Publications by authors named "Chihiro Miyashita"
Objectives: To examine the association between maternal plasma cotinine concentrations during pregnancy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) related characteristics in children.
Design: Prospective birth cohort study from the Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health.
Setting: Hokkaido, Japan.
Impact of wheat sensitization on wheeze and T2 phenotypes in general population of children.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob
November 2024
Background: The association between sensitization to specific aeroallergens and outcomes in patients with asthma is well researched; however, the association between childhood-onset wheeze/asthma and sensitization to various aeroallergens and food allergens in the general pediatric population remains poorly understood.
Objective: We sought to investigate the association between sensitization to common aeroallergens and food allergens with wheeze and type 2 (T2) inflammation in the general pediatric population.
Methods: Specific IgEs against 9 aeroallergens and 4 food allergens were measured in the prospective Hokkaido birth cohort of 428 school-age children (age ∼10 years).
Objectives: To investigate the association between multimorbidity during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental delay in offspring using data from a Japanese nationwide birth cohort study.
Design: This study was a prospective birth cohort study.
Setting: This study population included 104 059 fetal records who participated in The Japan Environment and Children's Study from 2011 to 2014.
Background: Childhood asthma is known to be affected by a range of factors, including conditions in the indoor environment. While flooring material influences indoor air conditions, the potential association between flooring materials and childhood asthma remains poorly understood in Japan.
Objective: The present study aims to assess the association between childhood asthma incidence and the primary flooring material with the ongoing prospective nationwide birth cohort data of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).
Background: Heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) have been associated with adverse pregnancy and developmental outcomes, including congenital abnormalities. This study investigated the association between exposure to heavy metals and trace elements during fetal life and congenital limb abnormalities in infants.
Methods: This study is based on a prospective ongoing nationwide birth cohort from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).
Article Synopsis
- - This study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic status (like education, income, marital status, and employment) and body mass index (BMI) categories among pregnant women in Japan, using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) with a sample of 96,751 participants.
- - Findings indicate that lower educational attainment and household income are linked to higher instances of overweight and obesity, with the most significant risks observed among those with the lowest education and income levels.
- - Smoking behavior, particularly quitting early in pregnancy or still smoking, is associated with a higher risk of abnormal BMI categories, highlighting the need for targeted interventions focusing on education and smoking cessation to prevent obesity and underweight issues in younger pregnant women.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how indoor environmental factors during pregnancy influence childhood eczema in Japan, aiming to fill knowledge gaps concerning this connection.
- Using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, researchers analyzed responses from over 71,000 mother-child pairs, focusing on indoor conditions and eczema symptoms in children up to 3 years old.
- Findings revealed that higher mold levels, gas heater use, parquet flooring, and frequent insecticide application significantly increase the risk of developing eczema, suggesting a need for updated WHO guidelines on indoor air quality to better protect child health.
Article Synopsis
- Fetal growth restriction can lead to negative outcomes for children, prompting an investigation into factors like maternal age, weight, and lifestyle choices affecting small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant rates in Japan.
- A study involving nearly 29,000 infants analyzed various maternal conditions, revealing that pre-pregnancy underweight, insufficient weight gain during pregnancy, and ongoing smoking significantly raised the risk of SGA births.
- The findings highlighted that improving maternal weight and health before and during pregnancy could greatly reduce the incidence of SGA infants, with specific recommendations given to prioritize changes in weight status.
Article Synopsis
- - Kawasaki disease (KD) is a common pediatric condition linked to future heart issues, but its causes are still unclear and may be related to PFAS, harmful substances found in various products.
- - The study drew from a large birth cohort in Japan, monitoring over 25,000 children exposed to 28 types of PFAS during pregnancy to see if these chemicals affected KD risk by analyzing health outcomes until the children turned four.
- - Results showed no significant relationship between PFAS exposure and KD incidence, with statistical analyses indicating a negative correlation between the PFAS mixture and KD occurrence, suggesting that PFAS may not increase KD risk.
Exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers (PFRs) increases the risk of asthma and allergies. However, little is known about its association with type 2 inflammation (T2) biomarkers used in the management of allergies. The study investigated associations among urinary PFR metabolite concentrations, allergic symptoms, and T2 biomarkers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The association between prenatal metal exposure and congenital anomalies is unclear. We aimed to examine the association between exposure to cadmium, lead, mercury, selenium, and manganese and physical abnormalities.
Methods: Data from 89,887 pregnant women with singleton pregnancies who participated in the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) were used.
Phthalates owing to their endocrine-disrupting effects are regulated in certain products, leading to their replacement with substitutions such as di-2-ethylhexyl terephthalate (DEHTP), 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid di(isononyl) ester (DINCH), and di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA). However, information on human exposure to these substitutes, especially in susceptible subpopulations such as children, is limited. Thus, we examined the levels and exposure trends of DEHTP, DINCH, and DEHA metabolites in 7 year-old Japanese school children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates the relationship between a child's age when they first use a mobile device, the time spent using it, and behavioral issues in school-aged children.
- The results indicate that younger children who start using mobile devices early and for longer periods exhibit more problematic behaviors, with this effect being most significant in elementary school kids.
- The findings suggest that early mobile device usage may lead to increased emotional instability and oppositional behaviors as children grow into their teenage years, particularly affecting younger students.
Objectives: Multimorbidity is defined as the coexistence of two or more chronic physical or psychological conditions within an individual. The association between maternal multimorbidity and adverse perinatal outcomes such as preterm delivery and low birth weight has not been well studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate this association.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe opportunities for exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) among children are increasing. Children's exposure to RF-EMF in Japan was recorded using a personal exposure meter (ExpoM-RF), and factors associated with the exposure examined. A total of 101 children, aged 10-15 years old, participated in the prospective birth cohort "Hokkaido study".
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- This study investigated the relationship between orofacial clefts and sleep duration in children at various ages (1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years) in Japan, involving a large cohort of 91,497 children.
- The research found that while children with orofacial clefts are known to be at risk for sleep-disordered breathing, their actual sleep durations were similar to those of the control group at all assessed ages.
- Overall, the study concluded that there are no significant associations between isolated orofacial clefts and sleep duration, indicating that children with these clefts experienced adequate sleep.
This study aimed to document the complication status of infants with orofacial clefts born between 2011 and 2014 in Japan. This was a descriptive study using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Among 103 060 pregnancies, 248 infants with orofacial clefts were included (livebirth, 239; stillbirth, 4; miscarriage, 5).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims/introduction: This study aimed to investigate the neurodevelopment of infants born to women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Materials And Methods: Data from the National Birth Cohort in the Japan Environment and Children's Study from 2011 to 2014 (n = 81,705) were used. Japan uses the GDM guidelines of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups.
Lead (Pb) exposure has adverse health effects and altered DNA methylation may contribute to Pb toxicity. LINE-1 is an interspersed repeated DNA that is used as a surrogate marker for estimating genomic DNA methylation levels, and GSTP1 is an isozyme that detoxifies xenobiotics like Pb, and its expression is inhibited by methylation. Thus, to assess the effects of Pb exposure on global hypomethylation and gene-specific promoter hypermethylation, we examined DNA methylation at LINE-1 repetitive elements and the GSTP1 promoter region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Urinary cotinine concentration (UCC) can indicate smoking status, but its impact on pregnancy outcomes like fetal growth is not well-known.
- A study involving 86,638 pregnant women in Japan from 2011 to 2014 examined how UCC levels correlated with preterm birth, low birth weight, and being small-for-gestational age.
- Results showed that higher UCC levels were associated with increased risks for these adverse birth outcomes, suggesting that monitoring UCC could help predict pregnancy-related risks.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates Th2 biomarkers (blood eosinophils, FeNO, serum total IgE) in 9-11-year-old children, looking at how pre- and postnatal factors influence these biomarkers in a larger birth cohort.
- - Significant associations were found between allergic conditions (wheeze, rhinitis, eczema) and increased blood eosinophils, with secondhand smoke showing an inverse relationship; however, male sex and maternal smoking did not independently predict high levels.
- - The findings indicate that alongside wheezing and rhinitis, eczema and secondhand smoke are important for interpreting Th2 biomarkers in children, and adult reference values for blood eosinophils may not apply to this age group.
Article Synopsis
- Maternal intake of folic acid supplements was analyzed in relation to early-onset allergies (like wheeze and eczema) in children, focusing on both supplements and dietary folate in a large study of over 84,000 mothers and children in Japan.
- The majority of mothers (56.3%) did not utilize folic acid supplements daily, and the study found no connection between supplement use and allergic symptoms, while only dietary folate intake showed a slight positive association with wheeze in children.
- The research suggests that more investigation is needed to understand the long-term impacts of maternal folic acid intake on allergies, taking into account other influencing factors like nutrition and environmental conditions.
Neurodevelopmental delay is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Prenatal metal exposure can potentially cause neurodevelopmental delays in children. This study examines whether prenatal exposure to mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) is associated with the risk of neurodevelopmental delays in children up to 4 years of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF