Norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DM) in night and daytime urine of normal subjects (n=45 for men and n=22 for women) were measured simultaneously by the fluorescamine method using HPLC. The excretion rates of NE in the nitghttime were 14.1±6.9 ng/min for men and 11.1±6.5 ng/min for women without sex difference. The values in the daytime were two or three times as high as those in the nighttime. Men excreted more DM in the daytime than in the night while women excreted less DM in the daytime. The excretion rates of DM in the nighttime were 181.0±94.4 ng/min for men and 166.3±70.9 ng/min for women, which correlated well with those of creatinine (γ=0.671 for nighttime and 0.797 for daytime). The nighttime urine was found to be useful for the clinical diagnosis.

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Adrenaline, noradrenaline and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid (VMA) in urine were measured on human male subjects sitting on chair and lying on bed awake for several hours, in order to investigate the effects of these postures on catecholamine excretion in men.
Adrenaline excretion decreased at first but significantly increased 3 to 4 hours after. Noradrenaline excretion decreased at the period of adrenaline peak. VMA level showed a gradual decrease. These changes were observed in both postures but not in their usual lives. Most of subjects complained of strains caused by sitting on chair or resting on bed keeping awake for hours.
As many authors have reported the elevated level of urinary catecholamines in mental or emotional stresses, it was supposed that our subjects could not maintain themselves without stress in one posture for many hours.

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The main objectives of the study were to 1) determine the level of the farmers’ awareness of recommended technologies related to rubber tapping and 2) identify the farmers’ perceptions of rubber technologies. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select the sample of 92 rubber smallholders from Dambae, a non traditional rubber region, and Peam Cheang, a traditional rubber region. Data were collected through pocket voting and preference ranking which are the tools of participatory methodology. Friedman’s test and multiple comparisons were used to analyze the data. The study showed that rubber farmers were not well aware of recommended technologies related to rubber tapping, for instance required girth (23%), height of measurement (34%), cup hanging (46%), thickness of tapping (21%) and tapping angle (21%). However, the awareness of tapping panel marking was high (97%). It was discovered that there were significant differences in the participants’ rank ordered preferences for techniques, during immature and mature stages, related to rubber collection works and dissemination media (p<0.001). Establishment of cover crop, land preparation, correct tapping method and latex preservation methods were considered by the rubber smallholders as the most important techniques (p<0.05) that they need the extension officers to address in designing extension activity programs for these regions. Workshop was the most preferred area (p<0.05) of dissemination media through which the rubber farmers need the researchers and extension officers to transfer information and knowledge.

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This study was performed for finding out early diagonosis methods of methyl iodide or methyl bromide intoxication. Methyl iodide introduced into living organism was found in the brain, especially in the cerebral cortex, and in the liver and kidney. Gait disturbance which is one of the serious effects of methyl iodide on the nervous system seemed to be an representation of susceptibility increase of the organism agaist d-tubocurarine as reported previously. At this intoxication state, a disturbed pattern of lipid metabolism in brain tissues was observed similarly as the metabolic distur- bance of energy rich phosphate compounds reported already. Previously, we have found out an abnormal increase of serum lipid in poisoned animals. This finding was also ascertained by examining men exposed to methyl iodide or methyl bromide. Present address, Japan Industrial Safety Association, 5-35-4, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo.

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The risk of colorectal cancer in relation to smoking habits has been examined mostly in Caucasians, and evidence for other ethnic groups is still scarce. METHODS: Our data came from the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study. From 1988 through 1990, 25, 260 men and 34, 619 women aged 40-79 years completed a questionnaire on cigarette smoking and other lifestyle factors. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated by fitting proportional hazards models. RESULTS: During the mean follow-up of 7.6 years through December 1997, we documented 408 incident colon cancers and 204 rectal cancers. We found a non-significant increase in colon cancer risk in male current smokers compared with never smokers. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios were 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72-1.59) for ex-smokers and 1.23 (95% Cl: 0.85-1.78) for current smokers. We however failed to observe a clear dose-response relationship between smoking intensity or duration and colon cancer risk. The adjusted hazard ratio was 1.07 (95% Cl: 0.71-1.61) even for 40+ years of smoking. Almost no increase in colon cancer risk was detected for female smokers, and male smokers were not at an enhanced risk of rectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking was not a strong risk factor for colorectal cancer even after a long-term exposure, although a weak association remains open to discussion. J Epidemiol 2003;13:323-332.

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Background: Existing evidence suggest that those who are socially isolated are at risk for taking up or continuing smoking. This study investigated country-based differences in social isolation and smoking status.

Methods: We performed a repeated cross-sectional study using two waves of data from two ongoing aging studies: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. Participants from both studies aged ≥65 years were included. We applied a multilevel Poisson regression model to examine the association between social isolation and smoking status and adjusted for individual sociodemographic characteristics. We used the social isolation index which comprises the following domains: marital status; frequency of contact with friends, family, and children; and participation in social activities. Interaction terms between each country and social isolation were also entered into the mode.

Results: After exclusion of never smokers, we analyzed 75,905 participants (7,092 for ELSA and 68,813 for JAGES, respectively). Taking ex-smokers as the reference, social isolation was significantly associated with current smoking; the prevalence ratios (PRs) were 1.06 (95% credible interval [CrI], 1.05–1.08) for men and 1.08 (95% CrI, 1.04–1.11) for women. Taking Japan as a reference, the interaction term between country and social isolation was significant for both sexes, with increased PRs of 1.32 (95% CrI, 1.14–1.50) for men and 1.30 (95% CrI, 1.11–1.49) for women in England.

Conclusions: Older people who were less socially isolated were more likely to quit smoking in England than in Japan, possibly explained by the strict tobacco control policies in England.

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Introduction: To clarify the incidences of metabolic syndrome (MS) and risks in young Japanese adults by gender.

Methods: A total of 58,901 adults who had undergone annual health check-ups in 2010 without a diagnosis of MS or missing data were divided into three age groups (20s through 40s) by gender. Participants were followed up for 6 years for new-onset MS according to Japanese criteria. The incidences of MS and risks were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model to adjust for confounding factors.

Results: The incidences of MS per 1,000 person-years were 2.2, 5.5, and 10.2 for women aged in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, respectively, and 26.3, 40.5, and 57.4 in the respective men groups. Compared with the group aged in their 40s, the hazard ratios of new MS were 0.19 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13–0.29) for women in their 20s and 0.50 (95% CI, 0.41–0.61) for women in their 30s, and 0.46 (95% CI, 0.42–0.50) and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.66–0.73) for men in their 20s and 30s, respectively, after adjustment for lifestyle factors. For women, MS was associated with smoking in their 20s and 30s, and eating speed in their 30s, and for men, was associated with physical activity, eating speed, alcohol intake in their 20s and 30s, and smoking in their 30s.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the incidences of MS in the 20s and 30s are lower, but account for about 20–50% of women with MS and 50–70% of men with MS in their 40s. However, the data are not negligible and early lifestyle intervention for MS is necessary in young adults.

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(目的) 精巣腫瘍における視床下部-下垂体-精巣系機能を検討した.
(対象と方法) 精巣腫瘍20例において高位精巣摘除術前後に血中LH, FSH, hCG-β測定, Gn-RH試験を行い, 精液検査, 血中 testosterone (T), free testosterone (F-T), estradiol (E2) 測定は術前に行った. 術後Gn-RH試験は術前血中 gonadotropin (Gn) が測定感度以下の症例に行った.
(結果) 術前血中Gn非検出は血中hCG-β陽性8例中6例, 血中hCG-β陰性12例中4例に認めた. 術前Gn-RH試験ではGn非検出10例は無反応を, Gn検出10例は有意な (P<0.01) 反応を示した. 術後Gn-RH試験では9例中7例に有意な (P<0.01) 反応を認めたが, 術後血中hCG-β陽性の2例では抑制が持続していた. 血中hCG-β陰性例に対し血中hCG-β陽性例では精子濃度は有意に (P<0.002) 低く, T値に差を認めないが, F-T値, E2値は有意に (P<0.002, P=0.002) 高値であった.
(結論) hCG産生精巣腫瘍では下垂体レベルでのGn-RH反応が抑制され, 血中hCGにより精子形成能低下, androgen, E2分泌増加がみられることが示唆された. さらにhCG非産生精巣腫瘍でも gonadotropin 分泌抑制がみられ, hCG以外の抑制因子の存在も示唆された.

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The U. S. North Pacific Exploring Expedition of 1853–1856 deserves a prominent place in the history of science, but for a variety of reasons has been overlooked by historians. As chief naturalist, William Stimpson's (1832–1872) Journal from the expedition is a valuable source of information, especially relating to marine invertebrates. Stimpson collected and described hundreds of new species based on specimens obtained during the voyage, many of which were decapod crustaceans. As the first western naturalist to collect and describe species from Japanese waters, Stimpson's work is of great value to zoologists in general, and to carcinologists in particular. For the first time Stimpson's complete Journal is presented, accompanied by numerous endnotes. To provide a context for understanding the expedition, an introduction to the history and scientific significance of the expedition and Journal is included, to gether with an annotated list of Crustacea, and lists of ships and names of people as mentioned in the Journal. The color illustrations (apparently prepared by Stimpson) preserved in the Smithsonian Archives, and published posthumously in black and white in the 1907 report on the Brachyura and Anomura, are herein reproduced. The landmark achievement of Stimpson's scientific career was the publication of his Prodromus, an 8-part series published in Latin from 1857–1860, and where he named 331 new species (mostly decapods and annelids) from the Expedition. The Prodromus sections that deal with Crustacea (Parts 3–8) are reproduced for use with the Journal, and for the benefit of modern workers.

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