Original Papers
Metabolic Syndrome Defined by New Criteria in Japanese Is Associated with Increased Liver Enzymes and C-Reactive Protein
KENTARO TAKI, KAZUKO NISHIO, NOBUYUKI HAMAJIMA and TOSHIMITSU NIWA
pg(s) 1- 9
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Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by the presence of atherogenic risk factors, and is associated with a marked increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease. Recently, the criteria of MetS were newly defi ned in Japan. We examined the relationship between MetS and the various metabolic parameters in Japanese subjects. This study included 458 Japanese subjects undergoing medical checkups at Nagoya University Hospital. New criteria developed by the joint committee of eight Japanese medical societies for the clinical recognition of MetS were adopted. We examined the association between MetS and various metabolic parameters, including liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, ALT; gamma glutamyltransferase, GGT) and highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP). The mean overall prevalence of MetS was 8.7% (male: 12.9%; female: 2.2%, p=0.0001). MetS was signifi cantly associated with elevated ALT (>45 IU/L) (OR: 3.37, 95% CI: 1.19–9.52, p<0.05) and GGT (>64 IU/L in males, >45 IU/L in females) (OR: 4.96, 95% CI: 2.31–10.66, p=0.0001), respectively. MetS was also signifi cantly associated with elevated hsCRP (≥ 0.1 ng/mL) (OR: 2.77, 95% CI: 1.20–6.41, p<0.05). Thus, MetS was associated with elevated liver enzymes (especially, GGT), and infl ammation (hsCRP).
An Association between Serotonin Receptor 3B Gene (HTR3B) and Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia (TRS) in a Japanese Population
XIAOFEI JI, NAGAHIDE TAKAHASHI, ALEKSIC BRANKO, RYOKO ISHIHARA, TAKU NAGAI, AKIHIRO MOURI, SHINICHI SAITO, NOBUHISA MAENO, TOSHIYA INADA and NORIO OZAKI
pg(s) 11- 17
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Genetic factors are thought to be involved in the development of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Since several antipsychotic drugs inhibit the release of neurotransmitters via the serotonin receptors 3 (5-HT3), a dysfunction of this kind of receptor might be associated with the development of TRS. Thus, single-marker and haplotype analyses of the tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the 5-HT3B subunit gene (HTR3B) were performed in TRS (n = 101) and non-TRS (n = 244) patients. The deletion allele at the 3 bp-insertion/deletion polymorphism site (–100_–102delAAG) located in the putative HTR3B promoter region is signifi cantly more frequent in the TRS group than the insertion allele by a single-marker comparison (p=0.031). In addition, luciferase promoter assays showed that the deletion allele exhibited signifi cantly higher transcriptional activity than the insertion allele in COS7 cells (p<0.05). These results suggest that HTR3B is involved in the development of TRS in the Japanese population.
Relation of Falls Efficacy Scale (FES) to Quality of Life among Nursing Home Female Residents with Comparatively Intact Cognitive Function in Japan
CHIKAKO KATO, KUNIO IDA, MORIO KAWAMURA, MASAHIRO NAGAYA, HARUHIKO TOKUDA, AKIKO TAMAKOSHI and ATSUSHI HARADA
pg(s) 19- 27
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation of the Falls Effi cacy Scale (FES) to quality of life (QOL) among nursing home residents. The subjects were 133 institutionalized women aged 70 years or older. They had comparatively intact cognitive function, with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 15 or more, and could provide suffi cient informed consent for a questionnaire survey. We evaluated their age, height, weight, body-mass index, history of hip fracture, history of fall(s) within the past year, complicating conditions, MMSE, Medical Outcomes Study 8-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-8), FES, and their subscores for Functional Independence Measure (FIM) motor items (self care, sphincter control, transfer, locomotion). There was a signifi cant relationship between the Physical Component Summary (PCS) of SF-8 and FES. In each subscale, FES showed signifi cant relations that were especially close in physical functioning (PF) and role physical (RP), with those relations proving stronger than those of the subscores of transfer and locomotion. In conclusion, the present results suggested that taking account of mental confi dence is important for physical QOL, and that falls self-effi cacy, including not only physical activity per se but also mental confi dence, should be given prominence in the physical QOL of the institutionalized elderly.
Long-Term Outcome and Prognostic Factors for Yolk Sac Tumor of the Ovary
TOMOKAZU UMEZU, HIROAKI KAJIYAMA, MIKIO TERAUCHI, KIYOSUMI SHIBATA, KAZUHIKO INO, AKIHIRO NAWA and FUMITAKA KIKKAWA
pg(s) 29- 34
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Yolk sac tumors of the ovary (YST) are rare and highly malignant tumors occurring in children and young adults. Because of its rarity, YST prognostic factors remain unclear. Our purpose was to evaluate the prognostic factors in YST. We performed a retrospective review of 36 patients with pure YST from 1986 to 2006. The 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival were 66.6% and 68.8%, respectively. Patients with stage I–II disease had a more favorable prognosis than those with stage III–IV (p < 0.05). Those with an ascites volume of less than 100 ml or a residual tumor measuring less than 1 cm had improved to a relatively good prognosis. Neither serum AFP level nor age had any signifi cant correlation with the prognosis in this study. In conclusion, the FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage, ascites volume and residual tumor size tended to affect the prognosis of YST
Short Communication
Mucinous Cystadenoma of the Appendix Associated with Muscular and Neuromatous Hyperplasia : Report of a Case
KENJI HIBI, MISAKO MIZUTANI, MASAHIKO IMAZAWA, TSUKASA NAKAMURA, MASUO NONOYAMA and HIDEO SHIBATA
pg(s) 35- 40
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Mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix is a type of appendiceal mucocele and a rather rare condition usually found incidentally in the course of other abdominal surgery. A previous evaluation of 73 appendiceal mucoceles showed that this disease was often associated with adenocarcinoma and other epithelial atypia. This observation suggested that patients with mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix also have some underlying disorders. However, non-epithelial changes associated with appendiceal mucocele have not been reported so far. In this study, we presented for the fi rst time a mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix associated with muscular and neuromatous hyperplasia.
