Sex-specific associations between air pollutants and asthma prevalence in Japanese adults: a population-based study.

This study investigated the association between air pollutants and asthma prevalence in male and female Japanese adults. In this retrospective cross-sectional analysis, annual mean exposure levels of air pollutants, specifically nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter with a median aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5), were assessed at a local monitoring site. Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for genetic and/or lifestyle factors, were used to explore the association between air pollutants and asthma, with stratification by sex. A total of 1,497 participants aged ≥40 years were included. Their mean age was 65.9 ± 12.4 years, with 847 being women. Overall, 91 participants were diagnosed with asthma. In the multivariable model, ambient exposure levels of NO2 and PM2.5 were significantly associated with asthma in women but not in men. This study highlights sex as a significant determinant of the link between air pollutants and asthma exacerbation, particularly among female Japanese adults.

Longitudinal relationship between screen-based sedentary behavior and nutrient intake in Japanese children: an observational epidemiological cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Concerns regarding the impact of screen-based sedentary behavior on health have been increasing. Therefore, the present study investigated the longitudinal relationship between multiple screen time and nutrient intake in children and adolescents. METHODS: The present study was conducted utilizing 3 years longitudinal data. Study subjects were 740 Japanese children aged between 6 and 12 years at baseline and between 9 and 15 years in the follow-up. Screen-based sedentary behavior was assessed using screen time, including television (TV) viewing, personal computer (PC) use, and mobile phone (MP) use. The main outcomes were the intakes of nutrients. Mixed effect multivariate linear regression analyses were used to examine the longitudinal relationship between screen-based sedentary time and nutrient intake. Covariates included in the multivariable analysis consisted of sex, age, solitary eating, skipping breakfast, staying up late, and body weight status, as confounders, and physical inactivity, as mediator. RESULTS: In boys, a longer total screen time longitudinally correlated with higher intake of energy and lower intakes of protein, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. In girls, longer total screen time longitudinally associated with higher intake of sucrose and lower intakes of protein, minerals, and vitamins. In boys, a longer TV viewing time was associated with higher intake of sucrose and lower intakes of protein, minerals, and vitamins. In girls, a longer TV viewing time was associated with higher intake of carbohydrates and lower intakes of protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins. In boys, relationships were observed between a longer PC use time and higher intakes of energy as well as lower intakes of protein, minerals, and vitamins. Relationship was observed between longer PC use time and lower intakes of minerals in girls. An increased MP use time was associated with higher intakes of energy, and lower intakes of protein, sucrose, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins in boys. A longer MP use time was associated with higher intakes of fat, and salt as well as lower intakes of carbohydrates, protein, minerals, and vitamins in girls. CONCLUSIONS: The present results revealed that longer screen-based sedentary behaviors were longitudinally associated with nutrient intake in children and adolescents. Future study is needed to elucidate these relationships.

Prospective relationship between autistic traits and nutrient intakes among Japanese children: Results of the Shika study.

LAY ABSTRACT: It is known about food selectivity among children with autism spectrum disorder. However, the nutritional inadequacy among children with ASD is not clear. Especially, long-term evaluation has not been studied. We examined the prospective relationship between autistic traits in children and subsequent nutrient intake in later childhood. We utilized data obtained at two time points from a study conducted in Japan. Participants were 759 Japanese children aged between 7 and 12 years at baseline and between 10 and 15 years in the follow-up. The results showed relatively lower intakes of sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin B2, and vitamin B12 among children with than without autistic traits. Relatively lower intake of minerals and vitamins in children with autistic traits is more evident in later childhood. The results suggest the importance of screening the nutrient intake of children with autistic traits across childhood.

The Role of Polygenic Susceptibility on Air Pollution-Associated Asthma between German and Japanese Elderly Women.

Polygenic susceptibility likely influences individual responses to air pollutants and the risk of asthma. We compared the role of polygenic susceptibility on air pollution-associated asthma between German and Japanese women. We investigated women that were enrolled in the German SALIA cohort (n = 771, mean age = 73 years) and the Japanese Shika cohort (n = 847, mean age = 67 years) with known asthma status. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between (1) particulate matter with a median aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5µm (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), (2) polygenic risk scores (PRS), and (3) gene-environment interactions (G × E) with asthma. We found an increased risk of asthma in Japanese women after exposure to low pollutant levels (PM2.5: median = 12.7µg/m3, p-value < 0.001, NO2: median = 8.5µg/m3, p-value < 0.001) and in German women protective polygenic effects (p-value = 0.008). While we found no significant G × E effects, the direction in both groups was that the PRS increased the effect of PM2.5 and decreased the effect of NO2 on asthma. Our study confirms that exposure to low air pollution levels increases the risk of asthma in Japanese women and indicates polygenic effects in German women; however, there was no evidence of G × E effects. Future genome-wide G × E studies should further explore the role of ethnic-specific polygenic susceptibility to asthma.

Association between Dietary Fat Intake and Hyperuricemia in Men with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Despite a close relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and uric acid level, few studies have examined the relationship between uric acid level and fat intake by kidney function status. Therefore, we investigated the association between dietary fat intake and hyperuricemia with and without decreased kidney function in males living in Shika Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. This study included 361 males with a mean age of 60.7 years. Dietary fat and fatty acid intakes were evaluated using the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. Reduced kidney function was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, while hyperuricemia was defined as a serum uric acid level >7.0 mg/dL. A two-way analysis of covariance showed that saturated fatty acid (p = 0.026), monounsaturated fatty acid (p = 0.014), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (p = 0.022) were significantly lower in the high uric acid group than in the normal uric acid group. In multiple logistic analysis stratified by renal function, lipid intake was negatively associated with hyperuricemia in the low eGFR group. These findings suggest that higher dietary lipid/fatty acid intake may be effective in the prevention and treatment of hyperuricemia in men with CKD.

Association between Vitamin Intake and Chronic Kidney Disease According to a Variant Located Upstream of the PTGS1 Gene: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Shika Study.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have been advised to take vitamins; however, the effects have been controversial. The individual differences in developing CKD might involve genetic variants of inflammation, including variant rs883484 located upstream of the prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1 (PTGS1) gene. We aimed to identify whether the 12 dietary vitamin intake interacts with genotypes of the rs883484 on developing CKD. The population-based, cross-sectional study had 684 Japanese participants (≥40 years old). The study used a validated, brief, self-administered diet history questionnaire to estimate the intake of the dietary vitamins. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. The study participants had an average age of 62.1 ± 10.8 years with 15.4% minor homozygotes of rs883484, and 114 subjects had CKD. In the fully adjusted model, the higher intake of vitamins, namely niacin (odds ratio (OR) = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57−0.96, p = 0.024), α-tocopherol (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.26−0.95, p = 0.034), and vitamin C (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.95−1.00, p = 0.037), was independently associated with lower CKD tendency in the minor homozygotes of rs883484. The results suggested the importance of dietary vitamin intake in the prevention of CKD in middle-aged to older-aged Japanese with minor homozygous of rs883484 gene variant.

A retrospective cohort study on the association between poor sleep quality in junior high school students and high hemoglobin A1c level in early adults with higher body mass index values.

BACKGROUND: Few epidemiological studies have been performed to clarify the association between glucose metabolism disorders in early adults (20 years old) and physiological and environmental factors, including body mass index (BMI) in junior high school days. Therefore, we examined the association between hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level and body size (BMI) in early adulthood and lifestyles, including sleep habits and BMI in junior high school days in Shika town, a small town in Japan, by conducting a retrospective cohort study. METHODS: We examined the HbA1c levels and body size (BMI) of 99 early adults who turned 20 years old between 2016 and 2020 and were residing in Shika town, Ishikawa Prefecture. We obtained the information on lifestyles and living environment factors, including BMI, from a questionnaire survey conducted among the subjects during their junior high school days (13-15 years old) from 2009 to 2013. RESULTS: No correlations were observed between the HbA1c levels and the BMI values of the early adults. A two-way analysis of covariance (with the HbA1c levels and BMI values of the early adults as main factors) of the body size and lifestyle habits of the junior high school students revealed that "sleep quality in junior high school" was significantly poorer in the high HbA1c group than in the low HbA1c group in the early adults with high BMI values only. This result was also supported by the logistic regression analysis result. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that poor sleep quality in junior high school was associated with the high HbA1c levels of the early adults with higher BMI values, which suggests that good sleep quality in junior high school prevents the development of hyperglycemia. However, the present study did not find any relationship between early-adult BMI and HbA1c level.

Relationship between Alcohol Intake and Chronic Pain with Depressive Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Shika Study.

Although alcohol intake is associated with chronic pain (CP) and analgesia, epidemiological studies have not yet examined the factors affecting the relationship between alcohol intake and CP in detail. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between alcohol intake and CP in community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly individuals with/without depressive symptoms. Participants comprised 2223 inhabitants of Shika town in Ishikawa prefecture, located on the Noto Peninsula facing the Sea of Japan, and included 1007 males and 1216 females. CP, depressive symptoms, and alcohol intake were assessed using a CP questionnaire, the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 and the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire, respectively. In males without depressive symptoms, mean alcohol intake was significantly higher at 5.70% energy (27.92 g/day) in the CP group than that of 3.75% energy (20.00 g/day) in the non-CP group. The prevalence of low back/knee pain was also significantly higher in males with than in those without depressive symptoms. The present results suggest that long-term alcohol intake is related to CP by reducing the pain threshold and enhancing nociceptive pain as a possible mechanism. However, even a low alcohol intake was associated with psychogenic pain in participants with depressive symptoms. Further studies to investigate the involvement of depressive symptoms and alcohol intake in CP and its prevention are needed.

Relationships among the ß3-adrenargic receptor gene Trp64Arg polymorphism, hypertension, and insulin resistance in a Japanese population.

A polymorphism in the ADRB3 gene (Trp64Arg) has been associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and hypertension. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationships among this polymorphism, hypertension, and insulin resistance values (HOMA-IR) in 719 Japanese subjects aged 40 years and older. The genotype frequencies of Trp64Trp (homozygous, wild), Trp64Arg (heterozygous, variant), and Arg64Arg (homozygous, variant) were 466 (65%), 233 (32%), and 20 (3%), respectively. Insulin resistance was associated with an increased risk of hypertension in a Japanese population. This relationship was dependent on the presence or absence of the Trp64Arg polymorphism (odds ratio, 2.054; confidence interval, 1.191 to 3.541; P value, 0.010). Therefore, the Trp64Arg polymorphism of ADRB3 was associated with hypertension and insulin resistance in a healthy Japanese population. This relationship, which was dependent on the polymorphism, may predict the development of hypertension and diabetes.

Validation of the Japanese Version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised: A Preliminary Analysis.

To make the Japanese version of the CESD-R-a revised version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies depression scale (CES-D)-in the assessment of depressive symptoms in a general population. The English version of CESD-R was translated into Japanese, and back-translated into English by three native speakers of Japanese and English; then, we selected the version most completely consistent with the original items. The CESD-R was applied to 398 community-dwelling people (191 men: 48.0%, and 207 women: 52.0%) who were over 40 years old. The Japanese version of the CES-D was also carried out in the same population. Factor analysis was performed. Additionally, the correlations between the CESD-R and CES-D results were identified. The CESD-R scores showed a significantly positive correlation with CES-D scores (r = 0.74, p < 0.0005). Analysis of the CESD-R yielded a Cronbach's alpha result of 0.90. Factor analysis revealed one principal factor in the CESD-R, whereas the original CES-D had two factors because of reversed items. The Japanese version of the CESD-R appears to have the reliability to be applicable for assessing depressive symptoms in population-based samples. However, because the Japanese expressions for some items might be unusual, our study population was also limited; further studies on other populations and on incorporating improved Japanese terminology will be needed.

Relationship between Vitamin Intake and Health-Related Quality of Life in a Japanese Population: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Shika Study.

Although epidemiological studies revealed a relationship between psychosocial states, such as depressive symptoms, and nutritional intake, limited information is currently available on vitamin intake. The Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) is not limited to a specific disease, it is constructed based on a universal concept of health and is used to evaluate the Quality of life (QOL). A three-component scoring method was developed for "Physical component score (PCS)", "Mental component score (MCS)", and "Role/social score (RCS)". Collectively, these summary scores are called the "QOL summary score", which is regarded as a more detailed health summary score. In the present study, we aimed at epidemiologically examine the relationship between vitamin intake and QOL in middle-aged and elderly population in 3162 residents in Japan. In women, a multiple regression analysis showed a positive correlation between all vitamin intake and PCS scores, and between vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C, and MCS scores. In consideration of depression as MCS of SF-36 and chronic pain as PCS, an insufficient vitamin intake may affect QOL in women; however, a causal relationship has not yet been demonstrated.