著者
Seiji Yasumura Mitsuaki Hosoya Shunichi Yamashita Kenji Kamiya Masafumi Abe Makoto Akashi Kazunori Kodama Kotaro Ozasa
出版者
日本疫学会
雑誌
Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.22, no.5, pp.375-383, 2012-09-05 (Released:2012-09-05)
参考文献数
37
被引用文献数
92 325 32

Background: The accidents that occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 have resulted in long-term, ongoing anxiety among the residents of Fukushima, Japan. Soon after the disaster, Fukushima Prefecture launched the Fukushima Health Management Survey to investigate long-term low-dose radiation exposure caused by the accident. Fukushima Medical University took the lead in planning and implementing this survey. The primary purposes of this survey are to monitor the long-term health of residents, promote their future well-being, and confirm whether long-term low-dose radiation exposure has health effects. This report describes the rationale and implementation of the Fukushima Health Management Survey.Methods: This cohort study enrolled all people living in Fukushima Prefecture after the earthquake and comprises a basic survey and 4 detailed surveys. The basic survey is to estimate levels of external radiation exposure among all 2.05 million residents. It should be noted that internal radiation levels were estimated by Fukushima Prefecture using whole-body counters. The detailed surveys comprise a thyroid ultrasound examination for all Fukushima children aged 18 years or younger, a comprehensive health check for all residents from the evacuation zones, an assessment of mental health and lifestyles of all residents from the evacuation zones, and recording of all pregnancies and births among all women in the prefecture who were pregnant on 11 March. All data have been entered into a database and will be used to support the residents and analyze the health effects of radiation.Conclusions: The low response rate (<30%) to the basic survey complicates the estimation of health effects. There have been no cases of malignancy to date among 38 114 children who received thyroid ultrasound examinations. The importance of mental health care was revealed by the mental health and lifestyle survey and the pregnancy and birth survey. This long-term large-scale epidemiologic study is expected to provide valuable data in the investigation of the health effects of low-dose radiation and disaster-related stress.
著者
Kotaro Ozasa Eric J Grant Kazunori Kodama
出版者
Japan Epidemiological Association
雑誌
Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.28, no.4, pp.162-169, 2018-04-05 (Released:2018-04-05)
参考文献数
66
被引用文献数
1 66

Cohorts of atomic bomb survivors—including those exposed in utero—and children conceived after parental exposure were established to investigate late health effects of atomic bomb radiation and its transgenerational effects by the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) in the 1950s. ABCC was reorganized to the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in 1975, and all work has been continued at RERF. The Life Span Study, the cohort of survivors, consists of about 120,000 subjects and has been followed since 1950. Cohorts of in utero survivors and the survivors’ children include about 3,600 and 77,000 subjects, respectively, and have been followed since 1945. Atomic bomb radiation dose was estimated for each subject based on location at the time of the bombing and shielding conditions from exposure, which were obtained through enormous efforts of investigators and cooperation of subjects. Outcomes include vital status, cause of death, and cancer incidence. In addition, sub-cohorts of these three cohorts were constructed to examine clinical features of late health effects, and the subjects have been invited to periodic health examinations at clinics of ABCC and RERF. They were also asked to donate biosamples for biomedical investigations. Epidemiological studies have observed increased radiation risks for malignant diseases among survivors, including those exposed in utero, and possible risks for some non-cancer diseases. In children of survivors, no increased risks due to parental exposure to radiation have been observed for malignancies or other diseases, but investigations are continuing, as these cohorts are still relatively young.
著者
Kazunori Kodama Kiyohiko Mabuchi Itsuzo Shigematsu
出版者
日本疫学会
雑誌
Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.6, no.3sup, pp.95-105, 1996 (Released:2007-11-30)
参考文献数
53
被引用文献数
27 54

The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), the predecessor of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), was established in 1947 to conduct long-term, comprehensive epidemiological and genetic studies of the atomic-bomb (A-bomb) survivors. Today this study still depends upon the voluntary cooperation of several tens of thousands of survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An in-depth follow-up study of mortality in the study population of 120, 000 persons, including A-bomb survivors and controls, has continued since 1950. The study of tumor incidence was initiated through record linkage with a tumor registry system in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1958. In the same year, biennial medical examinations of 20, 000 individuals began. Follow-up studies also have been conducted on in-utero-exposed persons and first-generation offspring of the survivors. On the basis of these studies spanning nearly half a century, we know that the occurrence of leukemia and cancers associated with A- bomb radiation is higher than among the non-exposed. Among the A-bomb survivors, radiation cataracts, hyperparathyroidism, delayed growth and development, and chromosomal aberrations also occur more often. However, to date no evidence exists of genetic effects in the children of A-bomb survivors. It should be kept in mind that such study results could never be obtained without the cooperation of A-bomb survivors. J Epidemiol, 1996 ; 6 : S95-S105.
著者
Miyuki Tsuchihashi Hiroyuki Tsutsui Kazunori Kodama Fumiyoshi Kasagi Akira Takeshita
出版者
The Japanese Circulation Society
雑誌
JAPANESE CIRCULATION JOURNAL (ISSN:00471828)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.64, no.12, pp.953-959, 2000 (Released:2001-05-31)
参考文献数
36
被引用文献数
80 78

The clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) have been described by a number of previous studies, but very little information is available on this issue in Japan. This study aimed to delineate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of Japanese patients hospitalized with CHF. Medical records were reviewed for 230 consecutive patients at 5 teaching hospitals in Fukuoka, Japan from January to December 1997 and the survival and hospital readmission were followed through December 1999 (mean follow-up, 2.4 years). The study population had a high mean age, contained a larger population of women especially in the older ages, and had a higher incidence of overt HF (48%) despite a relatively normal ejection fraction on echocardiography. Major causes of CHF were ischemic, valvular, and hypertensive heart diseases. The 1-year mortality rate was as low as 8.3% whereas rates of hospital readmission because of an exacerbation of CHF were as high as 40% during the follow-up period. Patients hospitalized with CHF in routine clinical practice in Japan have characteristics that differ from those in the population included in community-based studies or large clinical trials.
著者
Kotaro Ozasa Eric J Grant Kazunori Kodama
出版者
Japan Epidemiological Association
雑誌
Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.JE20170321, (Released:2018-03-17)
参考文献数
66
被引用文献数
66

Cohorts of atomic bomb survivors—including those exposed in utero—and children conceived after parental exposure were established to investigate late health effects of atomic bomb radiation and its transgenerational effects by the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) in the 1950s. ABCC was reorganized to the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in 1975, and all work has been continued at RERF. The Life Span Study, the cohort of survivors, consists of about 120,000 subjects and has been followed since 1950. Cohorts of in utero survivors and the survivors’ children include about 3,600 and 77,000 subjects, respectively, and have been followed since 1945. Atomic bomb radiation dose was estimated for each subject based on location at the time of the bombing and shielding conditions from exposure, which were obtained through enormous efforts of investigators and cooperation of subjects. Outcomes include vital status, cause of death, and cancer incidence. In addition, sub-cohorts of these three cohorts were constructed to examine clinical features of late health effects, and the subjects have been invited to periodic health examinations at clinics of ABCC and RERF. They were also asked to donate biosamples for biomedical investigations. Epidemiological studies have observed increased radiation risks for malignant diseases among survivors, including those exposed in utero, and possible risks for some non-cancer diseases. In children of survivors, no increased risks due to parental exposure to radiation have been observed for malignancies or other diseases, but investigations are continuing, as these cohorts are still relatively young.
著者
Jess D. Curb Kazunori Kodama
出版者
Japan Epidemiological Association
雑誌
Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.6, no.4sup, pp.197-201, 1996 (Released:2007-11-30)
参考文献数
19
被引用文献数
8 9

The NI-HON-SAN Study begun in 1965, and is a comparative study of cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors in Japanese living in Japan, Hawaii, and San Francisco. Early comparisons showed the prevalence of stroke to be the highest in Japan, intermediate in Hawaii, and the lowest in California. The trends for the prevalance of coronary heart disease in these three areas on the other hand were found to be completely opposite to those of stroke. Comparisons of risk factors demonstrated no difference in blood pressure levels, whereas the mean serum cholesterol level and body mass index were the lowest in Japan. A major difference in intake of total and saturated fats was noted between these three areas with the lowest values noted in Japan. The NI-HON-SAN Study demonstrated that a change to a Western life-style had a favorable effect in reducing stroke but conversely resulted in increase of coronary heart disease. The message to be noted is that an excessive change to a Western life-style should be avoided in developing countries, where rapid economic growth is taking place. J Epidemiol, 1996 ; 6 : S197-S201.
著者
Miwa Yamaguchi Kokichi Arisawa Hirokazu Uemura Sakurako Katsuura-Kamano Hidenobu Takami Fusakazu Sawachika Mariko Nakamoto Tomoya Juta Eisaku Toda Kei Mori Manabu Hasegawa Masaharu Tanto Masayuki Shima Yoshio Sumiyoshi Kenji Morinaga Kazunori Kodama Takaichiro Suzuki Masaki Nagai Hiroshi Satoh
出版者
(公社)日本産業衛生学会
雑誌
Journal of Occupational Health (ISSN:13419145)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.12-0264-OA, (Released:2013-04-09)
被引用文献数
11 47

Objective: Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) have been shown to accumulate in the human body. The purpose of the present study was to examine the factors associated with the blood levels of PFOS and PFOA. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 307 men and 301 women (aged 16-76 years) living in 15 prefectures in Japan. Blood levels of PFOS and PFOA were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Hepatic enzymes (γ-GTP, GOT, and GPT) and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (DHA and EPA) levels in serum were also measured. Associations between the levels of PFOS and PFOA in blood and the intake frequency of 41 kinds of dishes, foods and beverages and the serum levels of liver enzymes and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were examined using rank correlations. Results: Frequency of intake of boiled fish in broth, sliced raw fish and coastal fish showed significant positive correlations with PFOS concentrations in blood after adjustments for potential confounders. Serum levels of GOT, GPT, DHA and EPA showed significant positive correlations with PFOS and PFOA in blood. There was also a significant regional difference in the blood levels of PFOS and PFOA, with medians being highest in the Tokai/Hokuriku/Kinki region. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the concentrations of PFOS in blood were mainly associated with fish consumption and that the levels of PFOS and PFOA were mainly associated with the serum levels of liver enzymes in Japanese populations. Further investigations are required to clarify the reason for the regional differences in blood levels of PFOS and PFOA in Japan.