Job strain and smoking cessation among Japanese male employees: a two-year follow-up study

The purpose of the present study was to assess the association between job strain and smoking cessation among Japanese male employees. In 1997, a baseline questionnaire was given to 2,625 (2,113 males and 512 females) employees of an electronics firm in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The self-administered questionnaire was a set of questions on smoking habits and consisted of items on socio-demographic variables and smoking habits, including the Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). The JCQ consists of scales of job control, job demand, supervisory support, coworker support, job insecurity, physical demands, and isometric load. A total of 733 male smokers were then followed for 2 years, with 446 completing a follow-up questionnaire in 1999 (follow-up rate, 61%). Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between job strain and smoking cessation. Among the 446 participants, 38 had quit smoking. After adjusting for age ((odds ratio: OR) = 0.38, 95% (contidence interval: CI) = 0.15-0.94), men with a high level of physical demands at baseline showed a lower smoking cessation rate at follow-up than did those with a low level. However, when adjustments were made for age and other socio-demographic variables, the odds ratio of smoking cessation showed marginal significance (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.16-1.29). There was no significant association between other job strain variables and smoking cessation at the 2-year follow-up. No significant association was found between job strain and change in the number of smoked cigarettes per day. The present study did not support the hypothesis that higher levels of job stressors are associated with a lower rate of smoking cessation among men.</p

Memory-related gene expression profile of the male rat hippocampus induced by teeth extraction and occlusal support recovery

Objectives: The present study aimed to identify the effect of memory-related genes on male rats tested for spatial memory with either molar teeth extraction or its restoration by occlusal support using experimental dentures. Design: Memory-related genes were detected from hippocampi of male Wistar rats (exposed to teeth extraction with or without dentures, or no extraction (control)) (7-week old) after behavioural testing (via the radial maze task) using a DNA microarray. The time course of the expression of these genes was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (on 49-week-old rats). Results: In preliminary experiments, to determine which memory genes are affected by spatial memory training, DNA microarray analysis revealed that thyrotropin-releasing hormone (Trh) and tenascin XA (Tnxa) were up-regulated and neuronatin (Nnat) and S100a9 were down-regulated after the maze training. The expression of Tnxa, Nnat and S100a9 of 49-week-old rats (during the time course) via quantitative real-time PCR was consistent with the results of microarrays of the preliminary experiment. Expression of Trh that was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR did not agree with the results for this gene from the microarray for all groups. Therefore, expression of Trh may have increased in only young, trained rats. The expression of S100a9 prior to the maze task was down-regulated in only the extraction group. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that Trh, Tnxa and Nnat genes were affected according to the degree of memory in male rats. This study also indicated that S100a9 is a memory-related gene, which is affected by the presence of occlusal support

Preoperative Use of Alpha-1 Receptor Blockers in Male Patients Undergoing Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy for a Ureteral Calculus

In this retrospective single-center cohort study, we investigated the impact of preoperative use of an alpha-1 adrenergic receptor (AR) blocker on the outcome of single-session extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) in 193 male patients who underwent SWL for a single ureteral calculus between 2006 and 2016. We reviewed their medical records to obtain the data on the preoperative use of alpha-1 AR blockers. The primary outcome was treatment success after single-session SWL. We performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for clinically important confounders to examine the association between preoperative use of alpha-1 AR blockers and the treatment success of SWL. Among the 193 patients, 15 (7.8%) were taking an alpha-1 AR blocker preoperatively. A multivariable analysis showed that preoperative use of an alpha-1 AR blocker was a significant negative predictor for treatment success of SWL (adjusted odds ratio 0.17; 95% confidence intervals, 0.04-0.74). Our findings suggest that the preoperative use of an alpha-1 AR blocker was a negative predictor of treatment success of SWL in male patients with a single ureteral calculus. Clinicians should pay more attention to the preoperative drug use in determining an appropriate stone therapy modality

Broccoli consumption and chronic atrophic gastritis among Japanese males: an epidemiological investigation.

Previous in vitro and animal experiments have shown that sulforaphane, which is abundant in broccoli, inhibits Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and blocks gastric tumor formation. This suggests that broccoli consumption prevents chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) introduced by H. pylori infection and, therefore, gastric cancer. For an epidemiological investigation of the relationship between the broccoli consumption and CAG, a cross-sectional study of 438 male employees, aged 39 to 60 years, of a Japanese steel company was conducted. CAG was serologically determined with serum cut-off values set at pepsinogen I &#60; or = 70 ng/ml and a ratio of serum pepsinogen I/pepsinogen II &#60; or = 3.0. Broccoli consumption (weekly frequency) and diet were monitored by using a 31-item food frequency questionnaire. The prevalence of CAG among men who ate broccoli once or more weekly was twice as high as that among men who consumed a negligible amount (P &#60; 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that broccoli consumption once or more weekly significantly increased the risk for CAG (odds ratio, 3.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-8.38; P &#60; 0.05), after controlling for age, education, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption. The present study failed to show an expected association between frequent broccoli consumption and a low prevalence of CAG.</p

The Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA) for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE): Mission, science, and instrumentation of its receiver modules

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is a science mission led by the European Space Agency, being developed for launch in 2023. The Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA) is an instrument onboard JUICE, whose main scientific goals are to understand ice tectonics based on topographic data, the subsurface structure by measuring tidal response, and small-scale roughness and albedo of the surface. In addition, from the perspective of astrobiology, it is imperative to study the subsurface ocean scientifically. The development of GALA has proceeded through an international collaboration between Germany (the lead), Japan, Switzerland, and Spain. Within this framework, the Japanese team (GALA-J) is responsible for developing three receiver modules: the Backend Optics (BEO), the Focal Plane Assembly (FPA), and the Analog Electronics Module (AEM). Like the German team, GALA-J also developed software to simulate the performance of the entire GALA system (performance model). In July 2020, the Proto-Flight Models of BEO, FPA, and AEM were delivered from Japan to Germany. This paper presents an overview of JUICE/GALA and its scientific objectives and describes the instrumentation, mainly focusing on Japan’s contribution

Social life factors affecting the mortality of total Japanese population

The effects of a wide variety of social life factors on the mortality of total Japanese population in 46 prefectures were analysed by stepwise regression analysis twice at a 5-year interval. Age-adjusted all-causes mortality and age-adjusted cause-specific mortality from 14 major causes of death were examined. The results indicated that rural residence was the key factor affecting the mortality of total male and female populations; low income, together with old and young age groups, was another important factor for the mortality of the male population. International differences in the effects of urbanisation on mortality rates are discussed in the light of these findings.mortality major causes of death urbanisation income social factors international comparison

Assessing the bibliometric performance of a 'Special Issue': a citation analysis using the Web of Science® database

Abstract Questions have often been raised by journal readers, authors and editors regarding the intrinsic value of 'Special Issues'. We examine the bibliometric performance and relative impact of a special issue published in the Japanese journal, Industrial Health, in 2007. Citations tracked by the Web of Science® database between 2007 and 2011 were analysed by type, frequency and impact. Overall, our results suggest that the special issue had a considerable influence on the bibliometric profile of the journal in which it appeared. The study revealed that special issues can attract more immediate citations and more overall citations than regular issues as well as having a positive effect on its impact factor in the years immediately following publication. Further bibliometric analyses are now warranted to evaluate the long-term performance of special issues and to investigate their overall impact on the scientific community