[Investigating the relationship between higher life functions, overall mortality, and incidence of care needs in long-term follow-up study of the local population: The Kamogawa Cohort Study].

Objectives　In addition to physical independence such as ADLs, higher-level functional capacity ("instrumental self-maintenance," "intellectual activity," and "social role") are necessary to lead the final stage of life as independently and for as long as possible. Accordingly, in a long-term follow-up study of the local population, we examined the association of health status (total mortality and incidence of care needs) with instrumental independence, intellectual activity, and social role.Methods　We used participant data from the Kamogawa cohort study, which included surveyed use of health service, health status, disease prevalence, and use of long-term care insurance service for Kamogawa citizens in Chiba prefecture from 2003 to 2013. We compared the differences in lifestyle and higher-level functional capacity, by status of death and using the Long-term Care Insurance service. Higher-level functional capacity was assessed with the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology-Index of Competence (TMIG-IC); answer to each question, each domain score, and total score were examined.Results　During the follow-up period to the end of March 2013, 810 deaths and 917 care needs were observed among the 6,503 people who consented to be followed up. The adjusted HR of higher-level functional capacity for all-cause mortality was "instrumental self-maintenance," score 4 or 5 to less than 3: 2.03 (95%CI: 1.59-2.60), "intellectual activity," score 4 to less than 3: 1.39 (95%CI: 1.09-1.77), and "social role," score 4 to less than 3: 1.28 (95%CI: 1.03-1.59). In subgroup analyses by sex, "instrumental self-maintenance" was associated with both men and women, but "intellectual activity" and "social roles" were associated with women only. The adjusted HRs for the incidence of care needs were 1.93 (95%CI: 1.55-2.40) for "instrumental self-maintenance" and 1.30 (95%CI: 1.07-1.58) for "social role." In subgroup analyses by sex, "instrumental self-maintenance" was associated with both genders, but "social role" was observed only for women.Conclusion　Higher-level functional capacity ("instrumental self-maintenance," "intellectual activity," and "social role") was significantly associated with total mortality and incidence of care needs.

[Use of a pamphlet to encourage individuals to eat slowly to help reduce the development of metabolic syndrome].

OBJECTIVES: We examined how distributing a pamphlet that encourages individuals to eat food slowly can help reduce the development of metabolic syndrome among workers who regularly undergo health checkups in the workplace. METHODS: We prepared an educational dietary pamphlet that provided information on reducing the speed of eating and the importance of eating slowly and distributed it to C municipal officials who visited their workplace clinic for a medical checkup in 2013. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) for the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and obesity, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or greater, by comparing workers before and after the pamphlet distribution. RESULTS: The educational pamphlet helped to reduce the development of MetS in males (OR: 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.70-1.0), but not in females (OR: 1.5, 95% CI: 0.88-2.4). The pamphlet helped to reduce the development of obesity in females (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.32-0.83), but not in males (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.70-1.1). CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of an educational pamphlet that provided information on how to eat food slowly/the importance of eating food slowly helped reduce the development of MetS in males and the development of obesity in females.

Exploring the link between standard lifestyle questionnaires administered during specific medical check-ups and incidence of metabolic syndrome in Chiba Prefecture.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between standard lifestyle questionnaires and the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS: We analyzed the data on 278,989 people (111,524 males and 167,465 females) living in Chiba Prefecture who underwent consecutive medical check-ups in 2008 and 2009. The standard lifestyle questionnaire administered during the check-ups consisted of 10 items, including three on exercise behaviors, four on dietary behaviors, and one each on drinking, smoking, and sleeping behaviors. An individual was assigned to the "developing MetS" category if there was no diagnosis of MetS in 2008, followed by a diagnosis of MetS or pre-MetS in 2009. We calculated the odds ratios for developing MetS adjusted for gender and age. Developing MetS was the dependent factor in a multiple logistic regression analysis used to examine its relationship to responses on the lifestyle questionnaire. RESULTS: In men, the odds of developing MetS were significantly lower for participants who exercised regularly ("walking fast," OR=0.88, 95% CI [0.83-0.93]; and "higher physical activity," 0.85, [0.80-0.90]), but were significantly higher for those who engaged in _ dietary behaviors and drinking ("eating fast," 1.49, [1.40-1.59]; "having a habit of eating late-night snacks," 1.15, [1.05-1.27]; "having a late night meal," 1.15, [1.08-1.23]; and "drinking every night," 1.08, [1.02-1.14]). In women, the odds of developing MetS were significantly lower for subjects who reported engaging in regular exercise and drinking ("walking fast," 0.74, [0.70-0.78]; "higher physical activity," 0.92, [0.87-0.98]; and "drinking every night," 0.80, [0.71-0.90]), but were significantly higher for those who had such dietary behaviors as "eating fast" (1.48, [1.39-1.58]), "having a habit of eating late-night snacks" (1.15, [1.05-1.26]), "having a late night meal" (1.19, [1.10-1.29]), and "not having breakfast" (1.21, [1.07-1.36]). CONCLUSION: These results show that poor dietary or exercise habits as determined by the standard lifestyle questionnaire were associated with the development of MetS.

[Simultaneous determination of residual fourteen kinds of beta-lactam and macrolide antibiotics in bovine muscles by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector].

Residues of 14 kinds of beta-lactam and macrolide antibiotics in bovine muscles were extracted with acetonitrile and the extract was partitioned with n-hexane to remove fat. High-performance liquid chromatography was carried out on a TSK-gel ODS-80TM column using gradient elution with acetonitrile-0.05% trifluoroacetic acid and the drugs were quantitated by diode array detection. The recoveries of the drugs from bovine muscles spiked at 0.1 ppm were over 63% and each quantitation limit was 0.04 ppm.

Simultaneous determination of residual antiparasitic lactones in bovine muscle and liver by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

Abamectin, doramectin, eprinomectin, ivermectin, milbemectin, and moxidectin in bovine muscle and liver were extracted with acetonitrile. The extracts were partitioned with n-hexane and then evaporated to dryness. The residue was cleaned up on Bond Elute NH2 cartridge, and the drugs were eluted from the cartridge with methanol-ethyl acetate (3 + 7). The eluate was evaporated to dryness, and residues were derivatized with N,N-dimethylformamide-acetic anhyride-1-methylimidazole. The derivatives were determined by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Recoveries of the 6 drugs were 79.6-63.8% in muscle and 71.6-60.6% in liver at 0.01 ppm levels. The quantitation limits were 5 ppb for each drug.