Objective The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of headaches among socially active people working in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Methods We cross-sectionally surveyed 7,917 individuals. The survey assessed demographic characteristics, the prevalence and characteristics of headaches and physician attendance. Results The lifetime prevalence of migraines was 8.9%, while that of tension-type headaches was 14.7%. Women exhibited a higher prevalence of migraines than men (15% vs. 3.7%; p<0.001). The prevalence of migraines and tension-type headaches differed among occupations. Susceptibility to migraines and tensiontype headaches related to working overtime was observed. With respect to the influence of migraines on social activities, 22.4% of the migraineurs had been obliged to miss work due to headaches several times a year. As many as 59.4% of the sufferers had never consulted a physician about their headaches. Moreover, 24.6% of the migraineurs were not in touch with any physician at the time of the survey. The most common reason why they had stopped visiting their physician was that they had been told their headaches were not fatal. Conclusion Migraines adversely affect social activities. These data provide important information for understanding the features of migraines and tension-type headaches in socially active people working in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Many cross-sectional epidemiological studies have revealed that alcohol consumption is closely related to an increase in blood pressure, which is known to be associated with an elevated serum S -glutamyltransferase (GGT) level, rather than to the volume of alcohol consumed. Since recent studies showed that coffee intake is inversely related to serum GGT, we investigated the effect of coffee on blood pressure in habitual alcohol drinkers. A total of 42 male hypertensive or prehypertensive volunteers who consumed alcohol and coffee daily completed this randomized controlled crossover trial. After a 2-week baseline period, these participants were randomly assigned to either a coffee-drinking group or a non-coffee-drinking group for the first 4 weeks. The situation was then reversed for the next 4 weeks. All participants continued their usual alcohol consumption. Blood pressure was measured once a week and compared between the two groups.After 1 week of coffee intake of more than 3 cups per day, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure began to fall slowly, and cessation of coffee intake raised the blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure was lowered by 7-10 mmHg, and diastolic pressure by 3-7 mmHg in 4 weeks. Alcohol consumption of more than 60 ml per day was maintained and there were no lifestyle changes in the participants of either group throughout the study period. Analyses of urine electrolytes and urea nitrogen indicated that there were no significant dietary changes. In conclusion, coffee intake of more than 3 cups per day in hypertensive and prehypertensive men who regularly consume alcohol lowers blood pressure. ( Hypertens Res 2005; 28: 521-527)

Whilst accumulating reports have shown the beneficial effects of coffee against chronic liver diseases, the effects of coffee against fatty liver have not yet been reported. In this cross-sectional and the followup studies, we investigated the effects of coffee on the production of fatty liver in healthy males, using ultrasonography. In the follow-up study, annual changes in daily coffee intake during the 5-year study period were compared between subjects who appeared to have fatty liver (fatty liver group) and those who did not appear to have fatty liver (non-fatty liver group) in the matched study according to age, body mass index (BMI) and daily exercise level. The effects of changes in daily coffee intake between both groups on the development of fatty liver were investigated after adjustments for related factors, such as BMI, daily coffee and alcohol intake and exercise level. In the cross-sectional study, the subjects with fatty liver were revealed to have a lower daily coffee intake than those without fatty liver. In the follow-up study, a significant difference in the changes in daily coffee intake was observed between the fatty liver and nonfatty liver groups with a decrease in daily coffee intake observed in the former group, compared with the change in the latter group. Further, daily coffee intake was negatively correlated with the development of fatty liver after adjustments for related factors. These findings suggest a protective effect of coffee against fatty liver.

The present study reported 10 year suvival rate of 131 patients with liver cirrhosis excluded the association of liver carcinoma. Survival rate was calculated according to the life table method of Cutler and Ederer. One hundred thirty-one patients were diagnosed between 1965 and 1972. The overall 5 and 10 year survival rates of 131 patients were 58.3 +/- 4.7% and 36.5 +/- 6.2%, respectively. The 5 and 10 year survival rates of 56 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis were 32.9 +/- 6.9% and 19.0 +/- 6.9%. The 5 year survival rate of 28 patients with prominent ascites was 20.6 +/- 8.4% and that of 14 patients with the rupture of esophageal varices was 29.4 +/- 13.4%. The improved treatment of decompensated liver cirrhosis and the exclusion of the patients with the association of liver carcinoma might contribute to these improved survival rates.

Recent animal and human studies suggest that chlorogenic acids, which are the main component of the class of polyphenols in coffee, reduce blood pressure, and that hydroxyhydroquinone (HHQ), produced by roasting green coffee beans, inhibits the antihypertensive effect of chlorogenic acids in brewed coffee. To examine the effects of 4 weeks of daily ingestion of HHQ-reduced coffee in patients with essential hypertension undergoing treatment with antihypertensive drugs. Patients being treated for essential hypertension with antihypertensive drugs participated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover controlled trial. After a 2-week run-in phase, participants consumed two cans of either HHQ-reduced coffee or Control coffee daily for 4 weeks. After a 2-week washout period, subjects were crossed over to the other treatment. Blood pressure and pulse rate were measured once a week. Blood biochemistry and hematology analysis was performed before and after the test beverage ingestion periods. A 4-week ingestion period of HHQ-reduced coffee did not significantly change systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) compared to the Control coffee. There were no significant changes in pulse rate and body weight during the test beverage ingestion periods in either group, and no clinically relevant problems were reported. These findings suggest that 4 weeks of daily ingestion of HHQ-reduced coffee does not reduce or enhance the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs in treated essential hypertensive patients.