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[Studies on the nontuberculous lung mycobacteriosis in Japan. (Report of the study in the year 1987 and 1988 of the Mycobacteriosis Research Group of the Japanese National Chest Hospitals)--pulmonary infection caused by Mycobacterium kansasii has begun to appear in all over Japan including north Japan Hokkaido].

UNLABELLED: In this study, the Mycobacteriosis Research Group of the Japanese National Chest Hospitals (MRG) presents the reports of study years 1987 and 1988. As reported previously**, pulmonary infection caused by Mycobacterium kansasii occurred principally in South-West Japan (prefectures South-West of Tokyo) and did not appear in North Japan. However, this disease appeared in 1987 and 1988 in Hokkaido (Sapporo Hospital). Accordingly, we may say the disease occurs all over Japan. This is a noteworthy finding newly recognized in the study years. The prevalence rate of nontuberculous lung mycobacteriosis was determined as 2.92 or 2.78 in 1987 and as 2.02 or 1.91 in 1988 per 100,000 population per year. The estimated rates based on the ratio of nontuberculous lung mycobacteriosis against active lung tuberculosis and based on the ratio of nontuberculous lung mycobacteriosis against culture-positive lung tuberculosis well agreed with each other. COMMENT: In this country, chest physicians customarily report their cases of nontuberculous mycobacteriosis including lung tuberculosis, because the payment of treatment for patients with tuberculosis is free. Because of this custom, tuberculosis statistics surely contain cases of nontuberculous mycobacteriosis. Caution about this has been paid in calculating the prevalence rate. From the study year 1987, the MRG chairman moved from Michio Tsukamura, The National Chubu Hospital, to Nobuhiko Kita, The National Kinki Chuo Hospital.

Humans↗

Multicenter cooperative study group in hematology in Japan: the 10-year history and role of the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group in Japan.

Leukemia is an uncommon disease. In order to conduct a scientific clinical study, a large number of patients is required for reliable statistical analysis, and therefore, multicenter cooperative study is indispensable in leukemia. Not only in the field of hematology/oncology but also in other fields of clinical medicine, well-functioning clinical study groups are still rare in Japan. In this review, the reason why the organization of multicenter cooperative study groups is difficult in Japan is analyzed. Then the 10-year experience of a self-supporting and quite successful cooperative study group, the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group, is reviewed. Finally, the next steps for the Group and the way it might be successfully led are discussed.

Adult↗

Registries in Japan: current status of hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan. Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan.

The Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan registered 11,379 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosed from January 1, 1990 to December 31, 1991 in 536 hospitals throughout the country. This nationwide survey revealed the current status of HCC in Japan regarding the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, histopathological features, diagnosis, surgical and conservative treatments, and the outcome. The survival rates of the HCC patients who received hepatic resection, transarterial embolization (TAE), and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) were also calculated based on follow-up from January 1, 1987 to December 31, 1991. Three-year and 5-year survival rates of the patients who underwent hepatic resection were 57.5% and 40.8%, respectively, and those of TAE were 19.5% and 8.0%, respectively. Three-year survival rate of the patients with PEI was 53.2%. Cox's multivariate analysis showed that significant prognostic variables after partial hepatectomy were serum alpha-fetoprotein level, tumor size, number of tumors, associated liver cirrhosis, age, surgical curability, and portal involvement.

Adolescent↗

[Report on medico-legal data from the mass-investigation performed by The Medico-Legal Society of Japan (XV). Autopsy cases of therapeutic complications and other medical misadventures in Japan (1981-1991). Planning and Development Committee of The Medico-Legal Society of Japan].

As the continuation of the previous report covering the period of 5 years (1976-1980) from the Medico-Legal Society of Japan, a statistical study was made of therapeutic fatal complications examined by forensic pathologists in Japan in the 11 year period between 1981 and 1991. The total number of the cases obtained was 315, composed of 179 male and 136 female cases. Eighty cases (male 33, female 47) were associated with anesthesia, 74 (53, 21) with injections except anesthetics, 31 (13, 18) with operations, labor and clinical examinations, and 14 (9, 5) with drug administration or inhalation of drugs, respectively. Three cases were associated with blood transfusion and other 3 cases with hemodialysis. Fifteen patients died owing to erroneous diagnosis at the first medical examination. There were 9 cases of drug misuse, of which 7 cases were administered drugs through a wrong route and 2 were carelessly given a drug different from prescription. Miscellaneous cases where autopsy revealed diseases, nursing mishaps, etc. to account for death were 86 (51, 35) in number. Except for the miscellaneous cases, the number of therapeutic fatal complications tends to decrease gradually in comparison with that of the preceding 5 years (1976-1980). Medical practitioners should especially be aware of a slightly large number of the deaths associated with wrong diagnosis as well as those with anesthesia, injections and operations, labor and clinical examinations.

Adolescent↗

Unrelated bone marrow donor registry in Japan: the Central Coordination Committee of the Japan Marrow Donor Foundation. Japan Donor Marrow Program.

The Japan Marrow Donor Program (JMDP) was officially funded as of December 1991. The process of donor recruitment has been successful and the registry now has an enrollment of 32,140 Japanese donors with approximately 1200 donors being added monthly. The number of unrelated transplants facilitated through JMDP is increasing and 62 unrelated BMTs have been carried out since January 1993. The unique composition of donor pool of JMDP will be helpful with respect to international cooperation in unrelated BMT.

Anemia, Aplastic↗

[Report on medico-legal data from the mass-investigation performed by the Medico-Legal Society of Japan (XIV). Autopsy cases of traffic accidents in Japan (1990-1994). Planning and Development Committee of The Medico-Legal Society of Japan].

Autopsy findings in 3, 185 cases of death due to traffic accidents obtained from all institutions belong to the Medico-Legal Society of Japan between 1990 and 1994 were analyzed statistically. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The annual number of autopsy cases related to traffic accidents was stable and accounted for 10% of all autopsy cases examined. The autopsy cases also accounted for only 6% of all deaths due to traffic accidents. Cases requiring judicial autopsy are few despite the fact that deaths due to traffic accidents are considered deaths resulting from professional negligence. 2) The purposes of autopsy were, in a decreasing order of frequency, (1) to examine whether the accident was a hit-and-run case, (2) to examine whether the case was multiple accidents, and (3) to clarify the relationship of death with the accident. 3) According to the age, those who were involved in accidents while they were on foot overwhelmingly aged 70 years or above, and those who were involved in accidents while they were riding motorcycles were predominantly in their teens to the 20's. Concerning the situation of the accident, run-over cases, were frequently those in their 40's, and collision cases were predominantly those in their 70's. Among those who died in cars, the drivers were most frequently those in their 50's, followed by those in their 20's. 4) The degree of external and internal injuries was compared. About half the victims sustained severe injuries both internally and externally, and the remaining half sustained mild external injuries and severe internal injuries. Run-over cases generally had severe injuries both internally and externally, but collision cases tended to have mild external injuries and severe internal injuries. 5) The most frequent cause of death was brain injury, followed by loss of blood and traumatic shock. 6) Tire marks were observed in 23% of the run-over cases, and they were observed in the head, face, neck, and thoracoabdominal region in most cases. 7) Of the collision cases, collision injuries were observed in 55.6%, and the sites of collision injuries were the crural and femoral regions. 8) Of those who died in the car, about 46% were the drivers. 9) Deaths while driving due to internal causes accounted for 3% of all autopsy cases who died in traffic accidents, and ischemic heart disease was the most frequent of the internal causes. 10) Concerning injuries caused by safety devices, 3.5% of the drivers and 4.4% of non-driver passengers were injured by the seat belts, and 3.9% of those who were riding motorcycles were injured by the helmets. 11) Alcohol was detected from 47.7% of the cadavers examined, and the alcohol level was 0.5 mg/ml or above in 19% of those driving and 50.2% of those on foot. 12) Stimulants were detected in 5 (3.8%) of 132 cases examined, and thinner was detected in 17 (13.0%) of 131 cases examined.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Epidemiologic studies of coronary heart disease and stroke in Japanese men living in Japan, Hawaii and California: incidence of stroke in Japan and Hawaii.

As part of the Ni-Hon-San Study, stroke incidence was compared in the Japan and Hawaii cohorts. Stroke cases were classified in two types, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and thrombo-embolic stroke (T-E). For each type the incidence in Japan was about three times as great as in Hawaii. The ratio ICH/T-E was 1/2.2 and 1/1.6 in Japan and Hawaii, respectively. Blood pressure was the most important risk factor, followed by age for total stroke in both Japan and Hawaii. Proteinuria was also a risk factor in Hawaii. Conversely, an index of animal food intake was inversely related to total stroke, significantly in Hawaii, and at a suggestive level for total and hemorrhagic stroke in Japan. Since the levels of blood pressure do not differ between Japan and Hawaii, one possible explanation for the large difference in stroke incidence between the two cohorts may be the fact that animal protein and saturated fat intake, which is inversely associated with stroke incidence, is much greater in Hawaii than in Japan. This explanation would support epidemiologic and experimental studies in Japan which suggest that dietary animal protein and fat exert an inhibitory effect on the incidence of stroke.

Age Factors↗

Epidemiologic studies of coronary heart disease and stroke in Japanese men living in Japan, Hawaii and California. Coronary heart disease risk factors in Japan and Hawaii.

Various risk factors were evaluated to explain a significantly greater incidence of coronary heart disease in men of Japanese ancestry resident in Hawaii compared with men resident in Japan. The independent predictors of incidence of coronary heart disease in both Japan and Hawaii were systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, relative weight and age. These factors appeared to influence incidence similarly in both areas because in each case the correlation coefficients for Japan and Hawaii did not differ significantly. The hypothesis that the greater incidence in Hawaii could be attributed to differences in levels of these risk factors was tested with the Walker-Duncan method. The four variable multiple logistic function describing the probability of coronary heart disease in Japan was applied to the cohort characteristics observed in Hawaii. The estimated incidence thus obtained was not significantly different from that actually observed in the men resident in Hawaii. Therefore the increased coronary risk profile in Hawaii compared with Japan can account for the greater incidence of coronary heart disease in the former. Current cigarette smoking was significantly related to the risk of coronary heart disease in Hawaii but not in Japan. This difference requires further investigation.

Age Factors↗

The management of hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease in Japan in 1988. The Japan Thyroid Association.

The management of hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease in Japan was the subject of a survey of the members of the Japan Thyroid Association (JTA), and the results were compared to those of the European Thyroid Association (ETA). In the questionnaire, in vivo and in vitro diagnostic procedures, the choice of treatment and the details of the treatment for a patient with typical, moderate and uncomplicated hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease was at first asked, and eight variations with a single alternative were proposed to evaluate how each alternative would affect the choice of treatment. For the diagnostic procedures, thyroid uptake/scintigraphy was carried out by approximately 60% of the respondents and the isotope mainly used was 123I. The number of in vitro tests used for diagnosis averaged 8.1 +/- 1.8 tests. Measurements of basal TSH and free T4 were the most frequent tests performed to confirm the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism (94 and 80%, respectively). Determinations of microsomal, thyroglobulin and TSH-receptor autoantibodies were also employed by many respondents (96, 96 and 77%, respectively). On the other hand, the free T4 index and TRH test were less frequently employed. In the treatment of these patients, antithyroid drug treatment was the first choice, and surgery was not, in general, regarded as a primary therapy except in a patient with a large goiter. The frequency of the respondents who advocated radioiodine therapy was considerably higher for patients with recurrences and old age. No respondents proposed radioiodine therapy for young patients. Specialists tended to favor their own specialist treatment regimens. The initial dose of antithyroid drugs was reduced according to thyroid function, and withdrawal of antithyroid drug treatment was determined by some specific criteria (basal TSH in supersensitive assays, TSH-receptor autoantibodies, T3 suppression test, etc.). The aim of radioiodine therapy and surgery was to restore euthyroidism. The significant differences between the results from the JTA and those from the ETA were as follows; radionuclide used for thyroid uptake/scintigraphy was mainly 123I in Japan, but 131I in Europe, the number of diagnostic studies in Japan was more than that in Europe, and the dosage of antithyroid drugs was reduced according to thyroid function and discontinued based on certain specific criteria in Japan, but after fixed periods in Europe. These results may represent actual trends in how hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease is managed in specialist clinics in Japan today and the differences between the JTA and the ETA.

Antithyroid Agents↗

[Tuberculosis control strategy in the 21st century in Japan--for elimination of tuberculosis in Japan].

Modern tuberculosis control programme has been launched in 1951 by the major revision of the previous Tb. Control Law in Japan. Main control measures were BCG vaccination programme for tuberculin negatives, annual screening of Tb. by miniature radiophotography (MMR), charge free diagnosis and treatment of Tb. patients, registration and case-holding at Health Centres throughout the country and so on. Thanks to the efforts of the Government and people concerned, Tb. incidence has decreased with the annual reduction rate of 11% during 1961 and 1977. However, Tb. decrease has stagnated after that, and it is increasing slowly in these 3 years since 1998. Moreover, regional variations of Tb. incidence are considerable, and Tb. is concentrated in specific risk groups such as elderly persons, homeless, foreign born individuals and so on. However, the present Tb. Control measures were introduced prior to the discovery of most major anti-Tb. drugs and all modern internationally accepted Tb. Control strategies, so that it is strongly desired to improve the present control programme from rather classical present Tb. control measures to global standard one to overcome the resurgence of Tb. in Japan. At first, the author stressed that the priority of Tb. Control Programme should be changed according to the development of science and the change of epidemiological situations. BCG vaccination and Tb. screening by MMR might be very important when the annual risk of Tb. infection was very high--about 4% in 1950. Now it is around 0.05% and the incidence of Tb. among 0-14 years of age is 1.1 per 100,000 so that the priority should be given on treatment of the detected cases instead of BCG vaccination or MMR. The doctors in the public health field should give more strong concern on clinical aspects of Tb. Control Programme at present. It was considered that the main urgent problems to be improved in the present Tb. control measures are as follows. 1. It is strongly recommended to spread the global standard regimen with 2HRZE/4HR (E) more widely and rapidly. Because the standard regimen is used in only 50% of new smear positive cases at present although 15.3% of Tb. patients are 80 years or more, or 56.3% of them are 60 years or more, and the side effects by PZA are higher among elderly patients. 2. Shortening of the hospitalization duration is required because 76.7% of newly detected bacilli positive cases are hospitalized at first, and the median of the period of hospitalization is 4 months, and 18.4% of them are hospitalized 6 months or more at present. 3. DOT treatment has been introduced for special groups in the big cities in 2000 for the first time in Japan, but it is needed to spread DOT treatment more widely, for example, by increasing health insurance payment for the institutions where DOT treatment is being implemented. 4. It is recommended to build special rooms to accept Tb. patient at general hospitals and/or university hospitals to avoid the neglect of Tb. by general medical doctors. 5. Follow-up of Tb. patients after treatment completion at Health Centres is not needed now, because the relapse rate is so low. 6. Indiscriminative screening programme for all the people aged 19 years old or more should be stopped, at least up to 39 years of age, because Tb. detection rate has become so low as 0.0069% at present. As Tb. decrease is so slow, or is increasing in some areas, that the contact surveys among the young aged 20 to 39 should be strengthened in the future. 7. As Japan Anti-Tb. Association is being carrying out mass screening programme extensively at present, so that the Association has started to discuss the future health check system. Because of the rapid and constant increase of the lung cancer, the Association is discussing the method to detect the lung cancer, too. In any way, it is needed to focus the screening programme for special high risk groups instead of indiscriminative screening. 8. BCG vaccination for infants should be continued a little more, because BCG vaccination can protect the development of 7 miliary Tb. and/or meningitis cases during 15 years if BCG is given 70% of the infants in 2000. However, it was strongly recommended to stop re-vaccination of BCG, because it is not so effective, and disturb the diagnosis of Tb. infection by tuberculin testing. 9. Treatment of latent Tb. infection will become more and more important, so that it's indication should be expanded to the adults in the future instead of the present indication up to 29 years of age. It is needed to revise Tuberculosis Control Low to improve control programme in Japan. The author hoped that the members of Japan Tuberculosis Society will promote the improvement and to support the Government to improve the Law.

Age Factors↗