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Objectives: Given the high prevalence of fast-metabolizing alcohol dehydrogenase-1B*2 (ADH1B*2 ) and inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2*2 (ALDH2*2 ) alleles in East Asians, we evaluated how the ADH1B / ALDH2 genotypes and alcohol flushing might affect the development of alcohol dependence (AD)., Methods: We evaluated how the ADH1B / ALDH2 genotypes and self-reported alcohol flushing affected history of drinking events and withdrawal symptoms and ICD-10 criteria in 4116 Japanese AD men., Results: The ADH1B*1/*1 group and ALDH2*1/*1 group were 1-5 years younger than the ADH1B*2 (+) and ALDH2*1/*2 groups, respectively, for all of the ages at onset of habitual drinking, blackouts, daytime drinking, uncontrolled drinking, withdrawal symptoms, and first treatment for AD, and the current age. Blackouts were more common in the ADH1B*1/*1 group and ALDH2*1/*1 group. Daytime drinking, uncontrolled drinking, and withdrawal symptoms, such as hand tremor, sweating, convulsions, and delirium tremens/hallucinations were more common in the ADH1B*1/*1 group. The ADH1B*1/*1 was positively associated with the ICD-10 criteria for 'tolerance' and 'withdrawal symptoms'. The ADH1B*1/*1 group and ALDH2*1/*2 group had a larger ICD-10 score. Never flushing was reported by 91.7% and 35.2% of the ALDH2*1/*1 and ALDH2*1/*2 carriers, respectively. After a 1-2-year delay in the onset of habitual drinking in the former-/current-flushing group, no differences in the ages of the aforementioned drinking milestones were found according to the flushing status., Conclusion: The ADH1B*1/*1 and ALDH2*1/*1 accelerated the development of drinking events and withdrawal symptoms in Japanese AD patients. ICD-10 score was larger in the ADH1B*1/*1 group and ALDH2*1/*2 group. The effects of alcohol flushing on drinking events were limited., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The results of an epidemiological survey in a 190-patient institution for mentally retarded were reported. Twenty percent of the patients had either cysts or trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica in their stools, and 38% were positive serologically. The amebic outbreak revealed a sex-independent but age-dependent distribution; younger patients had more serious symptoms in cases invasive amebiasis. A high prevalence of amebic infection was found in the heavily retarded patients, and the positive cases tended to concentrate in certain training classes. Further demographic analysis suggests that the amebic infection was possibly caused by abnormal behavior of heavily retarded patients.

A case of intestinal myiasis caused by larvae of Sarcophaga peregrina (Japanese name: senchi-nikubae) is reported. The patient passed stools containing live fly larvae for 2 days, but was otherwise asymptomatic. The patient seems to have been infested accidentally as a result of having eaten "yakitori" in which the fly had deposited its larvae. This paper is the first report of intestinal myiasis caused by the 3rd instar of this species.

The ethanol patch test, which is considered to be a cutaneous model of flushing, was performed on 311 healthy Japanese (237 adults and 74 children). By comparing the results with aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) phenotype determined by isoelectric focusing from hair roots samples, it was demonstrated that the ethanol patch test is a good indicator of the ALDH phenotype. The usefulness of this test in future studies was discussed.

A large fraction of people in East Asia are incapable of digesting alcohol because of a genetic deficiency. This study examines whether the variation in alcohol tolerance contributes to inequality in the labor market. We conduct our original surveys in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea with the measurement of respondents' degree of alcohol tolerance by a bio-marker test. We find that alcohol-tolerant men consume significantly more alcohol, but their earnings and hours worked do not differ from those of alcohol-intolerant men. Despite a prevalent view that drinking alcohol is indispensable to establish good relationships with colleagues and business partners, our results suggest that there is no systematic impact of alcohol tolerance on labor market outcomes., (© 2023 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of oral moisturising gel containing egg yolk antibody against Candida albicans (anti-CA IgY) in older people. Therefore, we measured the number of Candia CFU present on oral swabs at baseline and after using the gel.Methods: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted among volunteers living in a nursing home in Japan. The participants were divided into two groups. The group 1 participants received oral care using an experimental oral moisturising gel with anti-CA IgY, and those in group 2 received oral care using a placebo oral moisturising gel without anti-CA IgY. The oral care was performed by care workers three times a day for 4 weeks. The participants' tongues were sampled using a swab method at baseline and after 2 and 4 weeks of using the oral gel, and the number of C. albicans, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei colonies was counted.Results: The baseline oral condition of the participants in the two groups did not differ significantly. The experimental gel significantly reduced the number of C. albicans colonies from baseline to after 4 weeks of using the oral gel; however, no significant reductions were observed in the number of C. tropicalis or C. krusei colonies.Conclusion: The use of oral moisturising gel containing anti-CA IgY for 1 month significantly reduces the number of C. albicans CFU present on swabs in older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study sought to evaluate the impacts of interactions between the alcohol dehydrogenase-1B (rs1229984) genotype and the aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (rs671) genotype on alcohol flushing, alcohol reeking on the day after drinking, and the age distribution in alcohol-dependent patients., Methods: The study subjects were 4107 Japanese alcohol-dependent men who underwent alcohol dehydrogenase-1B and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genotyping: 4051 patients were asked about their current or former tendency to experience facial flushing after drinking a glass of beer, and 969 patients were asked about whether they had ever been told that they reeked of alcohol more than 12 hours after they had stopped drinking., Results: Current, former, and never flushing were reported in 3.5, 14.9, and 81.5%, respectively, of the subject, and alcohol reeking after more than 12 hours in 36.1% of the subjects. The fast-metabolizing ADH1B*2(+) genotype (*1/*2 or *2/*2) and the inactive ALDH2*2(+) genotype (*1/*2 or *2/*2) affected the multivariate odds ratios for current or former flushing [odds ratio, 95% confidence interval = 2.27 (1.79-2.86) and 23.0 (18.6-28.5), respectively, vs. *2(-) genotype] and for alcohol reeking [0.39 (0.29-0.52) and 1.56 (1.09-2.25), respectively, vs. *2(-) genotype]. An age-dependent decrease in the ADH1B*2(-) and ALDH2*2(-) combination from 32.3% in the 30-39-year age group to 12.5% in the 70-79-year age group and an age-dependent increase in the ADH1B*2(+) and ALDH2*2(-) combination from 52.5% in the 30-39-year age group to 70.5% in the 70-79-year age group were observed (P < 0.0001 for trend). The frequencies of the ADH1B*2(-) and ALDH2*2(+) combination (4.7-6.2%) and the ADH1B*2(+) and ALDH2*2(+) combination (8.9-12.0%) did not change markedly with increasing age., Conclusion: Interactions between the alcohol dehydrogenase-1B and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genotypes modified alcohol flushing, alcohol reeking on the day after drinking, and the age distribution. These findings support the protective roles of the ADH1B*2(+) and ALDH2*2(+) genotypes against the development of alcohol dependence.

The Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center began to conduct research and to provide medical care for alcohol-related problems in 1963, when special alcoholism treatment wards were established in Japan for the first time. At first, the provision of medical care to patients was prioritized. However, training courses for specialists were initiated in 1975, and the Department of Clinical Research was established in 1984, which led to the formation of the present management structure in which the centre's staff are shared by three departments: Medical Care, Clinical Research and Education and Information. The Department of Medical Care provides specialized treatment for alcohol use disorders and medical services for other conditions, including behavioural addictions such as internet addiction and gambling disorder, as well as dementia and other psychiatric disorders. The Departments of Clinical Research and Education and Information are engaged mainly in specialized activities related to alcohol. The Department of Clinical Research conducts research on the epidemiology of alcohol use, the effects of alcohol on health and the treatment of alcohol use disorders in Japan, in cooperation with universities and other research institutions. The Department of Education and Information fosters the human capacity to achieve the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of alcohol-related problems and the dissemination of information on alcohol. The centre also performs alcohol-related problem prevention activities, government consultations and international collaborative research and personal exchanges, thereby functioning as a central institution for alcohol policy-based medical services and research in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, amebiasis has been observed in homosexual men, in institutionalized persons, and in overseas travelers. We have previously reported an outbreak of amebiasis that occurred from 1986 to 1994 in institutions for the mentally retarded in Kanagawa and Shizuoka Prefectures in Eastern Japan. Entamoeba histolytica but not Entamoeba dispar was identified in Entamoeba cultures obtained from cyst passers in four institutions located in different municipalities in this region. In the present study, serine-rich protein genes of eight isolates from the four institutions were sequenced, and their polymorphism was analyzed. The results showed that all the sequences from the E. histolytica isolates were identical. This retrospective study led us to conclude that the outbreak of amebiasis in different municipalities was derived from a single source of E. histolytica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary A third-stage larva of Dryomyza formosa (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Dryomyzidae) was found in the fresh stool of a 27-year-old Japanese woman resident of Shiobara, 150 km north of Tokyo, on 16 November 1998. This is the first record of myiasis due to Dryomyza. Detection of this maggot (2 cm long) by the patient herself was associated with her longstanding delusion of abdominal parasitosis as a symptom of chronic schizophrenia. Circumstantial evidence agreed with this being a genuine case of intestinal myiasis, apparently due to accidental ingestion of the insect, with no signs that the patient had contrived the report, nor that the maggot had invaded the stool post-defaecation. This case draws attention to the likelihood that some personality states are predisposed to noticing and reporting myiasis, when it occurs. We review other conditions (mental and physical) that are more prone to myiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To characterize females with bulimia nervosa and alcoholism, this study compared the social and family backgrounds, as well as the clinical symptoms of alcoholics with bulimia and patients with bulimia only. The subjects were 22 Japanese female patients with both bulimia nervosa and alcoholism; the comparison group comparison group comprised 22 age-matched female patients with bulimia nervosa but without alcoholism. Patients with both bulimia and alcoholism had more borderline personality disorders and pathological symptoms such as stealing, suicide attempts, and liver injuries than the nonalcoholic comparison group. The subjects' average body weight was significant less than that of the comparison group. Whereas the clinical characteristics of females with bulimia and alcoholism differ in many respects from those with bulimia only, it is suggested that alcoholic bulimia patients form a distinct clinical subgroup among patients with bulimia nervosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The changed disease landscape in Japan because of an increasing aging population has contributed to an increase in convalescent inpatients, warranting important considerations of their oral care needs. However, information on the oral state of these inpatients is scarce. We evaluated the correlation between the number of residual teeth and tongue hygiene state in these inpatients. Methods: This cross-sectional study included convalescent-ward inpatients, aged 34–100 years. The study was conducted between April 2017 and March 2018 in Kitakyushu, Japan. Data regarding age, sex, number of residual teeth, odontotherapy requirement, medications with oral side effects, and the reason for hospitalization, were collected. Oral hygiene level was assessed using the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT). The correlation between each element of OHAT and the number of residual teeth was analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis. The risk of a remarkable tongue state was analyzed using binominal logistic regression analysis. Results: Correlations were observed between the number of residual teeth and OHAT subscales, including tongue, saliva, and dentures. A significantly higher percentage of inpatients with ≤19 teeth had a tongue state score of 1 or higher, compared with those with ≥20 teeth. (78.6% vs 57.7%, p = 0.047). In inpatients with ≥20 teeth, the remarkable saliva state significantly increased the risk of the remarkable tongue state by 10.49-fold (95% confidence interval = 2.86–38.51), after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusion: Poor tongue hygiene is associated with the number of teeth and salivary state in convalescent-ward inpatients. Inpatients with ≤19 teeth had a higher risk of poor tongue hygiene, regardless of the salivary condition, as assessed using OHAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]