PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Shunichi Araki

Publications and source records attributed to Shunichi Araki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Relationship between cumulative effects of smoking and memory CD4+ T lymphocyte subpopulations.

Previous studies have found that smoking is a strong factor that increases peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocytes. However, most studies did not assess the cumulative long-life exposure of smoking on differential lymphocyte populations. In this study, to clarify the association of smoking habits and circulating lymphocytes, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 60 male current smokers. Smoking status was estimated by number of cigarettes smoked per day, smoking years, and Brinkman Index (BI) as calculated by multiplying the number of cigarettes smoked per day by the smoking years. Counts of CD4+CD45RO+CD69+ T and CD4+CD45RO+ T lymphocytes were strongly and positively correlated with BI and remained highly significant after controlling for alcohol drinking, leisure-time physical activity, and caffeine intake (r(p)>.465, p<.001). These lymphocytes were also significantly correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day and smoking years, but the association was weaker than the BI. The findings suggest that the CD4+CD45RO+CD69+ T and CD4+CD45RO+ T lymphocytes are sensitive to cumulative effect of smoking, and may serve as a potential immuno-biomarker for active smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Non-fatal occupational injury among active and passive smokers in small- and medium-scale manufacturing enterprises in Japan.

Active smoking is a risk factor for occupational injury, whereas its association with passive smoking is unknown. To evaluate the contribution of active and passive smoking to non-fatal occupational injury in manufacturing sectors, 2302 randomly selected workers aged 16-83 years working in 244 small- and medium-scale enterprises in Yashio city, Japan, were surveyed by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Smoking history, exposure to passive smoking, and occupational injury were evaluated by self-report. Exposure levels to passive smoking were assessed separately at work and at home as never, occasional, or regular exposure. Overall, 61.4% of men and 22.3% of women were current smokers. Among never smokers, 62.2% of men and 68.6% of women reported exposure to passive smoking either at work or home. Prevalence of occupational injuries was 36.2% for never, 43.3% for former, and 41.2% for current smokers among men and 19.7% for never, 22.2% for former, and 25.2% for current smokers among women. Among never smoking men, odds ratios (ORs) of occupational injury were 2.11 when regularly exposed to passive smoking at work or at home (p=0.025), 2.27 at work (p=0.015), and 3.08 at home (p=0.106), in comparison to never smoking men who were never exposed to passive smoking either at work or at home (referent group). These associations were attenuated to be non-significant, after controlling for potential confounders. Never smoking men with occasional exposure to passive smoking were not significant ORs (1.11-1.19). In contrast, current and former smoking men had significant increases in adjusted ORs (1.57-2.00). In women exposed to smoking there was a non-significant increase in occupational injury. The present study indicates an expected increase in the risk of, occupational injury for current and former smoking men and suggests that exposure to passive smoking is a possible risk factor for never smoking men.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

Impact of psychosocial job stress on non-fatal occupational injuries in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises.

BACKGROUND: Workers involved in manufacturing are known to comprise a high-risk population for occupational injury, and this risk is greater in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between psychosocial job stress and occupational injuries among workers in SMEs. METHODS: One thousand forty-nine men and 721 women from 244 SMEs participated in this study. Perceived job stress was evaluated with the Japanese version of the generic job stress questionnaire, which covered 14 job stress variables. Occupational injury was assessed by self-report during the last 1-year period. RESULTS: Workers with high quantitative workload (odds ratio [OR] = 1.55 for men, 1.62 for women), high cognitive demands (OR = 1.70 for men, 1.53 for women), and low job satisfaction (OR = 1.33 for men, 1.93 for women) had a significantly increased risk of occupational injury in the multivariate model. High variance in workload (OR = 1.70) and high job future ambiguity (OR = 1.35) in men, and low job control (OR = 2.04) and high intragroup conflict (OR = 1.66) in women were significantly associated with occupational injury. In manufacturing/production workers, high quantitative workload (OR = 1.91), high variance in workload (OR = 2.02), and high depressive symptoms (OR = 1.55) were significantly associated with injury in men, while low social support from colleagues (OR = 2.36) or family (OR = 2.51) was related to injury in women. CONCLUSIONS: These data point to an independent relationship between psychosocial job stress and self-reported occupational injury in SMEs.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

The prevalence and correlates of occupational injuries in small-scale manufacturing enterprises.

Workers involved in small-scale manufacturing businesses are known to comprise a high-risk population for occupational injury. The present study investigated the prevalence and correlates of occupational injury in this population. A self-administered questionnaire that solicited answers about occupational information including injury, demographic characteristics, health conditions and lifestyle factors was collected from a sample of 1,298 workers in 228 small-scale manufacturing enterprises (defined as fewer than 50 workers) aged 16-78 (mean 46) yr in Yashio city, Saitama, Japan (response rate 65.5%). The enterprises were randomly selected from the 2000 edition of the city commercial directory corresponding to the distribution of types of businesses in the city. Occupational injury was assessed by asking subjects, ;Have you ever been injured during your work, including minor scratches and cuts in the previous 1-yr period?' The possible response was either ;yes' or ;no.' The prevalence of study-defined occupational injury among the workers was 35.6% (male 43.0%, female 17.9%). Among job types, manufacturing (44.2%) and driving (43.5%) had high rates of occupational injuries. Similarly, occupational injuries were high in the papermaking (54.5%) and machinery (47.7%) industries. For males, younger age, current or former smoking, insomnia symptoms, and disease(s) currently under treatment were correlated with injury, whereas for females, being unmarried, higher educational status, and insomnia symptoms were the correlating factors. Occupational injury is common among small-scale manufacturing businesses, and is associated with multiple controllable factors. Countermeasures such as prohibiting smoking during work, sleep health education, job safety training for young/inexperienced workers are appropriate methods for eliminating or reducing injuries.

Accidents, Occupational↗
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↗
PubMed2006

Decreases in CD8+ T, naive (CD4+CD45RA+) T, and B (CD19+) lymphocytes by exposure to manganese fume.

To examine the effects of exposure to manganese (Mn) on the cellular and humoral immune system in men, T lymphocyte subpopulations, B (CD19+) lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, and serum immunoglobulins (i.e., IgG, IgA and IgM) together with total T (CD3+) lymphocytes and total lymphocytes were measured in blood samples from 21 welders mainly exposed to Mn fume with blood Mn (BMn) concentrations of 0.6-2.3 (mean 1.4) microg/dl and 21 healthy controls working in the same factory (BMn concentrations: 0.7 to 1.7, mean 1.1 microg/dl). The workers engaged in welding for 6 to 36 (mean 17) yr. All the study subjects were divided into 3 equally sized groups (n=14 for each group) according to BMn concentrations. Numbers of CD8+ T, total T (CD3+), B (CD19+), and total lymphocytes were significantly lower in high-BMn group than those in low-BMn group; the numbers of CD8+ T lymphocytes were significantly lower in moderate-BMn group compared to low-BMn group. After adjusting for age and smoking, significant inverse correlations between BMn concentrations and CD4+CD45RA+ T, CD4+ T, CD8+ T, CD3+ T, and total lymphocytes were found. We conclude that T lymphocytes, especially CD8+ and CD4+CD45RA+ T lymphocytes, as well as CD19+ B lymphocytes are affected by exposure to Mn fume.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Job strain and sick leave among Japanese employees: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: The present study is an investigation of the association between job stress, determined on the basis of a demand-control model or worksite social support at the baseline, and absence due to illness among employed Japanese males and females. METHODS: We analyzed 448 male and 81 female subjects who had taken no sick leave in the year preceding the baseline (1997) and observed them all until 1999. A self-administered questionnaire was the source information collected. It consisted of questions on socio-demographic variables, occupations, health-related behavior, a Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire, and the number of absences in the year preceding both the baseline and follow-up. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine how the characteristics of a job at the baseline affected sickness absence of 5 days or longer per year; controls were established for the gender, age, level of education completed, occupation, number of cigarettes smoked daily, and the amount of alcohol consumed weekly. RESULTS: Compared to the lowest tertile of the ratio of demand to control (job strain), the highest tertile was significantly associated with an increased risk of sickness absence of 5 days or longer per year (odds ratio 3.02; 95%CI 1.00-9.16) at follow-up. The dose-response relationship was supported (p for trend <0.05). However, individual variables of job demand, job control, and worksite social support were not significantly associated with the risk of absence from illness. CONCLUSIONS: The study provided prospective evidence that job strain leads to an increased risk of sick leave among Japanese employees.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Effects of pesticides on the peripheral and central nervous system in tobacco farmers in Malaysia: studies on peripheral nerve conduction, brain-evoked potentials and computerized posturography.

We examined the effects of pesticides on the central and peripheral nervous system in the setting of a tobacco farm at a developing country. Maximal motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities (MCV and SCV, respectively) in the median, sural and tibial nerves, postural sway, and brain-evoked potentials (auditory event-related and visual-evoked potentials) were measured in 80 male tobacco farmers and age- and sex-matched 40 controls in Kelantan, Malaysia. Median SCV (finger-wrist) in farmers using Delsen (mancozeb, dithiocarbamate fungicide), who showed significant decrease of serum cholinesterase activities, were significantly lower compared with the controls. Sural SCV in farmers using Fastac (alpha-cypermethrin, pyrethroid insecticide) and median MCV (elbow-wrist) in farmers using Tamex (butralin, dinitroaniline herbicide) were significantly slowed compared with their respective controls. In Delsen (mancozeb, dithiocarbamate) users, the power of postural sway of 0-1 Hz was significantly larger than that in the controls both in the anterior-posterior direction with eyes open and in the right-left direction with eyes closed. The former type of sway was also significantly increased in Tamaron (methamidophos, organophosphorus insecticide) users. In conclusion, nerve conduction velocities and postural sway seem to be sensitive indicators of the effects of pesticides on the central and peripheral nervous system.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Sleep-related risk of occupational injuries in Japanese small and medium-scale enterprises.

A cross-sectional study evaluated the contribution of daily sleep habits to occupational injuries. A self-administered questionnaire solicited answers about sleep, symptoms of depression, occupational injury, demographics, presence of diseases and lifestyle factors from 2,903 workers between the ages of 16-83 (mean 45) yr in small and medium-scale enterprises. Eight sleep habits were queried and dichotomized: 1) less or more than 6 hr of daily sleep, 2) taking more or less than 30 min to fall asleep (Difficulty initiating sleep; DIS), 3) awakening during sleep more or less than 3 times/wk (Difficulty maintaining sleep; DMS), 4) early morning awakening more or less than 3 times/wk (EMA), 5) definitely/somewhat difficulty waking up or not, 6) sleeping very poorly/not so well at night or not, 7) definitely/somewhat insufficient nightly sleep or not, and 8) difficulty in breathing during sleep more than once/week or less. Occupational injury was assessed by asking subjects 'Have you ever been injured during your work, including minor scratches and cuts (Yes/No)?' Both sleep and injury were assessed over the previous one year period. One-third of workers answered that they had experienced injury. Workers with sleep features of DIS, sleeping poorly at night, insufficient sleep, and insomnia had a significantly higher prevalence for injury after adjusting for multiple confounders. The findings suggest that poor nocturnal sleep habits are associated with self-reported occupational injury.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

Job stress, social support, and prevalence of insomnia in a population of Japanese daytime workers.

To clarify the relationship between perceived job stress, social support and prevalence of insomnia in Japanese daytime workers, 1161 male white-collar employees of an electric equipment manufacturing company (age, 23-60 years, mean age of 37.0) were surveyed by means of a mailed questionnaire. Perceived job stress was evaluated with the Japanese version of the generic NIOSH job stress questionnaire. Insomnia was diagnosed if workers had at least 1 of 3 types of symptoms on an almost nightly basis. The symptoms were (1) taking more than 30 min to fall asleep (Difficulty Initiating Sleep, DIS), (2) difficulty in maintaining sleep (DMS), or (3) early morning awakening (EMA). The overall prevalence of insomnia was 23.6% and the prevalences of the three subtypes were 11.3% for DIS, 14.2% for DMS, and 1.9% for EMA. Workers with high intragroup conflict (OR 1.6), high job dissatisfaction (OR 1.5), and high symptoms of depression (OR 2.0) (CES-D > 16) had a significantly increased risk for insomnia after adjusting for multiple confounding factors. Low employment opportunities, physical environment and low coworker support also were weakly associated with risk for insomnia among workers. Furthermore, high depressive symptoms significantly increased the risk of DIS (OR 2.4). Therefore in white-collar male daytime workers, psychological job stress factors such as interpersonal conflicts with fellow employees, job satisfaction, and social support were independently associated with a modestly increased risk of insomnia that included three different subtypes that were considered to be defining for the disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effects of urbanization, economic development, and migration of workers on suicide mortality in Japan.

The relationships between male or female age-adjusted suicide mortality and social life factors for all 47 Japanese prefectures in 1980, 1985 and 1990 were investigated by stepwise multiple regression analysis after classification of 20 social life indicators by factor analysis. During this period, Japan experienced the second economic crisis (the so-called secondary oil crisis) in 1980-1983 and economic prosperity (bubble economy) in 1986-1990. In all the three years, male suicide mortality was significantly related inversely to the urbanization and economic development factor, the result of which was consistent with the data in our previous study for the years 1970 and 1975. Similarly, the male mortality was positively related to the factor of migration of workers in the three years. No factor significantly related to female mortality for all the three years was found. It is suggested that (1) urbanization was a major determinant which prevented male suicide mortality during the past 20 years (1970-1990) in Japan; (2) migration of workers became an important factor for male suicide mortality during these 10 years; and (3) female suicide mortality was less vulnerable to social life factors for these 20 years than the male mortality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Association of sickness absence with poor sleep and depressive symptoms in shift workers.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the contribution of daily sleep habits and depressive symptoms to sickness absences of shift workers. A self-administered questionnaire that solicited answers about sleep, symptoms of depression, sickness absence, diseases/injuries, and lifestyle factors was submitted to a sample of 522 rotating shift workers between the ages of 18-59 (mean 27) yrs of an electric equipment manufacturing company. The seven features of sleep queried were daily hours of sleep, time to fall asleep, awakening during sleep, early morning awakening, sleep well at night, sufficiency of sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness at work. The responses were assessed over the subject's previous 1-yr period. Each sleep feature, except daily sleeping hours, was dichotomized by the following responses: (1) taking more than 30min to fall asleep (difficulty initiating sleep; DIS), (2) awakening during sleep almost every day (difficulty maintaining sleep; DMS), (3) early morning awakening almost every day (EMA), (4) sleeping very poorly or not so well at night, (5) definite or somewhat insufficient nightly sleep, and (6) excessive daytime sleepiness at work almost every day (EDS). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Sickness absence was calculated by asking subjects "How many days in total have you been absent from work due to sickness, including paid vacation, in the last 1-yr period?" The responses were divided into three groups that included no (0 days) sickness absences (reference group, n=235 subjects), 1 to 4 days (short-term, n=199 subjects), and 5 days or more (long-term, n = 88 subjects). Compared to the prevalence of sleep features of the reference group, workers with short-term absence showed a significantly higher prevalence of EMA with an odds ratio (OR) of 5.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-22.0. Long-term absence was significantly associated with DMS (OR = 2.1, 95%CI 1.0-4.6), EMA (OR = 5.6, 95%CI 1.0-28.7), sleeping poorly at night (OR= 2.6, 95%CI 1.4-5.0), and high depressive symptoms (OR = 2.0, 95%CI 1.0-3.7) according to the CES-D score of >16, after adjusting for multiple confounding variables. These data point to an association between both the parameters of poor sleep and symptoms of deep depression when self-reported sickness absence is frequent. The association is particularly strong with long-term absence in male shift workers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Broccoli consumption and chronic atrophic gastritis among Japanese males: an epidemiological investigation.

Previous in vitro and animal experiments have shown that sulforaphane, which is abundant in broccoli, inhibits Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and blocks gastric tumor formation. This suggests that broccoli consumption prevents chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) introduced by H. pylori infection and, therefore, gastric cancer. For an epidemiological investigation of the relationship between the broccoli consumption and CAG, a cross-sectional study of 438 male employees, aged 39 to 60 years, of a Japanese steel company was conducted. CAG was serologically determined with serum cut-off values set at pepsinogen I < or = 70 ng/ml and a ratio of serum pepsinogen I/pepsinogen II < or = 3.0. Broccoli consumption (weekly frequency) and diet were monitored by using a 31-item food frequency questionnaire. The prevalence of CAG among men who ate broccoli once or more weekly was twice as high as that among men who consumed a negligible amount (P < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that broccoli consumption once or more weekly significantly increased the risk for CAG (odds ratio, 3.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-8.38; P < 0.05), after controlling for age, education, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption. The present study failed to show an expected association between frequent broccoli consumption and a low prevalence of CAG.

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↗
PubMed2004

The influence of work characteristics on body mass index and waist to hip ratio in Japanese employees.

A cross-sectional study on 6,676 workers consisting of 4,243 males and 2,433 females aged 20-58 yr in a metal product factory was conducted to elucidate the relationship between work characteristics, e.g. job demand/control/support, sedentary job, overtime work and shift work, and waist to hip ratio (WHR) as well as body mass index (BMI) taking alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise and other psychosocial factors such as education and marital status into account. By a stepwise multiple regression analysis, BMI was associated with shift work, marital status and sedentary job for males, and with exercise but inversely associated with education for females. WHR was also associated with shift work, alcohol consumption, marital status and sedentary job but inversely associated with exercise for males, and with sedentary job, marital status and education but inversely associated with smoking for females. These results suggest that work characteristics such as sedentary job and shift work should also be considered when trying to prevent increases in BMI and WHR.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Relationship between increased blood lead and pregnancy hypertension in women without occupational lead exposure in Tehran, Iran.

This study was conducted to assess the relationship between blood lead levels and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Participants were 110 pregnant women, of whom 55 were hypertensive, 27 +/- 5.6 yr of age (mean +/- standard deviation) (range = 17-40 yr); the other 55 women were age- and gravidity-matched normotensive controls. Participants were selected on the basis of their medical history and the results of a questionnaire-based interview. Subjects were at gestational ages 37 +/- 2.5 wk (range = 30-41 wk) and were not occupationally exposed to lead. Blood samples were collected within 24 hr after delivery, and blood lead levels were measured. For the hypertensive cases, blood lead levels were 5.7 +/- 2 microg/dl (range = 2.2-12.6 microg/dl [0.27 +/- 0.10 micromol/l; range = 0.11-0.60 micromol/l]), which were significantly higher than those of the control group (i.e., 4.8 +/- 1.9 microg/dl; range = 1.9-10.6 microg/dl [0.23 +/- 0.09 micromol/l; range = 0.09-0.51 micromol/l]). There were no significant differences in blood lead concentrations among hypertensive subjects with proteinuria (n = 30) and those without proteinuria (n = 25). Results of this study indicated that low-level lead exposure may be a risk factor for pregnancy hypertension.

Adolescent↗