Introduction. Statistical information regarding the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among a wide age range of workers is insufficient.Methods. A total of 4278 men between the ages of 20 and 59 years participated in the study. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) III criteria.Results. Overall, the prevalences of metabolic syndrome according to the IDF and NCEPIII criteria were 13.6% and 14.8%, respectively. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to the IDF (NCEPIII) criteria among workers in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s were 4.8% (6.1%), 9.9% (12.2%), 18.4% (21.6%) and 25.8% (34.0%), respectively. A plot of the prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to the NCEPIII criteria versus age had a steep gradient and increased sharply for men in their 50s. In contrast, a plot of the prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to the IDF criteria versus age increased in a linear manner.Conclusion. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased among workers according to age, but the increasing trend and the absolute prevalence of metabolic syndrome differed according to the two sets of diagnostic criteria used in this study.
J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). The aim of this study was to examine the association between serum insulin levels and components of the metabolic syndrome (MS). The target participants were 3054 working men. MS was diagnosed based on the modified criteria of the International Diabetes Federation and was present in 12.9% of the study patients. Serum lipid profiles, uric acid, insulin, plasma glucose, and hemoglobin A 1c were measured. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that all the components of MS were significantly associated with log‐transformed values of the serum insulin. The standardized regression coefficient for the waist circumference was 5‐fold higher than that for fasting plasma glucose, being 0.40 and 0.08, respectively. The standardized regression coefficients for diastolic blood pressure, log‐transformed values of serum triglyceride, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and age were 0.09, 0.13, −0.16, and −0.11, respectively. A statistically significant relationship existed between the components of MS, especially abdominal obesity, and the serum insulin levels.
It has been suggested that the presence of a depressive state is a predictor of increase of the body weight. However, to precisely understand the nature of this relationship, the data should be controlled for other factors that can also be associated with weight gain.To test the hypothesis that the presence of a depressive state is associated with future weight gain, a 4-year prospective occupation-based cohort study was conducted in male adult workers (N=1730) at a railway company. Following the initial screening, follow-up information was obtained via a legally required annual health examination. The presence of a depressive state was identified using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). The weight of each participant was measured to the nearest kilogram. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test the association between the depressive state and a weight gain of 4 kg or more over the 4-year study period after controlling for potentially confounding variables such as the age, smoking status, alcohol intake status, and physical activity.A weight gain of 4 kg or more over the 4-year study period was significantly associated with the depressive state, even after controlling for confounding variables (p< 0.05). Short-term longitudinal analysis also revealed an association between the depressive state and subsequent increase of the body weight.Since the depressive state was demonstrated to be an important risk factor for increase of the body weight, further research on depression should be conducted with a view to providing effective health education.
Serum samples had been collected from the swine and human beings (mainly slaughterhouse employees) from June 1978 to September 1979. By means of examining the titer of the HI antibody against the A/NJ/8/76 strain of influenza virus in these samples, the behavior of the virus was studied and the following results were obtained.(1) There was a remarkable regional difference in the prevalence of the A/NJ/8/76 strain among the swine.(2) It was suggested that among the swine there might be a seasonal variation in the occurrence of the epizootic caused bythe virus.(3) In about 9 per cent of the slaughterhouse employees examined, the primary infection of the virus was strongly indicated.(4) No HI antibody against this virus was found in the serum sample collected from the students of the junior high school in an area surveyed in September, 1979.From these results, it appears that the virus further continues to be epidemic among the swine.Then the behavior of the virus should be kept under surveillance by conducting serological examinations on the slaughterhouse employees.
An epidemiological investigation was performed on the hepatitis which was mainly prevailed in the Sashima District, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, in a period of January, 1962 to July, 1968.The main clinical feature of this hepatitis was that the disease was seen in age groups of third to fifth decades.No patients were encountered in young age group below ten years.The mortality of this hepatitis was rated estimated at 9.7% which is much higher than hitherto reported epidemics of the hepatitis.Out of 360 patients who were able to excise the follow-up study, 225 cases showed persisted liver dysfunction beyond five years after onset of the disease.Moreover, the sero-immunological study revealed that 99 cases were turned out negative for HB out of 334 cases.Thirty six cases were proved to be having superimposed infection of HBV in the follow-up study of the hepatitic condition except for the HBV.It was disclosed that some cases were HA antibody negative out of the HB negative subjects.The above-mentioned observations may support a view that the most cardinal point in the initial stage of this specific disease entity was the prevail of (epidemic) of the non-A, non-B type hepatitis which showed superimposition of the type B hepatitis in a later stage.It would be of noteworthy that no hitherto reported cases of the epidemic of the hepatitis was documented as seen in this particular case which may be caused by intermingled two etiological factor.
We examined the natural course and clinical characteristics of 147 HCV carriers. Stored serum samples obtained from patients were examined for HCV core antigen levels. Patients were classified into three groups according to the difference of HCV core antigen levels 20 years after infection: Group A, defined as HCV core antigen ≥2000 fmol/L; Group B, 20-1999 fmol/L; Group C, <20 fmol/L. The number of patients were 64 (43.6%) in Group A, 42 (28.6%) in Group B, and 41 (27.8%) in Group C. Patients in Group B were significantly higher in ZTT and significantly lower in ALB compared to those in Group A. HCV core antigen levels in Group B decreased 15-20 years after infection compared to those in Group A.
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