Changes in the number of babies born with Down syndrome in Japan.

Aim: The number of babies born with Down syndrome has changed in recent years because of widespread availability of prenatal screening and advanced maternal age at delivery. In Japan, which has no public institutions that record data on babies born with chromosomal abnormalities (including Down syndrome), the accurate number remains unknown.

Methods: The Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Birth Defects Monitoring Program (hereafter the JAOG Program) is the only national survey of congenital anomalies in Japan.

Evaluation of the clinical performance of noninvasive prenatal testing at a Japanese laboratory.

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in high-risk pregnant women.

Methods: Pregnant women who underwent GeneTech NIPT, the most commonly used NIPT in Japan, between January 2015 and March 2019, at Japan NIPT Consortium medical sites were recruited for this study. The exclusion criteria were as follows: pregnant women with missing survey items, multiple pregnancy/vanishing twins, chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus other than the NIPT target disease, and nonreportable NIPT results.

25-Hydroxyvitamin D profiles and maternal bone mass during pregnancy and lactation in Japanese women.

Vitamin D deficiency is observed worldwide and represents a health hazard for mothers, infants and elderly persons. We know that many young Japanese women experience vitamin D insufficiency; however, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] profile of pregnant Japanese women and of the association between maternal 25(OH)D level and maternal bone mass during pregnancy and lactation. In this longitudinal study, 160 pregnant Japanese women were enrolled; of them, 68 have been followed-up from the first trimester through at least 1 year of breast-feeding.

Current knowledge of and attitudes toward human papillomavirus-related disease prevention among Japanese: A large-scale questionnaire study.

Aim: The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rate in Japan fell to nearly 0% following widespread coverage of possible adverse events. Developing a next approach to promote the effective prevention of HPV-related diseases including cervical cancer (CC) in Japan requires comprehensive understanding of knowledge and attitudes regarding CC prevention, HPV infection and HPV vaccination among the population including laypersons and medical professions in Japan.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was administered in a wide variety of settings in Japan.

Effects of physical activity during pregnancy on preterm delivery and mode of delivery: The Japan Environment and Children's Study, birth cohort study.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine how physical activity (PA) before and during pregnancy influences pregnancy outcomes, particularly preterm delivery and mode of delivery.

Methods: This study was based on the Japan Environment and Children's Study. A total of 92,796 pregnant women who gave birth to live singleton babies were included.

Prevalence of Congenital Anomalies in the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Background: The aims of the present report were to estimate the prevalence of congenital anomalies (CAs) among infants in Japan using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) and to evaluate the validity of CA classification within JECS.

Methods: Data on CAs were collected at delivery and at age 1 month from the medical records of 101,825 infants at 15 regional centers. The analyses focused on 61 CAs, selected on the basis of reported associations with environmental exposure.

Correction: Nationwide survey for current clinical status of amniocentesis and maternal serum marker test in Japan.

Since the publication of this paper, the authors noticed that Yosuke Fujii was assigned to the incorrect affiliation. The affiliation information is provided correctly, above.

Correction: Maternal age-specific risk for trisomy 21 based on the clinical performance of NIPT and empirically derived NIPT age-specific positive and negative predictive values in Japan.

Since the advance online publication of this article, the authors of the above paper have noticed errors in the list of authors and affiliations. The article with correct author information now appears in this issue.

Aberrant Nuclear Localization of aPKCλ/ι is Associated With Poorer Prognosis in Uterine Cervical Cancer.

We previously reported that aberrant expression of atypical protein kinase C λ/ι (aPKCλ/ι) in low-grade squamous intraepithelial uterine cervix lesions was associated with an increased risk of progression to higher grade. This study aimed to investigate aPKCλ/ι expression patterns in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its association with disease progression. We immunohistochemically assessed aPKCλ/ι expression in 168 SCC samples and 13 normal uterine cervix samples.

Reduced Luteinizing Hormone Induction Following Estrogen and Progesterone Priming in Female-to-Male Transsexuals.

Anatomical studies have suggested that one of the brain structures involved in gender identity is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, though this brain structure is probably not the only one to control gender identity. We hypothesized that, if this brain area also affected gonadotropin secretion in humans, transsexual individuals might produce different gonadotropin levels in response to exogenous stimulation. In the present study, we examined whether estrogen combined with progesterone might lead to a change in luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in female-to-male (FTM) transsexual individuals.

Maternal age-specific risk for trisomy 21 based on the clinical performance of NIPT and empirically derived NIPT age-specific positive and negative predictive values in Japan.

The data collected by nation-wide study of noninvasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) for trisomy 21 from 21,610 pregnant women with advanced maternal age in Japan were reported. Among 188 NIPT-positive cases, 180 cases were true positive. The incidence of aneuploidy according to maternal age was estimated using a state-space model.

Clinical significance of low result of 1-h 50-g glucose-challenge test in pregnant women.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the effect of low-glucose value on the 1-h 50-g glucose challenge test (GCT) on neonatal body weight in low-risk Asian singleton pregnant women.

Method: We retrospectively analyzed women who delivered a singleton neonate at term at a tertiary center and underwent GCT at 24-28 weeks of gestation between June 2001 and June 2015. The low GCT group was defined as <75 mg/dL and 75-139 mg/dL were control.

Emergent Uterine Arterial Embolization Using N-Butyl Cyanoacrylate in Postpartum Hemorrhage with Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation.

Although it is widely accepted that uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an effective therapeutic strategy for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), no consensus has been reached regarding the efficacy of UAE in patients with PPH with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). This single-center retrospective cohort study included patients treated with UAE using NBCA for PPH between 2010 and 2015. The patients were divided into DIC and non-DIC groups, according to the obstetrical DIC score and the overt DIC diagnostic criteria issued by the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), and their clinical outcomes were compared.

Short- and long-term complications and the impact on quality of life after cervical conization by harmonic scalpel.

Aim: The incidence of non-obstetrical complications after cervical conization is low, and women receive minimal postsurgical attention. In this study, we investigated whether women felt any discomfort after undergoing conization by harmonic scalpel, one of the hot-knife devices widely used in Japan.

Methods: Eighty-eight women aged 20-47 years who were still experiencing menstrual cycles and had undergone harmonic conization participated in a questionnaire survey regarding perisurgical complications and postsurgical changes in gynecological issues.

Evaluation of endocervical curettage with conization in diagnosis of endocervical lesions.

Aim: Endocervical curettage (ECC) at the time of conization has been reported to be effective for diagnosing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and/or early stage cervical cancer. We aimed to verify the accuracy of ECC with conization.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 540 patients with suspected neoplastic cervical lesions who underwent conization at the Yokohama City University Hospital from January 2008 to December 2015.

Short umbilical cord length: reflective of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Unlabelled: A short umbilical cord is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, there is no universally accepted definition of a short cord.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the umbilical cord length showing the highest correlation with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Associations of pre-pregnancy obesity with adverse pregnancy outcomes and the optimal gestational weight gain in Japanese women.

Objectives: The authors determined associations of maternal pre-pregnancy obesity with adverse pregnancy outcomes and evaluated how gestational weight gain affects risks for such outcomes in Japanese obese pregnant women.

Materials And Methods: Among women who delivered at the Perinatal Center for Maternity and Neonatal, Yokohama City University Medical Center, between January 2001 and December 2012, the authors ascertained adverse pregnancy outcome incidences in 207 pre-pregnancy obese (body mass index [BMI] = 30 kg/m², obese group), 661 pre-pregnancy overweight (BMI = 25-29.9 kg/m², overweight group), and 6,801 pre-pregnancy normal weight (BMI= 18.

Clinical Significance of Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor 2, a Serum Biomarker Candidate for Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma.

Background: There is currently no reliable serum biomarker for ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC), a highly lethal histological subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Previously, using a proteome-based approach, we identified tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI2) as a candidate serum biomarker for CCC. In this study, we sought to evaluate the clinical diagnostic performance of TFPI2 in preoperative prediction of CCC.

Nationwide survey for current clinical status of amniocentesis and maternal serum marker test in Japan.

Prenatal testing has been provided in Japan over the past several decades. However, it is difficult to assess the clinical status of amniocentesis (AC) and maternal serum markers (MSM) because obstetricians can perform these tests without registration. This study aims to investigate the current clinical status of AC and MSM in Japan.

Comparison of plasma amino acid profile-based index and CA125 in the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancers and borderline malignant tumors.

Background: We previously developed a new plasma amino acid profile-based index (API) to detect ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers. Here, we compared API to serum cancer antigen 125 (CA125) for distinguishing epithelial ovarian malignant tumors from benign growths.

Methods: API and CA125 were measured preoperatively in patients with ovarian tumors, which were later classified into 59 epithelial ovarian cancers, 21 epithelial borderline malignant tumors, and 97 benign tumors including 40 endometriotic cysts.