Work-family conflicts and health behaviors among British, Finnish, and Japanese employees.

BACKGROUND: Work-family conflicts are associated with poor health. However, work-family conflicts and health behaviors have been little studied. PURPOSE: This study examined the associations of conflicts between paid work and family life with unhealthy behaviors among British, Finnish, and Japanese employees. METHOD: Data were derived from postal questionnaire surveys among 40 to 60 years old employees from three cohorts, the British Whitehall II Study (n = 3,397), the Finnish Helsinki Health Study (n = 4,958), and the Japanese Civil Servants Study (n = 2,901). Outcomes were current smoking, heavy drinking, physical inactivity, and unhealthy food habits. Work-family conflicts were measured with eight items. Age, marital status, and occupational class were adjusted for in logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Work-family conflicts had few and inconsistent associations with unhealthy behaviors in all three cohorts. In the Finnish cohort, strong work-family conflicts were associated with current smoking among men. Women with strong conflicts had more often unhealthy food habits and were more often heavy drinkers than women with weaker conflicts. Likewise, British women with strong work-family conflicts were more often heavy drinkers. CONCLUSION: Although work-family conflicts were fairly prevalent in the examined cohorts, these conflicts had but few associations with the studied key health behaviors.

Low bone mass is associated with carotid atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women: the Japanese Population-based Osteoporosis (JPOS) Cohort Study.

UNLABELLED: We analyzed 609 women belonging to the JPOS study in a 10-year follow-up survey, to examine the association of osteoporosis with atherosclerosis. Osteoporosis or prevalent vertebral fracture at baseline was associated with increased intima-media thickness of the carotid bifurcation in postmenopausal women, adjusted for age, BMI, and other variables at baseline. INTRODUCTION: Whether low bone mass predicts increased carotid atherosclerosis has not been fully investigated. METHODS: In 2006, we conducted a 10-year follow-up survey of 1,040 women (follow-up rate: 68.6%). We analyzed 609 women > or =50 years old in 2006 without a history of cardiovascular or connective tissue diseases at baseline. BMD and evaluation of vertebral fracture at baseline were used. The intima-media thickness of carotid bifurcation (BIF-IMT) was measured by B-mode ultrasonography in 2006. RESULTS: Adjusted BIF-IMT values of subjects with spine T-score > or =-1, between-2.5 and -1, and <-2.5 or prevalent vertebral fracture were 1.19 mm, 1.34 mm, 1.57 mm, respectively, in women with less than 10 years since menopause (YSM) (n = 159), 1.30 mm, 1.32 mm, 1.53 mm, in women with YSM > or =10 without a history of hypertension at baseline (n = 144) (both with p < 0.05 for linear trend). Those values among no versus prevalent vertebral fracture in women with YSM > or =10 were 1.40 mm, 1.66 mm with p < 0.05 (n = 202). Those associations were independent of age, BMI, total cholesterol, smoking and drinking habits, history of diabetes mellitus, and hypertension (for women with YSM < 10) at baseline. CONCLUSION: Osteoporosis including prevalent vertebral fracture may be associated with carotid atherosclerosis in the first 10 years of postmenopausal women.

Biochemical markers of bone turnover predict bone loss in perimenopausal women but not in postmenopausal women-the Japanese Population-based Osteoporosis (JPOS) Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: The predictive value of biochemical markers of bone turnover for subsequent change in bone density in a population sample of healthy women with a wide range of ages has not been fully established. METHODS: We followed 1,283 women aged 15-79 years at baseline selected randomly from the inhabitants of three areas in Japan for 6 years, and examined 1,130 subjects with no disease or administration of drugs affecting bone metabolism. The annual change in bone density at the spine, total hip, and distal one third of the radius was determined during the follow-up period by dual x-ray absorptiometry and was compared among the groups using different levels of biochemical markers at baseline, including serum osteocalcin (OC) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bone ALP), free and total (tDPD) forms of immunoreactive deoxypyridinoline, and type I collagen crosslinked C-terminal telopeptide (CTX) in urine. RESULTS: Premenopausal women aged 45 years or older with elevated levels of OC, bone ALP, CTX, or tDPD showed significantly greater bone loss at most skeletal sites during the follow-up period than those with lower levels, after adjustment for the effects of age, height, weight, dietary calcium intake, regular exercise, and current smoking. The greatest coefficient of determination of the model was observed in the association between CTX and bone loss at the hip during the first 3 years of follow-up (42.8%). These subjects were pooled with perimenopausal women at baseline, and those who still menstruated at follow-up in this pooled group showed significant but more modest associations, whereas those who entered menopause during the follow-up period showed clear associations. However, early postmenopausal women with less than 5 or 10 years since menopause showed an association that was limited mostly to the distal radius, and other postmenopausal groups had virtually no association. CONCLUSION: Biochemical markers of bone turnover may predict bone loss in women undergoing menopausal transition but may not predict bone loss in postmenopausal women.

Associations of lifestyle factors with quality of life (QOL) in Japanese children: a 3-year follow-up of the Toyama Birth Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: To examine the associations between lifestyle factors and quality of life (QOL) among Japanese children. METHODS: Participants were 7794 children (3869 boys and 3925 girls) aged 9-10. They completed a questionnaire regarding lifestyles at baseline survey and were followed up for 3 years. In the follow-up survey, QOL was evaluated using a Japanese version of the COOP charts. Children rated their QOL as one of five response categories. Subjects rated as 'very well' or 'pretty good' were considered to have good QOL, and the remainder was assumed to have poor QOL. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between lifestyles or changes in lifestyles and QOL. In the multivariate analysis model, age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and lifestyle factors were simultaneously entered. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, children became more sedentary. Compared to children participating in physical activity 'very often' at baseline, those who exercised 'almost never' were more likely to have poor QOL [OR (95% CI): 1.92 (1.26-2.93)]. Children who developed or maintained undesirable lifestyles had high OR for poor QOL. Compared to children taking breakfast 'often' during the follow-up period, those changing from 'often' to 'seldom' or those taking breakfast 'seldom' were more likely to have poor QOL [1.61 (1.24-2.07), 2.05 (1.03-4.09), respectively]. When compared with children maintaining their participation in physical activity 'often', those who changed from 'often' to 'seldom' and those who kept 'seldom' were more likely to have poor QOL [2.10 (1.84-2.39), 2.21 (1.88-2.59), respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that unfavourable lifestyles in childhood are associated with poor QOL in early adolescence. Early intervention could be worth considering to keeping desirable lifestyles during childhood.

Bone mass and lifestyle related factors: a comparative study between Japanese and Inner Mongolian young premenopausal women.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ethnic difference in bone mass between Japanese and Inner Mongolian young premenopausal women and to assess the contribution of lifestyle related and anthropometric factors to bone mass. We studied 33 Japanese and 44 Inner Mongolian healthy young women, aged 20-34 years, in urban area. Speed of sound (SOS), broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) and stiffness index (SI) were measured at the calcaneus using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) analysis. Age at menarche, regularity of menstruation and lifestyle related factors were estimated by a self-reported questionnaire. There were no differences between the two groups in age, height, weight, BMI, regularity of menstruation, frequency of meat intake, frequency of yellow-green vegetable intake and exercise habit. Japanese women had significantly lower age at menarche and higher proportion of milk consumption habit at junior high school, senior school and present. Before adjustment, Japanese women had significantly higher SOS and SI than Inner Mongolian women. However, after adjustment for age at menarche and milk consumption habit at junior high school, both of which were significantly different between groups, no group-differences remained in either SOS or SI. These results suggest that the differences in age at menarche and milk consumption habit at junior high school, which relate to hormonal and nutritional status during puberty, may account for the differences in bone mass between Japanese and Inner Mongolian young women.

The relationship between new stroke onset and serum thiocyanate as an indicator to cigarette smoking.

The case subjects were 67 stroke patients (27 males and 40 females, mean age 65.7+/-7.1), who suffered from stroke attack and had participated in annual medical check-up between 1987 and 1988 at Oyabe Public Health Center. The controls, which were adjusted for sex, age and blood pressure level with the case subjects, were selected from participants attending their annual medical check-up in 1987-1988. The serum thiocyanate level of case subjects were significantly higher than that of controls (p<0.05). The usefulness of measurement of serum thiocyanate level as an indicator of smoking status was assessed by using multiple logistic regression analysis adjusting for body mass index, mean blood pressure, and serum cholesterol was found. An odds ratio of 3.00 (95% confidence interval: 1.06-8.48, p<0.05) in cerebral infarction. It is considered that serum thiocyanate may be useful as an indicator of smoking status to assess the relationship with stroke onset, especially for cerebral infarction.

Socioeconomic differences in behavioural and biological risk factors: a comparison of a Japanese and an English cohort of employed men.

BACKGROUND: To compare socioeconomic differences in behavioural and biological risk factors in Japanese and English 39-59-year-old employed men. METHODS: We measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio and fibrinogen at medical screenings and smoking and alcohol consumption in health questionnaires among Japanese non-manual and manual employees of a steel products company and among English non-manual employees working in Civil Service departments. RESULTS: In England, higher employment grades were advantaged with regard to most risk factors studied. In Japan the picture was different in that higher grades had higher BMI, waist-to-hip-ratio and lower HDL cholesterol. In Japan employment grade differences in these three risk factors are clearly larger among younger men than among older men, while in England age differentials in the grade differences are small. Similar results were obtained for education. CONCLUSIONS: Important differences in the social patterning of risk factors were observed in our cohorts of employed Japanese and English men. The contribution that these risk factors make in explaining social differences in health may vary accordingly. Studies that identify the common and unique determinants of socioeconomic health differences in different populations are needed.

[Study of remanent magnetization of the human body: lung and liver tissues].

In this study, we used lung and liver tissue specimens distracted from tissue to investigate remanant magnetization, and found that specimens with a volume of 6 mm3 had an intensity of 10(-10) Am2, which was significantly stronger than the noise level of the superconducting magnetometer. This finding indicates that both lung and liver tissues contain magnetic materials. We speculated that biological magnetite is the magnetic material in these tissues. In addition, we found that lung tissue specimens with strong magnetization had correspondingly strong magnetized findings in the liver tissue specimens. In a comparison of magnetization in lung cancer tissue specimens and normal lung tissue, no significant relationship was noted, but two of the lung cancer tissue specimens showed strong magnetization. The number of lung cancer specimens studies was insufficient to investigate the relation between the magnetization (accumulation of magnetic materials) and lung cancer, and further studies are necessary. The magnetic properties of two lung cancer tissue specimens showing strong magnetization were further investigated, and an alternating field demagnetization experiment showed that their magnetization was composed of a unit stable vector, which indicates that the lung tissue may have been magnetized after the accumulation of magnetic materials. The Wohlfarth ratio (Moskowitz et al., 1989) of them was less than 0.5, which suggests that magnetic materials are distributed in clusters in lung tissue.

Serum thiocyanate concentration as an indicator of smoking in relation to deaths from cancer.

All residents aged 40 years or more in Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan were involved in an annual medical check-up between 1987 and 1988. The cohort was followed and death certificates from cancers were confirmed prospectively. During follow-up to December 31 st, 1994, 100 deaths (28 gastric, 17 lung and 55 other cancers) from cancers occurred, and these subjects were included in this study as the case group. Subjects in the control group, matched for gender and age with the cases, were selected randomly from participants whose serum samples had been stocked during annual medical check-up. The concentration of serum thiocyanate in all (79.8 µmol/l), gastric (86.7 µmol/l) and lung (90.0 µmol/l) cancer patients were significantly higher than that of relevant controls (64.3 µmol/l, 59.0 µmol/l and 61.0 µmol/l, respectively; and p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). After adjusting for BMI, blood pressure and total serum cholesterol, the results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of all cancers (OR=3.40, 95% confidence interval (95% Cl): 1.67-6.96, p<0.01), gastric cancer (OR=7.98, 95% CI: 1.91-33.34, p<0.05) and lung cancer (OR=8.83, 95% CI: 1.19-65.65, p<0.05) were elevated significantly with logarithm transformed values of serum thiocyanate increased. The present findings suggested that in epidemiological studies confirmation of smoking status with biomarkers such as serum thiocyanate may be important, although considering the small sample size, a relatively weaker risk to interested factors rather than the strong relationship between smoking and cancer was noted.

A meta-analysis of epidemiological studies on the relationship between occupational electromagnetic field exposure and the risk of adult leukemia.

Since the first paper by Milham et al. suggested that occupational exposure to an electromagnetic field (EMF) could increase the risk of adult leukemia, many epidemiological studies on this problem have been published. In this report the method of meta-analysis was used to summarize the results from these papers quantitatively. The combined relative risk of all leukemia (RR=1.11), as well as acute lymphocytic leukemia (RR=1.38), acute myeloid leukemia (RR=1.07) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (RR=1.14) increased but not significantly. So far, it is difficult to make a consistent conclusion about the relationship of the occupational exposure to EMF and adult leukemia. Further carefully designed case-control and cohort studies using the more valid means of exposure assessment are required.

The relationship between lifestyle, social characteristics and obesity in 3-year-old Japanese children.

It has been observed that obese children receive genetic and environmental effects that are associated with them being overweight. With regard to the latter, lifestyles such as eating habits and physical activity have been focused on. In the present study, the social characteristics which would dominate their lifestyles were investigated as background variables. For this purpose, 9668 Japanese children aged three years who were all born in Toyama prefecture, Japan, in 1998, served as birth cohort subjects. For the comparison between obese (Kaup Index; mass in kg/(height in m)2 > or = 18) and nonobese (Kaup index < 18) children, irregular snack intake, physical inactivity and reduced sleeping hours were chosen as statistically significant obesity-related lifestyle indicators for the children. For social characteristics, family construction (expanded family with grandparents/nonexpanded family), main caregiver (mother/other), attending a nursery school (yes/no) and mother's employment (full-time worker/other) were chosen. These were significantly associated with the obesity-related lifestyles mentioned above using multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for other variables of social characteristics as well as for gender and birth month (July-December/January-June). The two greatest population-attributable risk percentages were observed for mother as main caregiver (-36.5%) and attending a nursery school (-28.9%) for irregular snack intake. Therefore, these two social characteristics substantially reduced the number of children with irregular snack intake. On the other hand, the two social characteristics were reversed in children with reduced sleeping hours (population-attributable risk percentage of mother as main caregiver: 15.4%; attending a nursery school: 17%). In contrast with favourable effects on snack intake these social characteristics showed an adverse influence on the sleeping habits of children.

Influence factors on the development of obesity in 3-year-old children based on the Toyama study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity in childhood increases the risk of obesity in adulthood. Obesity in adulthood is a risk factor for chronic diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. Therefore, it is important to eliminate factors influencing the development of obesity in children from the viewpoint of preventive medicine. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the relationship between obesity and lifestyle in 3-year-old children in a case-control study. METHODS: Subjects were selected from the Toyama study at health checkups for 3-year-old children which are done routinely by local governments in Japan on all children of that age. A special questionnaire consisting of items on lifestyle and environmental factors of the children and past histories of parents was distributed to the Toyama study participants beforehand and was collected at the checkup. Matched-pair comparisons were performed between obese children whose body mass index was 18 or more (N = 427) and control children (N = 854) matched by sex and birth month. Multivariate stepwise conditional logistic regression analysis was also applied to assess the influence of confounding factors. RESULTS: The following six factors significantly influenced the development of obese 3-year-old children using the Mantel-Haenszel method: the mother's job, limited playtime outdoors (1 hour or less), snacking irregularity, an overweight father (body mass index >/= 24), an overweight mother (body mass index >/= 24), and overweight at birth (birth weight >/= 3,500 g). An overweight mother or father, limited playtime outdoors, overweight at birth, and snacking irregularity were significantly related to obesity in 3-year-old children after adjusting for confounding factors by multivariate stepwise conditional logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We have suggested several factors influencing the development of obesity in 3-year-old Japanese children: parental overweight and overweight at birth as host factors, physical inactivity and snacking irregularity as behavioral factors, the mother's job as an environmental factor.

[Studies on carcinogenicity of asbestos with special reference to interaction between viruses and cultured cells].

To investigate effects of asbestos on the process of cancer development, the capacity of asbestos which increases cellular uptake of external carcinogens was tested for asbestos-mediated viral RNA transfection in cultured cells. For the transfection, crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite and chrysotile were placed onto Vero-E6 cells with poliovirus RNA inoculum, respectively. All asbestos samples mediated viral RNA transfection compared with the background including only viral RNA. The transfection was much greater with combined exposure to asbestos and kaolin than with exposure to asbestos alone.

The comparative study on occupational mortality, 1980 between Japan and Great Britain.

Age-adjusted standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and life tables in male occupational groups for all causes and major diseases such as malignant neoplasm of stomach and lung, cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, traffic accidents and suicide was compared between Japan and Great Britain. Except for traffic accidents and suicide, males in higher employment grades had lower SMRs which had also been found to be related to other social class indicators such as perinatal death rate, the frequency of work absence and current smoker's rate. Occupational differences in mortality rates for major diseases became smaller with advancing age in Great Britain but not necessarily in Japan. The present authors concluded that inequalities in socio-economical factors were more likely to be the primary factors for survival, and that selection such as occupation and occupation-related lifestyle might still be an important factor for the inequalities. These inequalities were more obvious in Japan, where a life expectancy was, however, best in the world.

[Reduction of alcohol consumption and its effect on Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity of red blood cell membrane].

Fifty-four untreated, mildly hypertensive men who were civil servants and were aged 30-59 years reduced their alcohol consumption as much as possible for three weeks. Then blood pressure and serum gamma GTP decreased significantly, but Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity of the red blood cell membrane did not change significantly. The enzyme activity in twenty subjects (45.5% of total subjects) increased and that in twenty-four subjects (54.5%) decreased or was unchanged. No significant relationship between the ratio of the change of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity and that of blood pressure or serum gamma GTP was observed.

Does an allergy skin test on school-children predict respiratory symptoms in adulthood?

BACKGROUND: It is interesting from the correct point of preventive health care whether allergy skin tests at entry have the positive relationship with common respiratory symptoms such as persistent cough, persistent phlegm and wheeze with colds at end point in longitudinal studies. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate this relationship in subjects followed from when they were school-children until they were young adults. METHODS: Young adults aged 18-31 years who had participated in an allergy skin test and a health survey for common respiratory symptoms during primary and junior high school were asked about their respiratory symptoms at the end-point in the follow-up study. Three cohort groups were employed in the follow-up study. RESULTS: According to a multiple logistic analysis with adjustments made for sex, symptoms at entry in childhood, and age and smoking habits at the end-point, young adults with a positive skin test to an extract of house dust as school-children showed a higher prevalence of wheeze with colds compared with those with a negative skin test. However, this relationship was not found for persistent cough or persistent phlegm, indeed, the latter symptom was significantly associated with negative skin tests in one cohort group. CONCLUSION: The respective symptoms at entry in childhood were also predictors of their occurrence in young adults. The results show that the common respiratory symptoms such as persistent phlegm and wheeze with colds in childhood are related to those in young adults rather than is an allergy skin test to an extract of house dust in childhood.

Effects of taurine on depletion of erythrocyte membrane Na-K ATPase activity due to ozone exposure or cholesterol enrichment.

The objective of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between taurine and erythrocyte-membrane Na-K ATPase activity. A comparison was conducted to test whether taurine or uric acid (a water-soluble scavenger of free radicals) prevents or recovers the depletion in membrane ouabain-sensitive Na-K ATPase activity resulting from ozone exposure or cholesterol enrichment of the erythrocyte membrane. A depletion of 44% and 27% in ouabain-sensitive Na-K ATPase activity was respectively caused by ozone exposure and cholesterol enrichment. Taurine as well as uric acid partially prevented the activity loss from ozone exposure. In addition, taurine at high concentrations (from 1.5 to 4.5 mM) restored the depletion of erythrocyte-membrane Na-K ATPase activity due to ozone exposure and prevented the depletion of the enzyme activity due to cholesterol enrichment. In contrast, although the same high concentrations were used, uric acid failed to show either of the above effects. These results suggest that taurine acts (1.5-4.5 mM) polyvalently as not only an antioxidizing agent but also as a membrane stabilizer to maintain the functions of membrane Na-K ATPase, a membrane-bound protein.

Further study of nebulisation chemotherapy, a new chemotherapeutic method in the treatment of lung carcinomas: fundamental and clinical.

Nebulisation chemotherapy, a chemotherapeutic method for the treatment of lung cancer that involves the administration of anticancer agents through the inhalation of nebulised aerosols, has been found to be highly effective (Tatsumura et al., 1983a,b). We confirmed that 5-FU administered by this method accumulates in the trachea, bronchi and regional lymph nodes of patients treated before surgery, along with 5-FU metabolites, FUR and FUdR, indicating that 5-FU is directly incorporated and metabolised in the respiratory tract. Parallel result were obtained using mongrel dogs. The 5-FU levels in other organs, such as the heart and liver, were found to be extremely low. Only a trace of 5-FU was found in the serum of both the patients and the dogs. We further investigated the anti-tumour effect of this therapy in ten selected patients and observed a satisfactory anti-tumour response of 60.0%. These results, along with our previous finding that the retention time of isotope tracers inhaled as aerosol is considerably longer in tumour tissues than in normal parts (Tatsumura et al., 1983a) explain the high antitumour action of this therapy and the absence of adverse effects of administered 5-FU.

[A review of epidemiological studies on the relationship of residential electromagnetic exposure to cancer].

Since 1979 epidemiological studies have been published that suggest that residential exposure to electromagnetic fields generated mainly near power lines could increase the risk of childhood cancer such as leukemia and neurological tissue tumor. However, methodological shortcomings of the studies are such that the evidence is not strong enough to allow conclusions to be drawn. Similar studies have also been published for adults. Except for cases of occupational exposure the findings do not show that residential electromagnetic field exposure is a risk factor. However, information is too sparse to permit firm conclusions. The existing literature strongly indicate further researchers in the area should be pursued.