Kanazawa Medical University

About: Kanazawa Medical University is a education organization based out in Kanazawa, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 3103 authors who have published 6322 publications receiving 144592 citations. The organization is also known as: Kanazawa ika daigaku.

Contribution of genetic polymorphisms in ethanol-metabolizing enzymes to problem drinking behavior in middle-aged Japanese men.

Abstract: Among ethanol-metabolizing enzymes, the ALDH2*2 allele, ADH2*2 allele, and c2 allele of the cytochrome P450-2E1 (CYP2E1) gene are unique to Orientals. This prompted us to analyze their contribution to drinking behavior in 322 middle-aged Japanese men. The ALDH2*2 allele, detected in nearly half of the subjects, showed an overwhelming protective effect against a high level of alcohol consumption and problem drinking behavior, as determined by the Kurihama Alcoholism Screening Test (KAST). The ADH2*2 allele, in 95% of the subjects, exhibited an additive suppressive effect on alcohol consumption, whereas the c2 allele of CYP2E1, in 40% of the subjects, was associated with greater alcohol consumption. Problem drinkers showing a KAST score of 2.0 or higher were frequent among the few subjects with the ADH2*1/1 genotype, but not in the large number of subjects having the c2 allele of CYP2E1. These findings may explain, at least in part, why in Japan the number of alcoholic patients is small relative to the number of heavy drinkers.

Cardiovascular Risk With and Without Antihypertensive Drug Treatment in the Japanese General Population Participant-Level Meta-Analysis

Abstract: To evaluate the cardiovascular mortality risk in association with blood pressure level among people with and without antihypertensive treatment, we performed the participant-level meta-analysis tha...

The hazards and benefits associated with smoking and smoking cessation in Asia: a meta-analysis of prospective studies

Abstract: Objective: To provide the most reliable evidence as to the nature of the associations between smoking and cause-specific illness, as well as the expected benefits from quitting smoking, in studies conducted in Asia, where smoking remains popular among men. Data sources: Studies published between January 1966 and October 2008, identified in the Medline search strategy with medical subject headings, in addition to studies from the Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration. Study selection: Studies were considered to be relevant if they were prospective studies, in an Asian setting that reported on the association between smoking, quitting and cause-specific illness. Data extraction: Two reviewers independently screened all identified articles for possible inclusion and extracted data. Data synthesis: The pooled relative risks (RRs) for incidence or mortality, comparing current to never smokers were always significantly higher than unity; the highest was for lung cancer: 3.54 (95% confidence interval 3.00 to 4.17). The pooled RRs for former smokers (compared to never smokers) were also always significantly higher than unity, and were lower than in current smokers, for coronary heart disease, stroke, lung and upper aero-digestive tract cancer. Only for respiratory disease was the RR for former smokers higher than that for current smokers. Conclusions: This meta-analysis has shown that, despite the relative immaturity of the smoking epidemic in Asia, smoking is unquestionably a major contributor to ill health and death. However, the beneficial effects of quitting are not yet always apparent, most probably because quitting is a consequence of ill health and the relative unpopularity of smoking cessation in many Asian populations.

Diagnostic significance of carbamazepine and trigger zones in trigeminal neuralgia

Abstract: Objective To investigate the relationship between the efficacy of carbamazepine (CBZ) and the presence of the trigger zone for diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Study design CBZ was administered to 61 patients with suspected TN. All patients underwent intracranial examination by magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. The final diagnosis was established by oral and maxillofacial surgeon and neurosurgeon. Results Of the 61 patients, 50 were finally diagnosed as having TN and 6 as having atypical facial pain. CBZ was effective for pain relief in 45 of the 50 TN patients (90%), and in 5 of the 11 patients (45%) with other diseases ( P Conclusion The efficacy of CBZ is an auxiliary indicator of TN and the presence of a distinct trigger zone is a strong indicator of TN.