Takenobu Hosoda

The relationship between skin symptoms and allergic reactions to Asian dust.

Asian dust events result from displacement of atmospheric pollutants from the Chinese and Mongolian deserts, causing associated health issues throughout Northeast Asia. We investigated the relationship between skin symptoms in Asian dust events and contact allergy to Asian dust and associated metals. Increases in atmospheric levels of heavy metals such as Ni, Al, and Fe occurred during the severe Asian dust event on March 21, 2010. We conducted a case–control study (n = 62) with patch testing to compare skin symptoms on an Asian dust day with metal allergic reactions. Skin symptoms were observed in 18/62 subjects. Nine subjects with skin symptoms (group A) and 11 without (group B) were patch tested for six metals and Asian dust particles. Metal and dust samples were applied to the subjects’ backs for 2 days and the reactions were scored according to the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group guidelines. Differences in the positive rates between the groups were analyzed. Skin reactions to ferric chloride (p = 0.015), aluminum chloride (p = 0.047), nickel sulfate (p = 0.008), and Asian dust particles (p = 0.047) were more common in group A than in group B. Skin symptoms during Asian dust events may be allergic reactions to Asian dust particle-bound metals.

Long-term follow-up study on patients with vibration-induced white finger (VWF).

The prognosis of vibration-induced white finger was investigated with a long follow-up period. From 1975 to 1994, 99 men with hand-arm vibration syndrome who received the annual compulsory examination at San-in Rosai Hospital were followed up for 15 years or longer. Based on the extent of finger-blanching attacks described in the medical records, they were classified according to the vascular stage of the Stockholm workshop scale. In our laboratory, finger systolic blood pressure (FSBP) measurement after finger cooling has been performed since 1989. We compared the stage classification with the results of FSBP measurement after finger cooling in the period 1989–1994. The stage 2 and stage 3 groups showed a significant decrease in FSBP% compared with the stage 0 group. The vascular stage classification based on subjective symptoms in this study was to a certain extent reliable. Although vibration-induced white finger symptoms tended to improve to some extent, 43.2% and 70.4% of patients with stage 2 and stage 3 at first examination, respectively, still suffered from finger blanching attacks after 15 years of observation. Blanching of fingers in advanced stages, especially stage 3, was found to be persistent many years after cessation of vibration exposure.

Associations Between Subjective Symptoms and Serum Immunoglobulin E Levels During Asian Dust Events

Asian dust is a seasonal meteorological phenomenon caused by the displacement of atmospheric pollutants from the Mongolian and Chinese deserts. Although the frequency of Asian dust events and atmospheric dust levels have steadily increased in the eastern Asia region, the effects on human health remain poorly understood. In the present study, the impact of Asian dust on human health was determined in terms of allergic reactions. A total of 25 healthy volunteers were tested for a relationship between serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and subjective symptoms during a 3-day Asian dust event recorded in April 2012. They filled daily questionnaires on the severity of nasal, pharyngeal, ocular, respiratory, and skin symptoms by a self-administered visual analog scale. Serum levels of non-specific IgE and 33 allergen-specific IgE molecules were analyzed. Spearman rank-correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between nasal symptom scores and 2 microbial-specific IgE levels (Penicillium and Cladosporium). Microbes migrate vast distances during Asian dust events by attaching themselves to dust particles. Therefore, some of these symptoms may be associated with type 1 allergic reactions to certain type of microbes.

Abstract 2179: Relationship between daily habits and risk of death in patients with biliary tract cancer: a large-scale cohort study in Japan

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Objective: Biliary tract cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in East Asia. Death due to this disease comprises 5% of total cancer deaths in Japan. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between biliary tract cancer and daily habits using data from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education (JACC study). Methods: In the JACC study, a cohort of 110,792 subjects aged 40-79 from 19 prefectures in Japan completed the baseline survey during 1988-1990. The subjects were followed up until 2009. The endpoint for the present study was death due to biliary tract cancer, coded as C22.1 (intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, CCC), C23 (malignant neoplasm of the gallbladder, GB cancer), and C24 (malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of the biliary tract, BD cancer) in the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10). The hazard ratio (HR) of biliary tract cancer mortality for smoking and drinking habits, high intake of fatty food, body mass index, and the job category (office job, field work, and others) was evaluated. All results were considered to be significant at the 5% critical level. Results: High intake of fatty food, smoking habit, and field work showed a significant positive association with death in female patients due to BD cancer in females [HR = 1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-3.39; HR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.02-2.39; and HR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.03-4.84, respectively]. No significant relationship was observed between daily habits and death due to CCC and GB cancer. Conclusion: High intake of fatty food is often a key factor in the risk of death due to biliary tract cancer, and it is well known that smoking can cause various other cancers. Our findings support the results of a previous research. Moreover, our results suggest that occupational differences may have an effect on mortality in female patients with biliary tract cancer. Therefore, a more detailed analysis of the job category is required for a more meaningful interpretation of the data. Citation Format: Shinji Otani, Youichi Kurozawa, Takenobu Hosoda, Haosheng Mu, Kazunari Onishi, Yae Yokoyama, Joji Watanabe, Teruhisa Sakamoto, Kanenori Endo, Masahide Ikeguchi. Relationship between daily habits and risk of death in patients with biliary tract cancer: a large-scale cohort study in Japan. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2179. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2179