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Japanese Individuals (japanese + individual)
Selected AbstractsJ-shaped relationship between waist circumference and subsequent risk for Type 2 diabetes: an 8-year follow-up of relatively lean Japanese individualsDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009M. Sakurai Abstract Aims, This study investigated the relationship between waist circumference and the subsequent incidence of Type 2 diabetes and the association with insulin resistance and pancreatic B-cell function in relatively lean Japanese individuals. Methods, The study participants were 3992 employees (2533 men and 1459 women, aged 35,55 years) of a metal-products factory in Japan. The incidence of diabetes was determined in annual medical examinations during an 8-year follow-up. We calculated age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) according to the sex-specific quintile of waist circumference at baseline. Differences in baseline insulin resistance [homeostatis model assessment (HOMA)-IR] and pancreatic B-cell function (HOMA-B) were compared between participants who developed diabetes and those who did not. Results, During the follow-up, 218 participants developed diabetes. Age- and sex-adjusted HRs across the quintiles of waist circumference were 1.78, 1.00 (reference), 1.59, 3.11 and 3.30, respectively (P for trend, < 0.0001). The HR for the lowest quintile was significantly higher than that for the second quintile. Among participants with waist circumference of the lowest quintile, HOMA-B was lower in those who developed diabetes than in those who did not [33.1 (24.1,45.0) vs. 54.3 (37.9,74.6) median (interquartile range), P < 0.0001], but HOMA-IR did not differ between these groups. Conclusions, There was a J-shaped relationship between waist circumference and subsequent risk for Type 2 diabetes in relatively lean Japanese individuals; lower pancreatic B-cell function may also increase the risk of diabetes in very lean Japanese people. [source] Impact of the Alcohol-Dehydrogenase (ADH) 1C and ADH1B polymorphisms on drinking behavior in nonalcoholic Japanese,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 5 2007Keitaro Matsuo Abstract A linkage disequilibrium (LD) between the alcohol-dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) and alcohol-dehydrogenase 1C (ADH1C) polymorphisms adds complexity to differentiating the significance of these two genetic polymorphisms on drinking behavior and alcoholism. We have recently shown the importance of the ADH1B polymorphism on habitual drinking in the Japanese population; however, the issue regarding the LD between the ADH1B and ADH1C polymorphisms remains to be clarified. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 2,299 nonalcoholic Japanese individuals. Drinking behavior was examined with regard to haplotypes of the ADH1B and ADH1C polymorphisms. Strength of association was assessed by sex and aldehyde-dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) adjusted odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the haplotype of the ADH1B and ADH1C polymorphisms. The ORs for habitual drinking were significant for ADH1B*2(rapid)- ADH1C*2(slow) (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01,1.05), ADH1B*1(slow)- ADH1C*1(rapid) (OR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.14,1.16), and ADH1B*1(slow)- ADH1C*2(slow) (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.29,1.32) compared with ADH1B*2(rapid)- ADH1C*1(rapid). This trend was evident among males. Similarly, a significantly increased risk of heavy drinking was observed for each haplotype compared with ADH1B*2(rapid)- ADH1C*1(rapid). In conclusion, this study showed a significant impact of the ADH1C polymorphism on habitual drinking, regardless of the ADH1B/ALDH2 polymorphisms. Hum Mutat 28(5), 506,510, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Guidebook use by Japanese tourists: a qualitative study of Australia inbound travellersINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 1 2006Sachiko Nishimura Abstract This qualitative investigation into guidebook use reports on in-depth interviews conducted with 26 Japanese individuals and one couple who had visited Australia during the five previous years. Focusing on the stages before, during and after travel the research framework was based on Vogt and Fesenmaier's model of information needs. It was found that functional needs were the dominant influences during the prior to travel phase, with some non-functional needs (hedonic, aesthetic and innovation) also being influential. During the travel phase, only functional needs were evident. Some respondents were identified as being deliberate non-users of guidebooks. The variable ,tourist type' was found to be helpful for distinguishing between users and non-users and for identifying those with functional needs. The use of guidebooks by those whose needs are both functional and non-functional may be unaffected by this variable. When the attitudes of those who actively dislike guidebooks and those who hesitate to use them are aggregated, a view emerges of guidebooks as a symbol of standardised tourism. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Lower Levels of Serum Albumin and Total Cholesterol Associated with Decline in Activities of Daily Living and Excess Mortality in a 12-Year Cohort Study of Elderly JapaneseJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 3 2008Tomonori Okamura MD OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between levels of serum albumin and total cholesterol (TC) and risk of subsequent mortality and future decline in activities of daily living (ADLs) in elderly people. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-Communicable Disease and Its Trends in the Aged, 1980. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand eight hundred forty-four Japanese individuals aged 60 to 74 randomly selected throughout Japan and followed for 12.4 years. MEASUREMENTS: Decline in ADLs and mortality. RESULTS: After adjusting for other covariates, the multivariable odds ratios (ORs) of impaired ADLs were highest in the lowest albumin quartile (,40 g/L) for women. The multivariable OR of having a composite outcome of death or impaired ADL for the lowest albumin quartile compared with the highest was 1.56 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.94,2.57) for men and 3.06 (95% CI=1.89,4.95) for women. Serum albumin was significantly and inversely associated with a composite outcome of death or impaired ADLs in the group below the median of TC in both sexes (multivariable OR for 1-g/L increase in serum albumin=0.88 for men (95% CI=0.79,0.97) and 0.79 for women (95% CI=0.72,0.87)), which was not significantly associated in the group with TC at or above the median. CONCLUSION: In the Japanese general population, low-normal serum albumin and TC levels are associated with loss of activity during old age, especially for women. [source] Alcohol and Colorectal Cancer: The Role of Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1C PolymorphismALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2009Nils Homann Background:, Chronic alcohol consumption is a risk factor for colorectal cancer. Animal experiments as well as genetic linkage studies in Japanese individuals with inactive acetaldehyde dehydrogenase leading to elevated acetaldehyde concentrations following ethanol ingestion support the hypothesis that acetaldehyde may be responsible for this carcinogenic effect of alcohol. In Caucasians, a polymorphism of alcohol dehydrogenase 1C (ADH1C) exists resulting in different acetaldehyde concentrations following ethanol oxidation. Methods:, To evaluate whether the association between alcohol consumption and colorectal tumor development is modified by ADH1C polymorphism, we recruited 173 individuals with colorectal tumors diagnosed by colonoscopy and 788 control individuals without colorectal tumors. Genotyping was performed using genomic DNA extracted from whole blood followed by polymerase chain reaction. Results:, Genotype ADH1C*1/1 was more frequent in patients with alcohol-associated colorectal neoplasia compared to patients without cancers in the multivariate model controlling for age, gender, and alcohol intake (odds ratio = 1.674, 95% confidence interval = 1.110,2.524, 2-sided p from Wald test = 0.0139). In addition, the joint test of the genetic effect and interaction between ADH1C genotype and alcohol intake (2-sided p = 0.0007) indicated that the difference in ADH1C*1 polymorphisms between controls and colorectal neoplasia is strongly influenced by the alcohol consumption and that only individuals drinking more than 30 g ethanol per day with the genotype ADH1C*1/1 had an increased risk for colorectal tumors. Conclusions:, These data identify ADH1C homozygosity as a genetic risk marker for colorectal tumors in individuals consuming more than 30 g alcohol per day and emphasize the role of acetaldehyde as a carcinogenic agent in alcohol-related colorectal carcinogenesis. [source] Identification of novel sequence variants in the neurofilament-light gene in a Japanese population: analysis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease patients and normal individualsJOURNAL OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, Issue 4 2002Tsuyoshi Yoshihara Abstract Mutations of the neurofilament-light (NEFL/NF-L) gene were examined in 124 unrelated Japanese patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) without known gene mutations, and 248 normal Japanese individuals. A new method, which can detect basepair mismatches with RNase cleavage on agarose gel electrophoresis, coupled with DNA sequencing, identified 8 novel sequence variations in the NF-L gene. In these sequence variants, 5 variants were polymorphisms, including 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and 3 other missense mutations (Pro22Thr, Asn97Ser and Ala148Val) were found in the patients with CMT phenotype. The variant alleles in the NF-L gene could influence the developing process of CMT phenotype and also might cause CMT phenotype. [source] Association between genetic polymorphisms of the base excision repair gene MUTYH and increased colorectal cancer risk in a Japanese populationCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008Hong Tao The MUTYH gene encodes a DNA glycosylase that can initiate the base excision repair pathway and prevent G:C > T:A transversion by excising adenine mispaired with 8-hydroxyguanine. Biallelic germline mutations of MUTYH have been shown to predict familial and sporadic multiple colorectal adenomas and carcinomas, however, whether there is an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MUTYH and sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) risk has remained unclear. In this study we investigated four MUTYH SNPs, IVS1+11C > T, IVS6+35G > A, IVS10,2A > G, and 972G > C (Gln324His), for an association with increased CRC risk in a population-based series of 685 CRC patients and 778 control subjects from Kyushu, Japan. A statistically significant association was demonstrated between IVS1+11T and increased CRC risk (odds ratio [OR]: 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.012,2.030; P = 0.042) and one of the five haplotypes based on the four SNPs, the IVS1+11T , IVS6+35G , IVS10,2A , 972C (TGAC) haplotype containing IVS1+11T, was demonstrated to be associated with increased CRC risk (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.005,2.029; P = 0.046). Subsite-specific analysis showed that the TGAC haplotype was statistically significantly (P = 0.013) associated with an increased risk of distal colon, but not proximal colon or rectal cancer. Furthermore, IVS1+11C > T was found to be in complete linkage disequilibrium with ,280G > A and 1389G > C (Thr463Thr). The results indicated that Japanese individuals with , 280A/IVS1+11T/1389C genotypes or the TGAC haplotype are susceptible to CRC. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 355,360) [source] | ||||||||||