Faculty Profiles - TAKAO Soshi

Papers - TAKAO Soshi

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How long should we continue S-1 as adjuvant chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck?

Misato Hirai, Yorihisa Orita, Soshi Takao, Tomoyasu Tachibana, Hidenori Marunaka, Seiichiro Makihara, Kentaro Miki, Yasuyuki Noyama, Sayaka Fuji, Akiko Torigoe, Yasuharu Sato, Kazunori Nishizaki

ACTA OTO-LARYNGOLOGICA 135 ( 10 ) 1079 - 1085 2015

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Conclusion: It appears that patients with SCCHN should be recommended to take S-1 for more than 1 year and, if possible, more than 2 years, as adjuvant chemotherapy for SCCHN. Objectives: There is no established consensus on the duration of administration of S-1 as adjuvant chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Since it might be difficult to undergo prospective randomized study to identify the optimal duration of the administration period of S-1 without a standard, the authors have undergone a retrospective clinical study to decide the tentative standard of therapeutic duration of S-1 as adjuvant chemotherapy for SCCHN. Methods: The clinical records of 89 patients with SCCHN who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 were investigated. Results: The median duration of S-1 administration as adjuvant chemotherapy for SCCHN was 7 months (range = 0.1-58 months). Disease-free survivals (DFSs) were generally longer when S-1 administration periods were longer. After adjusting for prognostic factors, S-1 administration periods of 24 months or longer showed significantly lower hazard ratios (HRs) than 0-12 months.

DOI： 10.3109/00016489.2015.1049664

Does HMGB1 predict occult neck lymph node metastasis in early tongue carcinoma? A case-control study of 26 patients

H. Hanakawa, Y. Orita, Y. Sato, M. Takeuchi, S. Takao, K. Ohno, T. Kohno, N. Iwaki, H. Marunaka, R. Tamamura, M. Nishibori, H. Nagatsuka, K. Nishizaki, T. Yoshino

Journal of Laryngology and Otology 128 ( 10 ) 926 - 931 2014.10

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)

Objective: This study examined whether the occurrence of late neck metastasis in early tongue squamous cell carcinoma can be predicted by evaluating HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1) expression in the primary lesion. Methods: A case-control study was conducted. The cases comprised 10 patients with late neck metastasis. The controls consisted of 16 patients without recurrence. All were examined immunohistochemically for HMGB1 protein expression. The odds ratio for late neck metastasis in relation to HMGB1 was estimated. Results: Results for HMGB1 were dichotomised into positive staining scores (score, 5-7) and negative scores (0-4). Six cases (60 per cent) and four controls (25 per cent) were HMGB1-positive. Although no significant result was seen, compared with HMGB1-negative patients the odds ratio for late neck metastasis in HMGB1-positive patients was 3.8 (95 per cent confidence interval, 0.6-26.5) after adjusting for other factors. Conclusion: In the present study, immunohistochemical study of HMGB1 in early tongue squamous cell carcinoma did not appear to be very useful for predicting occult neck metastasis. Further study is necessary to clarify the relationship between HMGB1 expression and late neck metastasis in early tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

DOI： 10.1017/S0022215114001819

Novel and simple prognostic index for nasal natural killer/T- cell lymphoma

Hiroyuki Hanakawa, Yorihisa Orita, Yasuharu Sato, Soshi Takao, Hidenori Marunaka, Tokiwa Morishita, Yasuhiko Yamashita, Yasutaka Hori, Shuhei Domae, Ikuo Inokuchi, Seiko Akagi, Eisei Kondo, Noriko Iwaki, Kana Motomiya, Hirokazu Okumura, Tadashi Yoshino, Kazunori Nishizaki

HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK 36 ( 4 ) 551 - 556 2014.4

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：WILEY-BLACKWELL

BackgroundFew studies have investigated the prognostic factors for nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma.
MethodsThis was a retrospective multicenter clinical study. The clinical records of 36 patients with nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma who had been first treated between 1996 and 2011 were collected from 12 hospitals.
ResultsHigh serum levels of C-reactive protein (1.0 mg/dL), lactate dehydrogenase (350 IU/L), and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R; 600 U/mL) were associated with worse prognosis. A prognostic score was devised by totaling the number of these 3 predictors: 0 or 1 = score 0; and 2 or 3 = score 1. As for tumor invasion, local invasion beyond the nasal cavity was associated with poor prognosis, and a prognostic score was devised as: tumor restricted to nasal cavity, yes = score 0; no = score 1. A novel prognostic index (NPI) was established based on these scores from 0 to 2. Disease-specific survival rates at 5 years were: 90.0% for NPI = 0; 29.3% for NPI = 1; and 0.0% for NPI = 2.
ConclusionOur NPI is valid for anticipating prognosis of nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck36: 551-556, 2014

DOI： 10.1002/hed.23322

Social support and suicidal ideation in Japan: are home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation among elderly people in the community?

Masayuki Noguchi, Toshihide Iwase, Etsuji Suzuki, Yoko Kishimoto, Soshi Takao

SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY 49 ( 4 ) 619 - 627 2014.4

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

Aims Social support has consistently been reported to be effective in reducing suicidal ideation. This cross-sectional study was performed to determine whether home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers (i.e., organizations of community residents appointed by national or prefectural governments) are associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation among the elderly.
Methods In August 2010, questionnaires were sent to all residents aged >= 65 years in three municipalities (n = 21,232) in Okayama prefecture, Japan, and 13,929 returned the questionnaire (response rate: 65.6 %). We finally analyzed 11,218 subjects. Both home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers and suicidal ideation within the last 30 days were assessed in the questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for suicidal ideation were calculated adjusting for age, sex, educational attainment, and marital status. We then additionally adjusted for instrumental and emotional support, separately.
Results The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 10.0 % and higher in women than in men (11.4 % vs. 8.0 %). Home visits were significantly associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation after adjusting for instrumental and emotional support, respectively (OR: 0.60, 95 % CI: 0.53-0.69; OR: 0.67, 95 % CI: 0.59-0.78). In sex-stratified analysis, the association was clearer for women than for men: the corresponding ORs among women were 0.55 (95 % CI: 0.46-0.65) and 0.61 (95 % CI: 0.52-0.73), whereas they were 0.71 (95 % CI: 0.56-0.90) and 0.78 (95 % CI: 0.61-0.99) among men.
Conclusion Our findings suggest that home visits by commissioned welfare volunteers are significantly associated with lower suicidal ideation among the elderly, particularly in women.

DOI： 10.1007/s00127-013-0752-5

The Bright Side and Dark Side of Workplace Social Capital: Opposing Effects of Gender on Overweight among Japanese Employees

Tomoko Kobayashi, Etsuji Suzuki, Tuula Oksanen, Ichiro Kawachi, Soshi Takao

PLOS ONE 9 ( 1 ) e88084 2014.1

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Background: A growing number of studies have sought to examine the health associations of workplace social capital; however, evidence of associations with overweight is sparse. We examined the association between individual perceptions of workplace social capital and overweight among Japanese male and female employees.
Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among full-time employees at a company in Osaka prefecture in February 2012. We used an 8-item measure to assess overall and sub-dimensions of workplace social capital, divided into tertiles. Of 1050 employees, 849 responded, and 750 (624 men and 126 women) could be linked to annual health check-up data in the analysis. Binomial logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for overweight (body mass index: >= 25 kg/m(2), calculated from measured weight and height) separately for men and women. The prevalence of overweight was 24.5% among men and 14.3% among women. Among men, low levels of bonding and linking social capital in the workplace were associated with a nearly 2-fold risk of overweight compared to high corresponding dimensions of social capital when adjusted for age, sleep hours, physiological distress, and lifestyle. In contrast, among women we found lower overall and linking social capital to be associated with lower odds for overweight even after covariate adjustment. Subsequently, we used multinomial logistic regression analyses to assess the relationships between a 1 standard deviation (SD) decrease in mean social capital and odds of underweight/overweight relative to normal weight. Among men, a 1-SD decrease in overall, bonding, and linking social capital was significantly associated with higher odds of overweight, but not with underweight. Among women, no significant associations were found for either overweight or underweight.
Conclusions/Significance: We found opposite gender relationships between perceived low linking workplace social capital and overweight among Japanese employees.

DOI： 10.1371/journal.pone.0088084

Group involvement and self-rated health among the Japanese elderly: an examination of bonding and bridging social capital

Yoko Kishimoto, Etsuji Suzuki, Toshihide Iwase, Hiroyuki Doi, Soshi Takao

BMC PUBLIC HEALTH 13 1189 2013.12

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：BMC

Background: To date, only a small amount of research on bonding/bridging social capital has separately examined their effects on health though they have been thought to have differential effects on health outcomes. By using a large population-based sample of elderly Japanese people, we sought to investigate the association between bonding and bridging social capital and self-rated health for men and women separately.
Methods: In August 2010, questionnaires were sent to all residents aged >= 65 years in three municipalities in Okayama prefecture (n = 21232), and 13929 questionnaires were returned (response rate: 65.6%). Social capital was measured from survey responses to questions on participation in six different types of groups: a) the elderly club or sports/hobby/culture circle; b) alumni association; c) political campaign club; d) citizen's group or environmental preservation activity; e) community association; and f) religious organization. Participant perception of group homogeneity (gender, age, and previous occupation) was used to divide social capital into bonding or bridging. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for poor self-rated health were calculated.
Results: A total of 11146 subjects (4441 men and 6705 women) were available for the analysis. Among men, bonding and bridging social capital were inversely associated with poor self-rated health (high bonding social capital; OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31-0.99; high bridging social capital; OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.48-0.81) after adjusting for age, educational attainment, smoking status, frequency of alcohol consumption, overweight, living arrangements, and type-D personality. The beneficial effect among women was more likely limited to bonding social capital (high bonding social capital; OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.12-1.00), and the association between bridging social capital and self-rated health was less clear (high bridging social capital; OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.44-1.07).
Conclusions: Bonding/bridging social capital could have differential associations with self-rated health among the Japanese elderly depending on the individual's sex. Considering the lack of consensus on how to measure bonding and bridging social capital, however, we need to carefully assess the generalizability of our findings. Further research is warranted to identify health-relevant dimensions of social capital in different cultural or economic settings.

DOI： 10.1186/1471-2458-13-1189

Workplace Determinants of Social Capital: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from a Finnish Cohort Study

Tuula Oksanen, Ichiro Kawachi, Anne Kouvonen, Soshi Takao, Etsuji Suzuki, Marianna Virtanen, Jaana Pentti, Mika Kivimaki, Jussi Vahtera

PLOS ONE 8 ( 6 ) 2013.6

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Objective: To examine which contextual features of the workplace are associated with social capital.Methods: This is a cohort study of 43,167 employees in 3090 Finnish public sector workplaces who responded to a survey of individual workplace social capital in 2000-02 (response rate 68%). We used ecometrics approach to estimate social capital of work units. Features of the workplace were work unit's demographic and employment patterns and size, obtained from employers' administrative records. We used multilevel-multinomial logistic regression models to examine cross-sectionally whether these features were associated with social capital between individuals and work units. Fixed effects models were used for longitudinal analyses in a subsample of 12,108 individuals to examine the effects of changes in workplace characteristics on changes in social capital between 2000 and 2004.Results: After adjustment for individual characteristics, an increase in work unit size reduced the odds of high levels of individual workplace social capital (odds ratio 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.98 per 30-person-year increase). A 20% increase in the proportion of manual and male employees reduced the odds of high levels of social capital by 8% and 23%, respectively. A 30% increase in temporary employees and a 20% increase in employee turnover were associated with 11% (95% confidence interval 1.04-1.17) and 24% (95% confidence interval 1.18-1.30) higher odds of having high levels of social capital respectively). Results from fixed effects models within individuals, adjusted for time-varying covariates, and from social capital of the work units yielded consistent results.Conclusions: These findings suggest that workplace social capital is contextually patterned. Workplace demographic and employment patterns as well as the size of the work unit are important in understanding variations in workplace social capital between individuals and workplaces.

DOI： 10.1371/journal.pone.0065846

Individual-level social capital and self-rated health in Japan: An application of the Resource Generator

Tomoko Kobayashi, Ichiro Kawachi, Toshihide Iwase, Etsuji Suzuki, Soshi Takao

SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE 85 32 - 37 2013.5

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Despite accumulating evidence of associations between social capital and health in public health research, a criticism of the field has been that researchers have exclusively focused on concepts of social cohesion to the exclusion of individual-level approaches. In the present study, we evaluated the association between social capital measured by the Resource Generator (an individual-level assessment of access to social capital) and self-rated health among Japanese population in a cross-sectional study. A postal survey of 4000 randomly selected residents in Okayama City (western Japan) was conducted in February 2009. We divided the overall scores from the Resource Generator Japan scale into quartiles. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for self-rated health were calculated separately by sex. Individuals with the highest quartile of scores had significantly lower odds of poor health compared to the lowest group after covariate adjustment among both men and women (men; OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.24-0.86, women; OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.25-0.79, respectively) and there were also significant dose-response relationships. In the sub-domains of Resource Generator Japan scale, a differential pattern was observed by sex. Women showed a clear dose response relationship with health across all four sub-scales (domestic resources, expert advice, personal skills, and problem solving resources). In contrast, only the domain of expert advice exhibited a strong association with men's health. Among both men and women individual-level social capital measured by the Resource Generator was related to reduced odds of poor health even after taking into account individual confounders. Although we cannot exclude reverse causation due to the cross-sectional design, our study adds to the accumulating evidence of the potential utility of the Resource Generator for evaluating the relationship between individual-level access to social capital and health. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.02.027

Residential proximity to major roads and adverse birth outcomes: a hospital-based study Reviewed

Takashi Yorifuji, Hiroo Naruse, Saori Kashima, Soshi Takao, Takeshi Murakoshi, Hiroyuki Doi, Ichiro Kawachi

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 12 ( 34 ) 2013.4

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：BMC

Background: Exposure to air pollution has been demonstrated to increase the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight (LBW). Although evidence has accumulated on characteristics associated with increased risk of air pollution-related health effects, most studies have been conducted in the adult population and evidence on reproductive outcomes is limited. We examined whether socio-economic position (SEP) and parental characteristics (parental behavior and co-morbidity) modified the relationship between air pollution and adverse birth outcomes. Methods: Data were extracted from a perinatal hospital database based in Shizuoka, Japan. We restricted the analysis to mothers who delivered live-born single births from January 1997 to December 2010 (n = 16,615). Each birth was assigned proximity to major roads. Multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the outcomes of preterm birth and term LBW. We stratified subjects by individual/area-level SEP and parental characteristics. We then measured interactions on the additive scale between the respective factors and exposure. Results: Lower SEP at both individual and area levels was asso

DOI： 10.1186/1476-069X-12-34

Shift Work and Diabetes Mellitus among Male Workers in Japan: Does the Intensity of Shift Work Matter? Reviewed

Katsuhiko Ika, Etsuji Suzuki, Toshiharu Mitsuhashi, Soshi Takao, Hiroyuki Doi

ACTA MEDICA OKAYAMA 67 ( 1 ) 25 - 33 2013.2

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：OKAYAMA UNIV MED SCHOOL

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between shift work and diabetes mellitus by separating shift workers according to the intensity of their shift work (seasonal shift work and continuous shift work). Between May and October 2009, we collected data from annual health checkups and questionnaires at a manufacturing company in Shizuoka, Japan. Questionnaires were returned by 1,601 workers (response rate: 96.2%, men/women = 1,314/287). Diabetes mellitus was defined as hemoglobin Alc >= 6.5% and fasting blood sugar >= 126 mg/dl. After exclusions, which included all the women and clerical workers because they did not work in shifts, we analyzed 475 skilled male workers. After adjusting for age, smoking status, frequency of alcohol consumption, and cohabitation status, odds ratios for diabetes mellitus were 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.28-4.81) and 2.10 (95% CI: 0.77-5.71) among seasonal shift workers and continuous shift workers, respectively, compared with non-shift workers. In an age-stratified analysis (< 45 years vs. >= 45 years), the association between continuous shift work and diabetes mellitus was more pronounced among older participants. Compared with non-shift workers, the risk of diabetes mellitus was increased among continuous shift workers, whereas its effect is limited among seasonal shift workers.

DOI： 10.18926/AMO/49254

Critical Appraisal of the 1977 Diagnostic Criteria for Minamata Disease

Takashi Yorifuji, Toshihide Tsuda, Sachiko Inoue, Soshi Takao, Masazumi Harada, Ichiro Kawachi

ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 68 ( 1 ) 22 - 29 2013.1

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Large-scale food poisoning caused by methylmercury was identified in Minamata, Japan, in the 1950s (Minamata disease). Although the diagnostic criteria for the disease remain current, few studies have been carried out to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the criteria. From a 1971 population-based investigation, data from 2 villages were selected: Minamata (high-exposure area; n = 779) and Ariake (low-exposure area; n = 755). The authors examined the prevalence of neurologic signs characteristic of methylmercury poisoning and the validity of the criteria. A substantial number of residents in the exposed area exhibited neurologic signs even after excluding officially certified patients. Using paresthesia of the extremities as the gold standard of diagnosis, the criteria had a sensitivity of 66%. The current diagnostic criteria as well as the official certification system substantially underestimate the incidence of Minamata disease.

DOI： 10.1080/19338244.2011.627894

Contribution of smoking to the gender gap in life expectancy in Japan Reviewed

Yorifuji, T, Takao, S, Inoue, S, Tanihara, S, Kawachi, I

Public Health 127 ( 5 ) 482 - 484 2013

Clarifying the Use of Aggregated Exposures in Multilevel Models: Self-Included vs. Self-Excluded Measures

Etsuji Suzuki, Eiji Yamamoto, Soshi Takao, Ichiro Kawachi, S. V. Subramanian

PLOS ONE 7 ( 12 ) 2012.12

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Background: Multilevel analyses are ideally suited to assess the effects of ecological (higher level) and individual (lower level) exposure variables simultaneously. In applying such analyses to measures of ecologies in epidemiological studies, individual variables are usually aggregated into the higher level unit. Typically, the aggregated measure includes responses of every individual belonging to that group (i.e. it constitutes a self-included measure). More recently, researchers have developed an aggregate measure which excludes the response of the individual to whom the aggregate measure is linked (i.e. a self-excluded measure). In this study, we clarify the substantive and technical properties of these two measures when they are used as exposures in multilevel models.Methods: Although the differences between the two aggregated measures are mathematically subtle, distinguishing between them is important in terms of the specific scientific questions to be addressed. We then show how these measures can be used in two distinct types of multilevel models-self-included model and self-excluded model-and interpret the parameters in each model by imposing hypothetical interventions. The concept is tested on empirical data of workplace social capital and employees' systolic blood pressure.Results: Researchers assume group-level interventions when using a self-included model, and individual-level interventions when using a self-excluded model. Analytical re-parameterizations of these two models highlight their differences in parameter interpretation. Cluster-mean centered self-included models enable researchers to decompose the collective effect into its within-and between-group components. The benefit of cluster-mean centering procedure is further discussed in terms of hypothetical interventions.Conclusions: When investigating the potential roles of aggregated variables, researchers should carefully explore which type of model-self-included or self-excluded-is suitable for a given situation, particularly when group sizes are relatively small.

DOI： 10.1371/journal.pone.0051717

Workplace social capital and risk of chronic and severe hypertension: a cohort study

Tuula Oksanen, Ichiro Kawachi, Markus Jokela, Anne Kouvonen, Etsuji Suzuki, Soshi Takao, Marianna Virtanen, Jaana Pentti, Jussi Vahtera, Mika Kivimaki

JOURNAL OF HYPERTENSION 30 ( 6 ) 1129 - 1136 2012.6

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS

Objective: The association between workplace factors and the development of hypertension remains uncertain. We examined the risk of hypertension as a function of workplace social capital, that is, social cohesion, trust and reciprocity in the workplace.
Methods: A total of 11 777 male and 49 145 female employees free of chronic hypertension at baseline in 2000-2004 were followed up for incident hypertension until the end of 2005 (the Finnish Public Sector Study). We used survey responses from the participants and their coworkers in the same work unit to assess workplace social capital at baseline. Follow-up for incident hypertension was based on record linkage to national health registers (mean follow-up 3.5 years, 1424 incident hypertension cases).
Results: Male employees in work units characterized by low workplace social capital were 40-60% more likely to develop chronic hypertension compared to men in work units with high social capital [age-adjusted hazard ratio 1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-2.14 for self-assessed social capital and 1.41, 95% CI 1.01-1.97 for coworkers' assessment]. According to path analysis adjusted for covariates, the association between low self-reported social capital and hypertension was partially mediated by obesity (P for pathway = 0.02) and alcohol consumption (P = 0.03). For coworker-assessed social capital, the corresponding mediation pathways did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.055 and 0.22, respectively). No association between workplace social capital and hypertension was found for women.
Conclusion: These data suggest that low self-reported workplace social capital is associated with increased near-term risk of hypertension in men in part due to unhealthy lifestyle.

DOI： 10.1097/HJH.0b013e32835377ed

Clarifying the use of aggregated exposures in multilevel models: self-included vs. self-excluded measures Reviewed International coauthorship International journal

Etsuji Suzuki, Eiji Yamamoto, Soshi Takao, Ichiro Kawachi, S. V. Subramanian

American Journal of Epidemiology 175 ( Suppl 11 ) S17 - S17 2012.6

Long working hours and metabolic syndrome among Japanese men: a cross-sectional study

Tomoko Kobayashi, Etsuji Suzuki, Soshi Takao, Hiroyuki Doi

BMC PUBLIC HEALTH 12 395 2012.5

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：BMC

Background: The link between long working hours and health has been extensively studied for decades. Despite global concern regarding metabolic syndrome, however, no studies to date have solely evaluated the relationship between long working hours and that syndrome. We therefore examined the association between long working hours and metabolic syndrome in a cross-sectional study.
Methods: Between May and October 2009, we collected data from annual health checkups and questionnaires from employees at a manufacturing company in Shizuoka, Japan. Questionnaires were returned by 1,601 workers (response rate: 96.2%; 1,314 men, 287 women). After exclusions, including women because of a lack of overtime work, the analysis was performed for 933 men. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for metabolic syndrome. Further, we conducted a stratified analysis by age-group (<40 years vs. >= 40 years).
Results: Metabolic syndrome was identified in 110 workers (11.8%). We observed a positive association between working hours and metabolic syndrome after adjusting for age, occupation, shift work, smoking status, frequency of alcohol consumption, and cohabiting status. Compared with subjects who worked 7-8 h/day, multivariate ORs for metabolic syndrome were 1.66 (95% CI, 0.91-3.01), 1.48 (95% CI, 0.75-2.90), and 2.32 (95% CI, 1.04-5.16) for those working 8-9 h/day, 9-10 h/day, and >10 h/day, respectively. Similar patterns were obtained when we excluded shift workers from the analysis. In age-stratified analysis, the corresponding ORs among workers aged >= 40 years were 2.02 (95% CI, 1.04-3.90), 1.21 (95% CI, 0.53-2.77), and 3.14 (95% CI, 1.24-7.95). In contrast, no clear association was found among workers aged <40 years.
Conclusions: The present study suggests that 10 h/day may be a trigger level of working hours for increased risk of metabolic syndrome among Japanese male workers.

DOI： 10.1186/1471-2458-12-395

Does Open-air Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds near a Plastic Recycling Factory Cause Health Effects? (vol 54, pg 79, 2012)

Takashi Yorifuji, Miyuki Noguchi, Toshihide Tsuda, Etsuji Suzuki, Soshi Takao, Saori Kashima, Yukio Yanagisawa

JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 54 ( 3 ) 254 - 254 2012.5

Does Open-air Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds near a Plastic Recycling Factory Cause Health Effects? Reviewed

Takashi Yorifuji, Miyuki Noguchi, Toshihide Tsuda, Etsuji Suzuki, Soshi Takao, Saori Kashima, Yukio Yanagisawa

JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 54 ( 2 ) 79 - 87 2012.3

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：JAPAN SOC OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Does Open-air Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds near a Plastic Recycling Factory Cause Health Effects?: Takashi YORIFUJI, et al. Department of Human Ecology, Okayama University Graduate School of Environmental Sciences-Objectives: After a plastic reprocessing factory began to operate in August 2004, the residents around the factory in Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan, began to complain of symptoms. Therefore, we conducted an exposure assessment and a population-based epidemiological study in 2006. Methods: To assess exposure, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and total VOCs were measured at two locations in the vicinity of the factory. In the population-based study, a total of 3,950 residents were targeted. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information about subjects' mucocutaneous or respiratory symptoms. Using logistic regression models, we compared the prevalence of symptoms in July 2006 by employing the farthest area from the factory as a reference, and prevalence odds ratios (PORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (Cis) were estimated. Results: The concentration of total VOCs was higher in the vicinity of the factory. The prevalence of mucocutaneous and respiratory symptoms was the highest among the residents in the closest area to the factory. Some symptoms were significantly increased among the residents within 500 m of the factory compared with residents of an area 2800 m from the factory: e.g., sore throat (POR=3.2, 95% CI: 1.3-8.0), eye itch (POR=3.0, 95% CI: 1.5-6.0), eye discharge (POR=6.0, 95% CI: 2.3-15.9), eczema (POR=3.0, 95% CI: 1.1-7.9) and sputum (POR=2.4, 95% CI: 1.1-5.1). Conclusions: Despite of the limitations of this study, these results imply a possible association of open-air VOCs with mucocutaneous and respiratory symptoms. Because this kind of plasticre cycling factory only recently came into operation, more attention should be paid to the operation of plastic recycling factories in the environment. (J Occup Health 2012; 54: 79-87)

DOI： 10.1539/joh.11-0202-OA

Maternal Working Hours and Early Childhood Overweight in Japan: A Population-based Study Reviewed

Toshiharu Mitsuhashi, Etsuji Suzuki, Soshi Takao, Hiroyuki Doi

JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 54 ( 1 ) 25 - 33 2012.1

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：WILEY

Maternal Working Hours and Early Childhood Overweight in Japan: A Population-based Study: Toshiharu MITSUHASHI, et al. Department of Epidemiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Objectives: There has been a growing concern that maternal employment could have adverse or beneficial effects on children's health. Although recent studies demonstrated that maternal employment was associated with a higher risk of childhood overweight, the evidence remains sparse in Asian countries. We sought to examine the relationship between maternal working hours and early childhood overweight in a rural town in Okayama Prefecture. Methods: In February 2008, questionnaires were sent to parents of all preschool children aged >= 3 yr in the town to assess maternal working status (working hours and form of employment), children's body mass index, and potential confounders. Childhood overweight was defined following the age and sex-specific criteria of the International Obesity Task Force. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for childhood overweight were estimated in a logistic regression. We used generalized estimating equations with an exchangeable correlation matrix, considering the correlation between siblings. Results: We analyzed 364 preschool children. Adjusting for each child's characteristics (age, sex), mother's characteristics (age, obesity, educational attainment, smoking status, and social participation), and family's characteristics (number of siblings), children whose mothers work <8 h/day had a substantially lower risk for being overweight (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.93) compared with children of non-working mothers, whereas the relationship was less pronounced among children whose mothers work >= 8 h/day (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.19, 2.68). We observed similar patterns in a stratified analysis by the form of maternal employment. Conclusion: Short maternal working hours are associated with a lower odds of early childhood overweight. (J Occup Health 2012; 54: 25-33)

DOI： 10.1539/joh.11-0100-OA

Does Caregiver's social bonding enhance the health of their children?: The association between social capital and child behaviors

Takeo Fujiwara, Soshi Takao, Toshihide Iwase, Jun Hamada, Ichiro Kawachi

Acta Medica Okayama 66 ( 4 ) 343 - 350 2012

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)

Little is known about the association between social capital and child behaviors. This study aims to investigate that association A complete population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted for all the caregivers with preschool children in a rural town in Okayama prefecture in Japan. Two dimensions of individual-level social capital and unhealthy child behaviors were reported by parent-administered questionnaire. We analyzed 354 preschool children (57.6% of all children for whom questionnaires were completed). Children whose main caregiver had high cognitive social capital were 89% less likely to miss breakfast (odds ratio [OR] =0.11
95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01-1.03). Children whose caregiver had high structural social capital were 71 % less likely to wake up late (OR = 0.29
95% CI: 0.120.71) and 78% less likely to skip tooth brushing more than once per day (OR = 0.22
95% CI: 0.05-0.93). Both cognitive and structural social capital were negatively associated with unhealthy child behaviors. A further intervention study is needed to confirm the impact of social capital on child behavior.©2012 by Okayama University Medical School.

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