Effects of 7 T static magnetic fields on the expression of biological markers and the formation of bone in rats.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of 7 T static magnetic fields (SMFs) on rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in order to determine whether strong SMFs affected the osteogenesis of MSCs. MSCs were prepared from bone marrow cells obtained from the femurs of 7-week-old male Fischer 344 rats. MSCs were then combined with ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP), yielding two types of TCP/MSC constructs (TCP/P-1 and P-2) on day 0. Exposure was performed for 3 h/day for 6 days, and the experiments were performed twice using different exposure apparatus (cryovials or 4-well chambers) for each experiment. The results from gene expression, protein expression, and histological analyses showed no reproducible effects on both TCP/P-1 and TCP/P-2 MSC constructs, although osteocalcin levels for TCP/P-1 MSC constructs increased significantly once after 7 T exposure in two experiments. These findings contribute to understanding the effects of strong SMFs on MSC and osteoblasts. Bioelectromagnetics. 40:16-26, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Long-Term Health Effects of PCBs and Related Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Patients Suffering from Yusho and the General Population.

Yusho, which refers to a mass poisoning caused by the ingestion of rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, was first reported in October 1968 in Japan. Yusho patients suffer from various symptoms; however, after 40 years, some emerging symptoms have been attributed to aging. The prevalence of symptoms and diseases among Yusho patients and the general population was compared in this study. The data obtained from the survey among Yusho patients (1131 patients) by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan in 2008 were compared with the data from a survey conducted among the general population. When selecting the comparison group, the age and residential area (prefecture) were taken into account to match the baseline characteristics of Yusho patients. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the association between Yusho and the prevalence of symptoms and was adjusted for various potential confounding factors (age, sex, body mass index, cigarette smoking, frequency of drinking, and walking time). Skin pigmentation and acneiform eruption were found to be characteristic symptoms of Yusho and were more prevalent in these patients. Other symptoms and diseases associated with Yusho included orthostatic hypotension, hypohidrosis, dysgeusia, Basedow's disease, hoarseness, cardiac insufficiency, tachycardia, eczema, and hair loss. Symptoms related to aging, such as general fatigue, arthralgia, and numbness in the extremities, were significantly higher in Yusho patients after adjusting for age and lifestyle. This study demonstrated that, 40 years after the outbreak of Yusho, the prevalence of various symptoms and diseases in Yusho patients, including age-related diseases, was higher than that in the general population.

Yusho and its latest findings-A review in studies conducted by the Yusho Group.

The Yusho incident is an unprecedented mass food poisoning that occurred in Japan in 1968. It was caused by the ingestion of rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and various dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The victims of Yusho have suffered from characteristic skin manifestations associated with systemic, ophthalmological, and mucosal symptoms for a long period of time. The Study Group of Yusho (the Yusho Group) has been conducting annual medical check-ups on Yusho victims for more than 45years. Since 2002, when concentrations of dioxins in the blood of Yusho patients started to be measured, the pharmacokinetics of dioxins, relationship between blood levels of dioxins and symptoms/signs in patients directly exposed to dioxins, and the adverse effects on the next generation have become dramatically clear. Herein we review recent findings of studies conducted by the Yusho Group to evaluate chronic dioxin-induced toxicity to the next generation as well as Yusho patients in comparison with a similar food mass poisoning, the Yucheng incident. Additionally, we summarized basic studies carried out by the Yusho Group to re-evaluate the mechanisms of dioxin toxicities in experimental models and various functions of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), known as the dioxin receptor, pathway.

Association between first airborne cedar pollen level peak and pollinosis symptom onset: a web-based survey.

Cedar pollinosis in Japan affects nearly 25 % of Japanese citizens. To develop a treatment for cedar pollinosis, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the time of its occurrence and the amount of airborne cedar pollen. In the spring of 2009, we conducted daily Internet-based epidemiologic surveys, which included 1453 individuals. We examined the relationship between initial date of onset of pollinosis symptoms and daily amount of airborne cedar pollen to which subjects were exposed. Approximately 35.2 % of the subjects experienced the onset of pollinosis during a one-week interval in which the middle day coincided with the peak pollen count. The odds ratio for this one-week time interval was 4.03 (95 % confidence interval: 3.34-4.86). The predicted date of the cedar pollen peak can be used to determine the appropriate date for initiation of self-medication with anti-allergy drugs and thus avoid development of sustained and severe pollinosis.

[Relationship between half-lives of blood dioxins and possible metabolic mechanism].

Blood levels of dioxins in Yusho patients have been measured for 10 years. The purposes of this study were to determine the half-lives of dioxins on the basis of the data obtained from Yusho patients and to compare the half-lives of the compounds. Linear regression analysis was performed using the binary logarithmic value of each dioxin level as the dependent variable and the year of measurement as the independent variable. The linear coefficient obtained from this linear regression analysis was the reciprocal number of the half-life. The relationship between the blood dioxin levels estimated in 2004 and the reciprocal number of half-life was evaluated. Of the studied dioxins, the concentrations of some compounds were strongly correlated with that of 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF. For 2 such compounds, the correlation coefficient of the reciprocal numbers of half-life were greater than the correlation coefficient of the logarithmic values of the estimated concentrations. Of these 2 compounds, the concentration of 3,3,4,4,5,5-HxCB was at least 50 times less than that of the 2,3,4,7, 8-PeCDF in rice oil: however, their current concentrations are equivalent. Patients with high levels of 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF also showed high levels of 3,3,4,4,5,5-HxCB. Yusho patients may have a disease-specific mechanism to supply 3,3,4,4,5,5-HxCB.