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To investigate whether long-term weight/BMI change in adulthood has a significant impact on the incidence of diabetes, independent of attained weight status.A number of 13,700 participants (2962 men and 10,738 women) aged 36 to 55 years were followed for up to 5 years using data from annual health checkups. Incident cases of diabetes were identified from self-reports or single fasting plasma glucose measurements (≥7.0 mmol/l). Weight/BMI change was calculated from participants' weight/BMI values at age 20 years and weight/BMI values at a given point during follow-up and used as a time-dependent variable in age-stratified multivariate Cox proportional hazards models.During the 5 year follow-up, 408 participants (137 men and 271 women) developed diabetes. Even after adjusting for BMI during follow-up and other possible confounders, weight/BMI gain since age 20 years was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes. The hazard ratios were: 2.30 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31-4.04) for those who gained 6.0 to10.0 kg and 3.09 (95% CI: 1.79-5.34) for those who gained ≥10.0 kg [reference:2.0 kg change]; and 2.61 (95% CI: 1.58-4.31) for those who gained 3.0 to5.0 kg/m(2) and 3.70 (95% CI: 2.22-6.16) for those who gained ≥5.0 kg/m(2) [reference:1.0 kg/m(2) change].The results indicate that long-term weight/BMI gain in adulthood is a significant predictor for the development of diabetes, independent of attained weight status. Because weight gain within the normal weight range could increase the risk of diabetes, non-obese people should also be warned against possible weight gain.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between periodontal disease and peptic ulcers in a working population. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to all employees of a large insurance company in Japan. The questionnaire asked about their health status and lifestyle habits. Peptic ulcer was defined as either stomach ulcer, duodenal ulcer, or both. For the evaluation of periodontal disease, three indices were used: (a) loss of five or more teeth, (b) having been told of having periodontitis, and (c) periodontal risk score. Results: Of the eligible 28 765 subjects analyzed, peptic ulcer was present in 397 (1.4%). The results of bivariate analyses showed that a significantly higher proportion of subjects with peptic ulcer reported that they lost five or more teeth (35.3 vs. 17.4%, p

1 , In the last 10 yr, a new dental field called "periodontal medicine 1) " has been proposed, which draws attention to the relationship between periodontal disease and systemic diseases. There have been reports of an association between periodontal disease, which are chronic inflammatory diseases, and heart diseases. Epidemiological studies of the association between periodontal disease and heart diseases have been reported in the last 10 or so years 2-10) . So far, however, no clear conclusions have been reached. The objectives of our cross-sectional study of a large group of Japanese workers were to examine the association between the state of oral health such as the presence of periodontitis and two CHDs, myocardial infarction and angina pectoris. We here define CHD as myocardial infarction or angina pectoris, or a combination of both. The investigation was implemented using results of a baseline investigation of the "MY Health Up Study," which was conducted at a large insurance firm for the purpose of health maintenance of its workers.

Objective To investigate changes in Japanese physician workforce participation over time, with a focus on gender differences in career patterns. Methods Subjects were Japanese physicians who had participated in the biennial national physician survey at least once between 1980 and 2002. Two cohorts of physicians were traced: those who were between 25 and 64 years old and were already on the physician registry as of 1980 (Cohort 1980), and those on the registry as of 1990 (Cohort 1990). Workforce participation rates, as measured by the proportion of physicians working in the field of health care, were calculated for every other year until 2002. Then, 10-year averages for workforce participation rates were calculated and compared by cohort and gender. Results In both cohorts, the workforce participation rates of female physicians revealed a marked decline in their late 20s and 30s; in contrast, those of male physicians remained at a high level until the age of 65. The average workforce participation rate of female physicians was significantly lower than that of male physicians, both in Cohort 1980 and Cohort 1990, and both male and female physicians in Cohort 1990 had a significantly lower average than physicians in Cohort 1980. Conclusions Effective measures should be taken to help physicians continue to work, and especially, to alleviate the decline in workforce participation among young female physicians.