Retrospective cohort study to examine the association between serum amylase and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center Study 23 (TOPICS 23).

INTRODUCTION: Low serum amylase values are cross-sectionally associated with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) but have not been shown to be longitudinally associated with its incidence. This retrospective cohort (ie, historical cohort) study aimed to examine the association of previously lowered levels of serum amylase with incident T2DM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Examined were 8316 individuals who had annual health examinations for 6 years (ie, 7 times) at the Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center. The trajectory of serum amylase as the study exposure was classified into two elements: (1) serum amylase level at entry and (2) change in serum amylase, which was expressed as the annual change rate. The annual change rate was calculated by dividing the change in the amylase values according to follow-up periods. Regression analyses were performed to examine the association between low and decreased levels of serum amylase and the incidence of T2DM. RESULTS: Analyzed were 6917 individuals who had not developed T2DM within 1 year after cohort entry. T2DM thereafter occurred in 1021 patients. Cox regression indicated that the adjusted HR (95% CI) for incident T2DM for amylase ≤57 IU/L (quintile (Q) 1) was 0.97 (0.84 to 1.13) compared with amylase ≥58 IU/L (Q2-Q5). Logistic regression indicated that the adjusted OR (95% CI) for an annual change rate of amylase ≤-2.0% (Q1) vs ≥-1.9% (Q2-Q5) was 3.53 (3.00 to 4.16). The adjusted ORs were consistently significant throughout sensitivity analyses according to baseline amylase and the combination of age, body mass index, and hemoglobin A1c. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that not low but previously decreased serum amylase was a risk factor for T2DM, suggesting the significance of periodic examinations of serum amylase values to detect individuals at high risk of T2DM.

Impact of individual components and their combinations within a family history of hypertension on the incidence of hypertension: Toranomon hospital health management center study 22.

Although a family history (FH) of hypertension is a risk factor for the development of hypertension, only a few studies have investigated in detail the impact of individual components of an FH on incident hypertension. We investigated the impact of individual components and their combinations on the presence or development of hypertension considering obesity, smoking habits, physical activity, and other metabolic parameters.Studied were 12,222 Japanese individuals without hypertension (n = 9,766) and with hypertension (n = 2,456) at the baseline examination. The presence or incidence of hypertension during 5 years after a baseline examination was assessed by the presence of systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg or a self-reported history of clinician-diagnosed hypertension. In this prospective study, the odds ratio for incident hypertension was 1.39 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22, 1.59) for individuals with any FH of hypertension compared with those without such an FH. Individuals with an FH of hypertension in both parents and one or more grandparents had an odds ratio of 3.05 (95% CI 1.74, 5.36) for hypertension compared with those without an FH of hypertension. FH was associated with incident hypertension independently of other modifiable risk factors such as obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, and hypertriglyceridemia.A parental history of hypertension was an essential component within an FH for incident hypertension. FH of hypertension over two generations with both parents affected was the most important risk factor for incident hypertension. Although an FH is not a modifiable risk factor, modifying other risk factors could contribute to reducing the risk of hypertension even among individuals with a family history of hypertension.

Utility of nonblood-based risk assessment for predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Nonblood-based risk assessment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) that depends on data based on a questionnaire and anthropometry is expected to avoid unnecessary diagnostic testing and overdiagnosis due to blood testing. This meta-analysis aims to assess the predictive ability of nonblood-based risk assessment for future incident T2DM. METHODS: Electronic literature search was conducted using EMBASE and MEDLINE (from January 1, 1997 to October 1, 2014). Included studies had to use at least 3 predictors for T2DM risk assessment and allow reproduction of 2×2 contingency table data (i.e., true positive, true negative, false positive, false negative) to be pooled with a bivariate random-effects model and hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristic model. Considering the importance of excluding individuals with a low likelihood of T2DM from diagnostic blood testing, we especially focused on specificity and LR-. RESULTS: Eighteen eligible studies consisting of 184,011 participants and 7038 cases were identified. The pooled estimates (95% confidence interval) were as follows: sensitivity=0.73 (0.66-0.79), specificity=0.66 (0.59-0.73), LR+=2.13 (1.81-2.50), and LR-=0.41 (0.34-0.50). CONCLUSIONS: Nonblood-based assessment of risk of T2DM could produce acceptable results although the feasibility of such a screener needs to be determined in future studies.

Assessment of kidney dysfunction with cystatin C- and creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate and predicting type 2 diabetes: Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center Study 21.

OBJECTIVE: Whether early stages of kidney dysfunction assessed by the estimated glomerular filtration rate from cystatin C measurements (eGFRCysC) rather than from creatinine measurements (eGFRCr) would more precisely reflect the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) has not been clarified. We compared the risk of developing T2D associated with renal dysfunction indicated by eGFRCysC or eGFRCr measurements. METHODS: Studied were 2131 Japanese individuals without diabetes. Hazard ratios (HRs) for the development of T2D over 3-5 y were calculated across categories of eGFRCysC and eGFRCr, respectively. RESULTS: Reduced levels of eGFRCysC were associated with a step-wise increase in the cumulative incidence rate of T2D (p=0.007). In comparison with the eGFRCysC >85th percentile group (≥ 117.4 ml/min/1.73 m(2)), the lowest group, which was the eGFRCysC <15th percentile group (<86.2 ml/min/1.73 m(2)), had an adjusted HR of 2.30 (95% CI 1.13, 4.68) for T2D. Compared with the eGFRCr >85th percentile group, the lowest eGFRCr group (<15th percentile) had an HR of 1.19 (0.63, 2.24) for T2D. However, individuals with eGFRCr <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) had a significantly increased risk of T2D. Clustering of both low eGFRCysC and low eGFRCr further elevated the HR for T2D compared with the presence of either. CONCLUSIONS: Although eGFRCr in ranges indicating chronic kidney disease reflected an elevated risk of developing diabetes, earlier stages of kidney dysfunction indicated by reduced eGFRCysC, which could not be captured by reduced eGFRCr, would be a marker for an elevated risk of developing T2D.

Quality and accuracy of Internet information concerning a healthy diet.

The Internet is used by many consumers interested in healthy living. The aim of the present study was to explore the variations among Internet information concerning a healthy diet and to evaluate the potential for misleading information. To conduct a descriptive analysis, the search term "healthy diet" was entered into three search engines and the first 100 results were examined. Of the evaluated 48 websites, 5, 26 and 11, respectively, gave references, date when information was updated and cautioned users. For assessment of accuracy, six dietary guidelines were used as references and the website was scored according to the number of recommended dietary features that matched the guidelines. Websites that specified their objectives scored significantly higher when matched with each guideline than the websites that did not state four guidelines (p < 0.05). Internet information on a "healthy diet" was likely to only partially follow recommendations of the guidelines.

Impact of introducing HbA1c into the diagnostic criteria on prevalence and cardiovascular risk profiles of individuals with newly diagnosed diabetes in Japan: the Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center Study 2 (TOPICS 2).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of HbA1c for diagnosis of diabetes and investigate whether cardiovascular risks profiles differ among individuals with diabetes diagnosed by HbA1c or fasting plasma glucose (FPG). METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 26,884 participants (30.6% women; aged 20-91 years) without known diabetes. Subjects were categorized into 4 groups according to the presence or absence of FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L and/or HbA1c ≥6.5%, which were American Diabetes Association criteria. Oral glucose tolerance test data were not available. RESULTS: Prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was 3.6%. Of those individuals, 47.5% fulfilled both two criteria and 26.0% fulfilled only HbA1c criterion. Individuals with diabetes according to FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L alone were characterized as having poorly controlled hypertension while those with HbA1c ≥6.5% alone were characterized as older, female, and having lower blood pressure and γ-glutamyltransferase values. Persons with newly diagnosed diabetes by HbA1c had low HDL cholesterol and high LDL or non-HDL cholesterol levels. CONCLUSIONS: Introducing HbA1c into the diagnosis allowed detection of many previously undiagnosed cases of diabetes in Japanese individuals. Those diagnosed by FPG were characterized by hypertension and those diagnosed by HbA1c had unfavorable lipid profiles, reflecting an atherosclerotic trait.