitization capacity in the guinea pig. The use of the wheat products of the 1BS-18 line in daily life may provide a feasible solution for the onset of wheat allergy.
JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE, 2010