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Dairy products have been indicated as a risk factor for prostate cancer. However, only a few epidemiological studies have reported dairy products as being a risk factor for prostate cancer in Japan, reporting contradictory results. We therefore investigated the association between the intake of dairy products and the occurrence of prostate cancer through a large‐scale cohort study. The Japan Collaborative Cohort study analyzed approximately 110,000 residents from various Japanese districts who participated in our questionnaire survey during 1988–1990. The subjects of the present study were 26,464 men (age range: 40–79 years) from 24 districts wherein cancer incidence was reported. Their clinical course was followed up until 2009. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using Cox's proportional hazards model, adjusted for age, survey area, family history of prostate cancer, body mass index, and total energy intake. For diet, we calculated the HRs associated with intermediate and high consumption of dairy products and compared them with those associated with low consumption. There were 412 cases of prostate cancer in the survey population. As dairy products, milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter were evaluated. Among them, milk consumption was associated with a significant risk (HR = 1.37, p = 0.009) and a dose‐dependent response (p for trend = 0.009) adjusted for age and family history of prostate cancer, stratified by area. Milk and yogurt consumption showed a significantly positive risk and a dose–response relationship adjusted for age, family history of prostate cancer, body mass index, and total energy intake, stratified by area. In summary, a high intake of dairy products such as milk increased the risk of developing prostate cancer in Japanese men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Purpose: Epidemiological data on immunoglobulin G4‐related sclerosing cholangitis (IgG4‐SC) are scarce. Method: We randomly selected healthcare facilities from a list of all facilities in Japan. The selection rate was determined according to a stratification based on the facility characteristics and scale. We sent questionnaires to the selected facilities enquiring about the number and sex of patients with IgG4‐SC in 2018. Among responding facilities, we further inquired about the clinical characteristics of the patients with IgG4‐SC. Results: We selected 1180 departments from health centers across Japan. Of them, 532 (45.1%) responded to the questionnaires. The number of reported patients with IgG4‐SC was 1045, and the estimated point prevalence was 2.18 (95% confidence interval, 2.13‐2.23) per 100 000 population. In addition, we enrolled 1096 patients with IgG4‐SC, combining data from previously and newly registered patients. Male patients comprised 79.5% of the population and patients aged 60–80 years had the highest risk for developing the disease. The follow‐up period was 5.1 ± 4.0 years and the 5‐ and 10‐year overall survival rates were 95.3% and 89.0%, respectively. Conclusions: The point prevalence of IgG4‐SC was 2.18 per 100 000 population. The epidemiological features were similar to those observed in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Autoimmune liver diseases (AILD) including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) impose a significant burden on public health, and it is important to estimate their prevalence. We carried out a nationwide, hospital‐based, epidemiological survey of AIH, PBC, and PSC, and compared the results with those from previous surveys. Method: We randomly selected health‐care facilities used in the survey from a list of all facilities in Japan. The selection rate was determined according to a stratification based on the facility characteristics and scale. We sent questionnaires to the selected facilities enquiring about the number and sex of patients with AILD who visited the facility in 2016. An identical survey was undertaken for AIH/PBC in 2004 and for PSC in 2007; we carried out a comparative analysis of these data. Results: We selected 1793 departments from health centers all over Japan. Of them, 1078 (60.1%) responded to the questionnaires. The number of reported patients with AIH, PBC, and PSC was 8505, 10 847, and 906, respectively, and point prevalence was 23.9 (95% confidence interval, 23.3–24.5) for AIH (8.7 in 2004), 33.8 (33.0–34.6) for PBC (11.6 in 2004), and 1.80 (1.75–1.85) for PSC (0.95 in 2007) per 100 000 population. Male‐to‐female patient ratio of AILD was 1:4.3 for AIH (1:6.9 in 2004), 1:3.9 for PBC (1:7.1 in 2004), and 1:0.88 for PSC (1:1.4 in 2007). Conclusion: The current study indicates an increasing trend of prevalence as well as male‐to‐female patient ratio of AILD in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are significantly associated with pancreatic cancer susceptibility. We sought to replicate the associations of 61 GWAS-identified SNPs at 42 loci with pancreatic cancer in Japanese and to develop a risk model for the identification of individuals at high risk for pancreatic cancer development in the general Japanese population. The model was based on data including directly determined or imputed SNP genotypes for 664 pancreatic cancer case and 664 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Stepwise logistic regression uncovered five GWAS-identified SNPs at five loci that also showed significant associations in our case-control cohort. These five SNPs were included in the risk model and also applied to calculation of the polygenic risk score (PRS). The area under the curve determined with the leave-one-out cross-validation method was 0.63 (95% confidence interval, 0.60–0.66) or 0.61 (0.58–0.64) for versions of the model that did or did not include cigarette smoking and family history of pancreatic cancer in addition to the five SNPs, respectively. Individuals in the lowest and highest quintiles for the PRS had odds ratios of 0.62 (0.42–0.91) and 1.98 (1.42–2.76), respectively, for pancreatic cancer development compared with those in the middle quintile. We have thus developed a risk model for pancreatic cancer that showed moderately good discriminatory ability with regard to differentiation of pancreatic cancer patients from control individuals. Our findings suggest the potential utility of a risk model that incorporates replicated GWAS-identified SNPs and established demographic or environmental factors for the identification of individuals at increased risk for pancreatic cancer development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Depression affecting caregivers is a risk factor for discontinuing at-home care. The present cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate factors related to depression among family caregivers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate factors related to depression among family caregivers of the frail elderly. The study included caregivers whose relatives received periodic visits from a nurse from one of seven Sapporo-based home-visiting nursing service stations in October 2008 or from one of nine Kochi-based home-visiting nursing service stations between June 2009 and March 2010. Caregivers were asked to answer a self-administered questionnaire about various factors that might affect their depression and to complete a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale evaluation. We analyzed 127 pairs of responses in total. Results: After we adjusted the results for the caregivers' gender and age, the factors that decreased the risk of depression in the Sapporo group related to relieving the stress that results from being a caregiver (OR = 0.12, 95%CI = [0.03, 0.42]) and the ability to independently pay more than ¥10 000 for part of care service costs (OR = 0.17, 95%CI = [0.05, 0.58]). In contrast, feeling ill was a factor that increased caregivers' risk of depression in the Kochi group (OR = 4.23, 95%CI = [1.29, 13.9]), but not in Sapporo group (OR = 2.53, 95%CI = [0.91, 7.08]). Caregivers in the Sapporo group were more likely to feel ill ( P < 0.01) than their counterparts in Kochi. Conclusion: The Japanese government should take measures to reduce caregivers' depression. Otherwise family members will increasingly discontinue to provide at-home care. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 230-237. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The incidence of kidney cancer is high in Western Europe, and Northern Europe and North America, while it is low in Asia. Although the incidence of kidney cancer in Japan is lower than the rates in the other industrialized countries, there is no doubt that it is increasing. In this paper, we would like to introduce the result of the studies, which evaluate the risk factors for kidney cancer in the Japanese population. Methods: Relevant studies were identified in the PubMed database using a combination of "Japan", "kidney cancer", "risk", "case-control" and "cohort", and in the ICHUSHI database (Japanese database) using a combination of "kidney cancer", and "risk factor". Results: Seven studies were identified in the database and one cohort study (Hirayama Cohort study) was selected from their references. These studies found a positive association with kidney cancer risk for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, kidney diseases, dialysis, cancer, obesity, fondness for fatty food, milk, black tea, driving experience, a positive family history of cancer, and the vitamin D receptor AA genotype at the Apa I. On the other hand, a negative association with the kidney cancer risk is found for an intake of starchy roots (i.e., taro, sweet potato and potato), and an educational level. Conclusion: There are twelve possible risk factors for kidney cancer and two possible preventive factors. In Japan, however, drinking black tea and milk may be a surrogate for westernized dietary habits while eating starchy roots may be a surrogate for traditional Japanese dietary habits. Additional studies may be needed to evaluate the risk factors for kidney cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ecological studies lack the ability to control for the effects of confounding factors. The findings of a linear relationship between average exposure and disease frequency in ecological studies do not imply that such a linear relationship will be present at the individual levels. This is known as the ‘ecological fallacy’. Despite these limitations, ecological studies may be the best approach to studying exposures that are easier to measure at the group rather than the individual level because most ecological studies make use of routinely collected data. They are also useful for monitoring the effectiveness of population interventions such as vaccination programs, health education campaigns and mass screening programs. Thus, ecological studies are useful epidemiologic tools for public health surveillance if we know their limitations and interpret their results carefully. Ecological studies often help to generate hypotheses, although they rarely provide a strong test of a causal hypothesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]