84 results on '"Tomoko Fujitani"'
Search Results
2. Association between lignan polyphenol bioavailability and enterotypes of isoflavone metabolism: A cross-sectional analysis.
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Tomoko Fujitani, Mariko Harada Sassa, Zhaoqing Lyu, Yukiko Fujii, and Kouji H Harada
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Lignan polyphenols derived from plants are metabolized by bacteria in the gut to mammalian lignans, such as enterolactone (ENL) and enterodiol (END). Mammalian lignan intake has been reported to be associated with obesity and low blood glucose levels. However, the factors that are responsible for individual differences in the metabolic capacity for ENL and END are not well understood. In the present study, the effects of enterotypes of isoflavone metabolism, equol producers (EQP) and O-desmethylangolensin producers (O-DMAP), on lignan metabolism were examined. EQP was defined by urinary daidzein (DAI) and equol concentrations as log(equol/DAI) ≥ -1.42. O-DMAP was defined by urinary DAI and O-DMA concentrations as O-DMA/DAI > 0.018. Isoflavone and lignan concentrations in urine samples from 440 Japanese women were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Metabolic enterotypes were determined from the urinary equol and O-DMA concentrations. Urinary END and ENL concentrations were compared in four groups, combinations of EQP (+/-) and O-DMAP (+/-). The urinary lignan concentration was significantly higher in the O-DMAP/EQP group (ENL: P
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- 2023
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3. Association between urinary zinc excretion and isoflavone-metabolizing enterotypes among Japanese females: a cross-sectional study
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Tomoko Fujitani, Zhaoqing Lyu, Mariko Harada Sassa, and Kouji H. Harada
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enterotype ,isoflavone ,metabolism ,zinc ,japanese ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Background: Zinc absorption and competition among gut bacteria have been reported in animal studies. Thus, gut bacteria may modify zinc availability in humans. Metabolism of intestinal bacteria is known to be necessary for the activation of several phytoconstituents in the body. For example, equol, a typical substance of soybean isoflavone, is produced by intestinal bacteria metabolizing daidzein and the enterotype is one of distinct ones among Japanese population. The difference in the intestinal microflora can modify the bioavailability of zinc. In this study, we examined urinary zinc concentrations in adult female equol producers (EQPs). Methods: Urine samples from women participating in health examinations in Miyagi, Okinawa, Kyoto, Kochi, and Hokkaido prefectures were used; from total 17,484 samples, approximately 25 samples were randomly selected for each age group from 30 to 60 years per region (subsample: n = 520), and 520 samples with available urinary zinc concentration (determined by flame atomic absorption analysis) and enterobacterial type were analyzed. EQP was defined as log(equol/daidzein) ≥ −1.42, and urinary concentrations were corrected for creatinine concentration. Urinary zinc concentrations were compared by Student’s t-test and multiple regression analyses. Results: The geometric mean urinary zinc concentration (µg/g-Cr) was lower in EQP than in non-EQP (p = 0.0136 by t-test after logarithm transformation). On the other hand, there was no correlation between urinary zinc concentration with daidzein (r = −0.0495, P = 0.436) and equol concentrations (r = −0.0721, P = 0.256). There was a significant negative association between urinary zinc concentration and EQP (β = −0.392, P = 0.0311) after adjusting with other potential confounding variables, such as daidzein intake. Conclusions: The results suggest that gut bacteria that produce equol are involved in the metabolism of zinc. Based on previous studies, the bacteria that affect the metabolism of both substances are thought to be Enterococcus. Future studies are expected to identify specific intestinal bacteria for zinc availability and understand individual differences in the effects of micronutrients.
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- 2023
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4. Urinary equol levels are positively associated with urinary estradiol excretion in women
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Tomoko Fujitani, Yukiko Fujii, Zhaoqing Lyu, Mariko Harada Sassa, and Kouji H. Harada
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract Isoflavones found in soy products are a promising class of nutrients that may have a positive effect on human health. In particular, the phytoestrogen metabolite equol is associated with a reduced risk of developing female hormone-related diseases. However, the effect of equol on estrogen remains unclear. Equol can modify blood and urinary estradiol (E2) levels. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the associations between urinary estrogen levels, equol levels, and equol production status in Japanese women. We analyzed urine samples from 520 women by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Urinary E2 and 4-hydroxylated E2 levels were higher in equol producers (EQP) than in non-EQPs (P
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- 2021
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5. Plasma eicosapentaenoic acid, a biomarker of fish consumption, is associated with perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid exposure in residents of Kyoto, Japan: a cross-sectional study
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Sani Rachman Soleman, Meng Li, Tomoko Fujitani, and Kouji H. Harada
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perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid ,eicosapentaenoic acid-to-arachidonic acid ratio ,fish consumption ,japanese ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are highly fluorinated organic compounds that have been widely used in industry during the past few decades. The main exposure routes for PFASs are thought to be the diet, drinking water, and dust. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs, members of the PFAS family) and the plasma eicosapentaenoic acid-to-arachidonic acid ratio (EPA/AA), a biological indicator of seafood intake, to determine whether seafood intake may represent a means of exposure to PFASs in the Japanese population. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study using 131 plasma samples collected from residents of Kyoto, Japan in 2013 and held in the Kyoto University biological sample bank. The concentrations of perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoDA), perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA), EPA, and AA were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and multiple linear regression was used to analyze the results. Results: In multiple linear regression analyses with age and eGFR, PFOA showed a significant positive linear association with age (p = 0.0005); PFHpA showed a significant negative linear association with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; p = 0.0338); and PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFUnDA, and PFDoDA exhibited significant positive linear associations with EPA/AA (p = 0.0358, 0.0056, 0.0242,
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- 2023
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6. Chlorinated persistent organic pollutants in human breast milk in the Miyagi Prefecture disaster-affected area 1 year after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011
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Jungmi Choi, Yukiko Fujii, Zhaoqing Lyu, Hatasu Kobayashi, Tomoko Fujitani, and Kouji H. Harada
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persistent organic pollutant ,breast milk ,japan ,great east japan earthquake ,natural disaster ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Background: In the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011, an earthquake and accompanying tsunami struck the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. Buildings collapsed and the tsunami spread waste, including hazardous materials. This study aimed to determine the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the breast milk of mothers living in the disaster-affected area of Sendai 1 year after the earthquake. Temporal trends in the POPs concentrations were evaluated by comparison with previous studies. Methods: One hundred breast milk samples were obtained from lactating mothers at a hospital in Sendai in 2012. The results were compared with those from other years to examine whether there were changes in the POPs concentrations after the earthquake. We measured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides, such as chlordanes, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) with negative chemical ionization, and dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites using GC-MS with electron impact ionization. Results: The mean total PCBs (11 congeners), total chlordane, and total DDT concentrations were 76.2 ng/g lipid, 39.8 ng/g lipid, and 73.5 ng/g lipid, respectively. For the samples collected in 2012, the concentrations of POPs in breast milk showed minimal changes compared with results from previous years for samples collected at the same hospital in Sendai. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that 1 year after the earthquake and tsunami, the concentrations of chlorinated POPs in breast milk had not changed substantially.
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- 2023
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7. Exposure to phthalate esters in Japanese females in Kyoto, Japan from 1993 to 2016: Temporal trends and associated health risks
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Zhaoqing Lyu, Kouji H. Harada, Sungmin Kim, Tomoko Fujitani, Yang Cao, Toshiaki Hitomi, Yukiko Fujii, Younglim Kho, and Kyungho Choi
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Phthalate exposure ,Urine biomonitoring ,Temporal trend ,Cumulative risk assessment ,Japanese adult females ,Environmental sciences ,GE1-350 - Abstract
Phthalates are used as plasticizers in many products used in daily life worldwide. Due to industrial and economic developments, exposure among general population to phthalates may vary geographically and temporally. However, studies are lacking for investigating temporal changes in phthalate exposure in the Japanese population. In the present study, the temporal trends in exposure to various phthalates were assessed among a group of Japanese adult female population over 1993–2016 and derived associated risks. For this purpose, urine samples of healthy Japanese females in Kyoto, Japan (N = 132) collected in 1993, 2000, 2003, 2009, 2011, and 2016, were employed and measured for the concentrations of 18 phthalate metabolites. Over this period, the detection rates of mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP) and monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP) decreased, and the geometric means of the urinary concentrations of mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) showed a significant decreasing trend. Cumulative risk due to exposure to dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) showed a dramatic decrease only between 1993 and 2000. The maximum hazard quotient (HQM) was attributed to DEHP in most subjects regardless of sampling year. This study showed the temporal trend of the exposure of Japanese females to several phthalate esters over two decades. As of the late 2010’s, DEHP was still the predominant component of phthalate ester exposure in the population. The HI value, however, indicates that direct risk due to phthalate exposure was unlikely among the studied population.
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- 2022
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8. Seropositivity for SARS-CoV-2 in a General Population: How Specific Is the Diagnostic?
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Zhaoqing Lyu, Tomoko Fujitani, and Kouji H. Harada
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seroprevalence ,sars-cov-2 ,specificity ,igg ,immunological response ,Medicine (General) ,R5-920 - Published
- 2023
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9. Serological Tests for SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus by Commercially Available Point-of-Care and Laboratory Diagnostics in Pre-COVID-19 Samples in Japan
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Zhaoqing Lyu, Mariko Harada Sassa, Tomoko Fujitani, and Kouji H. Harada
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SARS-CoV-2 ,serological test ,LFA ,ELISA ,specificity ,false positive rate ,Medicine - Abstract
The number of COVID-19 patients in Japan is considered low, compared with U.S. and European countries. However, recent serological survey reported that several percent of population showed IgG positive to SARS-CoV-2. Specificity in the assays might influence the estimate, and possibility of overdiagnosis should be investigated. Serological tests for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus were performed in pre-COVID-19 sera in Japan (400 healthy subjects in 2012–2015). Lateral flow assay (LFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed 1.5% (6/400) and 1.75% (7/400) IgG positives, respectively. Among those false positive samples, only one sample was positive in both LFA and ELISA (0.25%; 95% CI: 0.006–1.39%). Possible bias from pooling method was examined by Monte Carlo method and the possibility was unlikely at low false positive rate. Previous surveys might overestimate COVID-19 seroprevalence in several populations of Japan. These false positives could be excluded by combination of different diagnostics. Nonetheless, the result of seroprevalence should be carefully interpreted in less prevalent areas.
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- 2020
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10. Comparison of fetal toxicity of various multi-wall carbon nanotubes in mice
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Tomoko Fujitani, Akiko Inomata, Akio Ogata, Yoshimitsu Sakamoto, Akihiko Hirose, Tetsuji Nishimura, Reiko Ikeda, and Dai Nakae
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Fetal toxicity ,Multi-wall carbon nanotubes ,Mice ,Interleukin-6 ,Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 ,Toxicology. Poisons ,RA1190-1270 - Abstract
The fetal toxicities of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with various sizes were compared in CD1(ICR) mice. MWCNTs were suspended in 2% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution in phosphate-buffered saline. On day 9 of gestation, dams were administered a single intraperitoneal dose of MWCNTs (4 mg/kg body weight), while dams in the control group were administered vehicle (10 mL/kg body weight). The rectal temperatures of the dams were monitored 2 h after administaration to asses statuses of the dams. The dams and fetuses were examined on day 18 of gestation. The number of live fetus per dam decreased in some MWCNTs-administered groups. The mean percentages of live fetuses in total implantations in the MWCNTs-administered groups markedly varied from 0% to 95%, and the highest mean percentage of live fetuses in the MWCNTs-administered group was equivalent to that of the control group. The decrease in live fetuses depended on an increased number of early dead fetuses. In the groups with markedly lowered rectal temperature after administration, the fetal loss were evident. The blood levels of interleukin-6 and/or monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in dam 2 h after administration of MWCNTs markedlyr increased, especially in the goups with significant decrease in live fetuses. These results indicated a relationship between inflammation in the dam, which probabely depended on the particular length of the MWCNTs, and the fetal toxicioty of MWCNTs in mice.
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- 2015
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11. Development and Challenges from Cooperation between Early Childhood Education and Elementary School Education to Creation of the Curriculum for Connection Period : From the Perspective of Developmental Psychology
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Tomoko, FUJITANI
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幼小接続期とは,幼児期の教育・保育から小学校教育に移行する際の子どもの学びを保障していくための時期という意味をもつ。接続期の教育課程としては,これまで幼児教育におけるアプローチカリキュラムと小学校教育におけるスタートカリキュラムが,それぞれの場で実践されてきた。今後の課題は,小学校教員と保育者が協働して幼小接続期カリキュラムを創造することにある。そのためには,接続期の子どもの発達と学習の特徴を発達心理学の観点からとらえ直すことが必要であると考え,本論文ではメタ認知・協同性・自己制御という3 つの側面から検討し,それらの発達を視点として子どもと教育・保育を評価していくことについて考察した。幼小接続期カリキュラムの創造のためには,特にアプローチカリキュラムにおけるカリキュラム・マネジメント,スタートカリキュラムにおける幼児期の経験を踏まえた協同的な学習の形成に,小学校教員と保育者の協働が必要であり,またその効果が期待できる。
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- 2022
12. Underestimated bisphenol exposures: Letter to the editor on 'Monitoring of bisphenol A and bisphenol S in thermal paper receipts from the Italian market and estimated transdermal human intake: A pilot study'
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Tomoko, Fujitani and Kouji H, Harada
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Paper ,Environmental Engineering ,Phenols ,Humans ,Environmental Chemistry ,Pilot Projects ,Sulfones ,Benzhydryl Compounds ,Pollution ,Waste Management and Disposal - Published
- 2022
13. Diabetes Mellitus May Exacerbate Liver Injury in Patients with COVID-19: A Single-Center, Observational, Retrospective Study
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Mutsuko Minata, Kouji H. Harada, Tomoyuki Yamaguchi, Tomoko Fujitani, and Hidemitsu Nakagawa
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Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Internal Medicine - Abstract
The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is having a profound effect on global health. In this study, we investigated early predictors of severe prognosis from the perspective of liver injury and risk factors for severe liver injury in patients with COVID-19.We examined prognostic markers and risk factors for severe liver injury by analyzing clinical data measured throughout the course of the illness and the disease severity of 273 patients hospitalized for COVID-19. We assessed liver injury on the basis of aminotransferase concentrations and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index on admission, peak aminotransferase concentration during hospitalization, aminotransferase peak-to-average ratio, and albumin and total bilirubin concentrations. Furthermore, we analyzed age, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations, FIB-4 index on admission, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidemia, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, and body mass index as mortality risk factors.We identified advanced age as a risk factor. Among biochemical variables, AST concentration and FIB-4 index on admission were associated with high mortality. AST on admission and peak AST during hospitalization were significantly higher in the non-surviving (n = 45) than the discharged group (n = 228). Multivariable Cox hazards analyses for mortality showed significant hazard ratios for age, peak AST, and FIB-4 index on admission (p = 0.0001 and 0.0108, respectively), but not in a model including AST and FIB-4 index on admission. Furthermore, the AST peak was significantly higher among non-surviving patients with DM than in those without DM.We found that advanced age, high AST, and FIB-4 index on admission and a higher peak AST during hospitalization are risk factors for poor COVID-19 prognosis. Furthermore, DM was a risk factor for exacerbation of liver injury among non-surviving patients. The AST concentration and FIB-4 index should be assessed periodically throughout hospitalization, especially in patients with high AST values on admission and those with DM.
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- 2022
14. Temporal trends in bisphenol exposures and associated health risk among Japanese women living in the Kyoto area from 1993 to 2016
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Zhaoqing Lyu, Kouji H. Harada, Sungmin Kim, Tomoko Fujitani, Toshiaki Hitomi, Rui Pan, Nayoun Park, Yukiko Fujii, Younglim Kho, and Kyungho Choi
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Japanese women ,Environmental Engineering ,bisphenols ,exposure ,temporal trend ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,urine biomonitoring ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Environmental Chemistry ,General Medicine ,General Chemistry ,cumulative risk ,Pollution - Abstract
[Background] Bisphenols, and especially bisphenol A, are widely used as components of epoxy resins and polycarbonate. Widespread detection and potential health risks have led to bisphenol A being replaced by other alternatives, including structurally similar bisphenol analogs. Several bisphenol analogs are suspected to have similar adverse health consequences. This study examined the temporal trends in bisphenol exposure among a group of Japanese women from 1993 to 2016, and assessed the associated health risks. [Methods] We used archived single spot urine samples of healthy Japanese women living in the Kyoto area (n = 133) collected in 1993, 2000, 2003, 2009, 2011, and 2016. We measured the concentrations of 10 bisphenols in these samples. [Results] A sharp increase in the detection rates of bisphenol F was observed after 2000. There was a distinct downward trend in urinary bisphenol A concentrations and an upward trend in bisphenol E concentrations after 2009. While the hazard index for all measured bisphenols was below 1 in all subjects, bisphenol F was determined as the most important risk driver after 2000, rather than bisphenol A. [Discussion] Trends of decreasing bisphenol A and increasing bisphenol E exposure especially after 2011, along with no significant change in the sum of all bisphenol analogs in urine, provide clear evidence that bisphenol A has been replaced by other bisphenols in the study population. We found no significant change in the total exposure to bisphenols during the study period. Bisphenol F might become the most important bisphenol in terms of risk, while cumulative risks due to all bisphenol exposure were deemed insignificant. Considering the accumulating evidence indicating adverse effects at lower exposure levels, further studies are warranted to assess exposure and risk from bisphenol A analogs.
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- 2023
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15. Temporal Trends in Exposure to Bisphenols in Japanese Women from 1993 to 2016 and Associated Health Risk Assessment
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Zhaoqing Lyu, Kouji H. Harada, Sungmin Kim, Tomoko Fujitani, Toshiaki Hitomi, Rui Pan, Yukiko Fujii, Younglim Kho, and Kyungho Choi
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History ,Polymers and Plastics ,Business and International Management ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering - Published
- 2022
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16. Insufficient Number of Controls for Low SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence: Are the Positive Rates Statistically Different between Pre-pandemic and Post-pandemic Samples?
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Tomoko, Fujitani and Kouji H, Harada
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Infectious Diseases ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Seroepidemiologic Studies ,Virology ,Humans ,COVID-19 ,Parasitology ,Antibodies, Viral ,Pandemics - Published
- 2022
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17. Letter to the editor on 'Global performance and trends of research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) between 2001 and 2018 using bibliometric analysis': How can we identify PFAS studies?
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Yukiko Fujii, Tomoko Fujitani, Xiaoli Zou, and Kouji H. Harada
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Fluorocarbons ,Environmental Engineering ,Alkanesulfonic Acids ,Bibliometrics ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Environmental Chemistry ,Environmental Pollutants ,General Medicine ,General Chemistry ,Pollution - Published
- 2022
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18. Comment on 'Oxidative Stress, Endocrine Disturbance and Immune Interference in Humans Showed Relationships to Serum Bisphenol Concentrations in a Dense Industrial Area': Importance and Influence of Gender
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Phayong Thepaksorn, Tomoko Fujitani, Kouji H. Harada, and Arthit Phosri
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Environmental Chemistry ,General Chemistry - Published
- 2022
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19. Incorrect reference dose of triclosan: Comment on 'Determination of preservative and antimicrobial compounds in fish from Manila Bay, Philippines using ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, and assessment of human dietary exposure'
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Nao Yoshida, Kouji H. Harada, Tomoko Fujitani, and Manal A.M. Mahmoud
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Reference dose ,Preservative ,Environmental Engineering ,Chromatography ,Chemistry ,Dietary exposure ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Philippines ,Antimicrobial ,Pollution ,Triclosan ,Dietary Exposure ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Anti-Infective Agents ,Bays ,Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry ,Tandem Mass Spectrometry ,Environmental Chemistry ,Animals ,Humans ,Ultra high performance ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Bay ,Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - Published
- 2021
20. Absence of Detectable Radionuclides in Breast Milk in Sendai, Japan in 2012 Even by High-Sensitivity Determination: Estimated Dose among Infants after the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
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Kouji H. Harada, Yukiko Fujii, Tomoko Fujitani, Sani Rachman Soleman, Zhaoqing Lyu, and Manal A.M. Mahmoud
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Water Pollutants, Radioactive ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,010501 environmental sciences ,Breast milk ,01 natural sciences ,Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Animal science ,Japan ,Radiation Monitoring ,infant exposure ,Medicine ,Fukushima Nuclear Accident ,Humans ,radionuclide ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Radionuclide ,radiocesium ,Milk, Human ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Breastfeeding (mother) ,Infant exposure ,Infant ,breastfeeding mother ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Nuclear Power Plants ,Nuclear disaster ,Female ,business - Abstract
The aim of this study was to estimate radionuclide levels in breast milk and the transferred dose to their infants in Sendai (100 km from Fukushima), Japan after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Radionuclide concentrations were analyzed in 101 specimens of breast milk collected in 2012. Median values for minimum detectable activities were 0.39, 0.34, 1.1, 1.89, and 17.1 Bq/kg for 137Cs, 134Cs, 131I, 110mAg, and 40K, respectively. Only radionuclides from 40K were detected. To estimate potential exposure and radiocesium dose, we assumed that the samples contained each minimum detectable activity level. The mean minimum detectable activity concentrations (standard deviation) of 137Cs and 134Cs were 0.42 (0.15) and 0.37 (0.14) Bq/kg, respectively. Means of estimated dietary intakes of 137Cs and 134Cs among infants were 0.35 (0.12) and 0.31 (0.11) Bq/day, respectively. The committed effective doses of radiocesium in infants aged 3 and 12 months via breastmilk were estimated at 5.6 (2.1) and 3.3 (1.2) μSv/year, respectively. Dietary intakes of 137Cs and 134Cs in breastfeeding mothers were back-calculated at 1.9 (0.71) and 1.7 (0.65) Bq/day, respectively. The study verified no discernible exposure to radionuclides among infants. The most conservative estimates were below the Japanese internal exposure limit of 1 mSv/year.
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- 2021
21. Letter to the editor regarding 'spatiotemporal association of low birth weight with Cs-137 deposition at the prefecture level in Japan after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents'
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Kouji H. Harada, Sani Rachman Soleman, and Tomoko Fujitani
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Letter to the editor ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Confounding ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Ecological study ,Regression analysis ,Odds ratio ,law.invention ,Low birth weight ,law ,Nuclear power plant ,medicine ,Environmental science ,medicine.symptom ,Deposition (chemistry) ,Demography - Abstract
In the previous report, association between increased low birth weight prevalence and radiocesium deposition after 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster was found. However, the statistical analyses therein raised several questions. First, ecological variables are not justified enough to adjust potential confounding. Second, the spatiotemporal regression model does not consider temporal reduction in radiation dose rate. Third, dose-response plot between dose rates and odds ratios overestimates R2 and underestimates p value.
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- 2020
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22. Letter to the editors: Erroneous reference doses taint study conclusions
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Tomoko Fujitani, Kouji H. Harada, Nao Yoshida, and Mariko Harada Sassa
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Meat ,Swine ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Sus scrofa ,Environmental science ,Animals ,General Medicine ,Toxicology ,Pollution - Published
- 2020
23. Urinary equol levels are positively associated with urinary estradiol excretion in women
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Zhaoqing Lyu, Yukiko Fujii, Kouji H. Harada, Tomoko Fujitani, and Mariko Harada Sassa
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Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.drug_class ,Science ,Urinary system ,Metabolite ,Negative association ,Urine ,Article ,Excretion ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Young Adult ,Medical research ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Public Health Surveillance ,Aged ,Analysis of Variance ,Multidisciplinary ,Estradiol ,business.industry ,food and beverages ,Estrogens ,Equol ,Isoflavones ,Middle Aged ,Endocrinology ,chemistry ,Risk factors ,Estrogen ,Medicine ,Female ,business ,Biomarkers - Abstract
Isoflavones found in soy products are a promising class of nutrients that may have a positive effect on human health. In particular, the phytoestrogen metabolite equol is associated with a reduced risk of developing female hormone-related diseases. However, the effect of equol on estrogen remains unclear. Equol can modify blood and urinary estradiol (E2) levels. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the associations between urinary estrogen levels, equol levels, and equol production status in Japanese women. We analyzed urine samples from 520 women by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Urinary E2 and 4-hydroxylated E2 levels were higher in equol producers (EQP) than in non-EQPs (P P=0.00112, respectively). After adjusting for age and tobacco use by analysis of covariance, the association remained significant (β = 0.299, P P P = 0.0462). Our findings suggest that equol may promote urinary E2 excretion and modify blood E2 levels in women.
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- 2020
24. Serological Tests for SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus by Commercially Available Point-of-Care and Laboratory Diagnostics in Pre-COVID-19 Samples in Japan
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Mariko Harada Sassa, Tomoko Fujitani, Zhaoqing Lyu, and Kouji H. Harada
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0301 basic medicine ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,false positive rate ,Population ,lcsh:Medicine ,specificity ,medicine.disease_cause ,Serology ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Japan ,False positive paradox ,Medicine ,Seroprevalence ,Overdiagnosis ,education ,Coronavirus ,Point of care ,education.field_of_study ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Brief Report ,lcsh:R ,Virology ,serological test ,030104 developmental biology ,030211 gastroenterology & hepatology ,ELISA ,False positive rate ,LFA ,business - Abstract
The number of COVID-19 patients in Japan is considered low, compared with U.S. and European countries. However, recent serological survey reported that several percent of population showed IgG positive to SARS-CoV-2. Specificity in the assays might influence the estimate, and possibility of overdiagnosis should be investigated. Serological tests for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus were performed in pre-COVID-19 sera in Japan (400 healthy subjects in 2012–2015). Lateral flow assay (LFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed 1.5% (6/400) and 1.75% (7/400) IgG positives, respectively. Among those false positive samples, only one sample was positive in both LFA and ELISA (0.25%; 95% CI: 0.006–1.39%). Possible bias from pooling method was examined by Monte Carlo method and the possibility was unlikely at low false positive rate. Previous surveys might overestimate COVID-19 seroprevalence in several populations of Japan. These false positives could be excluded by combination of different diagnostics. Nonetheless, the result of seroprevalence should be carefully interpreted in less prevalent areas.
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- 2020
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25. The recognition of piano playing skills required for preschool and nursery teachers:An analysis of students’ responses to a questionnaire
- Author
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Kayo, IKUCHI, Kiwamu, WADAGAKI, and Tomoko, FUJITANI
- Subjects
ボランティア経験 ,ピアノ技能 ,弾き歌い - Published
- 2018
26. Piano playing skills required for preschools and nursery teachers:An analysis of principals’ responses to a questionnaire
- Author
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Kiwamu, WADAGAKI, Kayo, IKUCHI, Tomoko, FUJITANI, and Kazuo, SAWADA
- Subjects
コード伴奏 ,歌唱力 ,弾き歌い - Published
- 2018
27. Gratitude Predicts Well-being Mediated by Social Support and Sense of Coherence in Women
- Author
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Katsuyasu Kouda, Harunobu Nakamura, Yoshimitsu Okita, Chiemi Miyawaki, Katsumasa Momoi, Kumiko Ohara, Tomoki Mase, and Tomoko Fujitani
- Subjects
Social support ,Health (social science) ,Health Policy ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Gratitude ,Well-being ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Psychology ,Social psychology ,media_common ,Developmental psychology ,Sense of coherence - Published
- 2017
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28. Association of social support with gratitude and sense of coherence in Japanese young women: a cross-sectional study
- Author
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Chiemi Miyawaki, Tomoko Fujitani, Harunobu Nakamura, Katsumasa Momoi, Tomoki Mase, Kumiko Ohara, Yoshimitsu Okita, Maki Furutani, and Katsuyasu Kouda
- Subjects
Emotional support ,Cross-sectional study ,media_common.quotation_subject ,education ,gratitude ,sense of coherence ,050105 experimental psychology ,Developmental psychology ,Social support ,well-being ,Gratitude ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Association (psychology) ,General Psychology ,media_common ,Original Research ,05 social sciences ,social support ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,female ,Psychology Research and Behavior Management ,Well-being ,Psychology ,Construct (philosophy) ,Social psychology ,050104 developmental & child psychology ,Sense of coherence - Abstract
Tomoko Fujitani,1 Kumiko Ohara,1 Katsuyasu Kouda,2 Tomoki Mase,3 Chiemi Miyawaki,4,5 Katsumasa Momoi,1,6 Yoshimitsu Okita,7 Maki Furutani,1 Harunobu Nakamura1 1Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, 2Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, 3Faculty of Human Development and Education, Kyoto Women’s University, 4Department of Early Childhood Education, Heian Jogakuin College, Kyoto, 5Kagoshima University Research Field in Education, Education, Law, Economics and the Humanities Area, Kagoshima, 6Faculty of Health and Welfare, Tokushima Bunri University, Tokushima, 7Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, College of Engineering, Academic Institute, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan Purpose: Recent studies have shown that perceived social support is associated with gratitude and sense of coherence, but evidence for this concept remains scarce. In the present study, we investigated relationships between social support, gratitude, and sense of coherence, focusing on the construct of and source of social support among young women. Methods: The study was conducted in 2014 in Japan. Participants comprised 208 female university students (aged 19.9 ± 1.1 years), who completed a self-administered anonymous questionnaire regarding perceived social support, gratitude, and sense of coherence. Results: Emotional and instrumental social support from acquaintances were found to be lower than those from family and friends. Gratitude was positively correlated with all forms of social support except instrumental social support from acquaintances. However, sense of coherence was positively correlated with both emotional and instrumental social support from family and only emotional social support from acquaintances. Multiple regression analysis showed that emotionalsupport from family and emotional support from acquaintances were positively associated with gratitude whereas emotional support from family was associated with sense of coherence. Conclusion: These results indicate that emotional social support from family was related to both gratitude and sense of coherence. Keywords: social support, gratitude, sense of coherence, well-being, female
- Published
- 2017
29. Logical Thinking in Development of Cooperativity in Early Childhood:Focusing on The Developmental Process of 5-year-olds
- Author
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Tomoko, FUJITANI
- Subjects
cooperativity ,preschool education ,play ,metacognitive ability ,logical thinking - Abstract
The development of logical thinking ability can be seen with the development of cooperativity (cooperative ability) in early childhood. These abilities develop mutually associated together while children are playing.This paper examines the relation between the development of logical thinking and that of cooperation by analyzing the episode records of 5-year-olds. With appearance of cooperative viewpoints, thinking about rules of play developed into logical thinking, in which children express their own hypotheses and ideas, and see others’viewpoints.This development of logical thinking ability promotes the development of metacognition including reflection, and it also becomes the foundation of learning in elementary school.
- Published
- 2017
30. Comment on 'Thyroid Cancer 'Epidemic': A Socio-Environmental Health Problem Needs Collaborative Efforts'
- Author
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Kouji H. Harada, Tomoko Fujitani, Hatasu Kobayashi, and Sani Rachman Soleman
- Subjects
business.industry ,Environmental health ,Socio environmental ,medicine ,Humans ,Environmental Chemistry ,Thyroid Neoplasms ,General Chemistry ,medicine.disease ,business ,Environmental Health ,Thyroid cancer - Published
- 2020
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31. Systematic Review Protocol for the Current State of Chemical Exposure in Infants via Breast Milk, Artificial Milk and Dairy Products
- Author
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Meng Li, Toshiaki Hitomi, Yukiko Fujii, Kouji H. Harada, Usama T. Mahmoud, Yang Cao, Tomoko Fujitani, Mariko Harada Sassa, Zhaoqing Lyu, Sani Rachman Soleman, Manal A.M. Mahmoud, and Hosnia Swafy Abdel-Mohsein
- Subjects
breastfeeding ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,MEDLINE ,Breastfeeding ,010501 environmental sciences ,Breast milk ,Health outcomes ,01 natural sciences ,Chemical exposure ,Study Protocol ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,systematic review ,Environmental health ,Animals ,Humans ,artificial formula ,Medicine ,environmental pollutants ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ,Human breast milk ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Protocol (science) ,Milk, Human ,infants ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Infant ,Infant Formula ,Breast Feeding ,Female ,business ,Systematic Reviews as Topic - Abstract
Many studies have shown that human breast milk is contaminated with various chemicals. In the proposed systematic review, the aim is to identify and summarize the available literature regarding chemical exposure via breastfeeding or the feeding of artificial formula. MEDLINE (PubMed) will be the primary source in this literature search. Primary studies that analyzed one or more chemicals of interest in breast milk or artificial milk and that reported information on concentrations will be eligible for this review. Conference abstracts will not be included in the review unless access to the data is easy. First, the titles and abstracts of identified articles will be screened by two or more researchers. Then, a full-text review will be conducted to extract data from the included articles and code them for classification. The results of the search and classification will be summarized narratively and bibliometrically. The aim of the review is to analyze trends in publications according to year and region from the viewpoint of target chemicals, location, range of concentrations, and health outcomes.
- Published
- 2021
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32. Comment on 'Urinary Metabolites of Neonicotinoid Insecticides: Levels and Recommendations for Future Biomonitoring Studies in China'
- Author
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Kouji H. Harada, Tomoko Fujitani, and Sani Rachman Soleman
- Subjects
business.industry ,Environmental health ,Urinary system ,Biomonitoring ,Neonicotinoid ,Environmental Chemistry ,Medicine ,General Chemistry ,business - Published
- 2021
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33. Levels of Octachlorostyrene in Mothers’ Milk and Potential Exposure Among Infants in Sendai City, Japan 2012
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Yukiko Fujii, Sani Rachman Soleman, Tomoko Fujitani, and Kouji H. Harada
- Subjects
Male ,Acceptable daily intake ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,lcsh:Medicine ,Mothers ,persistent organic pollutants ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,Styrenes ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,Animal science ,Japan ,Pregnancy ,mother’s milk ,Animals ,Humans ,Medicine ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Health risk ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Detection limit ,Milk, Human ,business.industry ,fungi ,lcsh:R ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,food and beverages ,Infant ,octachlorostyrene ,Dechlorane plus ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Mother's milk ,chemistry ,Lipid content ,Baseline characteristics ,Infant development ,lipid content ,Environmental Pollutants ,Female ,business - Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants can accumulate inside the human body, including in mothers&rsquo, milk, which may affect infant development. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine selected persistent organic pollutants in the milk of 100 mothers in Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. We used gas-chromatography-electron capture negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometry to check for octachlorostyrene, dechlorane (Dec) plus, Dec 602, Dec 603, and Dec 604. Octachlorostyrene was detected in 86 samples at more than the method detection limit (84 pg g-lipid&minus, 1) but no dechloranes were above the method detection limit (1 ng mL&minus, 1 for dechlorane plus, Dec 602, and Dec 603, 20 ng mL&minus, 1 for Dec 604). The mean octachlorostyrene concentration was 461 , pg , g-lipid&minus, 1, the median was 337 pg g-lipid&minus, 1, and the standard deviation 450 pg g-lipid&minus, 1. No baseline characteristics were associated with octachlorostyrene level except for mother&rsquo, s occupation (stay-at-home mother, 353 ±, 327 pg g-lipid&minus, 1, others, 531 ±, 509 pg g-lipid&minus, 1). Octachlorostyrene was also significantly negatively correlated with lipid content (r = &minus, 0.35, p = 0.0004). However, the maximum intake of octachlorostyrene among infants in this study (3.5 ng/kg/day) was under the acceptable daily intake (30 ng/kg/day, derived from 12&minus, month study in rats), and is therefore unlikely to pose a health risk.
- Published
- 2020
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34. Relationship among Eating Behavior, Effortful Control, and Personality Traits in Japanese Students: Cross-sectional Study
- Author
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Rumiko Murayama, Harunobu Nakamura, Katsuyasu Kouda, Chiemi Miyawaki, Katsumasa Momoi, Tomoko Fujitani, Kumiko Ohara, Yoshimitsu Okita, and Tomoki Mase
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,050103 clinical psychology ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,Environmental Engineering ,Cross-sectional study ,business.industry ,05 social sciences ,Control (management) ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering ,03 medical and health sciences ,Medicine ,Eating behavior ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Big Five personality traits ,business ,Clinical psychology - Published
- 2016
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35. Relationship among Eating Behavior, Effortful Control, and Working Memory in Female Young Adults
- Author
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Harunobu Nakamura, Tomoko Fujitani, Katsumasa Momoi, Tomoki Mase, Yoshimitsu Okita, Chiemi Miyawaki, and Kumiko Ohara
- Subjects
050103 clinical psychology ,Working memory ,digestive, oral, and skin physiology ,05 social sciences ,Attentional control ,Cognition ,Emotional eating ,050105 experimental psychology ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Young adult ,Psychology ,Control (linguistics) ,Association (psychology) ,Social psychology ,Stroop effect ,Clinical psychology - Abstract
The management of eating behavior plays an important role in health maintenance. In this study, we investigated the relationship between eating behavior and effortful control in female young adults. Participants completed the questionnaire measures of effortful control and eating behaviors and Stroop cognitive interference task. The results showed that restrained eating was positively correlated with activation control; emotional eating was negatively correlated with inhibitory control and attentional control; external eating was negatively correlated with inhibitory, activation, and attentional control. The scores for activation control and restrained eating were higher for participants with a low Stroop error rate than for those with a high Stroop error rate. These results indicate that restrained eating has a different association with effortful control than doing emotional and external eating.
- Published
- 2016
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36. Comparison of fetal toxicity of various multi-wall carbon nanotubes in mice
- Author
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Akiko Inomata, Tetsuji Nishimura, Yoshimitsu Sakamoto, Tomoko Fujitani, Reiko Ikeda, Akihiko Hirose, Akio Ogata, and Dai Nakae
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Sodium ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Live fetus ,Toxicology ,Article ,Andrology ,Fetal toxicity ,Mice ,lcsh:RA1190-1270 ,medicine ,Fetal loss ,MWCNTs, multi-wall carbon nanotubes ,IL-6, interleukin-6 ,Saline ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,lcsh:Toxicology. Poisons ,Fetus ,Interleukin-6 ,Rectal temperature ,MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 ,Surgery ,Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 ,chemistry ,Multi-wall carbon nanotubes ,Toxicity ,Gestation - Abstract
The fetal toxicities of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with various sizes were compared in CD1(ICR) mice. MWCNTs were suspended in 2% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution in phosphate-buffered saline. On day 9 of gestation, dams were administered a single intraperitoneal dose of MWCNTs (4mg/kg body weight), while dams in the control group were administered vehicle (10mL/kg body weight). The rectal temperatures of the dams were monitored 2h after administaration to asses statuses of the dams. The dams and fetuses were examined on day 18 of gestation. The number of live fetus per dam decreased in some MWCNTs-administered groups. The mean percentages of live fetuses in total implantations in the MWCNTs-administered groups markedly varied from 0% to 95%, and the highest mean percentage of live fetuses in the MWCNTs-administered group was equivalent to that of the control group. The decrease in live fetuses depended on an increased number of early dead fetuses. In the groups with markedly lowered rectal temperature after administration, the fetal loss were evident. The blood levels of interleukin-6 and/or monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in dam 2h after administration of MWCNTs markedlyr increased, especially in the goups with significant decrease in live fetuses. These results indicated a relationship between inflammation in the dam, which probabely depended on the particular length of the MWCNTs, and the fetal toxicioty of MWCNTs in mice.
- Published
- 2015
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37. 乳幼児をもつ母親のインターネット利用と子育て不安
- Author
-
Tomoko, FUJITANI
- Subjects
子育て支援 ,省察 ,子育て不安 ,インターネット利用 - Abstract
武庫川女子大学子育てひろばを利用している保護者を対象に,子育てひろばの利用と子育て不安,および子育て環境に関するアンケート調査を実施した。その結果の中から,インターネット利用と子育て不安との関連性を中心に報告する。子育てに関する情報をインターネットから得るだけでなく,積極的に情報を発信したり,子育て不安の解消に役立てたりしている現代の母親の姿が浮かび上がった。子育て支援においては,母親の子育て環境と育児不安の現状を踏まえ,母親による自分の子育てについての省察と自己決定を支援していくことが求められる。
- Published
- 2014
38. Development and Support of Metacognition in Preschool Children
- Author
-
Tomoko, FUJITANI
- Abstract
This paper surveys the result of developmental research of metacognition of preschool children, and argues how these knowledge should be efficiently employed in preschool education and childcare. The metacognition of preschool children is the precursor of metacognition, and children acquire gradually metamemory, meta-knowing, theory of mind , self-reguration, cooperativity, etc. They are related mutually, and should be called“ the sprout of learning” connected to learning after entering school. It is important to raise metacognition in early childhood education, and it is necessary to support children to have their own purpose and target, to devise themselves in the process of play, to look back upon play of them and self-evaluate of own play, to do collaborative activity, and to express own thinking by language each other. Future research is due to examine the effect of those supports on the basis of episode from longitudinal observation. Key Words: metacognition, theory of mind, self-regulation, cooperativity, preschool education
- Published
- 2012
39. Teratogenicity of multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) in ICR mice
- Author
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Dai Nakae, Ken-ichi Ohyama, Akihiko Hirose, Tomoko Fujitani, Akio Ogata, and Tetsuji Nishimura
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Skeletal anomalies ,Uterus ,Toxicology ,Body weight ,Bone and Bones ,Andrology ,Mice ,Pregnancy ,Administration, Inhalation ,medicine ,Animals ,Mice, Inbred ICR ,Fetus ,Nanotubes, Carbon ,Chemistry ,Abnormalities, Drug-Induced ,Carboxymethyl cellulose ,Surgery ,Teratogens ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Gestation ,Female ,Injections, Intraperitoneal ,Icr mice ,medicine.drug - Abstract
A possible teratogenicity of multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was assessed using ICR mice. MWCNTs were suspended in 2% carboxymethyl cellulose and given intraperitoneally or intra- tracheally to pregnant ICR mice on day 9 of the gestation. All fetuses were removed from the uterus on day 18 of the gestation, and were examined for external and skeletal anomalies. In the intraperitoneal study, various types of malformation were observed in all MWCNT-treated groups (2, 3, 4 and 5 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneal). In contrast, such malformations were observed in groups given 4 or 5 mg/kg body weight, but not in that treated with 3 mg/kg in the intratracheal study. In either study, the number of litters having fetuses with external malformation and that of litters having fetuses with skeletal mal- formations were both increased in proportion to the doses of MWCNT. The present results are the first to report that MWCNT possesses the teratogenicity at least under the present experimental conditions. Mechanism(s) to result such malformations is yet unclear and further experiment is necessary.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Effects of sustained stimulation with multi-wall carbon nanotubes on immune and inflammatory responses in mice
- Author
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Tomoko Fujitani, Akio Ogata, Tetsuji Nishimura, Akihiko Hirose, Dai Nakae, Ken-ichi Ohyama, and Atsumi Yamaguchi
- Subjects
Chemokine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Ovalbumin ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Leukocyte adhesion molecule ,Inflammation ,Toxicology ,Leukocyte Count ,Mice ,Peritoneal cavity ,Soot ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Animals ,RNA, Messenger ,Mice, Inbred ICR ,biology ,Nanotubes, Carbon ,Chemistry ,Monocyte ,Asbestos, Crocidolite ,Interleukin ,Cytokine ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Immunoglobulin M ,Liver ,Immunoglobulin G ,biology.protein ,Cytokines ,Female ,Tumor necrosis factor alpha ,medicine.symptom - Abstract
Possible effects of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on immune and inflammatory responses were examined in mice. Female ICR mice were given a single intraperitoneal administration (2 mg/kg body weight) of either MWCNTs, carbon black (CB), or crocidolite (blue asbestos) and controls received a vehicle of 2% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC Na). In the peritoneal cavity of MWCNT-administered mice, the liver had changed to a rounded shape and fibrous adhesions were seen on internal organs. Peritoneal cells overexpressed mRNA for genes of T helper (Th)2 cytokines (interleukin [IL]-4, IL-5, and IL-13), Th17 cytokine (IL-17), pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines (IL-1β, IL-33, tumor necrosis factor α, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1), and myeloid differentiation factor 88 for at least 2 weeks after the administration of MWCNTs, while those of Th1 cytokine genes (IL-2 and interferon γ) were overexpressed several weeks later and expression levels remained high up to 20 weeks. In MWCNT-treated mice, the numbers of leukocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes in the peripheral blood and the expression of the leukocyte adhesion molecules, cluster of differentiation (CD)49d and CD54, on granulocytes were increased 1 week after administration and remained high up to week 20. Production of ovalbumin-specific IgM and IgG(1) was enhanced by MWCNTs. These changes were not observed after CB or crocidolite administration. Thus, this study showed that MWCNTs exhibited sustained stimulating effects on immune and inflammatory responses, unlike the other mineral fibers with structural similarities.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. 短大幼稚園教員養成における実践力育成(2) : 学生及び幼稚園管理職者への質問紙調査結果から
- Author
-
Tomoko, FUJITANI, Yusa, Yamashita, and Kayo, IKUCHI
- Subjects
education - Abstract
The purpose of this research was to search for the way to improve the curriculum for the junior college students to have the practicing abilities for the kindergarten teacher and the nursery teacher. Two studies were conducted. One was a questionnaire investigation executed for the college students who attended the class "practicum in the teaching profession". The other was a questionnaire and interview investigation done for the executive job of the kindergarten; it was consisted of the question items concerning the problem of teachers’ abilities at the first few years, the ability formation requested for child care workers, and the matter requested for the training organizations. The following was shown from the first research. It was a problem to promote the practice power of the children’s expression activities. The factors obtained as the effects of the class were the formation of the ability of the child care including the human nature, the formation of the ability to take care of the group, and the interpersonal relationship ability. It was shown that practicing course content had brought basic power and confidence as the child care worker. The second research showed that the ability formation at the first few years was a key, and cultivating the base of the ability formation of“ reflection” in the teacher training was important. Moreover, the ability to understand child’s developing process, the ability to make teaching plan, and the skill of piano and expression were pointed out as an expectation for the university more than before.
- Published
- 2011
42. 短大幼稚園教員養成における実践力育成 : 予備調査結果から
- Author
-
Yusa, Yamashita, Tomoko, FUJITANI, and Kayo, IKUCHI
- Subjects
ComputingMilieux_COMPUTERSANDEDUCATION - Abstract
The purpose of the entire this research is to clarify the problem of the curriculum at the teacher training course in the junior college, and to develop the curriculum with making evaluation system about the curriculum. As a first step for that, this preliminary investigation was done to comparing the junior college student’s self-evaluation with the university student. The questionnaire investigation was executed before and after the class. It was shown that the university student was more intrinsic interested and more positive coping with their own problem. Also, it was shown the college student needed more practicing contents. The improved syllabus of “Practicum in the Teaching Profession” was presented based on this research results.
- Published
- 2010
43. 児童期における自己制御学習に向けた授業と家庭学習のシステム(その1) : 復習の効果に着目して
- Author
-
Tomoko, FUJITANI
- Subjects
education - Abstract
The purpose of this research is to examine the educational environment that promotes the self-regulated learning of children. To realize the purpose, it was tried to devise homeworks that improve the metacognition, and to relate it to the class. The devised homeworks of review were imposed for the fifth grader in the public elementary school, and the effects were examined in the frame of the aptitude-treatment interaction. It was shown that the appropriate way of the review influences the self-regulated learning of the child to some degree, and brings a little favorable change for the study attitude. However, because the individual differences of how to work the home study should be large, it will be necessary to examine the factors of the individual differences, and to plan the strategies to make the children work on their self-regulated home studies. Key Words: metacognition, self-regulated learning, homework, aptitude-treatment interaction
- Published
- 2009
44. Chlorpropham-induced splenotoxicity and its recovery in rats
- Author
-
M Yoneyama, Tomoko Fujitani, and Yukie Tada
- Subjects
Male ,Hemolytic anemia ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Pathology ,Anemia ,Administration, Oral ,Spleen ,Chlorpropham ,Hemosiderin ,Biology ,Weight Gain ,Toxicology ,Drug Administration Schedule ,Eating ,Fibrosis ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Animals ,Splenic Diseases ,Hematologic Tests ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,Herbicides ,Remission Induction ,Organ Size ,Recovery of Function ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Hematologic Diseases ,Rats, Inbred F344 ,Diet ,Rats ,Extramedullary hematopoiesis ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Toxicity ,Red pulp ,Bone marrow ,Food Science - Abstract
To determine the reversibility of hematological and pathological changes in spleen induced by sub-chronic administration of chlorpropham (CIPC), male F344 rats were given CIPC in the diet at 0, 600, 3000 or 15,000 ppm for 13 weeks (administration period) and then were given standard (0 ppm) diet for 10 weeks (recovery period). At 0, 1, 2, 4 or 10 weeks in the recovery period, 5 rats in each groups were examined for hematology and pathology. At the end of CIPC administration, dose-dependent and significant methemoglobinemia, anemia, splenomegaly and pathological lesions indicating hemolytic anemia were observed in all the treated groups. The hematological changes, congestion of red pulp, lymphoid atrophy, increased extramedullary hematopoiesis in spleen and hematopoietic cell hyperplasia in bone marrow were diminished during the 10 weeks recovery period. However, increased hemosiderin deposition and capsular fibrosis in spleen of the treated groups remained at the end of recovery period. The results indicated that hematological changes induced by sub-chronic administration of CIPC were reversible but hemosiderin deposition and fibrosis in spleen were not reversible in the recovery period examined, suggesting the significance of splenic lesion in CIPC-toxicity.
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Effects of The Teaching That Aims to Promote Self-Learning Ability on Self-concepts and Metacognition I
- Author
-
Tomoko, FUJITANI
- Abstract
The purposes of the present study was to examine the effects of the teaching that aimed to promote self-learning ability on the self-concepts and the metacognition. The 15-item self-concepts questionnaire, the 12-item metacognition questionnaire and the achievement test of arithmetic were administered to 109 (3 classes) fifth grade children. Then the teaching that intended promoting self-learning ability was conducted to 36 children (1 class) during about 2 months. After the teaching, the self-concepts questionnaire, the metacognition questionnaire and the achievement test of arithmetic were administered. The results were as following: (1) Weak correlations were obtained between metacognition and self-concepts, but significant correlations were not obtained between metacognition and achievement test score. (2) The main effects of the teaching on the self-concepts and the metacognition were not obtained enough. The self-concepts and metacognition as the aptitudes influenced the self-concepts and metacognition as each. The implications of these results for providing help for the future studies in the elementary school, and the measure of metacognition were discussed.
- Published
- 2003
46. 児童期における自己概念の形成とメタ認知
- Author
-
Tomoko, FUJITANI
- Subjects
education - Abstract
The purposes of the present study were to explore the characteristics of the self-concepts and the metacognition in childhood, and to compare the developmental differences of self-concepts and the metacognition between the school-children and the students. The results indicated that the self-concepts develop from the optimistic self-esteem to the self-consciousness for the transformation of self, and that metacognitive abilities develop in the factors of activities for understanding, activities of self-evaluation, and activities of self-learning. Also, the results indicated that the correlations between the self-concepts and the metacognition in the students were higher than the school-children. The implications of these results for providing help for the future instruction-learning studies in elementary school were discussed.
- Published
- 2002
47. Teratogenicity of asbestos in mice
- Author
-
Akiko Inomata, Motoki Hojo, Akio Ogata, Dai Nakae, Akihiko Hirose, Tomoko Fujitani, and Tetsuji Nishimura
- Subjects
Asbestos, Serpentine ,Limb Deformities, Congenital ,Physiology ,Gestational Age ,Toxicology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Body weight ,Asbestos ,Mice ,Fetus ,Pregnancy ,Chrysotile ,medicine ,Animals ,Abnormalities, Multiple ,Maternal-Fetal Exchange ,Mice, Inbred ICR ,Chemistry ,Incidence ,Phosphate buffered saline ,Asbestos, Crocidolite ,Gestational age ,medicine.disease ,Musculoskeletal Abnormalities ,Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms ,Gestation ,Teratogenesis ,Female ,Asbestos, Amosite ,Injections, Intraperitoneal - Abstract
Possible teratogenicity of 3 different asbestos (crocidolite, chrysotile and amosite) was assessed in CD1(ICR) mice. Dams on day 9 of gestation were given a single intraperitoneal administration at dose of 40 mg/kg body weight of asbestos suspended in 2% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution in phosphate buffered saline, while dams in the control group were given vehicle (10 ml/kg body weight). Dams and fetuses were examined on day 18 of gestation. To compare with the control group, the mean percentage of live fetuses in implantations in the group given crocidolite and the incidence of dams with early dead fetuses in the groups given chrysotile or amosite were increased. While no external or skeletal malformation was observed in the control group, the incidence of external malformation (mainly reduction deformity of limb) in the group given amosite, and the incidences of skeletal malformation (mainly fusion of vertebrae) in the all dosed groups were significantly increased. The result indicated that asbestos (crocidolite, chrysotile and amosite) have fetotoxicity and teratogenicity in mice.
- Published
- 2014
48. Chronic toxicity of thiabendazole (TBZ) in CD-1 mice
- Author
-
Y. Tada, Akio Ogata, Norio Yano, Masako Yoneyama, N Aoki, Katsuhiro Yuzawa, Tomoko Fujitani, and Akemichi Nagasawa
- Subjects
Blood Platelets ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Carcinogenicity Tests ,Nephrosis ,Administration, Oral ,Physiology ,Dermatitis ,Motor Activity ,Biology ,Kidney ,Toxicology ,Time ,Lesion ,Eating ,Mice ,Sex Factors ,Neoplasms ,Thiabendazole ,Internal medicine ,Animals, Outbred Strains ,medicine ,Animals ,Urinary Tract ,Hydronephrosis ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,Platelet Count ,Body Weight ,Organ Size ,Hyperplasia ,Transitional epithelium ,medicine.disease ,Squamous metaplasia ,Survival Rate ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Female ,Kidney Diseases ,medicine.symptom ,Renal pelvis ,Hair - Abstract
Male and female CD-1 mice (50 mice per group) were administered thiabendazole (TBZ) in diet at levels of 0 (control), 0.031, 0.125 and 0.5% for 78 weeks. A life time study was terminated after 78 weeks due to enhanced strain specific mortality. There were no significant differences in mortality between the control and treated groups. Mean body weights of high-dose groups showed significant decreases compared with the controls. The bladder weights of male and female mice of the 0.5% group were significantly higher than those of the control mice. Gross findings in treated mice included the renal atrophy, hydronephrosis, calculi in renal pelvis and/or bladder and ovarian atrophy. Microscopic findings in the kidneys of treated mice included the nephrosis, hydronephrosis or hyperplasia of transitional epithelium of renal pelvis or papilla. In the bladder of treated mice, hyperplasia or squamous metaplasia of transitional epithelium and one transitional cell papilloma were observed. Dose-dependent decreases in the incidence of spontaneous lesion in the male or female reproductive system were recognized. It is concluded that TBZ is not carcinogenic to CD-1 mice of both sexes. However, caution should be exercised in the long-term application of high TBZ doses.
- Published
- 2001
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Thiabendazole induces urinary tract toxicity in male ICR mice
- Author
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Akemichi Nagasawa, Norio Yano, Katsuhiro Yuzawa, Masako Yoneyama, Y. Tada, and Tomoko Fujitani
- Subjects
Male ,Urologic Diseases ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Pathology ,Nephrosis ,Urinary Bladder ,Urology ,Kidney ,urologic and male genital diseases ,Toxicology ,Eating ,Mice ,Thiabendazole ,medicine ,Animals ,Hydronephrosis ,Anthelmintics ,Mice, Inbred ICR ,Urinary bladder ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,Histocytochemistry ,Chemistry ,Body Weight ,Organ Size ,Transitional epithelium ,Hyperplasia ,medicine.disease ,Survival Analysis ,Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Urologic disease ,Renal pelvis - Abstract
Male ICR mice were administered thiabendazole (TBZ) in the diet at concentration of 0 (control), 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6% for 44 weeks. The mortality was 10, 6, 40 or 90% in control, 0.8, 1.2 or 1.6% TBZ group, respectively. In dead mice, the gross findings included the abnormalities of kidney such as atrophy, hydronephrosis or swelling in 2, 67, 95 or 96% of the 0, 0.8, 1.2 or 1.6% TBZ group, respectively. In surviving mice at the end of study, the right kidney weight of treated groups was significantly lower than that of control group. The urinary bladder weight of treated groups was significantly higher than that of control group. Gross findings in treated mice included the renal atrophy, hydronephrosis, calculi in renal pelvis or urinary bladder and thickening of the bladder wall. Microscopic findings in the kidneys of treated mice included nephrosis, hydronephrosis and hyperplasia of transitional epithelium of renal pelvis and/or papilla. In the urinary bladder, hyperplasia or squamous metaplasia of transitional epithelium were found in treated mice. Administration of TBZ in the diet for 44 weeks results in nephrosis and calculus formation in the renal pelvis and urinary bladder of male ICR mice, and is associated with hyperplasia of transitional epithelium of renal pelvis or urinary bladder.
- Published
- 2001
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Subchronic toxicity of chlorpropham (CIPC) in ICR mice
- Author
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M Yoneyama, A Fujii, M Kimura, Yukie Tada, and Tomoko Fujitani
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Mean corpuscular hemoglobin ,Chlorpropham ,Thymus Gland ,Kidney ,Toxicology ,Methemoglobinemia ,Methemoglobin ,Eating ,Hemoglobins ,Leukocyte Count ,Mice ,Bone Marrow ,Internal medicine ,White blood cell ,medicine ,Animals ,Mean corpuscular volume ,Mice, Inbred ICR ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration ,Herbicides ,Platelet Count ,Chemistry ,Body Weight ,Organ Size ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Extramedullary hematopoiesis ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Liver ,Toxicity ,Erythrocyte Count ,Female ,Spleen ,Food Science - Abstract
Male and female ICR mice were given 0, 1875, 7500 or 30,000 ppm of chlorpropham (CIPC) in the diet for 13 weeks. Methemoglobin levels of male and female mice in the 7500 and 30,000 ppm groups were significantly elevated. Hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and white blood cell count of male and female mice in the 30,000 ppm group were significantly increased. Dose-dependent splenomegaly was observed in male and female mice in the 7500 and 30,000 ppm group. Congestion, increased hemosiderin deposition and increased extramedullary hematopoiesis in the spleen, hematopoietic cell hyperplasia and hemosiderin deposition in bone marrow was observed dose dependently in male and female mice in the 7500 or 30,000 ppm group. Eosinophilic granular cytoplasm of hepatocytes, sinusoidal dilatation, hemosiderin deposition, extramedullary hematopoiesis and necrosis of hepatocytes were observed in the liver of male and female mice in the 30,000 ppm group. Hemosiderin deposition was increased in the kidney of male and female mice in the 30,000 ppm group. Administration of CIPC in diet for 13 weeks caused methemoglobinemia and splenomegaly in ICR mice.
- Published
- 2000
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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