The analysis of cancer trends in Japan revealed a recent decrease in mortality and a continuous increase in incidence, which are considered to reflect changes in the underlying risk factors such as tobacco smoking and infection, and are partially explained by early detection and improved treatment.
A simple and sensitive human proinsulin radioimmunoassay system was developed using guinea pig anti-proinsulin serum, which cross-reacted neither with human insulin nor C-peptide. The recognition site of the antiserum seems to be located near the junction between the B chain and C-peptide. With this assay system, we studied the serum proinsulin concentration at fasting and after an oral 100 g glucose load in 25 healthy subjects, 21 subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and 40 patients with Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. At fasting, serum proinsulin was 5.8 +/- 3.3 pmol/l in normal subjects as compared to 9.5 +/- 6.9 pmol/l (p less than 0.05) in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and 12.6 +/- 7.5 pmol/l (p less than 0.001) in diabetic patients. The molar ratio of proinsulin to insulin was also increased in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes compared to control subjects. After a 100 g oral glucose load, serum proinsulin increased more slowly than insulin. The proinsulin response after an oral glucose load was augmented in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes, while the insulin response decreased with the elevation of fasting plasma glucose. Diabetic patients with high fasting plasma glucose had a very poor insulin response, but the proinsulin response was similar to control subjects. There was a linear correlation between summed proinsulin values and summed insulin values, but the slope of the regression line was steeper in diabetic patients than in control subjects. There was a relative increase in serum proinsulin both in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and diabetic patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) are relatively rare. Their incidence has been considered to be higher in East Asia than in the United States. This study estimates the incidence of CNS GCTs in Japan and the United States, investigates gender discrepancies in each country, and describes treatment outcomes. Data on primary CNS GCTs from 4 databases were utilized: population-based malignant incidence data from (1) the Japan Cancer Surveillance Research Group (2004-2006; 14 registries), malignant and nonmalignant incidence data from (2) the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (2004-2008; 17 registries), and hospital-based observed survival data from (3) the Brain Tumor Registry of Japan (1984-2000) and (4) the US National Cancer Data Base (1990-2003). Incidence rates per 100 000 for malignant GCTs were not statistically significantly different between Japan (males = 0.143, females = 0.046) and the United States (males = 0.118, females = 0.030). The malignant incidence-rate ratio was higher for pineal GCTs versus nonpineal (ie, the rest of the brain) GCTs in Japan (11.5:1 vs 1.9:1, respectively) and the United States (16.0:1 vs 1.7:1, respectively). In general, 5-year survival estimates were high: over 75% for all GCTs, and over 81% for germinomas, regardless of the type of treatment in either Japan or the United States. The incidence of primary GCTs is similar between Japan and the United States and has the same gender-based patterns by location. High rates of survival were observed in both countries.
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