Analysis of a tobacco vector and its actions in china: the activities of japan tobacco

Japan Tobacco (JT) is the third largest tobacco company in the world, and China, the world's largest tobacco consumer, is one of the most important targets for JT. To provide information for tobacco control, we reviewed and analyzed JT and its tactics and strategies in the Chinese market mainly by systematic examination of documents which are made available in the University of California, San Francisco Legacy Tobacco Documents Library. As a result, JT has had a special interest to expand sales of its cigarettes in the Chinese market

Transcriptional regulation of connective tissue growth factor by sphingosine 1-phosphate in rat cultured mesangial cells

AbstractConnective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is induced by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) via Smad activation in mesangial cells. We recently reported that sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) induces CTGF expression in rat cultured mesangial cells. However, the mechanism by which S1P induces CTGF expression is unknown. The present study revealed that S1P-induced CTGF expression is mediated via pertussis toxin-insensitive pathways, which are involved in the activation of small GTPases of the Rho family and protein kinase C. We also showed by luciferase reporter assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation that S1P induces CTGF expression via Smad activation as TGF-β does

Association between Insomnia Symptoms and Hemoglobin A1c Level in Japanese Men

Background: The evidence for an association between insomnia symptoms and blood hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level has been limited and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to assess whether each symptom of initial, middle, and terminal insomnia influences HbA 1c level in Japanese men. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 1,022 male workers aged 22–69 years with no history of diabetes at a Japanese company’s annual health check-up in April 2010. High HbA1c was defined as a blood level of HbA1c $6.0%. Three types of insomnia symptoms (i.e., difficulty in initiating sleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, and early morning awakening) from the previous month were assessed by 3 responses (i.e., lasting more than 2 weeks, sometimes, and seldom or never [reference group]). Results: The overall prevalence of high HbA1c was 5.2%. High HbA1c was positively and linearly associated with both difficulty in maintaining sleep (P for trend =.002) and early morning awakening (P for trend =.007). More specifically, after adjusting for potential confounding factors, high HbA1c was significantly associated with difficulty in maintaining sleep lasting more than 2 weeks (adjusted odds ratio, 6.79 [95 % confidence interval, 1.86–24.85]) or sometimes (2.33 [1.19–4.55]). High HbA1c was also significantly associated with early morning awakening lasting more than 2 weeks (3.96 [1.24–12.59]). Conclusion: Insomnia symptoms, particularly difficulty in maintaining sleep and early morning awakening, were found t