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Background: There have been very few reports of risk score models for the development of gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a risk assessment tool for discerning future gastric cancer risk in Japanese.Methods: A total of 2444 subjects aged 40 years or over were followed up for 14 years from 1988 (derivation cohort), and 3204 subjects of the same age group were followed up for 5 years from 2002 (validation cohort). The weighting (risk score) of each risk factor for predicting future gastric cancer in the risk assessment tool was determined based on the coefficients of a Cox proportional hazards model in the derivation cohort. The goodness of fit of the established risk assessment tool was assessed using the c-statistic and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test in the validation cohort.Results: During the follow-up, gastric cancer developed in 90 subjects in the derivation cohort and 35 subjects in the validation cohort. In the derivation cohort, the risk prediction model for gastric cancer was established using significant risk factors: age, sex, the combination of Helicobacter pylori antibody and pepsinogen status, hemoglobin A1c level, and smoking status. The incidence of gastric cancer increased significantly as the sum of risk scores increased (P trend < 0.001). The risk assessment tool was validated internally and showed good discrimination (c-statistic = 0.76) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test P = 0.43) in the validation cohort.Conclusions: We developed a risk assessment tool for gastric cancer that provides a useful guide for stratifying an individual’s risk of future gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to examine the associations between time spent in prolonged and non-prolonged sedentary bouts and the development of metabolic syndrome.Methods: We used data from a prospective study of Japanese workers. Baseline examination was conducted between 2010 and 2011. A total of 430 office workers (58 women) aged 40-64 years without metabolic syndrome were followed up by annual health checkups until 2014. Metabolic syndrome was defined as having ≥ 3 out of 5 diagnostic criteria from the Joint Interim Statement 2009 definition. Sedentary time was assessed using a tri-axial accelerometer. Time spent in total, prolonged (accumulated ≥ 30 min) and non-prolonged sedentary bouts (accumulated < 30 min) was calculated. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.Results: During a median follow-up of 3 years, 83 participants developed metabolic syndrome. After adjustment for age, sex, education, smoking, and family income, positive associations were observed between time spent in prolonged sedentary bouts and the development of metabolic syndrome. After additional adjustment for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, those in the three highest quartiles of time spent in prolonged sedentary bouts showed higher risk of metabolic syndrome compared to the lowest quartile group, with adjusted hazard ratios (95 % confidence intervals) of 2.72 (1.30 - 5.73), 2.42 (1.11 - 5.50), and 2.85 (1.31 - 6.18), respectively. No associations were seen for time spent in total and non-prolonged sedentary bouts.Conclusions: Sedentary behavior accumulated in a prolonged manner was associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome. In devising public health recommendations for the prevention of metabolic disease, the avoidance of prolonged uninterrupted periods of sedentary behavior should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Chronic pain is a significant health problem worldwide, with a prevalence in the general population of approximately 40%. Alexithymia — the personality trait of having difficulties with emotional awareness and self-regulation — has been reported to contribute to an increased risk of several chronic diseases and health conditions, and limited research indicates a potential role for alexithymia in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. However, no study has yet examined the associations between alexithymia and chronic pain in the general population. Methods: We administered measures assessing alexithymia, pain, disability, anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction to 927 adults in Hisayama, Japan. We classified the participants into four groups (low-normal alexithymia, middle-normal alexithymia, high-normal alexithymia, and alexithymic) based on their responses to the alexithymia measure. We calculated the risk estimates for the criterion measures by a logistic regression analysis. Results: Controlling for demographic variables, the odds ratio (OR) for having chronic pain was significantly higher in the high-normal (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.07–2.09) and alexithymic groups (OR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.47–4.45) compared to the low-normal group. Approximately 40% of the participants belonged to these two high-risk groups. In the subanalyses of the 439 participants with chronic pain, the levels of pain intensity, disability, depression, and anxiety were significantly increased and the degree of life satisfaction was decreased with elevating alexithymia categories. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that, in the general population, higher levels of alexithymia are associated with a higher risk of having chronic pain. The early identification and treatment of alexithymia and negative affect may be beneficial in preventing chronic pain and reducing the clinical and economic burdens of chronic pain. Further research is needed to determine if this association is due to a causal effect of alexithymia on the prevalence and severity of chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between serum resistin levels and chronic kidney disease (CKD).Methods. A total of 3192 community-dwelling subjects (1377 men, 1815 women), aged ≥40 years and without renal failure, were divided into four groups according to quartiles of serum resistin concentrations: ≤7.1, 7.2–9.9, 10.0–14.7 and ≥14.8 ng/mL. The associations of resistin levels with renal function status were examined cross-sectionally. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the equation from the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study, and CKD was defined as an eGFR of <60 mL/min/1.73 m2.Results. The age- and sex-adjusted mean values of eGFR decreased significantly with elevating quartiles of resistin (P for trend <0.001). The age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the presence of CKD increased progressively with higher quartiles of resistin. This trend remained robust even after controlling for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol, hypertension, current smoking, current drinking, and regular exercise [second quartile: OR 1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–1.99; third quartile: OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.58–2.92; fourth quartile: OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.71–3.16; P for trend <0.001]. In stratified analyses, high resistin level (≥7.2 ng/mL) was a significant relevant factor in CKD, independent of HOMA-IR or hs-CRP level.Conclusion. Our findings suggest that elevated resistin level is significantly associated with the likelihood of CKD in the general Japanese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: We evaluated the impact of metabolic syndrome (MetS) defined by various criteria on the occurrence of ischemic stroke subtypes in a general Japanese population. Methods: A total of 2452 residents of a Japanese community, Hisayama, aged 40 years or older, were followed up for 14 years. To define MetS, we used the original Japanese criteria, the modified Japanese criteria, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria, the original National Cholesterol Education Program''s Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP) criteria, and the modified NCEP criteria. We substituted a waist circumference of ≥90cm in men and ≥80cm in women for the values of ≥85cm and ≥90cm, respectively, in the modified Japanese criteria and for >102cm and >88cm, respectively, in the modified NCEP criteria. Results: Only MetS defined by the modified Japanese criteria showed a significant association with the development of lacunar infarction, and its hazard ratios (HRs) for the development of atherothrombotic and cardioembolic infarction were significant and greater than those of MetS defined by the other criteria: adjusted HRs for lacunar, atherothrombotic and cardioembolic infarction were 1.94 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13–3.32; P =0.02), 2.55 (95% CI, 1.25–5.18; P =0.01) and 3.94 (95% CI, 1.89–8.22, P <0.001), respectively, after adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that MetS defined by the Japanese criteria with the modification of a waist circumference of ≥90cm in men and ≥80cm in women is a better predictor of each ischemic stroke subtype in the Japanese population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]