著者
Michio Shimabukuro Yoshimasa Hasegawa Moritake Higa Rie Amano Hirotsugu Yamada Shunsaku Mizushima Hiroaki Masuzaki Masataka Sata
出版者
Japan Atherosclerosis Society
雑誌
Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis (ISSN:13403478)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.22, no.8, pp.854-868, 2015-08-26 (Released:2015-08-26)
参考文献数
35
被引用文献数
10 8

Aim: The prevalence of overweight and a change in atherosclerotic lipid profiles may be linked to region-specific differences in atherosclerotic diseases. We evaluated whether the lipid phenotype could be linked to region- and sex-specific differences in the degree of atherosclerosis.Methods: Non-diabetic subjects included Okinawa (n=1674) and Nagano (n=1392) residents aged 30–75 years who underwent carotid ultrasonography for the measurement of maximum intima-media thickness (max IMT).Results: Average max IMT was higher in Okinawa men and women, and the increase in max IMT with age was enhanced in men. Multiple regression analysis showed that in addition to age and systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were IMT determinants only in men for both Okinawa and Nagano. Meanwhile, HDL-cholesterol was a determinant for Okinawa men and women, but not for Nagano men and women.Conclusions: This is the first report to show region- and sex-specific differences in the determinants for max IMT in a Japanese population. The evaluation of the relationship between lipid profile patterns and region- and sex-specific differences in carotid atherosclerosis burden may be required.
著者
Yukio YAMORI Longjian LIU Katsumi IKEDA Ayako MIURA Shunsaku MIZUSHIMA Tomohiro MIKI Yasuo NARA on Behalf of the WHO-Cardiovascular Disease and Alimentary Comparison (CARDIAC) Study Group
出版者
The Japanese Society of Hypertension
雑誌
Hypertension Research (ISSN:09169636)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.24, no.4, pp.453-457, 2001 (Released:2002-03-29)
参考文献数
18
被引用文献数
89 111

There is considerable interest in the association between taurine (2-aminoethanesufonic acid) and risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD), but little information has been made available on the distribution of taurine in populations around the world. The present study aimed to describe the differences in taurine excretion levels and their associations with IHD mortality rates in 24 populations in 16 countries worldwide. This was a multicenter cross-sectional study. In each center, 100 men and 100 women aged 48-56 years were selected randomly from the local populations. Twenty-four hour urinary taurine excretion was measured using an amino acid analyzer (Hitachi 835, Ibaragi, Japan). Age-adjusted IHD mortality rates in the relevant populations were calculated using the direct standard method. The results indicated that (a) percentiles 25%, 50% and 75% of the distributions of 24-h taurine excretion showed large variations in the study populations. Median values of taurine ranged from 191.6 μmol/day (St John, Canada) to 2,180.6 μmol/day (Beppu, Japan) in males, and from 127.5 μmol/day (Moscow, Russia) to 1,590.0 μmol/day (Beppu, Japan) in females. The highest overall median value of taurine was found in the Japanese population samples, followed by the Chinese samples (Shanghai and Taiwan). European, North American and oceanic Caucasians, however, had much lower median values of taurine, except in the cases of the samples from France and Spain. (b) Median values of taurine were significantly associated negatively with age-adjusted IHD mortality rates across the 24 study population samples in men (R2=0.42, p<0.01), and in women (R2=0.55, p<0.01). These negative associations remained significant after adjustment for serum total cholesterol, body mass index and urinary sodium to potassium ratios. In conclusion, the study provides, for the first time, a cross-sectional database on distribution of 24-h urinary taurine excretion in 24 population samples worldwide. A strong and inverse association between population levels of taurine excretion and IHD mortality was observed. (Hypertens Res 2001; 24: 453-457)
著者
Sho Nishiguchi Nagisa Sugaya Kentaro Sakamaki Shunsaku Mizushima
出版者
International Research and Cooperation Association for Bio & Socio-Sciences Advancement
雑誌
BioScience Trends (ISSN:18817815)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.11, no.1, pp.54-61, 2017-02-28 (Released:2017-03-22)
参考文献数
39
被引用文献数
2 11

The end-of-life (EOL) care bonus introduced by the Japanese government works as a financial incentive and framework of quality preservation, including advance care planning, for EOL care among nursing home residents. This study aims to clarify the effects of the EOL care bonus in promoting EOL care in nursing homes. A longitudinal observational study using a questionnaire was conducted. We invited 378 nursing homes in Kanagawa prefecture in Japan, a region with a rapidly aging population, to participate in the study. The outcome was the number of residents dying in nursing homes from 2004 to 2014. In a linear mixed model, fixed-effect factors included year established, unit care, regional elderly population rate and hospital beds, adjacent affiliated hospital, full-time physician on site, physician's support during off-time, basic EOL care policy, usage of the EOL care bonus, EOL care conference, and staff experience of EOL care. A total of 237 nursing home facilities responded (62.7%). The linear mixed model showed that the availability of the EOL care bonus (coefficient 3.1, 95 % CI 0.67-5.51, p = 0.012) and years of usage of the EOL care bonus (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with increased numbers of residents dying in nursing homes. Our analysis revealed that the EOL care bonus has the potential to increase the number of residents receiving EOL care in nursing homes over several years. EOL care conferences, physician support for emergency care during off-time, and the presence of an adjacent affiliated hospital may also increase the number of residents receiving EOL care in nursing homes. These results suggest that a government financial incentive may contribute to effective EOL care among nursing home residents in other developed countries with rapidly aging populations.