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Biomedical subjects

H Iso

Publications and source records attributed to H Iso.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Light-dark discrimination after sciatic nerve transplantation to the sectioned optic nerve in adult hamsters.

In adult golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), the optic nerve was bilaterally sectioned with one side grafted with the sciatic nerve to make a bridge to the ipsilateral superior colliculus. Shuttle-box avoidance was tested using light as the conditioned stimulus. Three of the five transplanted animals revealed statistically significant increase in percentages of avoidance. A significant increase in the avoidance scores was also observed in 15 normal hamsters, but none of 13 blind hamsters showed such an increase. Intertrial responses, which represent spontaneous responses, did not show significant changes. We conclude that some of the transplanted animals can discriminate between light and dark, probably through their restored visual pathway.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Plasma fibrinogen and its correlates in Japanese and US population samples.

In a preliminary 1987 study, we reported that the plasma fibrinogen level was significantly higher in Caucasian American men than Japanese men. To confirm this finding, we used data from 1,020 Japanese men and women in a 1989-1991 Akita, Japan, population study and from > 15,000 men and women from the 1986-1989 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. To examine further the correlates of plasma fibrinogen level, subsamples of nonsmoking Akita Japanese (n = 150) and Minneapolis Caucasians (n = 150) were also studied separately in 1990. Compared with the Japanese in the Akita study, Caucasians and African Americans in ARIC had a 23-40 mg/dL higher age-adjusted fibrinogen level for men and a 25-67 mg/dL higher level for women. In the subsample, the mean plasma fibrinogen value was 288 mg/dL in Caucasian men and 248 mg/dL in Japanese men (test for difference: p < 0.001). Women showed a similar racial difference: 300 mg/dL in Caucasians and 257 mg/dL in Japanese (p < 0.001). There were weak but positive correlations of plasma fibrinogen with age and body mass index and weak inverse correlations with alcohol intake, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides in most of the sex-race groups. For women, plasma fibrinogen was positively associated with menopause and inversely associated with the use of hormone replacement therapy. Total fish intake was inversely associated with plasma fibrinogen in all sex-race groups, and the association was statistically significant for Caucasian men.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Asian People↗
PubMed1993

Associations of serum total cholesterol, different types of stroke, and stenosis distribution of cerebral arteries. The Akita Pathology Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relation between serum total cholesterol levels and stroke is controversial. The Akita Pathology Study provides data on the association of serum total cholesterol, different types of stroke, and distribution of stenosis in cerebral arteries. METHODS: The data are based on 750 autopsied men aged 30 years and older who were admitted to a local hospital in northeast Japan between 1966 and 1984. The overall autopsy rate was 88%. The grade of stenosis in the cerebral arteries was determined blindly by one pathologist using Baker's method for basal cerebral arteries (atherosclerosis scores) and using microscopic examination of a single basal ganglion slide for the intracerebral penetrating arteries (arteriolosclerosis scores). RESULTS: The age-adjusted mean value of serum total cholesterol concentration was 164 mg/dL for cerebral hemorrhage, 177 mg/dL for infarction in penetrating artery regions, and 200 mg/dL for infarction in cortical artery regions. Mean serum cholesterol was lower in deaths caused by cerebral hemorrhage than in those caused by myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular disease. Mean atherosclerosis score of basal cerebral arteries was low for cerebral hemorrhage, intermediate for penetrating artery infarction, and high for cortical artery infarction. Stenosis of both basal and penetrating arteries was minimum or absent in cases of cerebral hemorrhage. Only the basal arteries were stenotic in cases of cortical artery infarction, whereas both basal and penetrating arteries were stenosed in cases of penetrating artery infarction. There were positive associations of serum cholesterol with stenosis of basal and penetrating arteries. Among cases of cerebral hemorrhage, serum total cholesterol levels were even lower in men with no significant stenosis in either basal or penetrating arteries than in men with stenosis in either type of artery. CONCLUSIONS: The association of serum cholesterol with pathogenesis varies among stroke types. Elevated serum cholesterol levels were associated with the presence of cortical artery infarction, while low serum cholesterol levels were associated with cerebral hemorrhage.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Population-based comparative study on dietary habits and serum fatty acid compositions].

Appropriate dietary instruction on fat intake is required for Japanese to prevent coronary heart disease because there has been a consistent increase in fat intake during the past two decades. To gain fundamental information for dietary instruction, we examined the relation between dietary habits related to fat and serum fatty acid compositions in women aged 40-69 of four Japanese populations (fishing, coastal farming, inland farming and urban populations) and a Caucasian population in which different dietary habits have been reported. Among Japanese, dietary intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (in particular omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acid) were higher in the urban population than in the other populations. Intake of omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids did not vary among the Japanese populations, but intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were higher in fishing and coastal farming populations than in the other two populations. Serum concentrations and compositions of omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids (mostly linoleic acid) were higher in the urban and inland farming populations than in the other two populations whereas those of omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (in particular eicosapentaenoic acid) showed the opposite trend. The proportion of omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids was higher and that of omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids was lower in Caucasian women than in the Japanese populations. The ratio of omega 3 (polyunsaturated fatty acids) to omega 6 was highest in the fishing population (ratio = 0.38), intermediate in coastal farming (0.35), urban (0.27) and inland farming (0.24) populations, and lowest in Caucasians (0.07). Within populations, the percentage of serum omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids increased with the increase of frequency of meat intake and oil intake. The percentage of serum omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids increased with the increase in frequency of fish intake. Because there are evident associations between the frequency of fish, meat and oil intake and serum fatty acid compositions, a frequency questionnaire on these foods would be useful for dietary instruction in the prevention of coronary heart disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Dietary habits and serum fatty acid compositions of women college students--changes in serum lipids and fatty acids by dietary education].

To obtain fundamental information for prevention of coronary heart disease in young adults, frequency of dietary intake, blood lipid and serum fatty acid compositions were examined for 114 female students. The relationship of selected food intake to serum fatty acid composition was also examined. Results of a nutritional survey were used to identify students who had a frequency of fish intake of "none" or "1-2 times/week" from whom random selection into two groups was accomplished: control group (n = 31) and education group (n = 31). The education group received a recommendation for increasing fish intake for 3 months. The effect of the education program was evaluated by examination of blood lipids, serum fatty acid compositions and frequency of dietary intake. Fifty-four percent of the students reported "none" or "1-2 times/week" for the frequency of fish intake, and 76% of them reported "1 and more times/day" for oil intake. The proportion of serum saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids were 28.9%, 24.4%, 46.8%, respectively. Of the polyunsaturated fraction, 41.4% was omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids, and that of omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids was 5.4%. The omega 3/omega 6 ratio was 0.13. Serum omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids was directly related to frequency of fish intake, and serum omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acid, especially linoleic acid, was directly related to frequency of oil intake. After a 3-month education program, the frequency of fish intake and meat intake increased, while frequency of oil intake decreased in the education group. Serum omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acid (in particular eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid) increased in the education group, but not in the control group. The omega 3/omega 6 ratio increased from 0.13 to 0.18 in the education group. These results indicate that dietary education for fish intake is effective in increasing serum omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the omega 3/omega 6 ratio for female students with initial low intake of fish and a high intake of omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Effectiveness of a community-based education program on blood pressure reduction for cardiovascular disease prevention].

To evaluate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification community-based programs on blood pressure reduction, blood pressure changes were examined according to frequency of attendance at these adult classes. The subjects were 1,017 men and women aged 40-69 who participated in a survey from 1985 to 1987, whose blood pressure was > = 140 mmHg for systolic, and/or > = 90 mmHg for diastolic and/or with antihypertensive medication use in the earlier 1981-1984 surveys. Adult classes were conducted eleven times between 1982 and 1987, emphasizing primarily reduction of salt intake, weight control if necessary, and alcohol modification. Blood pressure changes between 1981-1984 and 1985-1988 were examined in relation to the number of classes attended, stratified by antihypertensive medication use. In the group with no medication use in both surveys (n = 347), there was a significantly larger decline in systolic and diastolic blood pressures with an increase in the number of classes attended (p < 0.001). A similar trend was observed in other groups: a starting medication group (n = 198), a quitting medication group (n = 100) and a continuous medication group (n = 372). The blood pressure trend in the no medication group remained significant after controlling for age, initial blood pressure, follow-up years and the number of follow-up screenings attended. For the no medication group, there was no significant association between the number of classes attended and changes in relative weight index and alcohol intake. The proportion of persons reporting dietary modification of reduction in salt was larger, and mean 24-hour urine sodium excretion was smaller, with increasing number of classes attended in the 1985-1988 surveys. Furthermore, the proportion of persons who were able to reduce salt intake between the two survey periods was higher with an increase in the number of classes attended. Mean urine sodium excretion was smaller in those who reported reduction of salt intake than those who did not. Although this study is not a randomized controlled trial, these results suggest that a community-based education program of adult classes can be effective in reduction of blood pressure levels through modification of diet.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Report of the Conference on Low Blood Cholesterol: Mortality Associations.

BACKGROUND: A National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Conference was held October 9-10, 1990, to review and discuss existing data on U-shaped relations found between mortality rates and blood total cholesterol levels (TC) in some but not other studies. Presentations were given from 19 cohort studies from the United States, Europe, Israel, and Japan. A representative of each study presented its findings and also submitted tables of proportional hazards regression coefficients for entry TC levels in regard to death, and these were incorporated into a formal statistical overview adjusted for age, diastolic blood pressure, cigarette smoking, body mass index, and alcohol intake, as available. METHODS AND RESULTS: The U-shape for total mortality in men and the flat relation in women resulted largely from a positive relation of TC with coronary heart disease death and an inverse relation with deaths caused by some cancers (e.g., lung but not colon), respiratory disease, digestive disease, trauma, and residual deaths. Risk for combined noncardiovascular, noncancer causes of death decreased steadily across the range of TC. The conference considered possible explanations for the statistical associations found between low TC levels or active TC lowering and certain causes of death. One is that TC is lowered by some disease conditions themselves, such as wasting in chronic pulmonary disease or reduced production and secretion of cholesterol-bearing lipoproteins with liver disease. In this sort of situation, the TC:mortality association found in observational studies may be due to preexisting disease. This was addressed by excluding early deaths from the analysis, which did not change the results. The conference considered as well the biological function of cholesterol, which, if seriously deranged, might hypothetically cause a wide variety of diseases and dysfunction. The conference also considered the biological functions that might provide plausible mechanisms for the associations found. CONCLUSIONS: Definitive interpretation of the associations observed was not possible, although most participants considered it likely that many of the statistical associations of low or lowered TC level are explainable by confounding in one form or another. The conference focused on the apparent existence and nature of these associations and on the need to understand their source rather than on any pertinence of the findings for public health policy. Further research is recommended to explain the observed associations of low TC levels (and TC lowering) with certain noncardiovascular diseases. This includes studies of the time course of TC change in disease, the relation of TC to morbidity, further studies of possible epidemiological confounding, monitoring of population trends in TC and mortality, further studies of the relations in women, auditing of noncardiovascular events in trials, studies of cell membrane, genetic and molecular links to cholesterol metabolism, TC level and disease, studies of disease manifestations in specific lipid disorders, and further study of the proposed causal mechanisms linking low TC and hemorrhagic stroke.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1992

[Spatial and quantitative analysis of the QRS and T waves by Frank-lead orthogonal electrocardiography in normal children. Comparative study in an early and late cord-clamping groups in newborns].

We studied a spatial and quantitative analysis of QRS and T waves by Frank-lead orthogonal electrocardiography (afterwards; ECG) in 50 cases of normal newborns, 30 cases of infants, 50 cases of adults, and also the variation in age was investigated. In the newborns, the comparative study was made serially, longitudinally in 21 infants with an early clamping of the cord and 29 infants with a late clamping of the cord. The results are mainly as follows. 1) The parameters reflecting the cardiac electromotive force of the right ventricle such as Sx, Qz and Sx+Qz decreased with aging. 2) Rx, i.e., the maximum leftward projection of QRS vector increased until the children, probably because the left ventricle was dominant in their growth and development and in the increased amount of work. A subsequent reduced value in the adults was considered to be mainly due to an increase of the distance between the heart and electrode by the increase in the thorax, particularly the transverse diameter and due to the growth in subcutaneous fat and muscle. 3) The values of Rx/Sx increased with aging. Rx and Sx in the adults were less than those in the children, but Rx/Sx was larger than that of Rx because Sx was less than Rx. 4) Age-related changes of Tz was most characteristic and was negative up to several days after birth. T vector was in forward direction and then turned positive (in backward). This was greatest at the period of the infants. Subsequently, it turned negative in the childhood, and extent was maximum in the adults.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[A nested case-control study of risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction classified by computed tomographic findings].

Risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and cerebral infarction (CI), were studied by a prospective study of 7,390 men and women aged 40-69 without a history of stroke living in three rural populations in Japan. Baseline examinations were done for populations in Akita-Ikawa and Akita-Ishizawa in 1975-1979, and for Ibaraki-Kyowa in 1981-1987, and followed until 1989 for Akita-Ikawa and Ibaraki-Kyowa and 1987 Akita-Ishizawa. There were 246 stroke cases diagnosed by clinical criteria during the follow-up period in which 74 percent (n = 181) had data from computed tomography (CT) performed within three weeks of the onset. According to these CT-findings, 181 stroke were classified as 48 with ICH, 50 with CI in penetrating artery regions (penetrating artery infarction), 33 with CI in cortical artery regions (cortical artery infarction), and 31 with subarachnoid hemorrhage while there were 19 with stroke without any evident CT abnormality. Cortical artery infarction was further classified as embolic type (n = 17) and thrombotic type (n = 9) according to clinical findings of the onset and presence of possible embolic sources such as atrial fibrillation, congenital heart disease, myocardial infarction and heart valve diseases. Using a nested case-control design, risk variables at baseline examination were compared between 131 stroke cases, 48 ICH and 83 CI, with 655 controls matched for sex, age (+/- 3), and the follow-up year. Univariate analysis showed that high blood pressure was associated with all types of stroke. From conditional logistic regression analysis significant risk variables were found to be high blood pressure for ICH and penetrating artery infarction, while atrial fibrillation and ST-T abnormality in electrocardiogram (ECG) were risk variables for cortical artery infarction. Associations with hypertensive or arteriosclerotic changes in ocular fundus were stronger for penetrating artery infarction than ICH and cortical artery infarction. ST-T abnormality in ECG was associated with embolic type cortical artery infarction and high blood pressure was associated with the thrombotic type, although the number of cases were small. Compared to controls, cortical artery infarction showed a higher mean value of serum total cholesterol for thrombotic type cortical infarction, and lower mean values for embolic type and ICH, but none of them reached statistical significance. The present study also suggests that duration of hypertension varied with type of stroke. ICH may develop due to acute effects of hypertension, while penetrating artery infarction and cortical artery infarction develop by chronic effects of hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Calcium intake and blood pressure in seven Japanese populations.

The relation between dietary calcium and blood pressure was examined in 1,928 men, ages 40-69 years, from five geographic and two occupational populations in Japan. Dietary calcium intake was estimated using 24-hour dietary recall in systematic samples of participants of population-based cardiovascular surveys from 1983 to 1987. The means of daily calcium intake of the study populations ranged from 449 to 695 mg, approximately 300 mg lower than the recommended US dietary calcium intake. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the relation between dietary calcium and blood pressure within each population, controlling for age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, and sodium intake. Total calcium intake was inversely associated with the systolic blood pressure level in each population, and the pooled estimate of the regression coefficients for millimeters of mercury of blood pressure per 100-mg increase in calcium intake was -0.54 (95% confidence interval -0.89 to -0.19). The inverse association between calcium intake and diastolic blood pressure was less consistent, and the pooled estimate did not reach statistical significance (-0.10, 95% confidence interval -0.34-0.14). Inverse associations existed for both dairy and nondairy food sources of calcium when analyzed separately, and the association was significant only for dairy calcium. Although a causal relation between dietary calcium and blood pressure cannot be established, these results suggest a possible public health implication in Japan of increasing calcium intake for the prevention and control of hypertension, where average dietary calcium intake is low.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The relation of body fat distribution and body mass with haemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and blood lipids in urban Japanese men.

The relation of body fat distribution and body mass with haemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and blood lipids were examined in 874 men aged 40 to 59 not taking medication for diabetes mellitus and who worked for an urban company in Japan. Body fat distribution was measured by the waist hip circumference ratio. Body mass was estimated by Quetelet index. Haemoglobin A1c was measured from casual venous blood samples by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Measurement of haemoglobin A1c was validated by a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test conducted in a 7% sample. There was a dose-response relation between waist-hip ratio and haemoglobin A1c concentration while the relation between body mass index and haemoglobin A1c was not evident. Using linear regression to control for age, serum total cholesterol, usual alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and body mass index, the positive association between waist-hip ratio and haemoglobin A1c remained significant (p = 0.02). This was not true for the positive association between body mass index and haemoglobin A1c (p = 0.32). Both waist-hip ratio and body mass index were positively associated with blood pressure and serum total cholesterol, and inversely associated with HDL-cholesterol. The associations of waist-hip ratio with blood pressure and blood lipids were significant after controlling for body mass index. Therefore, the waist-hip ratio is a correlate of both glucose abnormalities and known coronary risk factors in urban Japanese men even when body mass is controlled for.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[The effect of storage on serum fatty acids].

To investigate the effect of storage on serum fatty acids, we examined the composition of serum fatty acids in samples from healthy men stored at different temperatures for various periods of time. The following experimental storage conditions were studied: 1) 4 degrees C for three weeks, 2) -20 degrees C for 12 months and 3) -80 degrees C for 24 months. The fatty acid composition did not change after two-week storage at 4 degrees C. At -20 degrees C, there was a decline in the content of docosapentaenoic acid (22: 5, omega 3) after one month, and docosahexaenoic acid (22: 6, omega 3) after three months. However, omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acid as a whole did not show a significant change. At -80 degrees C, there was a decline of docosapentaenoic acid after three months, arachidonic acid (20: 4, omega 6) after 12 months, and linoleic acid (18: 2, omega 6) after 24 months. As a whole, omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids did not change. Omega 6-Polyunsaturated fatty acids significantly declined 5% after 24 months. Therefore, it is recommended that serum fatty acids be measured within two weeks at 4 degrees C, within a few months at -20 degrees C and within one year at -80 degrees C to estimate the composition of the major fatty acids.

Blood Specimen Collection↗
PubMed1991

[A community-based education program for serum cholesterol reduction in urban hypercholesterolemic persons--comparison of intensive and usual education groups].

A community-based education program was conducted for persons found to be hypercholesterolemic by screening during cardiovascular surveys, in an urban population, to evaluate the feasibility and effect of the program in primary prevention of coronary heart disease. The subjects were men and women aged 40-64 living in the suburbs of Osaka whose serum total cholesterol was between 240 and 299 mg/dl in both the 1988 and the 1989 surveys. Persons with hypothyroidism, those taking medication for hypercholesterolemia or hypertension, and with a history of stroke and coronary heart disease were excluded. Of the 111 persons who were eligible, 104 persons were recruited for the program on March, 1989. The 104 persons were randomly assigned to either an intensive education group (n = 51) or a usual education group (n = 53). For the intensive education group, seven education classes were held from April to November, 1989. Lectures, practice sessions, interviews, and spot cholesterol measurements were conducted in a local community center. The usual education group received a letter with results from the 1989 survey and dietary instruction in April 1989 and an education class in September 1989. Mean serum cholesterol in the intensive education group showed a 10.0 mg/dl greater reduction in September 1989 and a 9.0 mg/dl greater reduction in March 1990 than in the usual education group (p less than 0.05) while mean HDL-cholesterol did not change in either groups. The intensive education group reported a larger decrease in the dietary frequency of chicken egg, poultry skin and small fishes, foods which are rich in saturated fat and cholesterol. The frequency of fatty meat, butter and fish eggs was low in both groups and did not differ between the two groups after the one-year program. These results indicate that a population-based education program is feasible and effective in reducing serum total cholesterol of hypercholesterolemic persons.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[A population-based study of the proportion by type of stroke determined by computed tomography scan].

To investigate the proportion by type of stroke in communities, a stroke surveillance was conducted in three rural populations between 1979 and 1987. Among 411 stroke patients aged 40 and over determined by the modified Millikan's stroke criteria, the type of stroke was analyzed using computed tomography (CT) criteria for 273 patients who were examined by CT. 1. Incidence rates of stroke determined by the modified Millikan's criteria did not vary among the three populations in all age-sex groups except for men aged 60-69. 2. The proportion of stroke patients who had CT examinations was 84-88% for men and women aged 40-69 in the three communities. 3. According to the CT criteria, the proportion by type of stroke in patients aged 40-69 in the three communities was 32% for cerebral hemorrhage, 16% for subarachnoid hemorrhage, 42% for cerebral infarction and 10% for unspecified stroke without CT abnormalities. Among the total with cerebral infarction, the proportion with cerebral infarction in penetrating artery regions, mostly lacunar infarction, was 65% and that of infarction in cortical artery regions, mostly thromboembolic infarction, was 35% for patients aged 40-69. 4. Cerebral infarction in cortical artery regions was classified further into embolic, thrombotic and unspecified types based on CT findings, the presence of embolic origin, and symptoms at the onset. The proportion of these three types of infarction were similar in patients aged 40-69. Compared with hospital-based studies in Japan, the present population-based study showed a higher proportion of cerebral infarction and infarction in penetrating artery regions. This study also indicated that the proportion of cerebral hemorrhage and infarction in penetrating artery regions was higher and that of infarction in cortical artery regions lower in Japanese than in Caucasians.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Secular trends in prevalence and incidence of atrial fibrillation and associated factors in a Japanese rural population].

To investigate secular trends in prevalence and incidence of atrial fibrillation and associated factors, data from population studies of a northeast rural Japanese community, were explored. Cross-sectional studies for men and women aged 40-69 year were conducted in 1963-1966, 1972-1975 and 1984-1987. Age-adjusted prevalence rates of atrial fibrillation show no significant change in both men and women during these three periods. Over 80% of atrial fibrillation in each period showed no clinical evidence of rheumatic valvular disease, myocardial infarction, idiopathic cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease and hyperthyroidism. Cohorts of men and women aged 40-69 year without atrial fibrillation at baseline were constructed in 1963-1966 (1,920 persons) and in 1972-1975 (2,325 persons) and followed until 1974 and 1987, respectively. In both cohorts, incidence of atrial fibrillation without these organic diseases was positively associated with hypertension related funduscopic abnormality and urine protein. Age-adjusted incidence rates of atrial fibrillation declined in both men and women between the two cohorts. This decline which was greater in hypertensives than in normotensives may in part reflect improvements in hypertension control in this community.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Hemostatic variables in Japanese and Caucasian men. Tissue plasminogen activator, antithrombin III, and protein C and their relations to coronary risk factors.

Mortality rates of coronary heart disease are much lower in Japan than in the United States. The authors' previous report on coagulation factors showed that population levels of plasma fibrinogen and factor VII activity parallel this mortality difference. To investigate other hemostatic variables, the authors assessed indicators of fibrinolytic activity (tissue plasminogen activator antigen) and coagulation inhibition (antithrombin III activity and protein C) in 136 men aged 34-55 years in four different samples: rural Japanese, urban Japanese, Japanese Americans, and Caucasian Americans. Mean tissue plasminogen activator antigen was higher in Caucasians and Japanese Americans than in rural and urban Japanese (p less than 0.01), while a contrasting trend in mean antithrombin III activity was suggested (p = 0.10). No significant differences were observed in mean levels of protein C. After controlling for known coronary risk factors, mean levels of tissue plasminogen activator antigen remained significantly different across the four samples (p less than 0.01); mean antithrombin III activity was not different (p = 0.23). Population differences in tissue plasminogen activator antigen parallel the coronary heart disease mortality difference between Japan and the United States. Although no definite evidence is available showing that tissue plasminogen activator antigen is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, the present study suggests a positive ecologic association between this hemostatic factor and coronary heart disease mortality.

Adult↗