Effects of prenatal Leydig cell function on the ratio of the second to fourth digit lengths in school-aged children.

Prenatal sex hormones can induce abnormalities in the reproductive system and adversely impact on genital development. We investigated whether sex hormones in cord blood influenced the ratio of the second to fourth digit lengths (2D/4D) in school-aged children. Of the 514 children who participated in a prospective cohort study on birth in Sapporo between 2002 and 2005, the following sex hormone levels were measured in 294 stored cord blood samples (135 boys and 159 girls); testosterone (T), estradiol (E), progesterone, LH, FSH, inhibin B, and insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3).

Theoretical design of solvatochromism switching by photochromic reactions using donor-acceptor disubstituted diarylethene derivatives with oxidized thiophene rings.

We have designed several diarylethene derivatives with oxidized thiophene rings and donor-acceptor substituents, which show the solvatochromism switching by photochromic reactions, using a time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) method using the polarizable continuum model (PCM). It is found that in the UV-vis spectral region examined only the open-ring isomers exhibit the solvatochromism, while the closed-ring isomers do not. The mechanism of the solvatochromism behavior and its switching process are clarified from the viewpoint of the charge-transfer (CT) excitation from the donor to the acceptor substituents.

Diradical character and nonlinear optical properties of buckyferrocenes: focusing on the use of suitably modified fullerene fragments.

The buckyferrocenes, synthesized through face-to-face fusion of ferrocene and fullerene fragments (C60Me10), are expected to enjoy the rich scientific heritage of ferrocene and fullerene with an extensively large π-conjugation network between the two Fe atoms [Y. Matsuo, K. Tahara and E.

Prenatal maternal blood triglyceride and fatty acid levels in relation to exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The hypolipidemic effects of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) exposure in humans have not been investigated. And the influences of maternal prenatal DEHP exposure on birth outcomes are not well-known. We aimed to estimate prenatal DEHP exposure in maternal blood, and evaluate its relationships to maternal blood triglyceride (TG) and fatty acid (FA) levels and to birth outcomes.

Association of maternal whole blood fatty acid status during the prenatal period with term birth dimensions: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate selected fatty acid (FA) profiles in maternal whole blood during normal pregnancy and to evaluate their associations with term birth dimensions.

Methods: We characterized nine major maternal blood FAs representing four FA families during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, and explored their associations with birth weight, length, and chest or head circumferences by multivariate regression models, using data from 318 mother-newborn pairs of the Hokkaido Study.

Results: The absolute and/or relative contents of maternal blood docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid were lowest at 35-41 gestational weeks during pregnancy, as was the essential FA status index.

Short sleep duration increases the risk of chronic kidney disease in shift workers.

Objective: To investigate the association of sleep duration and shift work with development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Japanese workers.

Methods: A total of 3600 participants without CKD were observed for an average of 4.4 years.

Theoretical study on diradical characters and nonlinear optical properties of 1,3-diradical compounds.

We investigate the relationships between the diradical character (y) and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of open-shell 1,3-diradical compounds using the broken-symmetry density functional theory method. The 2,2-substituent effects on the structure-property relationship are clarified for several 1,3-diphenylcyclopentane-1,3-diyl derivatives, which are known as the systems with weak or intermediate π-single-bonding characters. The parent 1,3-diphenylcyclopentane-1,3-diyl (1a: X = H) is found to be almost pure diradical (y ∼ 1) owing to the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO).

Association between maternal exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and reproductive hormone levels in fetal blood: the Hokkaido study on environment and children's health.

Prenatal di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure can produce reproductive toxicity in animal models. Only limited data exist from human studies on maternal DEHP exposure and its effects on infants. We aimed to examine the associations between DEHP exposure in utero and reproductive hormone levels in cord blood.

Open-shell character and second hyperpolarizabilities of one-dimensional chromium(II) chains: size dependence and bond-length alternation effect.

Using the long-range corrected spin-unrestricted density functional theory (LC-UBLYP) method, we have investigated the longitudinal third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, i.e., the second hyperpolarizabilities γ of open-shell singlet one-dimensional (1D) extended metal atom chain (EMAC) systems, chromium(II) chains Cr(II)2n (n = 1-4), with different metal-metal bond lengths from the viewpoint of the open-shell character dependences of each d orbital contribution (dσ, dπ, dδ) to γ and of the chain-length dependence of γ.

Protoaculeine B, a putative N-terminal residue for the novel peptide toxin aculeines.

A new polyamine-modified indole derivative protoaculeine B (1) was isolated from Okinawan marine sponge Axinyssa aculeata. The structure of 1 was assigned on the basis of spectral data along with chemical transformations. Because the structure of 1 greatly inferred the N-terminal amino acid for highly modified peptide toxin aculeines, the probable structure for aculeine B was proposed on the basis of high-resolution mass spectral analysis.

Association of mechanical ventilation and flue use in heaters with asthma symptoms in Japanese schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study in Sapporo, Japan.

Background: Use of fuel heaters is associated with childhood asthma. However, no studies have evaluated the associations of flue use and mechanical ventilation (ventilation) with asthma symptoms in schoolchildren.

Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated schoolchildren in grades 1 through 6 (age 6-12 years) in Sapporo, Japan.

Exposure to house dust phthalates in relation to asthma and allergies in both children and adults.

Although an association between exposure to phthalates in house dust and childhood asthma or allergies has been reported in recent years, there have been no reports of these associations focusing on both adults and children. We aimed to investigate the relationships between phthalate levels in Japanese dwellings and the prevalence of asthma and allergies in both children and adult inhabitants in a cross-sectional study. The levels of seven phthalates in floor dust and multi-surface dust in 156 single-family homes were measured.

An exploratory study of Japanese fathers' knowledge of and attitudes towards HPV and HPV vaccination: does marital status matter?

Background: No studies on male attitudes towards HPV and HPV vaccination have been conducted in Japan, and little is known globally whether attitudes of single fathers differ to those living with a female partner. This exploratory study assessed whether Japanese fathers were likely to have their daughter vaccinated against HPV in a publically funded program and whether any differences existed regarding attitudes and knowledge about HPV according to marital status.

Materials And Methods: Subjects were 27 fathers (16 single; 11 married) who took part in a study on HPV vaccine acceptability aimed at primary caregivers of girls aged 11-14 yrs in three Japanese cities between July and December 2010.

Detection and intake assessment of organophosphate flame retardants in house dust in Japanese dwellings.

The demand for phosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) has recently increased as an alternative to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). PFRs have been detected in house dust, but little is known about the concentrations of PFRs in private homes and the effects on human health. We measured the levels of 10 PFRs in indoor floor dust and upper surface dust from 128 Japanese dwellings of families with children in elementary school.

Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl acids and allergic diseases in early childhood.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are persistent organic pollutants that are detected in humans worldwide. Laboratory animal studies have shown that PFAAs are associated with immunotoxic effects. However, epidemiological studies investigating the role of PFAAs, in particular PFAAs with longer chains than perfluorooctanoic acid, are scarce.

Rationale and study design of the Japan environment and children's study (JECS).

Background: There is global concern over significant threats from a wide variety of environmental hazards to which children face. Large-scale and long-term birth cohort studies are needed for better environmental management based on sound science. The primary objective of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), a nation-wide birth cohort study that started its recruitment in January 2011, is to elucidate environmental factors that affect children's health and development.

Relation between alcohol consumption and arterial stiffness: A cross-sectional study of middle-aged Japanese women and men.

Epidemiological data indicate the existence of a J-shaped association between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular mobility and mortality. However, studies assessing the relationship between alcohol consumption and pulse wave velocity (PWV) as a marker of arterial stiffness have provided inconsistent results. In addition, data regarding the effect of alcohol on arterial stiffness in women has been limited.

Temporal trends of perfluoroalkyl acids in plasma samples of pregnant women in Hokkaido, Japan, 2003-2011.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are persistent organic pollutants that are used in a wide range of consumer products. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that prenatal exposure to toxic levels of PFAAs in the environment may adversely affect fetal growth and humoral immune response in infants and children. Here we have characterized levels of prenatal exposure to PFAA between 2003 and 2011 in Hokkaido, Japan, by measuring PFAA concentrations in plasma samples from pregnant women.

Associations of phthalate concentrations in floor dust and multi-surface dust with the interior materials in Japanese dwellings.

Phthalates are widely used as plasticizers in numerous products. However, there has been some concern about the various effects they may have on human health. Thus, household phthalate levels are an important public health issue.

A new type of organic-inorganic hybrid NLO-phore with large off-diagonal first hyperpolarizability tensors: a two-dimensional approach.

We report a novel type of organic-inorganic hybrid material with rare two-dimensional nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations combined with the finite-field (FF) method show that the designed molecules (6,9 organo-derivatives of B10H14) could carry the characteristic NLO properties of both organic and inorganic materials. Interestingly, due to their unique V-shaped structures, they have large off-diagonal first hyperpolarizability tensors or nonlinear anisotropy, which is an advantage in their practical applications over conventional donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) NLO-phores.

Ten years of progress in the Hokkaido birth cohort study on environment and children's health: cohort profile--updated 2013.

The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health is an ongoing cohort study that began in 2002. The study consists of two prospective birth cohorts, the Sapporo cohort (n = 514) and the Hokkaido large-scale cohort (n = 20,940). The primary goals of this study are to first examine the potential negative effects of perinatal environmental chemical exposures on birth outcomes, including congenital malformations and growth retardation; second, to evaluate the development of allergies, infectious diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders and perform longitudinal observations of the children's physical development to clarify the causal relationship between these outcomes and environmental chemicals; third, to identify individuals genetically susceptible to environmental chemicals; finally, to identify the additive effects of various environmental factors in our daily life, such as secondhand smoke exposure or low folate intake during early pregnancy.

Finite-field method with unbiased polarizable continuum model for evaluation of the second hyperpolarizability of an open-shell singlet molecule in solvents.

The static second hyperpolarizability γ of the complexes composed of open-shell singlet 1,3-dipole molecule involving a boron atom and a water molecule in aqueous phase are investigated by the finite-field (FF) method combined with a standard polarized continuum model (PCM) and with a newly proposed unbiased PCM (UBPCM). On the basis of the comparison with the results calculated by the FF method using the full quantum and the quantum-mechanical/molecular-mechanical and molecular-dynamics (QM/MM-MD) treatments, the present FF-UBPCM method is demonstrated to remedy the artificial overestimation of the γ caused by standard FF-PCM calculations and to well reproduce the FF-QM/MM-MD and FF-full-QM results with much lower costs.

Association between maternal antenatal depression and infant development: a hospital-based prospective cohort study.

Objective: To examine the association between antenatal depression and infant development after controlling for confounding factors.

Methods: A hospital-based prospective cohort study (Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health) was conducted between July 2002 and October 2005 in Sapporo, Japan. Of 309 mothers who delivered at Sapporo Toho Hospital during the study period and who agreed with the clinical assessment of depression, 154 mother-infant pairs were eligible for analysis.