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This study investigated the factor structure and determined the reliability and validity of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire-Japanese version (CAT-Q-J) among 204 autistic and 410 non-autistic people. Since a confirmatory factor analysis revealed no factor validity of the CAT-Q-J for both autistic and non-autistic adults, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted to ensure the psychometric properties matched those of the original scale as much as possible. The results showed the CAT-Q-J comprised three subscales, a four-item compensation subscale, a five-item masking scale, and a five-item assimilation subscale. The overall CAT-Q-J and all three subscales showed sufficient internal consistency and moderate-to-good and stable test-retest reliability in both the autistic and non-autistic samples. Convergent validity was also supported by the correlations found with measures of autistic traits, well-being, anxiety, and depression. Different from the original CAT-Q, compensation/masking for the autistic sample was not correlated with mental health or autistic traits. The reliability and the validity of the overall CAT-Q-J were confirmed; however, caution should be exercised when interpreting its subscales., (© 2024 The Authors. Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: To examine the relationship between social camouflage and mental health in Japanese autistic adults and make an international comparison with a sample from the UK., Methods: This study analysed secondary data of participants with a self-reported diagnosis of autism from Japan (N = 210; 123 men and 87 women) and the UK (N = 305; 181 women, 104, men, and 18 nonbinary). The relationships between the quadratic term of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire and mental health scales, including depression and anxiety, were assessed., Results: The UK sample showed linear relationships, whereas the Japanese sample showed significant nonlinear relationships. The quadratic terms of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire slightly explained generalised anxiety (β = .168, p = .007), depression (β = .121, p = .045), and well-being (β = - .127, p = .028). However, they did not explain the association between social anxiety and the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire., Limitations: Participants had self-reported diagnoses, and while the autism-spectrum quotient provides a cut-off value for screening, it does not enable confirming diagnoses. Mean scores of the Japanese version of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire were lower as compared to the original CAT-Q, which implies that the social camouflage strategy types used by autistic people in Japan and the UK could differ. The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences., Conclusion: In the UK, more social camouflage was associated with poorer mental health scores, whereas too little or too much social camouflage was associated with a low mental health score in Japan. The Japanese population is seemingly less aware of and educated on autistic characteristics and considers 'average' behaviour a good thing. This could influence Japanese autistic people's social camouflage use, differing from that of autistic people in the UK. The differences in the relationship between social camouflage and mental health between Japan and the UK could be associated with national-level divergence regarding the culture of autism., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a dominantly inherited vascular disorder characterized by recurrent epistaxis, skin/mucocutaneous telangiectasia, and organ/visceral arteriovenous malformations (AVM). HHT is mostly caused by mutations either in the ENG or ACVRL1 genes, and there are regional differences in the breakdown of causative genes. The clinical presentation is also variable between populations suggesting the influence of environmental or genetic backgrounds. In this study, we report the largest series of mutational and clinical analyses for East Asians., Methods: Using DNAs derived from peripheral blood leukocytes of 281 Japanese HHT patients from 150 families, all exons and exon-intron boundaries of the ENG, ACVRL1, and SMAD4 genes were sequenced either by Sanger sequencing or by the next-generation sequencing. Deletions/amplifications were analyzed by the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analyses. Clinical information was obtained by chart review., Results: In total, 80 and 59 pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants were identified in the ENG and ACVRL1 genes, respectively. No pathogenic variants were identified in the SMAD4 gene. In the ENG gene, the majority (60/80) of the pathogenic variants were private mutations unique to a single family, and the variants were widely distributed without any distinct hot spots. In the ACVRL1 gene, the variants were more commonly found in exons 5-10 which encompasses the serine/threonine kinase domain. Of these, 25/59 variants were unique to a single family while those in exons 8-10 tended to be shared by multiple (2-7) families. Pulmonary and cerebral AVMs were more commonly found in ENG-HHT (69.1 vs. 14.4%, 34.0 vs. 5.2%) while hepatic AVM was more common in ACVRL1-HHT (31.5 vs. 73.2%). Notable differences include an increased incidence of cerebral (34.0% in ENG-HHT and 5.2% in ACVRL1-HHT), spinal (2.5% in ENG-HHT and 1.0% in ACVL1-HHT), and gastric AVM (13.0% in ENG-HHT, 26.8% in ACVRL1-HHT) in our cohort. Intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity not related to the age of examination was observed in 71.4% and 24.1% of ENG- and ACVRL1-HHT, respectively., Conclusions: In a large Japanese cohort, ENG-HHT was 1.35 times more common than ACVRL1-HHT. The phenotypic presentations were similar to the previous reports although the cerebral, spinal, and gastric AVMs were more common., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a bunyavirus infection with high mortality. Favipiravir has shown effectiveness in preventing and treating SFTS virus (SFTSV) infection in animal models. A multicenter non-randomized, uncontrolled single arm trial was conducted to collect data on the safety and the effectiveness of favipiravir in treatment of SFTS patients. All participants received favipiravir orally (first-day loading dose of 1800 mg twice a day followed by 800 mg twice a day for 7-14 days in total). SFTSV RT-PCR and biochemistry tests were performed at designated time points. Outcomes were 28-day mortality, clinical improvement, viral load evolution, and adverse events (AEs). Twenty-six patients were enrolled, of whom 23 were analyzed. Four of these 23 patients died of multi-organ failure within one week (28-day mortality rate: 17.3%). Oral favipiravir was well tolerated in the surviving patients. AEs (abnormal hepatic function and insomnia) occurred in about 20% of the patients. Clinical symptoms improved in all patients who survived from a median of day 2 to day10. SFTSV RNA levels in the patients who died were significantly higher than those in the survivors (p = 0.0029). No viral genomes were detectable in the surviving patients a median of 8 days after favipiravir administration. The 28-day mortality rate in this study was lower than those of the previous studies in Japan. The high frequency of hepatic dysfunction as an AE was observed. However, it was unclear whether this was merely a side effect of favipiravir, because liver disorders are commonly seen in SFTS patients. The results of this trial support the effectiveness of favipiravir for patients with SFTS., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Recent studies have suggested that sensory-processing sensitivity correlates to poor psychological and physical health. However, it remains unclear how this occurs. Sensory-processing sensitivity can be understood as sensitivity to sensations without the presence of intentional awareness and a nonreactive attitude, which are the components of mindfulness. We tested the hypothesis that dispositional mindfulness mediates the relationship between sensory-processing sensitivity and trait anxiety, well-being and psychosomatic symptoms. We analyzed data from 563 participating young adults living in Japan. Multiple mediation analysis showed that the four facets (nonreactivity, nonjudging, describing, and acting with awareness) of mindfulness partially mediated the effects of sub-factors of sensory-processing sensitivity (low sensory threshold and ease of excitation) on trait anxiety. Nonreactivity, describing, and acting with awareness partially mediated the effect of low sensory threshold on well-being and fully mediated the effect of ease of excitation. Nonjudging and acting with awareness partially mediated the effects of low sensory threshold and ease of excitation on psychosomatic symptoms. As a whole, the mediation hypotheses were supported, and it was determined that the improvement of dispositional mindfulness may prove effective for the psychological and physical problems of people with high sensory-processing sensitivity.

Atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral blood in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) have not been well examined. In this study, we analyzed counts and characteristics of atypical lymphocytes in 7 patients with SFTS. Atypical lymphocytes resembled plasma cells morphologically and appeared in the peripheral blood of all patients 4-8 days after onset of disease. Among these lymphocytes flow cytometry showed a CD19+CD38+CD138-/+ phenotype, and immunohistochemical staining revealed a CD79a+CD38+CD138-/+CD27+ phenotype. From our observations, atypical lymphocytes transiently that appeared in the peripheral blood during the acute phase of SFTS were considered to be plasmablasts., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

We recently reported a novel heme sensor using fluorescently labeled heme oxygenase-1; however, its inherent enzyme activity would be a potential obstacle in quantifying heme in biological samples. Here, we found that mutation of the catalytically important residue, Asp140, with histidine in the sensor not only diminished the heme degradation activity but also increased heme binding affinity. The sensor with a visible fluorophore was also found to be beneficial to avoid background emission from endogenous substance in biological samples. By using the improved heme sensor, we succeeded in quantifying free heme in rat hepatic samples for the first time., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne acute infectious disease caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). SFTS has been reported in China, South Korea, and Japan as a novel Bunyavirus. Although several molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic studies have been performed, the information obtained was limited, because the analyses included no or only a small number of SFTSV strains from Japan., Methods: The nucleotide sequences of 75 SFTSV samples in Japan were newly determined directly from the patients' serum samples. In addition, the sequences of 7 strains isolated in vitro were determined and compared with those in the patients' serum samples. More than 90 strains that were identified in China, 1 strain in South Korea, and 50 strains in Japan were phylogenetically analyzed., Results: The viruses were clustered into 2 clades, which were consistent with the geographic distribution. Three strains identified in Japan were clustered in the Chinese clade, and 4 strains identified in China and 26 in South Korea were clustered in the Japanese clade., Conclusions: Two clades of SFTSV may have evolved separately over time. On rare occasions, the viruses were transmitted overseas to the region in which viruses of the other clade were prevalent., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: In Japan, palliative home care is subject to increasing demand from patients. However, the number of deaths at home is still not as high as that of palliative home care users., Objective: This study aimed to clarify factors influencing the place of death and home care rates, involving end-stage cancer patients targeted for palliative care by a general home-visit nursing agency., Methods: A total of 87 patients who had used palliative home nursing care services provided by the study facility within a 6-year period after its opening were studied., Results: The numbers of deaths at home supported by family physicians and those in hospital after readmission were 70 and 17, respectively. The numbers of deaths at home using services provided by the study facility and nurses belonging to it time-dependently increased, revealing a strong correlation between them. Furthermore, the place of death and home care rates were closely associated with the mean duration of home nursing services and home visits in collaboration with family physicians in charge., Conclusion: These results suggest that it may be possible to increase the rate of home care for end-stage cancer patients and meet their desires regarding the place of death through approaches to establish trust-based relationships with them and their families, such as strengthening manpower in home-visit nursing agencies and promoting collaboration between visiting nurses and family physicians in charge during home visits.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease with a high case fatality risk and is caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). A retrospective study conducted after the first identification of an SFTS patient in Japan revealed that SFTS is endemic to the region, and the virus exists indigenously in Japan. Since the nucleotide sequence of Japanese SFTSV strains contains considerable differences compared with that of Chinese strains, there is an urgent need to establish a sensitive and specific method capable of detecting the Chinese and Japanese strains of SFTSV. A conventional one-step reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) (cvPCR) method and a quantitative one-step RT-PCR (qPCR) method were developed to detect the SFTSV genome. Both cvPCR and qPCR detected a Chinese SFTSV strain. Forty-one of 108 Japanese patients suspected of having SFTS showed a positive reaction by cvPCR. The results from the samples of 108 Japanese patients determined by the qPCR method were in almost complete agreement with those determined by cvPCR. The analyses of the viral copy number level in the patient blood samples at the acute phase determined by qPCR in association with the patient outcome confirmed that the SFTSV RNA load in the blood of the nonsurviving patients was significantly higher than that of the surviving patients. Therefore, the cvPCR and qPCR methods developed in this study can provide a powerful means for diagnosing SFTS. In addition, the detection of the SFTSV genome level by qPCR in the blood of the patients at the acute phase may serve as an indicator to predict the outcome of SFTS., (Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV), a novel bunyavirus reported to be endemic in central and northeastern China. This article describes the first identified patient with SFTS and a retrospective study on SFTS in Japan., Methods:  Virologic and pathologic examinations were performed on the patient's samples. Laboratory diagnosis of SFTS was made by isolation/genome amplification and/or the detection of anti-SFTSV immunoglobulin G antibody in sera. Physicians were alerted to the initial diagnosis and asked whether they had previously treated patients with symptoms similar to those of SFTS., Results: A female patient who died in 2012 received a diagnosis of SFTS. Ten additional patients with SFTS were then retrospectively identified. All patients were aged ≥50 years and lived in western Japan. Six cases were fatal. The ratio of males to females was 8:3. SFTSV was isolated from 8 patients. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that all of the Japanese SFTSV isolates formed a genotype independent to those from China. Most patients showed symptoms due to hemorrhage, possibly because of disseminated intravascular coagulation and/or hemophagocytosis., Conclusions: SFTS has been endemic to Japan, and SFTSV has been circulating naturally within the country.

Background: Eculizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets complement protein C5 and inhibits terminal complement-mediated hemolysis associated with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). The molecular basis for the poor response to eculizumab in a small population of Japanese patients is unclear., Methods: We assessed the sequences of the gene encoding C5 in patients with PNH who had either a good or poor response to eculizumab. We also evaluated the functional properties of C5 as it was encoded in these patients., Results: Of 345 Japanese patients with PNH who received eculizumab, 11 patients had a poor response. All 11 had a single missense C5 heterozygous mutation, c.2654G → A, which predicts the polymorphism p.Arg885His. The prevalence of this mutation among the patients with PNH (3.2%) was similar to that among healthy Japanese persons (3.5%). This polymorphism was also identified in a Han Chinese population. A patient in Argentina of Asian ancestry who had a poor response had a very similar mutation, c.2653C → T, which predicts p.Arg885Cys. Nonmutant and mutant C5 both caused hemolysis in vitro, but only nonmutant C5 bound to and was blocked by eculizumab. In vitro hemolysis due to nonmutant and mutant C5 was completely blocked with the use of N19-8, a monoclonal antibody that binds to a different site on C5 than does eculizumab., Conclusions: The functional capacity of C5 variants with mutations at Arg885, together with their failure to undergo blockade by eculizumab, account for the poor response to this agent in patients who carry these mutations. (Funded by Alexion Pharmaceuticals and the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan.).

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) constitute a group of phenotypically diverse chronic myeloid malignancies, characterized by clonal hematopoiesis and excessive production of terminally differentiated myeloid blood cells. The MPNs include polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF), most of which are characterized by a somatic point mutation, V617F, in the janus kinase 2 (JAK2) gene. This mutation was recently shown to occur more frequently in a specific JAK2 haplotype, JAK2 46/1, in North American and European MPN patients. Little is known, however, about JAK2 haplotypes in Japanese MPN patients. Therefore, we examined 108 Japanese patients with MPN, including 19 with PV, 61 with ET, 10 with PMF, and 17 with unclassifiable MPN, as well as 104 control individuals for the JAK2 rs10974944(C/G) single nucleotide polymorphism, in which the G allele indicates the 46/1 haplotype. We found that the JAK2 46/1 haplotype was significantly more frequent in patients with V617F-positive MPN than in controls (odds ratio [OR], 3.6; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 2.2-5.8, p < 0.001), and in PV patients than in controls (OR, 6.3; 95 % CI, 3.0-29.4, p < 0.001). In conclusion, we demonstrated that the JAK2 46/1 haplotype is associated with JAK2 V617F-positive MPNs in Japanese patients.

Tritrichomonas suis (=T. foetus) has recently been reported to be a causative agent of chronic large-bowel diarrhea in cats. While the disease was previously attributed to Pentatrichomonas hominis, the etiologic agent for feline trichomonal diarrhea was identified as T. suis. Although feline trichomonosis due to T. suis has been reported at prevalences ranging from 14 to 31% in Europe and the U.S., no reports of the pathogen have been published to date in Japan. In 2008, however, we encountered a case of feline trichomonosis at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Hokkaido University. The parasite was identified as T. suis by nested PCR amplification of partial internal transcribed spacer region 1 and 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene sequences with T. suis-specific primers and DNA sequencing of the amplified products. We then conducted surveys for feline trichomonosis in three different animal hospitals using either cultivation and/or PCR-based assays. The results revealed that 13 of 147 samples (8.8%) were positive for T. suis, and that 5 of the 13 infected cats, which ranged between 1 month and 7.5 years-old, showed chronic diarrhea. Seven of the infected cats were purebred and 6 were mixed breed. These findings suggested that feline trichomonosis is prevalent in Japan, and that T. suis may play a role as a causative agent of feline chronic diarrhea.

The C-857T promoter polymorphism of TNF-α gene is associated with obese type 2 diabetes, while the adiponectin G+276T gene polymorphism in intron 2 may influence the fat accumulation in the liver. In this study, we examined effects of these polymorphisms on clinical markers of insulin resistance and fatty liver (a liver/spleen CT ratio < 0.9). These polymorphisms were determined in 342 Japanese subjects with type 2 diabetes. The liver/spleen CT ratio was lower in the subjects with the adiponectin +276G/G genotype than that in the subjects with the +276T allele (P < 0.05), indicating that fat accumulation in the liver is associated with the +276G/G genotype. Multiple comparisons among the 4 combinations of each polymorphism of the TNF-α and adiponectin genes revealed a significant difference in the liver/spleen CT ratio (P < 0.05) among the 4 groups, indicating that the gene combinations influence the degree of fat accumulation in the liver. The subjects carrying the TNF-α -857T allele (C/T or T/T genotype) and the adiponectin +276G/G genotype had greater risks for fatty liver and insulin resistance that was evaluated by higher levels of fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, as compared with the other groups. Therefore, Japanese subjects with the TNF-α -857T allele and the adiponectin +276G/G genotype may be more susceptible to insulin resistance and fatty liver. The present study provides the evidence for the interaction between TNF-α and adiponectin genes in the insulin resistance and fatty liver in Japanese subjects with type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: Rice cake is a traditional but very popular food in Asia including Japan and has never been known as a cause of ileus. Rice cake is now becoming widespread in the United States and European countries along with other Japanese foods. We may encounter rice cake ileus all over the world. This study was aimed at characterizing the rice cake ileus., Methods: We consecutively encountered 14 patients with rice cake ileus from April 2003 to October 2010 in our hospital. All of the characteristics of the cases were reviewed and analyzed., Results: All patients had ingested rice cake by swallowing without chewing. It has most frequently occurred in January (57.1%). The main symptoms were abdominal colicky pain (100%) and nausea (85.7%) and physical findings included abdominal tenderness (100%) and muscular defense (28.6%). All patients improved by conservative therapy including fluid supply (100%), naso-gastric tube (28.6%) and long tube (28.6%) insertion. No patient needed emergency open surgery., Conclusion: Rice cake ileus which is caused by swallowing the rice cake without chewing, frequently occurs in January, has previous history of abdominal surgery and shows high density intestinal contents on CT and only needs conservative therapy. Globalism in food culture may provide a new disease entity. Therefore, we should be aware of this type of ileus and be prepared to manage it appropriately.

This report describes psychiatric occupational therapy practice and collaboration between occupational therapists and psychiatrists at Shinshu University Hospital. Collaboration with psychiatrists enables us to provide the following occupational therapy programs. (1) Individual occupational therapy approaches for patients at the early recovery stage in the psychiatric ward. (2) Psychoeducational interventions by a multi-disciplinary team (MDs, nurses, OTRs, PSWs, CPs). (3) Occupational therapy approaches used in combination with m-ECT for severe psychiatric disorders. (4) Recovery support programs for psychiatric outpatients. It is suggested that occupational therapists should collaborate with psychiatrists in order to facilitate rehabilitation services for people with psychiatric disorders.

Little is known about the relation between the activities of certain enzymes involved in endogenous fatty acid synthesis and metabolic risk factors, particularly in young adults and non-Western populations. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the associations between estimated desaturase and elongase activities and metabolic risk factors in young Japanese women. The subjects were 640 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18 to 22 years. Body height and weight, from which body mass index (BMI) was derived, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured. Fasting blood samples were collected for biochemical and fatty acid measurements. Desaturase and elongase enzyme activities were estimated as the ratio of product to precursor of individual fatty acids in serum lipids. delta-9 desaturase activity was positively associated with BMI, diastolic blood pressure, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triacylglycerol and was negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P

Objectives: High glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates may increase brain serotonin, which in turn acts to alleviate premenstrual symptoms, because, although the main determinant of brain serotonin concentration is a high plasma ratio of tryptophan to other large neutral amino acids, a high-GI diet has been shown to increase this ratio. In this observational cross-sectional study, we investigated associations between dietary GI and other dietary carbohydrates and premenstrual symptoms., Methods: Subjects were 640 female Japanese dietetic students 18-22 y of age. Dietary carbohydrates were assessed using a validated, self-administered, comprehensive diet history questionnaire. Menstrual cycle symptoms were assessed using the retrospective version of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ). Independent associations of dietary GI and glycemic load and intake of available carbohydrate and dietary fiber with the MDQ total score and subscale scores (pain, concentration, behavioral change, autonomic reactions, water retention, and negative affect) in the premenstrual phase (expressed as percentages relative to those in the intermenstrual phase) were examined., Results: Dietary GI was independently inversely associated with total MDQ score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.02). Dietary GI also showed independent and inverse associations with several MDQ subscale scores in the premenstrual phase, including concentration, autonomic reactions, and water retention (P for trend < 0.05). Conversely, dietary glycemic load and intake of available carbohydrate and dietary fiber were not associated with any of the MDQ scores in the premenstrual phase., Conclusion: Dietary GI was independently associated with decreased premenstrual symptoms in a group of young Japanese women.

Objective: Although urinary creatinine has been used to identify incomplete 24-h urine in numerous epidemiologic studies, information on its utility is limited. We examined the sensitivity and specificity of several strategies that use creatinine to identify incomplete urine using the p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) check method as reference., Methods: Subjects were 654 female Japanese dietetic students 18-22 y of age. A single 24-h urine sample was collected, with recording of the time of the start and end of the collection period and missing urine volume. Simultaneous administration of PABA was done to assess completeness. The sensitivity and specificity of five strategies derived from the literature that used creatinine to identify incomplete urine were calculated as the proportion of incomplete and complete urine correctly identified, respectively., Results: A total of 7.6% of subjects was identified as having incomplete urine by PABA (PABA recovery <85%). This proportion significantly (P < 0.0001) decreased (to 5.5%) after considering self-reported collection time and missing urine volume in the calculation of total urine volume. The sensitivity and specificity of the strategy of Knuimann et al. (incomplete urine = <0.7 of [mmol urinary creatinine x 113]/[21 x kilograms of body weight]) were 0.47 and 0.99, respectively. The corresponding values of other strategies were 0.11-0.22 and 0.57-1.00, respectively., Conclusion: At least in well-motivated populations in which the proportion of incomplete urine is presumed to be small, the strategy of Knuimann et al. and consideration of the self-reported collection time and missing urine volume in the estimation of total volume may be useful.

Aim: This study tested the hypothesis that abnormal QT dispersion, an indicator of arrhythmogenic risk, is associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism and abnormalities of collagen metabolism., Methods: A total of 132 patients with untreated essential hypertension (EHT) were recruited. QT dispersion corrected by heart rate (QTc) on a 12-lead electrocardiogram, ACE genotype, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and E/A ratio using echocardiogram, plasma ACE activity and serum propeptide type I C-terminal procollagen (PICP) concentration, a marker of myocardial fibrosis, were determined. A normal control group (NC) of 200 normotensive subjects was used for comparison of QT dispersion., Results: Number of EHT patients with ACE genotype I/I, I/D and D/D was 61, 52 and 19, respectively. LVMI and E/A ratio were similar in the three groups. Compared with subjects with I/I or I/D genotype, subjects with D/D showed higher plasma ACE activity (I/I: 13 +/- 0.6, I/D: 17 +/- 0.9, and D/D: 21 +/- 1.1 nmol/min per ml, mean +/- SE, P05) and serum PICP concentration (I/I: 106 +/- 5.4, I/D: 106 +/- 4.9, D/D: 140 +/- 12.1 ng/ml, P < 0.01). QTc dispersion was larger in the three hypertensive subgroups than in NC, and was the largest in EHT with D/D (NC: 0.037 +/- 0.001, I/I: 0.056 +/- 0.003, I/D: 0.055 +/- 0.002, D/D: 0.069 +/- 0.004 s, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: ACE D/D genotype could be associated with an elevation of serum PICP concentration possibly leading to myocardial fibrosis and increased QT dispersion.

Background: A field survey on farmer's lung disease (FLD) in a dairy farming community in the northernmost district of Japan has been in progress since 1978., Methods: The correlation between the number of FLD occurrences year by year and dairy farming conditions and meteorological data were compared., Results: Thirty-four FLD cases had occurred in a 20 years period. Average number of days below freezing during the harvest season the year prior to FLD occurrence were significantly smaller than other years (2.1 +/- 0.7 [SE] days, 4.6 +/- 0.7 days, P < 0.05, respectively). Average annual sum of the sunlight hours in the years before the years with FLD occurrence was significantly smaller than those without FLD occurrence (1457.1 +/- 114.0 hr, 1811.3 +/- 97.7 hr, P < 0.05, respectively) and was also significantly smaller for the sunlight hours during a harvest season (821.9 +/- 60.2 hr, 1023.2 +/- 52.7 hr, P < 0.05, respectively)., Conclusions: Temperature and sunlight hours closely associated with the FLD occurrence.