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Background. The objective of this study was to assess the relation between serum levels of retinol and other antioxidants and hearing impairment in Japanese older adults. Methods. This is a community-based cross-sectional study comprising 762 residents aged 65 years or older in Kurabuchi, Gumma, Japan. We measured serum retinol and other antioxidants (alpha- and gamma-tocopherols, and carotenoids including beta-cryptoxanthin, alpha- and beta-carotenes, lycopene, and lutein plus zeaxanthin) by high-performance liquid chromatography and divided each measurement into quartiles. Hearing impairment was defined as a failure to hear a 30-dB hearing level (HL) signal at 1 kHz and a 40-dB HL signal at 4 kHz in the better ear in pure-tone audiometric tests. The odds ratios (OR) for hearing impairment were calculated for each of the upper three quartiles of retinol and other antioxidant levels relative to the lowest quartile. Results. Crude analysis showed that serum levels of retinol and provitamin A carotenoids (beta-cryptoxanthin, and alpha- and beta-carotenes) were inversely related to the prevalence of hearing impairment. The multiadjusted ORs (95% confidence intervals) for the highest quartile of retinol and the provitamin A family (combinations of provitamin A carotenoids) compared with the lowest were 0.51 (0.26-1.00) and 0.53 (0.27-1.02), respectively. A dose-response relationship was observed for retinol (p = .03) and provitamin A (p = .09). Conclusion. Increased serum levels of retinol and provitamin A carotenoids were clearly associated with a decreased prevalence of hearing impairment. Key Words: Retinol--Provitamin A--Hearing--Aged--Japan.

Objectives Up to 0.3% of Japanese have hypouricaemia. Most cases appear to result from a hereditary disease, renal hypouricaemia (RHUC), which causes exercise-induced acute kidney injury and urolithiasis. However, to what extent RHUC accounts for hypouricaemia is not known. We therefore investigated its frequency and evaluated its risks by genotyping a general Japanese population. Methods A cohort of 4993 Japanese was examined by genotyping the non-functional variants R90H (rs121907896) and W258X (rs121907892) of URAT1/SLC22A12 , the two most common causative variants of RHUC in Japanese. Results Participants' fractional excretion of uric acid and risk allele frequencies markedly increased at lower serum uric acid (SUA) levels. Ten participants (0.200%) had an SUA level ≤2.0 mg/dl and nine had R90H or W258X and were likely to have RHUC. Logistic regression analysis revealed these URAT1 variants to be significantly and independently associated with the risk of hypouricaemia and mild hypouricaemia (SUA ≤3.0 mg/dl) as well as sex, age and BMI, but these URAT1 variants were the only risks in the hypouricaemia population (SUA ≤2.0 mg/dl). W258X was only a risk in males with SUA ≤3.0 mg/dl. Conclusion Our study accurately reveals the prevalence of RHUC and provides genetic evidence for its definition (SUA ≤2.0 mg/dl). We also show that individuals with SUA ≤3.0 mg/dl, especially males, are prone to RHUC. Our findings will help to promote a better epidemiological understanding of RHUC as well as more accurate diagnosis, especially in males with mild hypouricaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Several epidemiological studies have shown that self-reported vision and hearing impairments are associated with adverse health outcomes (AHOs) in older populations; however, few studies have used objective sensory measurements or investigated the role of gender in this association. Therefore, we examined the association of vision and hearing impairments (as measured by objective methods) with AHOs (dependence in activities of daily living or death), and whether this association differed by gender. Methods From 2005 to 2006, a total of 801 residents (337 men and 464 women) aged 65 years or older of Kurabuchi Town, Gunma, Japan, participated in a baseline examination that included vision and hearing assessments; they were followed up through September 2008. Vision impairment was defined as a corrected visual acuity of worse than 0.5 (logMAR = 0.3) in the better eye, and hearing impairment was defined as a failure to hear a 30 dB hearing level signal at 1 kHz in the better ear. Information on outcomes was obtained from the town hall and through face-to-face home visit interviews. We calculated the risk ratios (RRs) of AHOs for vision and hearing impairments according to gender. Results During a mean follow-up period of 3 years, 34 men (10.1%) and 52 women (11.3%) had AHOs. In both genders, vision impairment was related to an elevated risk of AHOs (multi-adjusted RR for men and women together = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.05-2.44), with no statistically significant interaction between the genders. In contrast, a significant association between hearing impairment and AHOs (multi-adjusted RR = 3.10, 95% CI = 1.43-6.72) was found only in the men. Conclusion In this older Japanese population, sensory impairments were clearly associated with AHOs, and the association appeared to vary according to gender. Gender-specific associations between sensory impairments and AHOs warrant further investigation.

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether remote cognitive training (CT) is feasible and has the potential to improve cognitive function and work performance in Japanese workers., Methods: From June to September 2020, this intervention time series study enrolled workers aged 18-65 years from 10 companies located in a metropolitan area of Japan. Cognitive function tests and self-administered questionnaires were completed by the participants three times: at baseline, after 12 weeks of CT, and after a further 12 weeks following cessation. We measured work performance with the question: "How would you rate your performance (compared with your optimum performance) over the past 4 weeks?" Responses were made via a visual analog scale (0-100). Cognitive function was assessed using the THINC-integrated tool, which is a brief, objective computerized cognitive assessment battery. For our computerized remote CT intervention, BrainHQ was used on the basis of our scientific rationale and the empirical literature. We recommended three 20-min sessions of BrainHQ per week and sent participants three reminders., Results: In total, 119 participants were recruited to this study. Only 22.7% of the subjects achieved the recommended training time of 720 min over 12 weeks. The median training time was used to divide participants into long and short- training groups. The long-training group showed a greater improvement in attention and executive function than the short-training group but there was no significant improvement in work performance after CT compared to baseline., Conclusion: Our results suggest that although remote CT was not feasible enough, the effects on cognitive function can be expected by increasing training time and motivation., Competing Interests: MM was employed by snf founder of Smart OHW Co., Ltd. KN received grants from AMED during the conduct of this study and from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. and Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., and personal fees from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., Meiji-Seika Pharma Co., Ltd., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., MOCHIDA PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp., Viatris Inc., and Eisai Co., Ltd. He has received payment for advisory work from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Lundbeck Japan, and Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd., outside the submitted work. SIk received honoraria from Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co. Ltd. Lundbeck Japan K.K. Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Shibaoka, Masuda, Iwasawa, Ikezawa, Eguchi and Nakagome.)

Background: Mt. Oyama on Miyakejima Island erupted in June 2000 and all Miyake village citizens were forced to evacuate the island in the September, due to continuous eruptions and emission of unsafe amounts of volcanic gas, mainly sulfur dioxide (SO2). Beginning in February 2005, residents returned to live on the island despite the fact that volcanic gas was still being emitted., Objective: To examine changes in the respiratory systems of included children from February 2006 to November 2006., Methods: The study population was 141 children who participated in health checkups in November 2006, including 33 SO2 hypersusceptible children who had a current or past history of asthma, obstructive lung function, current symptoms of whistling and wheezing, and/or deterioration of respiratory symptoms. Respiratory effects were evaluated by a questionnaire for respiratory symptoms and by spirometry. SO2 was monitored at 7 sampling points within inhabited areas, and the mean SO2 concentration from February 2005 to November 2006 was 0.031 ppm. The area was categorized into four areas by average SO2 concentration, namely, areas L, H-1, H-2, and H-3, where the average SO2 levels were 0.019, 0.026, 0.032, and 0.045 ppm, respectively., Results: Compared to children in area L, the frequencies of "phlegm" and "irritation of the nose" were significantly greater in the children in areas H-2 and H-3. %FVC and %FEV1 in hypersusceptible children were significantly reduced in November 2006 as compared to February 2006 (P = 0.047, 0.027), though no reduction observed in normosusceptible children., Conclusion: Respiratory functions in hypersusceptible Miyakejima children may be affected by SO2 exposure, and further follow-up observation is necessary.

Background: Mt. Oyama in Miyakejima Island erupted in June, 2000. All Miyake villagers were forced to evacuate from the island in September, 2000, due to continuous eruptions and emissions of unsafe amounts of volcanic gas, mainly SO2. From February, 2005, Miyake villagers returned to the island despite volcanic gas still being emitted., Objectives: This study examines the 2-yr changes in Miyake residents' respiratory systems from autumn 2004 to November 2006., Methods: The study population was 823 Miyake adult residents who participated in the health check-up in 2006. Respiratory effects were evaluated by a questionnaire for respiratory symptoms and spirometry. SO2 has been continuously monitored at 7 sampling points of the inhabited area. The mean SO2 concentration from February 2005 to November 2006 was 0.031 ppm. The area was categorized into 4 areas by SO2 concentration, namely, areas L, H-1, H-2 and H-3, where average SO2 concentrations were 0.019, 0.026, 0.032, and 0.045 ppm, respectively., Results: The study subjects showed no deterioration in lung function. Prevalence of cough and phlegm among all participants were significantly higher in 2006 than in 2004, and age-, sex- and smoking-adjusted odds ratios of cough and phlegm were 1.75 (95%CI 1.33-2.30) and 1.44 (1.12-1.87). Prevalence of chronic bronchitis-like symptoms among normosusceptive subjects in 2006 was 4.1% which was significantly higher than that of 2.1% in 2004 (p=0.035). Compared to area L, the frequencies of phlegm and irritation of the nose were significantly increased in areas H-2 and H-3., Conclusion: SO2 exposure-related respiratory symptoms were observed in adult Miyakejima residents after returning to the island.