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Showing papers by "Hirohito Metoki published in 2014"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although an association between high blood pressure and cognitive decline has been reported, no studies have investigated the association between home blood pressure, cognitive decline, and cognitive impairment as discussed by the authors, however.
Abstract: Although an association between high blood pressure and cognitive decline has been reported, no studies have investigated the association between home blood pressure and cognitive decline. Home blo...

62 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: To determine the association between protein intake and risk of higher‐level functional decline in older community‐dwelling adults, a large number of subjects were randomly assigned torandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.
Abstract: Objectives: To determine the association between protein intake and risk of higher-level functional decline in older community-dwelling adults. Design: Prospective. Setting: Ohasama Town, Japan. Participants: Residents (N = 1,007; mean age 67.4 ± 5.5) free of functional decline at baseline; follow-up was conducted for 7 years. Measurements: Nutrient and food intakes were determined using a validated 141-item food frequency questionnaire. Participants were divided into quartiles according to intake levels of total, animal, and plant protein. Subscales of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence subscales were used to assess higher-level functional decline. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the future risk of higher-level functional decline in relation to protein intake, with lowest protein intake as reference. Results: During the study period, 24.4% of eligible participants reported declines in higher-level functional capacity. After adjustment for putative confounding factors, men in the highest quartile of animal protein intake had significantly lower risk of higher-level functional decline than those in the lowest quartile (odds ratio (OR) = 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.20�0.83; P for trend .01). These associations were not seen in women (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.41�1.34; P for trend .37). No consistent association was observed between plant protein intake and future higher-level functional decline in either sex. Conclusion: Higher protein, particularly animal protein, was associated with lower risk of decline in higher-level functional capacity in older men. Animal protein intake may be a modifiable indicator for early detection and prevention of higher-level functional decline in elderly adults.

35 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that medical interventions for obese women with gestational diabetes may contribute to reducing the prevalence of large-for-gestational age but would not achieve marked reductions in maternal complications.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of pre-gestational body mass index on pregnancy outcomes of women with gestational diabetes in Japan. A multi-institutional retrospective study was performed. We examined pregnant women who met the former criteria for gestational diabetes in Japan, receiving dietary intervention with self-monitoring of blood glucose with or without insulin therapy. Women with gestational diabetes were divided into three groups according to pre-gestational body mass index: body mass index <25 (control group), 25 ≤ body mass index <30 (overweight group), body mass index ≥30 (obese group). Data from a total of 1,758 eligible women were collected from 40 institutions. Participants included 960 controls, 426 overweight women, and 372 obese women with gestational diabetes. Gestational weight gain was highest in the control and lowest in the obese group. The prevalences of chronic hypertension and pregnancy induced hypertension were higher in the overweight and obese groups than in the control group. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed pre-gestational body mass index, gestational weight gain, chronic hypertension, and nulliparity to be associated with the onset of pregnancy induced hypertension, while the 75-g OGTT results were unrelated to pregnancy induced hypertension. The prevalence of large-for-gestational age was lower in infants born to obese women than in those born to overweight or control women. The present results suggest that medical interventions for obese women with gestational diabetes may contribute to reducing the prevalence of large-for-gestational age but would not achieve marked reductions in maternal complications.

19 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The study suggests that maternal BMI impacts fetal growth and that treatment for overweight or obese mothers with OAV is associated with a lower frequency of LGA infants.

16 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The hypothesis that relative aldosterone excess may be related to a non-dipping pattern in a general population and suggest that aNon-Dipping pattern can be accurately observed by home BP measurements are supported.
Abstract: Based on ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring, the aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) has been reported to be associated with a diminished nocturnal decline in BP, generally referred to as a “non-dipping” pattern. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between ARR and the non-dipping pattern based on home BP measurements. This study included 177 participants ≥55 years from the general population of Ohasama (mean age: 67.2 years; 74.6% women); no patient was receiving antihypertensive treatment. The median plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and ARR were 0.8 ng/mL/h, 8.1 ng/dL and 9.7 ng/dL per ng/mL/h, respectively. Each 1 SD increase in log-transformed (ln) ARR was significantly associated with the prevalence of the non-dipping pattern after adjustments for possible confounding factors including home morning systolic BP (odds ratio, 1.45; p = 0.049). However, no significant associations of PRA or PAC with the non-dipping p...

16 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present study clarifies the factors associated with the use of OTC medications or dietary supplements and indicates that appropriate self-medication practices might improve the control of hypertension, particularly in patients undergoing antihypertensive treatment.
Abstract: Encouraging self-medication is expected to reduce healthcare costs. To assess the current situation of self-medication practices in the general population, we conducted a questionnaire survey regarding the use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications or dietary supplements in 1008 participants (37% men; mean age, 64±13 years) from Ohasama, a rural Japanese community. A total of 519 (52%) participants used OTC medications or dietary supplements, with common cold medication (36%) and supplements (28%) such as shark cartilage products representing the most common choices. Stepwise logistic regression showed female gender, a higher frequency of visits from a household medicine kit distributor, dyslipidemia, and lower home systolic blood pressure levels as predictors for the use of such materials (chi-square values: 25.3, 12.6, 7.0, and 4.6, respectively; all p<0.03). Stratifying the participants according to the use of antihypertensive treatment showed a negative association between systolic blood pressure and the use of OTC medications or supplements only in participants being treated for hypertension. These results suggest that although the adoption rate of self-medication in Japan can be increased in rural areas, it may remain lower in urban areas. The present study clarifies the factors associated with the use of OTC medications or dietary supplements and indicates that appropriate self-medication practices might improve the control of hypertension, particularly in patients undergoing antihypertensive treatment.

5 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The personality traits of higher psychoticism and lower extraversion were significantly associated with a risk of future functional decline and a better understanding of these personality traits may help identify of at-risk individuals and could help reduce functional decline in older adults.
Abstract: Numerous factors that affect functional decline have been identified, and personality traits are considered to be an important factor in functional decline risk. The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG) was developed to measure three higher-level functional capacities, instrumental activities of daily living, intellectual activity, and social roles, in Japanese elderly, which were previously not assessed adequately with existing scales of functional decline. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of personality traits as predictors of higher-level functional decline over a 7-year follow-up in a rural Japanese community. Data on 676 participants (mean 67.1 years) who were free of functional decline and had completed questionnaires at baseline and 7 years later, were analyzed. Demographic characteristics, lifestyle and personality characteristics were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire at baseline. Higher-level functional decline was examined using the subscales of the TMIG at baseline and at a 7-year follow-up examination. Over the 7-year study period, 21.7% of eligible participants reported decline in higher-level functional capacity. After adjustment for putative confounding factors, the traits that were significant predictors of decline in higher-level functional capacity at the 7-year follow-up had higher psychoticism scores [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 2.12 (1.23-3.66)] and lower extraversion scores [1.89 (1.01-3.56)]. The personality traits of higher psychoticism and lower extraversion were significantly associated with a risk of future functional decline. A better understanding of these personality traits may help identify of at-risk individuals and could help reduce functional decline in older adults.

3 citations