Association of Blood Pressure and Body Mass Index with Intraocular Pressure in Middle-aged and Older Japanese Residents:A Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Study

To clarify whether high blood pressure (BP) and high body mass index (BMI) are associated with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), a cross-sectional and longitudinal study was conducted. This epidemiological study analyzed health examination data obtained between 2001 and 2005 from 896 Japanese individuals (aged 32-79 years) who had not undergone any ocular surgery or medical treatment for hypertension, ocular hypertension, or glaucoma. Multiple-regression analysis of our cross-sectional data showed that systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP) and BMI had significant and near-significant positive associations with IOP in men (p＜0.05) and women (p＜0.1). Our longitudinal study from analyses of covariance found that the adjusted mean level of changes in IOP tended to increase with increased levels of SBP, DBP, and BMI in men (p＜0.1). In women also, changes in SBP and BMI tended to be positively related with that of IOP (p＜0.1). The results of this study suggested that BP and BMI were positively associated with IOP in middle-aged and older Japanese. Therefore, management of BP and improvement of obesity might be especially important to Japanese patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension as they have a higher incidence of normal-tension glaucoma than Europeans and Americans

Longevity-associated NADH Dehydrogenase Subunit-2 237 Leu/Met Polymorphism Modulates the Effects of Daily Alcohol Drinking on Yearly Changes in Serum Total and LDL Cholesterol in Japanese Men

Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) dehydrogenase subunit 2 237 leucine/methionine (ND2-237 Leu/Met) polymorphism, is reportedly associated with longevity in the Japanese population. The ND2-237Met genotype may exert resistance to atherogenic diseases, such as myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular disorders. To investigate whether ND2-237 Leu/Met polymorphism is associated with yearly changes in serum lipid levels, we conducted a longitudinal study of 107 healthy Japanese male subjects. Analysis of covariance revealed that the interaction between the ND2-237 Leu/Met genotypes and habitual drinking was significantly associated with yearly changes in serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) levels (p0.036 and p0.006, respectively). In multiple regression analysis, daily drinking was significantly and positively associated with yearly changes in serum LDLC levels in men with ND2-237Met (p0.026). After adjusting for covariates, yearly changes in serum LDLC levels were significantly lower in non-daily drinkers with ND2-237Met than in those with ND2-237Leu (p0.047). These results suggest that ND2-237Met has a beneficial impact on yearly changes in serum LDLC in non-daily drinkers but not in daily drinkers.</p

A Resolution of the Centipede Paradox

research repor

Thermal analysis of amorphous oxide thin-film transistor degraded by combination of joule heating and hot carrier effect

Stability is the most crucial issue in the fabrication of oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) for next-generation displays. We have investigated the thermal distribution of an InSnZnO TFT under various gate and drain voltages by using an infrared imaging system. An asymmetrical thermal distribution was observed at a local drain region in a TFT depending on bias stress. These phenomena were decelerated or accelerated with stress time. We discussed the degradation mechanism by analyzing the electrical properties and thermal distribution. We concluded that the degradation phenomena are caused by a combination of Joule heating and the hot carrier effect

Inductive Game Theory: A Simulation Study of Learning a Social Situation

Inductive game theory (IGT) aims to explore sources of beliefs of a person in his individual experiences from behaving in a social situation. It has various steps, each of which already involves a lot of different aspects. A scenario for IGT was spelled out in Kaneko-Kline (13). So far, IGT has been studied chiefly in theoretical manners, while some other papers targete

Evaluation of Liquefaction Potential of Gravelly Soil Layer Based on Field Performance Data

In general, gravelly soil layers are considered to be less susceptible to liquefy during earthquakes than sandy soil layers. However, in 1995 Hyogoken-Nambu Earthquake, sand ejection due to liquefaction was observed in Port Island and Rokkco Island, which were man-made islands reclaimed by gravelly soils. In this paper, firstly, site investigation including sampling by freezing technique was conducted in Rokko Island where lots of ejected sand was not observed during the earthquake to know liquefaction strengths of the reclaimed deposits. Secondly, earthquake response analyses were conducted for a site in Rokko Island as well as a site in Port Island to evaluate maximum stress ratios which were generated in the reclaimed deposits during the earthquake. Finally, relationships between maximum shear stress ratios during earthquakes and penetration resistance were investigated for liquefied sites and nonliquefied sites in the man-made islands