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Shuji Hashimoto

Publications and source records attributed to Shuji Hashimoto.

53 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Serum oxidized low-density lipoprotein levels and risk of colorectal cancer: a case-control study nested in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in carcinogenesis, but few epidemiologic studies have examined associations with risk of colorectal cancer. Relationships between serum levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and oxLDL antibody (oLAB) and colorectal cancer risk were investigated in a case-control study nested in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk. Serum samples and lifestyle information were collected at baseline from 39,242 men and women between 1988 and 1990. Of these, 161 incidents and deaths from colorectal cancer were identified through 1999, and 395 controls were matched for gender, age, and study area. Measurements were taken of serum oxLDL levels in 119 cases and 316 controls and serum oLAB levels in 153 cases and 376 controls. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) across quartiles, adjusted for confounding factors, were 1.55 (0.70-3.46), 1.90 (0.84-4.28), and 3.65 (1.50-8.92) for oxLDL (P(trend) = 0.004) and 0.98 (0.54-1.80), 0.75 (0.39-1.48), and 1.68 (0.90-3.13) for oLAB (P(trend) = 0.140). Further adjustment for serum total cholesterol and alpha-tocopherol did not materially change these associations. Odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of the highest quartile of serum oxLDL compared with the lowest quartile was 3.40 (1.09-10.58; P(trend) = 0.045). Analyses restricted to colon cancer cases and corresponding controls yielded similar relationships between serum oxLDL and oLAB levels and risk. In conclusion, higher levels of serum oxLDL may increase risk of colorectal cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Usefulness of conscious sedation with midazoram during transesophageal echocardiographic examination].

OBJECTIVES: Although transesophageal echocardiography is useful to identify various cardiovascular diseases, the semi-invasive nature of the examination hampers its routine application. We investigated whether conscious sedation using a low dose of intravenous midazoram was safe and useful during the examination. METHODS: We asked 55 consecutive patients undergoing transesophageal echocardiography (44 with midazoram, mean age 59 +/- 16 years, and 11 without midazoram, mean age 62 +/- 8 years) and the examiners about the effects of midazoram using a questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean dose of midazoram was 2.2 mg (range 1-3.5 mg). All examinations were done without any adverse events. Eighty-two percent of the patients with midazoram considered the examination under conscious sedation tolerable, whereas 91% without midazoram felt it untolerable. Most examiners felt manipulation of the echo probe was easier in patients with midazoram than in those without (69% vs 27%). CONCLUSIONS: Conscious sedation with a low dose of intravenous midazoram facilitated and increased patient tolerance during transesophageal echocardiographic examination.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

A comparison of error detection rates between the reading aloud method and the double data entry method.

Data entry and its verification are important steps in the process of data management in clinical studies. In Japan, a kind of visual comparison called the reading aloud (RA) method is often used as an alternative to or in addition to the double data entry (DDE) method. In a typical RA method, one operator reads previously keyed data aloud while looking at a printed sheet or computer screen, and another operator compares the voice with the corresponding data recorded on case report forms (CRFs) to confirm whether the data are the same. We compared the efficiency of the RA method with that of the DDE method in the data management system of the Japanese Registry of Renal Transplantation. Efficiency was evaluated in terms of error detection rate and expended time. Five hundred sixty CRFs were randomly allocated to two operators for single data entry. Two types of DDE and RA methods were performed. Single data entry errors were detected in 358 of 104,720 fields (per-field error rate=0.34%). Error detection rates were 88.3% for the DDE method performed by a different operator, 69.0% for the DDE method performed by the same operator, 59.5% for the RA method performed by a different operator, and 39.9% for the RA method performed by the same operator. The differences in these rates were significant (p<0.001) between the two verification methods as well as between the types of operator (same or different). The total expended times were 74.8 hours for the DDE method and 57.9 hours for the RA method. These results suggest that in detecting errors of single data entry, the RA method is inferior to the DDE method, while its time cost is lower.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2003

Annual incidence rate of infectious diseases estimated from sentinel surveillance data in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The estimation of incidence rates of infectious diseases based on the sentinel surveillance data is rather rare. We attempted to estimate these in 2000 in Japan by the surveillance data, and to evaluate their biases. METHODS: We used the incidences of influenza-like illness and 12 pediatric diseases in each of the sentinel medical institutions in Japan based on surveillance data in 2000. The incidence in all medical institutions was estimated under the assumption that the sentinel medical institutions were randomly selected. The possible bias of this estimate was evaluated in comparison with the hypothetical true incidence obtained as the total incidence in all medical institutions estimated by a regression model using the numbers of all disease outpatients per day from the National Survey of Medical Care Institutions of Japan. RESULTS: The estimated annual incidence rate was 75.6 (95% confidence interval: 72.3-78.7) per 1,000 population in influenza-like illness, and ranged from 1.1 (95% confidence interval: 1.0-1.2) to 285.2 (95% confidence interval: 270.2-300.3) per 1,000 population aged 0-19 years among 12 pediatric diseases. The ratio of the estimated incidence to the hypothetical true one was 1.06-1.26 among influenza-like illness and the 12 pediatric diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence rates of influenza-like illness and pediatric diseases in 2000 in Japan were estimated from sentinel surveillance data. The rates obtained provide some useful but not always accurate information. Thus, further research is necessary.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

The relationship between smoking habits and serum levels of 8-OHdG, oxidized LDL antibodies, Mn-SOD and carotenoids in rural Japanese residents.

This study investigated the relationship between smoking habits and serum levels of 8-OHdG, oxidized LDL antibodies (oLAB), Mn-SOD, and carotenoids. Subjects were 79 males (mean age +/- standard deviation; 62.1 +/- 10.0 years) and 79 females (60.3 +/- 10.3 y) who attended a health examination screening in the town of Hokkaido, Japan. Serum 8-OHdG, Mn-SOD, and oLAB levels were measured by ELISA and serum carotenoids levels were measured by HPLC. Smoking habits were assessed by public health nurses using a questionnaire. Serum 8-OHdG levels were significantly higher in males than in females. On the other hand, serum levels of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin and lutein were significantly lower in males than in females. Serum beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin and lutein were significantly lower in males who were current smokers, compared to non-smokers. Serum 8-OHdG levels were also significantly higher in current smokers. Furthermore, in males, serum oLAB and beta-carotene levels were significantly and negatively correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Serum Mn-SOD levels were unrelated to smoking habits in males. In conclusion, this preliminary study suggests that cigarette smoking increases serum 8-OHdG levels and reduces serum levels of oLAB and carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin and lutein in healthy male subjects. Serum levels of 8-OHdG, oLAB, and carotenoids may be useful biomarkers of oxidative conditions affected by smoking.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗
PubMed2003

Smoking and colorectal cancer in a non-Western population: a prospective cohort study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The risk of colorectal cancer in relation to smoking habits has been examined mostly in Caucasians, and evidence for other ethnic groups is still scarce. METHODS: Our data came from the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study. From 1988 through 1990, 25,260 men and 34,619 women aged 40-79 years completed a questionnaire on cigarette smoking and other lifestyle factors. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated by fitting proportional hazards models. RESULTS: During the mean follow-up of 7.6 years through December 1997, we documented 408 incident colon cancers and 204 rectal cancers. We found a non-significant increase in colon cancer risk in male current smokers compared with never smokers. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios were 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72-1.59) for ex-smokers and 1.23 (95% CI: 0.85-1.78) for current smokers. We however failed to observe a clear dose-response relationship between smoking intensity or duration and colon cancer risk. The adjusted hazard ratio was 1.07 (95% CI: 0.71-1.61) even for 40+ years of smoking. Almost no increase in colon cancer risk was detected for female smokers, and male smokers were not at an enhanced risk of rectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking was not a strong risk factor for colorectal cancer even after a long-term exposure, although a weak association remains open to discussion.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

HIV/AIDS surveillance in Japan, 1984-2000.

The HIV/AIDS surveillance system in Japan, which began collecting data on the number of AIDS patients in 1984 and the number of HIV-infected persons in 1987, has played an important role in monitoring the trend and magnitude of Japan's HIV/AIDS epidemic and its distribution across various population subgroups. However, the system lacks any personal identifiers, making it impossible to eliminate duplication or to track cases for disease progression. It also does not permit the identification of the residence of HIV-infected persons because the residence of only the reporting physician is documented under the New Infectious Diseases Control Law, effective since April 1, 1999. The number of people with HIV/AIDS in Japan continues to grow. Among youth, sexually transmitted diseases, induced abortion, and sexual activities have shown a marked increase since the mid-1990s. Behavioral risk of infection for both injection drug users (IDUs) and men who have sex with men (MSM) remains alarmingly high. Accurate monitoring of infection rates is critical to the planning and evaluation of treatment, care and prevention programs. Japan should restructure its HIV/AIDS surveillance system to more accurately monitor the HIV/AIDS epidemic and related risk behaviors.

Female↗
PubMed2003

[Successful treatment of the backward-bending attack due to generalized spasm in stiff-person syndrome with intravenous immune globulin therapy].

We report a 63-year-old man with stiff-person syndrome, who dramatically responded to the treatment with high dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). He developed stiffness of the right leg and low back five years ago. He was treated with oral diazepam 6 mg/day and showed a marked improvement. He had been maintained on the same dose since then. In 2000, he began to have episodic generalized spasm and painful spasm of his left leg as well as persistent stiffness of his legs and low back. Findings on the physical examination were normal except for a prominent hyperlordosis with co-contracture of the lumbar paraspinal and abdominal muscles. Neurologic examination revealed stiffness in the lower limbs, more marked on the left side, and lower truncal muscles. The left leg had painful spasm, which was provoked by tactile stimuli. There was severe generalized spasm which made him suddenly bend backward. These backward-bending attacks were provoked spontaneously or reflexively by sudden tactile stimuli. He was unable to arise from a chair or stand without assistance. His deep tendon reflexes on both legs were brisk and Babinski sign was negative. He had no diabetes mellitus and thyroid function was normal. Antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase(GAD), antinuclear antibody, thyroid peroxidase autoantibody and antithyroglobulin autoantibody in the serum were present. His painful spasm was disappeared and muscle stiffness was moderately improved by treatment with oral diazepam and clonazepam, but backward-bending attacks due to generalized spasms were not controlled. He received IVIG. Three days after the administration of IVIG, these attacks disappeared completely. Subsequently muscle stiffness improved. One week after, he was able to walk without assistance. IVIG may be useful for treatment of generalized spasm, which had no response to treatment with diazepam or clonazepam.

Humans↗
PubMed2002

Physical condition and activity of daily living among HIV patients infected through blood products in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the present status and trends in physical condition and activity of daily living (ADL) among patients infected HIV by blood products in Japan. METHODS: Data from a survey of 605 HIV patients infected through blood products were available quarterly between April 1997 and March 2000. Physical condition (summary index of 13 symptoms) and ADL in the first quarter of 2000 were assessed by comparing proportions of patients in good physical condition and having good ADL according to the level of CD4 counts and the use of antiretroviral treatments. Trends in those proportions during the study period were investigated, and these trends were also assessed by the changes in CD4 counts and antiretroviral treatments. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of patients in good physical condition was 70.6% and having good ADL was 65.7% in the first quarter of 2000, which was associated with the CD4 counts and antiretroviral therapy. The proportion of patients in good physical condition decreased from 79.2% to 66.2%, and ADL also decreased from 72.1% to 61.3% during the study period. These declines were presumably associated with the changes in CD4 counts and antiretroviral treatments.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2002

[Factors associated with self-rated health for non-institutionalized aged persons].

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors affecting self-rated health among the non-institutionalized elderly in Japan. METHODS: In 20 municipalities in Japan, 6,094 persons aged 65 years and older who were not institutionalized were selected at random. A questionnaire survey was conducted from September through November 2000. The distribution of self-rated health was rated in terms of dependent variables, with odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals calculated using unconditional logistic models. RESULTS: Of the study population, 5,565 persons (91.8%) responded to the survey. Of the respondents, 64.4% answered that they were healthy, while 28.8% were not. The necessity for periodical visit to hospitals and clinics, and lowering of the activity of daily living greatly lowered self-rated health. Compared with those who were 85 years of age or older, a high health status was observed among those aged between 75 and 84 years, but not those aged 65 to 74 years. Those who tried to have exercise periodically, who had a vice-leadership role in a group, who joined social activities, who lived what they considered a worthwhile life, and who had positive positive activities in daily life, had high levels of self-rated health. Joining social activities for passive reasons elevated the health as well as joining for active reasons such as "because it is fun." CONCLUSION: Even if the reason is passive, joining social activities may elevate the self-rated health levels of elderly people.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

[A case of Gogi aphasia with predominantly left temporal and parietal lobe atrophy].

We report a 68-year-old right-handed Japanese woman who had a history of progressive difficulty in understanding speech and naming. Neuropsychological examination presented Gogi (word meaning) aphasia and impairment of semantic memory for some common objects. She also presented acalculia and mild constructional impairment. There was no evidence of impairment in elementary perception and motor skills. Her memory performance of visual task was within normal range. She had neither personality change nor behavioral disorder. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed atrophy in the left temporal lobe and the left parietal lobe. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans demonstrated a decrease of regional cerebral blood flow in the atrophic sites and the left frontal lobe. We pointed out that the atrophy of the parietal lobe was atypical in the early stage of cortical degenerative disease presenting Gogi aphasia, in addition to in the light of classification of Fronto-Temporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD).

Aged↗
PubMed2002

[Nutrient intake of elderly people with care need and caregivers based on data of the Comprehensive Survey of the Living Conditions of People on Health and Welfare and the National Nutrition Survey in Japan].

OBJECTS: This study examined the nutritional intakes of elderly people with care needs and of the caregivers, using data of the Comprehensive Survey of the Living Conditions of People on Health and Welfare and the National Nutrition Survey in 1995. METHODS: Four groups were categorized: elderly people with care needs (65 and older, n = 83), female caregivers (40 and older, n = 95), other elderly people (65 and older, n = 1,818), and other women (40 and older, n = 3,477). The ratios of intakes to dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for energy and 8 nutrients (protein, fat, calcium, iron, vitamin A/B1/B2/C), as well as salt, were compared among those four groups. RESULTS: Mean ratios to DRIs in elderly people with care needs were 108% for energy, 85% for calcium, and 101-224% for the other 7 nutrients. Mean salt intake in this group was 11.0 g/day. For many nutrients, ratios to DRIs were significantly lower than those in other elderly people. Mean ratios to DRIs in caregivers were 104-294% for energy and the 8 nutrients, and mean salt intake was 12.8 g/day, with no significant differences from date for other women. CONCLUSION: This study cast light on the status of the nutrient intake in elderly people with care needs and their caregivers. It was suggested that calcium intake was insufficient in the former.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Association between serum leptin concentration and white blood cell count in middle-aged Japanese men and women.

BACKGROUND: Leptin's hematopoietic or proinflammatory role has been experimentally reported. We investigated whether serum leptin concentrations are associated with white blood cell (WBC) counts in humans. METHODS: Serum leptin concentrations of Japanese civil servants aged 40 to 59 years (1082 men and 200 women) were analyzed in relation to their WBC count. Serum leptin concentrations and WBC counts were measured by radioimmunoassay and automated particle counter respectively, using samples obtained at the time of the participants' annual health checkups. RESULTS: The geometric mean (+/-geometric standard deviation) leptin concentrations were 3.25 +/- 1.82 ng/mL and 6.25 +/- 3.99 ng/mL, and the geometric mean WBC counts, 5770 +/- 1269/mm(3) and 5107 +/- 1228/mm(3), in men and women respectively. The WBC count adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and drinking and smoking habits increased together with the increase in leptin concentration. Multiple linear regression against WBC count by the leptin concentration and those covariates revealed a significant and independent association with serum leptin concentration especially in women (standardized beta = 0.31, p < 0.001), and also in men (standardized beta = 0.17, p < 0.001). BMI was not significantly associated with WBC counts in the multivariate model adjusting for leptin levels in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are in line with leptin's hematopoietic or proinflammatory functions. The increased WBC counts often observed in obese people would be mediated by the increased leptin concentration.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Perceived psychologic stress and colorectal cancer mortality: findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between perceived psychologic stress and colorectal cancer mortality in a prospective large-scale study. METHODS: Between the years 1988 and 1990, 32,153 men and 45,854 women aged 40 to 79 years were enrolled. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that addressed demographic, lifestyle, and psychosocial characteristics. Subjects were subsequently followed for mortality until the end of 1999. Perceived psychologic stress was assessed using the question "Do you feel stress during your daily life?" The 4 possible responses, ranging from "little or none" (1) to "extreme" (4), were dichotomized as low (1 or 2) or high (3 or 4) stress. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for colon and rectal cancer according to the perceived level of stress were estimated using Cox's proportional hazard model. RESULTS: During the follow-up period (average, 9.6 years), 193 colon cancer deaths (96 men and 97 women) and 127 rectal cancer deaths (88 men and 39 women) were confirmed within the study group. Women who reported high stress had a 1.64-fold higher risk of colon cancer mortality (multivariate-adjusted RR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.01-2.66) compared with those reporting low stress. There was no significant association between perceived stress and female rectal cancer or male colon and rectal cancer mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived psychologic stress was weakly associated with increased mortality from colon cancer in women. No positive or inverse association was found in men. Further studies are needed to confirm our results.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Extracting the principal behavior of a probabilistic supervisor through neural networks ensemble.

In this paper, we propose a model of a neural network ensemble that can be trained with a supervisor having two kinds of input-output functions where the occurrence probability of each function is not even. This condition can be likened to a learning condition, in which the learning data are hampered by noise. In this case, the neural network has the impression that the learning supervisor (object) has a probabilistic behavior in which the supervisor generates correct learning data most of the time but occasionally generates erroneous ones. The objective is to train the neural network to approximate the greatest distributed input-output relation, which can be considered to be the principal nature of the supervisor, so that we can obtain a neural network that is able, to some extent, to suppress the ill effect of erroneous data encountered during the learning process.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between obesity and serum markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in Japanese.

The present study was conducted to assess the relationship between obesity and serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), carotenoids, oxidized LDL (oxLDL), oxidized LDL antibodies (oLAB), and leptin in Japanese residents. The subjects were 158 males and 158 females aged 40-79 years, and living in Hokkaido, Japan, who attended a health examination screening. Serum levels of CRP, oxLDL, oLAB, and leptin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and serum carotenoid levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as body weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared and obesity was defined as BMI of 25 or more (kg/m2). Serum levels of CRP and leptin were significantly higher in the obese group than in their non-obese counterparts in both genders. Serum levels of beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin were lower in the obese individuals, especially in females. While values for oxLDL and oLAB did not significantly vary. BMI was positively correlated with log-transformed serum levels of CRP and leptin in both genders (males: r=0.231, p<0.05; females: r=0.305, p<0.001). In females, moreover, BMI was negatively correlated with log-transformed serum levels of beta-carotene, zeaxanthin/lutein, and beta-cryptoxanthin (r=-0.244, p<0.01; r=-0.200, p<0.05; r=-0.207, p<0.01, respectively). Significantly higher odds ratios (ORs) for high serum levels of CRP (males: OR=2.12; females: OR=3.96) and leptin (males: OR=3.83; females: OR=9.07) were observed in obese versus non-obese men and women, after adjusting for various confounding factors. Significantly lower adjusted odds ratios for high serum levels of alpha- and beta-carotenes (males: OR=0.23, 0.33; females: OR=0.35, 0.39, respectively) were also observed in the obese as compared to the non-obese group. In conclusion, obesity is highly associated with states of oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation in Japanese residents, suggesting that these latter might play an important role in the association between a high BMI and certain cancers as well as coronary heart disease (CHD).

Adult↗