Suicide prevention programs at a national level in developed countries were briefly reviewed, and the community-based suicide prevention programs in Akita Prefecture, in the Tohoku Region of Japan, were also outlined. Suicide prevention programs were proposed in Western countries in the 1980s. A famous example is the national prevention program in Finland that was started in 1986. The national suicide prevention programs in Western countries share some common features such as their comprehensiveness and diversity. Typical policies of suicide prevention programs were categorized according to primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Regarding community-based suicide prevention programs using a health promotion approach, the Akita prefectural government incorporated a suicide prevention program into the local health promotion strategy “Health Akita 21” in 2001. An outline of the four action programs was as follows: to raise awareness of suicide prevention, to increase opportunities for mental health consultation, to promote both primary and secondary prevention of depression, and to create a supportive environment for mental health promotion. Community-based suicide prevention programs were started in some communities of model projects that are financially supported by Akita Prefectural government. Efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of community-based suicide prevention programs are needed in the future.

View full abstract

In Japan, Max von Pettenkofer is highly regarded as a pioneer of modern hygiene. The contribution of Edmund Alexander Parkes, however, is not yet sufficiently appreciated. This paper outlines the life and achievements of E.A. Parkes and discusses his influence in Japan.

View full abstract

Objective: The present study examined the levels of serum α-Tocopherol (Toc), retinol (Ret), cholesterol (Chol) and triglycerides (TG), and their correlations in the sera of people in Nepal.
Methods: The survey was conducted on the general populace in the agricultural Terai region in southern Nepal. The study population consisted of 93 males and 83 females aged 10–68 years. Serum Toc and Ret were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.
Results: No significant differences were observed between the genders for the average of total Chol (T-Chol) (140 and 145 mg/100 ml, respectively), HDL-C (45 and 47 mg/100 ml), LDL-C (94 and 97 mg/100 ml), and TG (106 and 110 mg/100 ml), and the ratio of LDL/HDL (2.16). The levels of mean Toc (4.32 and 4.27 μg/ml) were about the same for both genders, while the mean Ret levels were significantly higher for males (624 ng/ml) than for females (535 ng/ml) (p<0.001). A direct relationship was found between the levels of Toc and Ret (r=0.46, p<0.001 and r=0.28, p<0.05 for males and females, respectively). Serum levels of Toc and Ret were positively related to the levels of Chol (r=0.48 and r=0.58, p<0.001 for males and r=0.49, p<0.001 and r=0.33, p<0.01 for females, respectively) and TG (r=0.23 and r=0.28, p<0.05 for males and r=0.29, p<0.01 and r=0.28, p<0.05 for females, respectively). The ratio of Toc/TG normalized to serum TG was directly correlated to the ratio of Ret/TG (r=0.79 for males, and r=0.72 for females, p<0.001, respectively) and the ratios of Toc/TG and Ret/TG were negatively related to the LDL/HDL levels (r=−0.49 and r=−0.43, for males, and r=−0.46 and r=−0.57 for females, p<0.001, respectively).
Conclusion: The levels of Toc and Ret were low in the sera of people living in the southern rural Terai region in Nepal, and it was found that lower levels of Toc and Ret normalized to TG increased the ratio of LDL/HDL. These results suggest that greater intake of foods rich in Toc and Ret should be encouraged to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

View full abstract

Objectives: Concerns over dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, have been raised because BPA is contained in resins and plastics commonly used for the preservation of food and beverages. The purpose of the present study was to assess daily intake levels of BPA in a group of male subjects by measuring total urinary BPA (free BPA plus BPA released by treatment with β-glucuronidase), as well as determining intra-individual variation in BPA excretion.
Methods: Twenty-four-hour urine was collected from 5 subjects for 5 consecutive days for the evaluation of between-day variation in urinary BPA excretion and from 36 male subjects for the estimation of the level of daily BPA intake. BPA in the urine samples was measured by GC/MS/MS following enzymatic hydrolysis of BPA glucuronate, solid phase extraction, and derivatization.
Results: A large between-day variation was found over 5 days for the daily excretion of urinary BPA in the 5 subjects. The daily excretion of urinary BPA was distributed log-normally in the 36 male subjects, with the median value being 1.2 μg/day (range: <0.21-14 μg/day), which was far below the Tolerable Daily Intake (0.01 mg/kg bw) recommended by a scientific committee in the European Commission in 2002. However, the maximum estimated intake per body weight (0.2 μg/kg/day) was only one order of magnitude lower than the reported lowest level for reproductive/behavioral effects in pregnant mice (2 μg/kg/day).
Conclusions: Measuring urinary BPA in urine is a suitable approach for estimating short-term BPA intake levels in individuals and/or estimating the average exposure level of populations. Urine analyses will be increasingly important in the human health risk assessment of BPA.

View full abstract

Objectives: To investigate the effect of snack eating on salivary cortisol and chromogranin A (CgA).
Methods: From 14:00 to 18:00, starting two hours after consumption of a midday meal, saliva samples were collected every 30 minutes from 15 healthy males, 7 of whom (snack group) ate a snack immediately after the sampling at 15:00. Salivary cortisol and CgA levels were determined by ELISA. Samples were controlled according to salivary flow rates.
Results: For the snack group, after snack consumption, salivary cortisol increased to exceed significance (p<0.05) at 15:30 and rose even higher at 16:00. In the control group, there was no such change. There was no significant change in salivary CgA in either the snack group or the control groups during the sampling period.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that no food should be consumed for at least 90 mins before saliva sampling for cortisol determination and that salivary CgA is probably not affected by snack eating.

View full abstract