Determinant factors of the difference between self-reported weight and measured weight among Japanese

Objectives

To assess the difference between self-reported and measured weight values in Japanese men and women and to determine the underlying determinants of the differences between self-reported and measured values.

Methods

The data were collected from 363 general Japanese individuals aged 16–88 years living in Kumamoto prefecture. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire designed for this study with self-reported weight and height values. Measured weight and height were measured immediately after questionnaire completion. Paired t-tests identified differences between self-reported and measured values by sex. Multiple-stepwise regression analysis examined the independent variables’ effects on the differences between self-reported and measured weights.

Results

Significant differences were found between self-reported and measured values for both sexes (p < 0.001). There was a significant negative relationship between the difference in an individual’s self-reported and measured weight in each sex, with higher measured weight individuals more likely to underestimate their weight. Multiple-stepwise regression analysis models explained 12.1 % (p < 0.01), 11.3 % (p < 0.01), and 5.6 % (p < 0.01) of the variance in all participants, men, and women, respectively. Significant effects were found for age, weight measurement frequency, and measured weight in total participants, weight measurement frequency, and measured weight for men, and age for women.

Conclusions

In this study, the mean absolute value of the weight and height variances proved the unreliability of self-reported weight and height values. This study’s findings suggest self-reported weight inaccuracy especially for obese populations. This should be adjusted when using it in epidemiological studies and healthcare planning.

     

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Developing with Acute Pancreatitis Mimicking Autoimmune Pancreatitis

A 33-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for fever and abdominal pain. A blood analysis revealed pancytopenia and increased serum pancreatic enzymes with disseminated intravascular coagulation. A detailed examination revealed acute pancreatitis, with diffuse swelling of the pancreas and diffuse beaded dilatation of the main pancreatic duct, which mimicked autoimmune pancreatitis complicated by acute myeloid leukemia. Systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy led to the remission of leukemia and pancreatitis. We hypothesized that the etiology of acute pancreatitis was invasion of leukemia cells. Acute pancreatitis is rare as a symptom of leukemia; however, we should consider the possibility of leukemia during the differential diagnosis of acute pancreatitis.     

Risk factors for early death in patients undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma

The survival time of myeloma patients improved from a few months to many years after treatment with melphalan. Perhaps chemotherapy more intensive than melphalan-prednisolone should be administered to patients at risk of early death. Therefore, early death must be accurately predicted. We analyzed 93 patients with recently diagnosed myeloma and found that 13 (14%) died within 6 months (early death). The most common cause of death was bacterial and fungal pneumonia when myeloma became uncontrollable. The response to conventional chemotherapy was poorer in patients at high risk of early death than the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that the serum level of beta-2 microglobulin was the only value that predicted early death.     

Effect of pirenzepine on aminopyrine uptake by isolated guinea pig parietal cells

The inhibitory action of pirenzepine on acid secretion of isolated guinea pig parietal cells was investigated by the aminopyrine method. Pirenzepine markedly inhibited acid secretion of isolated parietal cells induced by carbachol in a dose-dependent manner but showed no inhibition on acid secretion stimulated by histamine. These results may suggest a direct action of pirenzepine on muscarinic receptors in parietal cells.     

Endosonographic features in patients with non-alcoholic early chronic pancreatitis improved with treatment at one year follow up

Since the prevention of early chronic pancreatitis (ECP) into chronic pancreatitis might be critical for the reduction of pancreatic cancer, we tried to clarify the pathophysiology of ECP patients, focusing on ECP patients without alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. 27 ECP patients without alcoholic chronic pancreatitis and 33 patients with functional dyspepsia with pancreatic enzyme abnormalities (FD-P) were enrolled in this study. Diagnosis of ECP was made when imaging findings showed the presence of more than 2 out of 7 endoscopic ultrasound features. Duodenal degranulated eosinophils and glucagon-like peptide 1 producing cells were estimated by immunostaining. There were no significant differences in characteristics and psychogenic factors between ECP and FD-P patients. Interestingly, endoscopic ultrasound score in ECP patients significantly improved, albeit clinical symptoms in ECP patients showed no improvement at one year follow up. The extent of migration of duodenal degranulated eosinophils in FD-P patients was significantly higher compared to that in ECP patients. The levels of elastase-1 and trypsin in ECP patients with improved endoscopic ultrasound features were significantly reduced by the treatment. Further studies will be needed to clarify whether clinical symptoms and endoscopic ultrasound features in ECP patients without alcoholic chronic pancreatitis were improved in longer follow up study.     

Rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism with ATP1A3 mutation and left lower limb paroxysmal dystonia

BackgroundRapid-onset dystonia–parkinsonism (RDP) is a disease characterized by an abrupt onset of dystonia accompanied by signs of parkinsonism and prominent bulbar symptoms.Case reportWe describe a case of a female patient, born after normal delivery, but diagnosed with mild intellectual disability at age 7. She presented with an abrupt onset of upper limb dystonia and bradykinesia without tremor in parkinsonism, as well as dysarthria and dysphagia caused by prominent bulbar symptoms, at age 9. She had normal findings on brain magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, and blood examination but was diagnosed with a psychogenic disorder. At age 10, she developed left lower limb paroxysmal stiffness with pain, and at 14, she was hospitalized due to lasting paroxysmal symptoms. Whole-exome sequencing was performed for this index case and her parents, and a de novo missense variant c.829G > A, p.Glu277Lys in ATP1A3 was identified.DiscussionThis RDP case highlights a rare clinical feature of paroxysmal dystonia that affects the lower left limb and develops after the abrupt onset of permanent dystonia. Currently, there are only three reported RDP cases associated with the same missense mutation, and we summarized the clinical features of all cases including ours, such as onset of age, time for stable, RDP score, relapse and exacerbation. Various symptoms owing to ATP1A3 mutation could develop as ATP1A3-related neurological disorders beyond classical phenotypes such as alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) or RDP. Although RDP is extremely rare during childhood, it is important to understand its clinical characteristics in children.     

Durable remission induced by rituximab-containing chemotherapy in a patient with primary refractory Burkitt's lymphoma

We describe a 65-year-old man diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma arising from the intestine. The tumor cells had a mature B-cell immunophenotype and rearrangement of the c-myc gene. The patient was treated with intensive multiagent chemotherapy. After four courses of chemotherapy, an ileus developed due to a residual abdominal disease. We administered rituximab in combination with the same chemotherapy regimen. A dramatic clinical improvement was observed and abnormal uptake by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography disappeared. The patient experienced complete remission for 1 year. This encouraging result indicates that rituximab might be an important treatment choice in management of Burkitt's lymphoma.