The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of environmental cadmium (Cd) exposure indicated by urinary Cd (U-Cd) on cancer mortality in the general Japanese population. A 19-year cohort ...study was conducted in 1107 men and 1697 women who lived in three Cd non-polluted areas in Japan. Mortality risk ratio and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for continuous U–Cd were estimated for all malignant neoplasms and specific cancers using a Fine and Gray competing risks regression model. The all-cause, including cancer and non-cancer mortality rates per 1000 person-years were 29.8 and 13.9 in men and women, respectively. By using Fine and Gray's method, continuous U–Cd adjusted for creatinine (+1 μg/g cre) was significantly related to mortalities for all malignant neoplasms (risk ratio = 1.06, 95%CI: 1.02–1.11) and pancreas (risk ratio = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.03–1.24) in women. In the present study, U–Cd was significantly associated with increased cancer mortality in the general Japanese population, indicating that environmental Cd exposure adversely affects the life prognosis in Cd non-polluted areas in Japan.
Objectives
The increasing number of working elderly people has enhanced the importance of workplace health promotion activities. We investigated the association between the health status of workers ...approximately 60 years of age and the risk of all‐cause mortality after compulsory retirement in Japan.
Methods
The 2026 participants (1299 males and 727 females) had retired from a metal‐products factory at ≥60 years of age. Baseline health examinations were conducted at 60 years of age and included questions about medical history and lifestyle factors; the participants also underwent a physical examination. The participants were followed up annually by mail for an average of 7.4 years. The association between health status at age 60 years and the risk of all‐cause mortality was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.
Results
During the study, 71 deaths were reported. The age‐ and sex‐adjusted hazard ratio (HR 95% confidence interval) for all‐cause mortality was higher for males (HR, 3.41 1.73‐6.69) compared with females, participants with a low body mass index (<18.5 kg/m2; HR 3.84 1.91‐7.73) compared with normal body weight, smokers (HR, 2.63 1.51‐4.58) compared with nonsmokers, and those with three or more of four metabolic abnormalities (obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance) (HR 2.29 1.04‐5.02) compared with no metabolic abnormalities. The associations were unaffected by adjustment for these factors.
Conclusion
Maintenance of an appropriate body weight, smoking cessation, and elimination of metabolic syndrome are required for older workers to prevent early death after retirement.
Objective This study investigated associations between three indices of obesity-the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)-and the incidence of chronic ...kidney disease (CKD). Methods The employees of a company in Japan (1,725 men, 1,186 women; aged 35-55 years) had BMI, WC, and WHtR measured in health examinations. The incidence of CKD was determined at annual medical examinations over a six-year period. The hazard ratios for CKD were calculated using proportional hazard models, and the χ2 statistic was used to compare the strengths of the associations. Results The mean BMI (kg/m2), WC (cm), and WHtR were 23.6, 84.3, and 0.49 for men and 22.3, 79.7, and 0.50 for women, respectively. The incidence of CKD (/1,000 person-years) was 18.1 for men and 8.4 for women. In men, positive linear associations were observed between the BMI, WC, and WHtR and the risk of CKD, even after adjusting for the presence of metabolic abnormalities (p for trend <0.001, 0.012, and 0.023, respectively). In women, a linear association was observed only between the WHtR and CKD, not the BMI or WC (p for trend =0.042, 0.057, and 0.186). The χ2 statistics were the highest for the BMI in both men and women. Conclusion The BMI, WC, and WHtR were linearly associated with the risk of CKD independently of metabolic abnormalities in men, while the associations were weaker or not significant in women. The BMI was the most strongly associated with the incidence of CKD in both men and women.
The relationship between cadmium exposure, exposure‐related renal tubular dysfunction, and mortality have been reported, mainly in the residents of Cd‐contaminated areas in Japan. The aim of this ...study was to establish the cause–effect relationship between renal tubular dysfunction and cancer mortality in the general population in non‐contaminated areas. A 19‐year cohort study was conducted in 1110 men and 1703 women in 1993 or 1994, who lived in three cadmium‐non‐contaminated areas. Mortality risk ratios of urinary β2‐microglobulin (β2MG) and N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase (NAG) for all malignant neoplasms and specific cancers were estimated using the Fine and Gray competing risks regression model. Significant hazard ratios (HRs) for liver and pancreas cancer were observed for NAG (liver: HR corresponding to an increase of 1 IU/g cr, 1.10, 95%CI, 1.02–1.19, pancreas: HR, 1.10, 95%CI, 1.02–1.19) in men. In women, a negative HR was observed for NAG (lung cancer: HR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.67–0.96) and for β2MG (all malignant neoplasms: HR, 0.97, 95% CI, 0.93–1.00). The present study indicated that renal tubular dysfunction was significantly related to mortality in the general population of cadmium‐non‐contaminated areas in Japan.
We evaluated the relationship between renal tubular damage and cancer mortality by conducting a 19‐year cohort study in three cadmium non‐polluted areas in Japan. Mortality risk of urinary β2MG and NAG for all malignant neoplasms and specific cancers was estimated. Significant hazard ratios for liver and pancreas cancer were observed for NAG in men.
We evaluated the association between urinary cadmium concentration (uCd, μg/g Cr) and risk of cause-specific mortality according to urinary β2-microglobulin (MG) concentration. Participants were 1383 ...male and 1700 female inhabitants of the Cd-polluted Kakehashi River basin. The uCd and β2-MG were evaluated in a survey in 1981–1982, where those participants were followed-up over 35 years later. Among the participants with a urinary β2-MG < 1000, the hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval) for mortality were significantly higher in those with a uCd of ≥10.0 compared with <5.0 for cardiovascular disease HR 1.92 (1.08–3.40) for men, 1.71 (1.07–2.71) for women, pneumonia or influenza 2.10 (1.10–4.00) for men, 2.22 (1.17–4.19) for women, and digestive diseases for men; 3.81 (1.49–9.74). The uCd was significantly associated with mortality from heart failure in women and digestive diseases in men, after adjustment for other causes of death using the Fine and Gray competing risk regression model. For participants with a urinary β2-MG of ≥1000, no significant association was observed between uCd and any major cause of death. In the absence of kidney damage, Cd may increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and digestive diseases.
BACKGROUNDItai-itai disease is caused by environmental cadmium (Cd) pollution in the Jinzu River basin in Japan. To reduce the Cd contamination of rice, soil restoration of paddy fields was carried ...out. We evaluated the effect of soil restoration on the health status of residents of the former Cd-polluted area. METHODSParticipants were 1,030 men and 944 women who lived in the area of restoration of Cd-polluted rice paddies. First morning urine was collected and urinary Cd, β2-microglobulin (β2MG), and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) levels were measured. Associations among age, years of residence before and after soil restoration, and urinary Cd, β2MG, and NAG levels were evaluated by multiple regression analysis. RESULTSThe geometric mean (interquartile range) of urinary Cd (µg/g Cr) was 1.00 (0.58-1.68) in men and 1.67 (1.02-2.91) in women. The geometric means of urinary β2MG (µg/g Cr) and NAG (U/g Cr) were 174.6 (92.6-234.2) and 1.47 (0.72-3.14) in men, and 217.6 (115.3-28.7) and 1.48 (0.73-2.96) in women, respectively. Urinary Cd, β2MG, and NAG were significantly positively correlated (p < 0.01 all). Age and duration of residence in the Cd-polluted area before soil restoration were independently associated with urinary Cd, β2MG, and NAG. Among the 916 participants who had resided in the area before the soil restoration, urinary Cd concentrations were significantly higher, thus by 1.03-fold (95% CI, 1.01-1.04) in men and 1.03-fold (95% CI, 1.01-1.05) in women, when the years of residence before soil restoration by each 5-years increment. By contrast, urinary Cd concentrations were significantly lower, thus 0.97-fold (95% CI, 0.96-0.99) lower in men and 0.97-fold (95% CI, 0.95-0.99) lower in women, by each 5-year increment of residence after soil restoration. A similar association was observed for urinary β2MG concentration, and no significant association was observed for urinary NAG levels in men or women. CONCLUSIONSCd exposure and associated renal tubular dysfunction in residents of a former Cd-polluted area were influenced by Cd exposure from the environment prior to soil restoration. Soil restoration in Cd-polluted areas reduced the Cd exposure of local residents.
This follow-up study was conducted over 30 years in a cadmium-polluted area of Japan. Urinary cadmium (U-Cd) concentration decreased by nearly half from 1986 to 2008 in men and women. However, it ...increased from 2008 to 2014 and maintained similar levels in 2016. Because renal atrophy may induce an increase in U-Cd, kidney volumes were determined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in 2018. Based on the MRI results, we divided the participants into two groups, namely the normal group (
n
= 6, three men and three women) and the lesion group (
n
= 6, three men and three women). The level of urinary N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase/creatinine (U-NAG/Cr) in the lesion group was significantly higher than in the normal group. The level of serum alkaline phosphatase (Al-P) was positively associated with U-Cd. Age and renal cortex volumes showed significantly negative associations. However, U-Cd and renal cortex and kidney volumes showed no significant associations. These results suggest that U-NAG and serum Al-P were sensitive biomarkers to reflect renal tubular dysfunction and bone damage caused by cadmium poisoning. Individuals chronically exposed to Cd should be observed carefully, due to the increased effect of aging on renal cortex volumes.
Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant. Long-term exposure to Cd may lead to adverse health effects in humans. Our epidemiological studies showed that urinary Cd (U-Cd) concentrations increased ...from 2008 through 2014, although they decreased from 1986 through 2008. The aim of this study was to elucidate the long-term effects of the changing trend of cadmium exposure levels (U-Cd) on residents’ renal function within 30 years after Cd exposure ceased. In 2016, urine samples were collected from each subject by visiting 20 elderly Japanese people (9 females and 11 males) living in the Kakehashi River basin, a previously Cd-polluted area in Ishikawa, Japan. The geometric means of the β
2
-microglobulin (β
2
-MG) and urinary Cd (U-Cd) continued to increase from 2014 until 2016. Furthermore, Cd concentration and β
2
-MG in urine were still higher than those in the non-polluted areas in Japan. Multivariate linear regression was performed to associate β
2
-MG (dependent variable) and U-Cd with sex and age (independent variables). Significant correlations were found among age, U-Cd, and β
2
-MG, and these were clearer in females than in males. In summary, we propose that three decades after Cd exposure ceased, age is associated with β
2
-MG more strongly than Cd for bodily impact. Moreover, renal tubular dysfunction is irreversible and worsens after exposure to Cd, with females being more sensitive to exposure.
Abstract Background To estimate the benchmark dose (BMD) and their 95% lower confidence limits (BMDL) of alcohol consumption as the reference level for the development of hyperuricemia based on the ...dose–response relationship. Methods An 8-year prospective cohort study was conducted in 8097 male workers at a Japanese steel company who received annual health check-ups between 2002 and 2009. The endpoints for development of hyperuricemia were defined as a uric acid ≥7 mg/dL or taking any anti-hyperuricemic medication. The dose–response relationship of alcohol consumption was investigated using multivariate-pooled logistic regression analyses adjusted for other potential covariates. We estimated the BMD and BMDL of alcohol consumption for the development of hyperuricemia, using the parameters obtained by pooled logistic regression with a benchmark response (BMR) of 5% or 10%. Results Mean observed years per person was 3.86 years. The incidence rate per 1000 person-years was 61.1. The odds ratio calculated for the development of hyperuricemia was 1.29 95% confidence interval, (1.22–1.36) with an increase in alcohol consumption per 1 gou/day (1 gou/day = alcohol 22 g/day). The estimated BMDL/BMD with a BMR of 5% was 2.5/2.8 gou/day (54.5/61.8 g/day) and with a BMR of 10% was 4.0/4.6 gou/day (88.9/100.9 g/day). Conclusions The present study showed that alcohol consumption of 2.5 gou/day (=ethanol 55 g/day) caused a distinct increase in the risk of hyperuricemia. Valuable information for preventing alcohol-induced hyperuricemia was obtained by a long-term follow-up study of a large cohort.
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