Biomedical subjects

Hisanori Hiro

Publications and source records attributed to Hisanori Hiro.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Job strain, worksite support, and nutrient intake among employed Japanese men and women.

BACKGROUND: The association of job strain (as defined by the job demands/control model) and worksite support with nutrient intake is not clear. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted of 25,104 workers employed in nine companies in Japan. Job strain and worksite support were assessed using the Job Content Questionnaire. Daily intake of 17 nutrients was measured using a dietary history questionnaire. Data from 15,295 men and 2,853 women were analyzed, controlling for age, education, marital status, occupation, and study site. RESULTS: Among men, job strain was positively associated with average daily intakes of fat, vitamin E, cholesterol, poly- and mono-unsaturated fatty acids (p for trend<0.05), and worksite support was positively associated with average daily intakes of total energy, crude fiber, retinol, carotene, vitamins A, C, and E, cholesterol, and saturated fatty acid (p for trend<0.05). Among women, worksite support was positively associated with average daily intakes of total energy, protein, vitamin E, and polyunsaturated fatty acid (p for trend<0.05). However these differences were generally small. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that job strain and worksite support were only weakly and inconsistently associated with nutritional intakes. It does not seem that changes in nutritional intakes explain the association between job strain or worksite support and coronary heart disease.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

[Nationwide survey of alcohol drinking and alcoholism among Japanese adults].

PURPOSE: To investigate the characteristics of alcohol use among Japanese adults and prevalence of alcohol dependence in Japan, we conducted a nationwide survey on alcohol drinking behavior and alcohol dependence among Japanese adults using a representative sampling method. METHODS: We sampled 3500 adults from throughout the entire country using a stratified random sampling method with two-step stratification, and carried out a home visit interview survey. A total of 2547 people (72.8%) responded to the survey. The survey period was June, 2003. The questionnaire contained questions about the frequency and quantity of alcohol use, 'hazardous use of alcohol' and 'alcohol dependence' according to the ICD-10 definition, several screening scales on problem use of alcohol (CAGE, KAST, AUDIT), life-time prevalence of 24 alcohol related diseases, smoking status, dysgryphia, and nightcap drinking. RESULTS: The number of respondents was, 1184 males, and 1363 females. Lifetime alcohol drinking, and weekly drinking, and daily drinking rates were 95.1%, 64.4%, and 36.2% for males, 79.0%, 27.5%, and 7.5% for females, respectively. Average daily alcohol consumption was 3.7 units for males, and 2.0 units for females (1 unit = 10 g pure alcohol). The proportion of drinkers who drank alcohol 4 units or more daily was 28.9% for males, and 7.6% for females, and that for 6 units or more was 12.7% for males, and 3.4% for females. The proportion of flasher was 41.2% for males, and 35.0% for females. Among screening questions, problem drinking was most frequently identified using AUDIT (score 12 points or more, 150 persons), followed by KAST (2 points or more, 100 persons) and CAGE (2 points or more, 98 persons). The number of subjects who met the ICD-10 criteria for alcohol dependence was 24, while the number who engaged in hazardous alcohol use was 64. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that problem drinking and alcohol dependence are a serious problem in Japanese general population. The problem of females drinking may be growing. The government should emphasize the prevention of alcohol drinking problems in adults and continue the conduct of nationwide prevalence surveys to monitor the problem.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Possible association between heavy computer users and glaucomatous visual field abnormalities: a cross sectional study in Japanese workers.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study the association between computer use and visual field abnormalities (VFA) and to assess whether heavy computer users have an increased risk of glaucoma. DESIGN: Cross sectional multicentre study. Subjects and observation procedures: A total of 10 202 randomly selected Japanese workers (mean (SD) age 43.2 (9.8) years) were screened for VFA using the frequency doubling technology perimetry (FDT-VFA), in addition to undergoing a general medical check up, and then ophthalmologically examined. Information about their computer use and refractive errors was obtained from a questionnaire and interview, respectively. MAIN RESULTS: As a result of FDT test, 522 and 8602 subjects were positive and negative for FDT-VFA, respectively. A significant (p = 0.004) interaction was found between computer use and refractive errors regarding the risk of FDT-VFA. In stratified analysis, heavy computer users with refractive errors showed a significant positive association with FDT-VFA (odds ratio (OR) = 1.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28 to 2.37), while those without refractive errors did not. Comparison of 165 subjects with an ophthalmological diagnosis of glaucoma and 2918 controls showed that the OR for glaucoma of heavy computer users with refractive errors was 1.82 (95% CI 1.06 to 3.12). Of 165 subjects with glaucoma, 141 had refractive errors, especially myopia (96.4%, 136 of 141). CONCLUSIONS: Although there are limitations to this study, such as its cross sectional design, heavy computer users with refractive errors seem to have an increased risk of FDT-VFA. Glaucoma might be involved in an underlying disease and myopia in a risk factor for FDT-VFA.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Occupational class and exposure to job stressors among employed men and women in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between occupational class and exposure to job stressors among employed men and women in Japan remains unclear. METHODS: Data of 16,444 men and 3,078 women were analyzed. The information was obtained from answers to a questionnaire distributed among employees of nine companies in Japan between 1996 and 1998 (average response rate, 85%). The International Standardized Classification of Occupations was used to classify respondents into eight occupational categories. The Job Content Questionnaire was used to measure job demands, job control, worksite support, and job insecurity. The associations between occupational class and job stressors, as well as job strain, were examined controlling for age, education, marital status, chronic medical condition, and personality traits, such as neuroticism and extraversion. RESULTS: Men and women in high-class occupations (e.g., managers and professionals) had significantly greater job control, while job demands and worksite social support were not greatly different among occupations. A clear occupational class gradient in job insecurity was observed in women. A greater prevalence of high job strain was observed in low-class occupations compared to high-class occupations in both men and women. The occupational class gradient in job strain was greater for women. These patterns did not change after controlling for other covariates. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests an occupational class gradient in job strain for employed men and women in Japan. Japanese women workers may have a greater occupational class gradient in job strain and job insecurity than men.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Laterality of the performance of glaucoma mass screening using frequency-doubling technology.

PURPOSE: This study investigated laterality during the performance of glaucoma mass screening with a frequency-doubling technology perimetry test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A frequency-doubling technology screening mode (C-20-1, version 2.6) test was performed on both eyes of 14,784 persons. Subjects with visual field abnormalities detected by the frequency-doubling technology test or with fixation error underwent retesting without a specified interval for rest. Consequently, 206 subjects who fulfilled the screening criteria of the frequency-doubling technology-based glaucoma screening protocol [FDT-GSP(+)] were further investigated using the Humphrey visual field analyzer (30-2). As a result, 74 right eyes and 57 left eyes were shown to have definite glaucoma. RESULTS: Frequency-doubling technology data for the left eye demonstrated a significantly (P<0.001) higher rate of artifacts, such as no reproducibility of results between the first and second tests (left/right: 2.4%/1.7%) as well as fixation errors (left/right: 2.8%/1.0%). The false-positive rate of the FDT-GSP for glaucoma was more than 1.5-fold higher in the left eye than in the right eye (16.3%/9.8%). In the case that either eye exhibited FDT-GSP(+), the positive predictive value of the FDT-GSP for definite glaucoma in the left eye was almost half of that in the right eye (28.4% vs. 53.8%). Specificity of the FDT-GSP for detection of definite glaucoma also exhibited a lower trend (P = 0.097) in the left eye (44.6%) than in the right eye (55.3%), but the sensitivity of the test was similar in both eyes (91.2% vs. 90.5%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: When frequency-doubling technology-based mass screening is performed on the general population, performance is lower for the left eye than for the right eye. This performance disparity is likely to be primarily associated with a difference in specificity.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Performance of glaucoma mass screening with only a visual field test using frequency-doubling technology perimetry.

PURPOSE: To report the performance of glaucoma mass screening with only a visual field test utilizing frequency- doubling technology (FDT) perimetry in general populations. DESIGN: Hospital and population-based cross-sectional study. METHODS: This study took place in a multicenter setting. One hundred three consecutive glaucomatous patients and 14,814 persons were randomly selected. We had created a glaucoma screening protocol (GSP) using FDT perimetry (FDT-GSP). Frequency-doubling technology-glaucoma screening protocol was tested on consecutive glaucoma patients diagnosed with Humphrey visual field analyzer (30-2 SITA standard), and then FDT-GSP was applied to general populations. Frequency-doubling technology-glaucoma screening protocol positive subjects were ophthalmologically diagnosed. Detection ability of FDT-GSP was determined in consecutive patients, and the positive predictive value (PPV) of FDT-GSP to detect definitive glaucoma was estimated in general populations. RESULTS: Frequency-doubling technique-glaucoma screening protocol detected 83.3% and 100% of definitive glaucoma patients with an early (mean deviation [MD] > -6 dB) and more advanced stage (MD < or = -6 dB), respectively. In the population-based screening, there were 660 (4.5%) subjects who had positive FDT-GSP, including 512 in whom no visual field abnormalities (VFA) had been pointed out previously. Of them, 370 subjects underwent ophthalmologic diagnosis. Then, 266 (71.9%, 266/370) subjects had a glaucomatous disk and 167 had definitive glaucomatous VFA. Fifty-five (14.9%) and 39 (10.5%) subjects were diagnosed as having other diseases and as normal, respectively. The PPV of FDT-GSP ranged from 32.6% (167/512)-45.1% (167/370). CONCLUSIONS: Frequency-doubling technology-based screening with only a visual field test showed reasonable performance on mass screening for detection of definitive glaucoma in this study population, considering the glaucoma prevalence.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

[A survey of utilization of and problems with the MSDS in chemical substances management at workplaces in Kanagawa Prefecture].

Kanagawa Occupational Health Promotion Center conducted a survey on how the MSDS is utilized at workplaces with more than 50 employees handling chemical substances, and what measures are taken to help employees to thoroughly understand information in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Questionnaires were sent out to 265 enterprises in Kanagawa prefecture, putting questions to industrial physicians and industrial hygiene supervisors. The objective of the survey was to find out how MSDS is adopted in the system to manage occupational health, what improvements the survey respondents want in MSDS and what expectations the respondents have of our center. 193 enterprises (72.8%) returned answers to the questionnaire. The major findings are as follows. (1) In many companies, information on hazardous/toxic materials is "controlled by a division using such materials", and roughly half of the companies have compiled a common list shared throughout the company. (2) For the most part suppliers submit to the MSDS. Larger companies have a higher rate of posting up or filing the MSDS at their workplaces. Only 25.8% of the companies "rewrite the MSDS so that workers can understand it." (3) Companies that carry out a hazard/toxicity assessment before introducing a new chemical substance account for 72.1%, which is higher than we expected. It indicates that even though the companies don't manage the MSDS adequately, they are highly concerned about hazard control of chemical substances. (4) The rate of answering that "the current MSDS is not easy to understand" is higher among large-sized enterprises and lower among enterprises with fewer than 300 employees. (5) Asked what improvement needs to be made on the MSDS, the industrial physicians and industrial hygiene supervisors gave same answers such as "Workers find the terminology difficult to understand." and "Levels of toxicity can't be clearly identified." (6) The respondents expect our center to provide information for the MSDS. In conclusion, it is considered that in order to prepare understandable MSDSs to workers in enterprises, the role of our center to provide information and education on the MSDS to respondents was important.

Hazardous Waste↗