Kaei Washino

Eating habits, activity, lipids and body mass index in Japanese children : The Shiratori Children Study

OBJECTIVE: To describe the eating habits and physical activity of Japanese children aged 10 y, and to investigate their relationship to lipids and body mass index (BMI); also to study the relationship between BMI and lipids in these children.DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at six schools in Shiratori, Japan during 1992–1994. Physical examinations and questionnaires were used to collect data from 457 fifth grade children, aged 10 y.RESULTS: The diet of these children was mixed, with Japanese and Western foods almost equally reported. Boys were more active than girls. More active children had higher high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and children who ate a more Japanese diet had slightly lower HDL-C. BMI was positively related to cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides and inversely related to HDL-C. The amount of rice intake was positively associated with the BMI of these children.CONCLUSION: In our study of Japanese children aged 10 y, their diets were fairly Westernized, and most children were fairly inactive based on our activity score. Although obesity is low in these young Japanese subjects (14.1%), children who were obese (BMI>20) had worse lipid profiles than those who were not obese. An exceptionally high rice intake was associated with obesity, and thus may be an early warning sign for future obesity.

Significance of the atherosclerogenic index and body fat in children as markers for future, potential coronary heart disease

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study is to establish a simple marker in children for future, potential risks of coronary heart disease.

Concordance between self‐ and observer‐ratings on Kasahara's Inventory for the Melancholic Type Personality

The concordance between self‐ and observer‐ratings was investigated for items on Kasaharas Inventory for the Melancholic Type Personality (KIMTP). Subjects consisted of 44 patients diagnosed with an ICD‐10 diagnostic criteria for research (DCR) depressive episode (F32) or recurrent depressive disorder (F33) unipolar affective disorder, and 44 observers. Thirty‐one of the 44 patients were diagnosed with endogenous depression. The observers consisted of five parents, eight children, thre siblings, 25 spouses, and three partners. Concordance was tested with Students paired t‐test and one‐way analysis of variance intraclass correlation coefficient (ANOVA ICC). There was no statistical difference between the mean total self‐rating score and the mean total observer‐rating score in the endogenous depression group, but the mean total self‐rating score was significantly higher than the mean total observer‐rating score in the non‐endogenous depression group. When the self and observer tests in this non‐endogenous depression group were compared on an item‐by‐item basis, most items tended to receive higher scores from the self‐raters than from the observer‐raters. The ICC had good concordance for mean total self‐ and observer‐ratings in the endogenous depression group but not the non‐endogenous depression group. On an item‐by‐item basis, concordance was high between self‐ and observer‐raters for more items in the endogenous depression group than in the non‐endogenous depression group. There were some important differences between self‐ and observer‐ratings for certain items in the non‐endogenous depression group. Patients in this group tended to give higher scores to items representing Typus melancholicus in relation to scores given by observers.

Response of parathyroid hormone to anaerobic exercise in adolescent female athletes.

It has been shown that moderate exercise suppresses parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion, while strenuous exercise is apt to induce continuous secretion, which has a negative effect on bone mineral densities (BMD). The present study investigated a typical response of PTH to brief exercise. The study group comprised six adolescent female basketball players whose BMD were within normal limits. Maximal anaerobic power by three‐step cycling was loaded on each subject. The first blood sample was drawn 30 min prior to testing test, the second was immediately following, the third was 15 min after, and the fourth was 30 min after. The proportional change in plasma volume was ‐11.5% immediately following (P < 0.05), + 2.1% 15 min after, and + 5.5% at 30 min after exercise (P< < 0.05). The expected value was calculated on the assumption of no effect, except changes in plasma volume, by exercise. The measured values of PTH and calcium (Ca) immediately after exercise were lower than each of the expected values (P < 0.05 for both). At 15 min after, there was no significant difference between expected and measured values of PTH, Ca and magnesium (Mg), respectively. At 30 min after, the measured value of Ca and Mg was higher than each expected value (P < 0.05 for both). It was concluded that PTH secretion is suppressed transiently immediately after maximal anaerobic exercise and is then stimulated during the recovery time in normal BMD subjects.

Mental health problems after stroke

We investigated the mental health of 47 subjects (30 men, mean age 63.8 ± 7.7; 17 women, mean age 68.9 ± 8.7) with the 60‐item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). All the subjects lived at home in a Japanese rural community and were examined from 2 to 3 years after suffering a stroke. Among the subjects, 18 (38.3%) had GHQ scores of 17 or more, which indicated a mental health problem (MHP). The following variables were included in multiple logistic regression analysis: age, sex (men/women), grade of motor paralysis (no/slight/moderate/severe), side of motor paralysis (no/left side/right side/both sides: in analysis, we used dummy variables), paresthesia (no/yes), rehabilitation (need no rehabilitation or participate in rehabilitation/fail to participate in rehabilitation), social support (not needed or sufficient/insufficient) and overall physical recovery (1/2/3: 1 = 67–100, 2 = 34–66, and 3 = 0–33 on a visual analog scale 100 mm long, 100 meaning full recovery). In univariate analysis all variables except age and sex showed statistically significant associations with MHP. In multivariate analysis, only one variable, ‘overall physical recovery’, had a statistically independent association with the status of MHP (Odds ratio 4.39, 95% confidence interval 1.46–13.19). The results of logistic regression analysis indicate that the presence of an MHP is more strongly dependent upon subjective assessment about overall physical recovery after stroke than upon physical impairments and the other psychosocial variables. Therefore, in the community setting, the visual analog scale of overall physical recovery is considered to be a simple, valid method for assessing MHP following stroke.

Obesity and Cholesterol in Japanese, French, and U.S. Children☆☆

The number of children at risk for overweight/obesity has increased dramatically in the last decade worldwide. This study compares measures of obesity (body mass index [BMI] and body fat percentage) and total cholesterol in 4,013 fourth-grade students from three countries, France, Japan, and the United States. Data were analyzed using t test, chi-square, and analysis of variance to determine differences between groups and by multiple linear regression. All variables differed significantly by group. BMI was highest in U.S. children. Body fat percentage was also highest in U.S. children and lowest in French children. Total cholesterol was highest in French children and lowest in U.S. White children. There were modest but significant associations between BMI and cholesterol in all groups except French children; associations varied by gender. Results indicate there was great variation in measures of obesity and cholesterol by country. The association between obesity and cholesterol may vary by culture, ethnicity, and gender.

Dimension of Typus melancholicus on Kasahara’s Inventory for the Melancholic Type Personality

Background: Traditionally, Typus melancholicus (TM) was considered, a priori, to represent unidimensionality. Recent studies have suggested that TM is not a personality trait, but rather a constellation of personality traits. The purpose of this study was to examine whether TM on Kasahara’s Inventory for the Melancholic Type Personality (KIMTP), considered to represent one of the valid TM questionnaires, is comprised of personality dimensions, and if so, which dimension is essential for distinguishing depressive subjects from control subjects. Subjects and Methods: To clarify the dimensionality of TM scores on KIMTP, factor analysis of the TM scores was conducted using principal factor analysis followed by varimax rotation. Comparisons were then made between endogenous depressive patients (n = 38), nonendogenous depressive patients (n = 20), and healthy volunteers (n = 81) for total KIMTP score and factor scores using analysis of covariance, adjusting for sex and age. Results: Factor analysis of KIMTP revealed 2 distinct clusters of items, i.e. ‘harmony in personal relationships’ (factor 1) and ‘social norms’ (factor 2). Endogenous and nonendogenous depressive patients showed significantly higher KIMTP total and factor 1 scores than did control subjects. However, no significant differences were observed for KIMTP total score and scores of individual factors between endogenous and nonendogenous depressive patients. Conclusions: The present results indicate that TM on KIMTP represents a constellation of personality traits, and that the factor ‘harmony in personal relationship’ possesses the essential meaning for assessing TM.

Prevalence of typus melancholicus in healthy germans.

Background: There have been few studies concerning the prevalence of Typus melancholicus (TM) in healthy volunteers based on age or sex. To our knowledge, no such studies have been performed in healthy Germans, but several in healthy Japanese people. Therefore, it is necessary to also determine the prevalence of TM in healthy Germans, in order to know whether the prevalence of TM is cross-culturally constant. Subjects and Methods: We examined the prevalence of TM in 121 healthy German volunteers (62 men and 59 women with a mean age ± SD of 43.9 ± 16.8 years and 47.4 ± 15.9 years, respectively). Kasahara’s Inventory for the Melancholic Type Personality (KIMTP) and von Zerssen’s F-List (F-List) were used to identify TM. The subjects were divided by age into three groups: those aged 40 years or less (group A), those aged 41–60 years (group B), and those aged 61 years or more (group C). Mean total KIMTP and F-List scores were calculated. In addition, we also calculated mean scores of the two KIMTP TM factors [‘harmony in personal relationships’ (factor 1) and ‘social norms’ (factor 2)]. Differences in scores between men and women were analyzed by Student’s t test. Differences in scores between the three age groups were evaluated by one-way analysis of variance and Scheffé’s test. Results: The KIMTP and F-List scores increased with age in both men and women. In the women, the KIMTP and F-List scores were significantly higher in groups B and C than in group A. In the women, the group C KIMTP factor 1 score was significantly higher than the group A KIMTP factor 1 score. The KIMTP and F-List scores tended to be higher for the women than for the men. Within groups B and C, the KIMTP and F-List scores and the KIMTP factor 1 score were significantly higher for the women than for the men. Conclusion: Overall, the sex and age distributions of scores for both questionnaires were similar to those obtained in previous studies in Japanese people. It is of note that our German subjects and previous Japanese subjects were not demographically controlled and, clearly, cultural backgrounds differed. Thus, KIMTP and the F-List may discriminate the TM personality with some degree of universality despite cultural differences and might be useful in cross-cultural comparisons of TM.

Reliability and validity of Kasahara's scale of melancholic type of personality (Typus melancholicus) in a German sample population

Abstract We explored the reliability and validity of Kasaharas scale of melancholic type of personality (KMT) in a German sample population. Subjects comprised 66 patients diagnosed with an affective disorder (F3, ICD‐10) and 94 controls. Concerning reliability, KMT scores showed internal consistency with Cronbachs alpha coefficients of 0.65 for patients and 0.67 for controls. The KMT items, except for number 13 in controls, showed significant item–total correlations. In a test–retest procedure, the KMT total score and individual item scores were statistically similar and correlated. These results indicate reliability of the KMT. Concerning validity, KMT scores were significantly higher in patients than in controls. By controlling the effects of age and sex, partial correlation coefficients in a comparison of KMT and Zerssens F‐List (F‐List) scores were 0.40 in patients and 0.53 in controls. These results show both the constructive and concurrent validity of the KMT. Sufficient reliability and validity of the KMT were shown in this German sample population to encourage cross‐cultural investigation of Typus melancholicus.

How do the Japanese medical students evaluate the effectiveness of anti-smoking strategies ? : An application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process

In order to establish the effective strategies to reduce the smoking prevalence among teenagers in Japan, the author evaluated opinions of the 30 male medical students with smoking habit by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. In the AHP model, the six factors are considered to be important for the onset of teenagers smoking; smoking habit of peers, smoking habit of family members, tobacco advertising, convenience to buy cigarettes, social acceptance of smoking and knowledge of harmful effects of smoking, and the five strategies are proposed; tobacco advertising ban, higher pricing of tobacco, promotion of antismoking education, regulation on tobacco sales, and regulation on smoking area. According to the medical students’ perspective, the strategy of “higher pricing of tobacco” was considered to be the most effective strategy to reduce the smoking incidence of the teenagers, followed by “regulation on tobacco sales”, “promotion of anti-smoking education”, “regulation on smoking area”, and “tobacco advertising ban”