Protective Effects of Bisoprolol against Acute Exacerbation in Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Although recent retrospective studies suggested that the use of β-blockers appears to help improve the mortality rate and decrease the rate of exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with heart failure, the effects of β-blockers on COPD patients without heart failure have not been established. Based on previous reports, we have launched a multicenter, prospective, single-arm phase II study to evaluate the preventive effect of the cardioselective β-blocker bisoprolol in COPD exacerbation, in Japanese individuals with moderate-to-severe COPD who do not have heart failure but do have hypertension requiring the use of medication. The primary endpoint is the rate of mild-to-severe COPD exacerbation. The results of this study will clarify whether bisoprolol can prevent exacerbation in COPD patients without heart failure

Genetic variants of SLC17A1 are associated with cholesterol homeostasis and hyperhomocysteinaemia in Japanese men

Hyperuricaemia is an undisputed and highly predictive biomarker for cardiovascular risk. SLC17A1, expressed in the liver and kidneys, harbours potent candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms that decrease uric acid levels. Therefore, we examined SLC17A1 polymorphisms (rs1165196, rs1179086 and rs3757131), which might suppress cardiovascular risk factors and that are involved in liver functioning, via a large-scale pooled analysis of the Japanese general population in a cross-sectional study. Using data from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study, we identified 1842 participants of both sexes, 35–69-years-old, having the requisite data and analysed their SLC17A1 genotypes. In men, logistic regression analyses revealed that minor alleles in SLC17A1 polymorphisms (rs1165196 and rs3757131) were associated with a low-/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio >2.0 (rs1165196: odds ratio [OR], 0.703; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.536–0.922; rs3757131: OR, 0.658; 95% CI, 0.500–0.866) and with homocysteine levels of >10.0 nmol/mL (rs1165196: OR, 0.544; 95% CI, 0.374–0.792; rs3757131: OR, 0.509; 95% CI, 0.347–0.746). Therefore, these polymorphisms had dominant negative effects on cholesterol homeostasis and hyperhomocysteinaemia, in men, independent of alcohol consumption, physical activity, or daily energy and nutrition intake. Thus, genetic variants of SLC17A1 are potential biomarkers for altered cholesterol homeostasis and hyperhomocysteinaemia in Japanese men

Randomized Phase II Study Comparing Mannitol with Furosemide for the Prevention of Renal Toxicity Induced by Cisplatin-based Chemotherapy with Short-term Low-volume Hydration in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: The OLCSG1406 Study Protocol

Although cisplatin-based chemotherapy shows a survival advantage compared to carboplatin for treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer, high-volume hydration and a long infusion time are necessary to avoid nephrotoxicity, and cisplatin-based chemotherapy has been difficult to administer in outpatient settings. A low-volume hydration method using mannitol or furosemide as forced diuresis was recently introduced, but there are no clear conclusions regarding which agent should be used. We describe our ongoing randomized phase II trial (the OLCSG1406 Study) evaluating the efficacy of forced diuresis. This study will clarify whether mannitol or furosemide is more suitable in cisplatin-based chemotherapy with low-volume hydration

Association of exposure level to passive smoking with hypertension among lifetime nonsmokers in Japan : a cross-sectional study

Brief exposure to passive smoking immediately elevates blood pressure. However, little is known about the association between exposure to passive smoking and chronic hypertension. We aimed to examine this association in a cross-sectional study, after controlling multiple potential confounders. Participants included 32,098 lifetime nonsmokers (7,216 men and 24,882 women) enrolled in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study. Passive smoking was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The single question about exposure to passive smoking had five response options: “sometimes or almost never,” “almost every day, 2 hours/day or less,” “almost every day, 2 to 4 hours/day,” “almost every day, 4 to 6 hours/day,” and “almost every day, 6 hours/day or longer.” Hypertension was defined as any of the following: systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, or use of antihypertensive medication. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for hypertension were estimated by exposure level to passive smoking using unconditional logistic regression models. The multivariate-adjusted OR for hypertension in those exposed almost every day was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.03–1.20) compared with those exposed sometimes or almost never. The OR for a 1-hour per day increase in exposure was 1.03 (95% CI: 1.01–1.06, P for trend = .006). This association was stronger in men than in women; the ORs were 1.08 (95% CI: 1.01–1.15, P for trend = .036) and 1.03 (95% CI: 1.00–1.05, P for trend = .055), respectively. Our findings suggest importance of tobacco smoke control for preventing hypertension

Reproducibility and validity of food group intake in a short food frequency questionnaire for the middle-aged Japanese population

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for food group intake in Japan, the reproducibility and partial validity of which were previously confirmed for nutrients. Methods: A total of 288 middle-aged healthy volunteers from 11 different areas of Japan provided nonconsecutive 3-day weighed dietary records (DRs) at 3-month intervals over four seasons. We evaluated reproducibility based on the first (FFQ1) and second (FFQ2) questionnaires and their validity against the DRs by comparing the intake of 20 food groups. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients (SRs) were calculated between energy-adjusted intake from the FFQs and that from the DRs. Results: The intake of 20 food groups estimated from the two FFQs was mostly equivalent. The median energy-adjusted SRs between the FFQ1 and FFQ2 were 0.61 (range 0.38–0.86) for men and 0.66 (0.45–0.84) for women. For validity, the median de-attenuated SRs between DRs and the FFQ1 were 0.51 (0.17–0.76) for men and 0.47 (0.23–0.77) for women. Compared with the DRs, the proportion of cross-classification into exact plus adjacent quintiles with the FFQ1 ranged from 58 to 86% in men and from 57 to 86% in women. According to the robust Z scores and the Bland–Altman plot graphs, the underestimation errors in the FFQ1 tended to be greater in individuals with high mean levels of consumption for meat for men and for other vegetables for both men and women. Conclusion: The FFQ demonstrated high reproducibility and reasonable validity for food group intake. This questionnaire is short and remains appropriate for identifying associations between diet and health/disease among adults in Japan