Three-year seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein antibody among children, parental awareness, and contributors of infection: a single-school cohort study in Chiba, Japan.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children is often asymptomatic, posing challenges in detecting infections. Additionally, factors contributing to infection remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate trends in anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleocapsid antibody seroprevalence, the relationship between seroprevalence and parental perception of child infection, and factors related to COVID-19 in children.

Second phase Chiba study of mother and child health (C-MACH): Japanese birth cohort study with multiomics analyses.

Purpose: Epidemiological studies have reported that environmental factors from fetal period to early childhood can influence the risk of non-communicable diseases in adulthood. This concept has been termed the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD). The Chiba study of Mother and Child Health (C-MACH) is a DOHaD concept-based birth cohort study which started in 2014.

Elucidation of endogenous and exogenous chemicals in maternal serum using high-resolution mass spectrometry.

The increasing exposure to environmental chemicals calls for comprehensive non-targeted analysis to detect unrecognized substances in human samples. We examined human serum samples to classify compounds as endogenous or exogenous using public databases and to explore the relationships between exposure markers and metabolic patterns. Serum samples from 84 pregnant women at 32 weeks gestation were analyzed using LC-QToFMS.

Associations of parental education with children's infectious diseases and their mediating factors: the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

BackgroundParents' educational background is presumed to influence the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases in children through their decisions about vaccinations and other family lifestyle choices. Regarding voluntary vaccination, a household's economic situation may also be associated with non-vaccination. Therefore, this study investigated the association between parental education and vaccine-preventable diseases (varicella, mumps, influenza [flu], pertussis, measles, and rubella) in children, which currently remains elusive.

Association between maternal blood or cord blood metal concentrations and catch-up growth in children born small for gestational age: an analysis by the Japan environment and children's study.

Background: Catch-up growth issues among children born small for gestational age (SGA) present a substantial public health challenge. Prenatal exposure to heavy metals can cause adverse effects on birth weight. However, comprehensive studies on the accurate assessment of individual blood concentrations of heavy metals and their effect on the failure to achieve catch-up growth remain unavailable.

Relationship between residual visual field and full-field stimulus testing in patients with late-stage retinal degenerative diseases.

This study aimed to investigate how the extent and central/peripheral location of the residual visual field (VF) in patients with late-stage inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are related to retinal sensitivity detected using full-field stimulus testing (FST). We reviewed the results of Goldmann perimetry and FST from the medical records of patients with IRDs whose VF represents central (within 10°) and/or peripheral islands, or undetectable. In total, 19 patients (19 eyes) were analyzed in this study.

Evaluation of photoreceptor features in retinitis pigmentosa with cystoid macular edema by using an adaptive optics fundus camera.

Objective: Cystoid macular edema (CME) in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an important complication causing visual dysfunction. We investigated the effect of CME on photoreceptors in RP patients with previous or current CME, using an adaptive optics (AO) fundus camera.

Methods: We retrospectively observed the CME and ellipsoid zone (EZ) length (average of horizontal and vertical sections) by optical coherence tomography.

Detailed Evaluation of Chromatic Pupillometry and Full-Field Stimulus Testing to Assess Ultralow Vision in Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Purpose: Novel therapeutic options, such as regenerative medicine and gene therapy, are now emerging as viable treatment options for patients with severe visual impairments, such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Gradable assessment of patients' visual function is essential to consider treatment options and to evaluate treatment outcomes; however, evaluation of visual function in patients with advanced low vision is often challenging because of patients' poor and sometimes unpredictable responses. In this study, we attempted to accurately assess visual capabilities and disease stage in patients with RP with a visual acuity (VA) of ≤ 0.

Prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus using machine learning from birth cohort data of the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Recently, prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) using artificial intelligence (AI) from medical records has been reported. We aimed to evaluate GDM-predictive AI-based models using birth cohort data with a wide range of information and to explore factors contributing to GDM development. This investigation was conducted as a part of the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Effect of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy on mother-to-infant bonding and the mediation effect of postpartum depression: the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Background: Mother-to-infant bonding (MIB) is critical for the health and well-being of the mother and child. Furthermore, MIB has been shown to boost the social-emotional development of infants, while also giving mothers a sense of happiness in raising their children. Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) is a normal complication of pregnancy, occurring in approximately 50-90% of pregnant women in the early stages of pregnancy.

Maternal antibiotic exposure and childhood allergies: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Background: The association of maternal antibiotic exposure during pregnancy with childhood allergic diseases remains unclear.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the association of maternal exposure to antibiotic use during pregnancy with childhood allergic diseases up to the age of 3 years by using data from a large Japanese birth cohort.

Methods: We analyzed data on 78,678 pregnant women and their offspring aged 0 to 3 years.

Screen Time and Developmental Performance Among Children at 1-3 Years of Age in the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Importance: It is unclear whether increased television (TV) and DVD viewing in early childhood from age 1 year decreases development or whether poor development increases TV/DVD viewing.

Objective: To investigate the directional association between TV/DVD screen time and performance on developmental screeners in children aged 1 to 3 years.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This longitudinal cohort study analyzed data from 57 980 children and mothers from a national birth cohort, the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Spatiotemporal patterns of spontaneous movement in neonates are significantly linked to risk of autism spectrum disorders at 18 months old.

Infants make spontaneous movements from the prenatal period. Several studies indicate that an atypical pattern of body motion during infancy could be utilized as an early biomarker of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, to date, little is known about whether the body motion pattern in neonates is associated with ASD risk.

Association between Media Use and Bedtime Delays in Young Children: An Adjunct Study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Excessive screen media use has been reported to cause shorter sleep; however, the types of media environments that affect early childhood sleep are less known. This study examined the association of multiple media use, screen time for each device, and the purpose of smartphone and tablet use with delayed bedtime among 4-8-year-olds. Participants were recruited from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide birth cohort study.

Association between maternal antibiotic exposure during pregnancy and childhood obesity in the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Background: The association between maternal antibiotic exposure during pregnancy and childhood obesity is still unclear.

Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the association between prenatal exposure to antibiotics and obesity at age 3 years using data from a large Japanese birth cohort.

Methods: The Japan Environment and Children's Study is a nationwide birth cohort study.

Vitamin D Metabolite Ratio in Pregnant Women with Low Blood Vitamin D Concentrations Is Associated with Neonatal Anthropometric Data.

Existing evidence on the correlation between maternal vitamin D concentrations and birth outcomes is conflicting. Investigation of these associations requires accurate assessment of vitamin D status, especially in individuals with low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations. This study examined the correlations between birth outcomes and the maternal vitamin D metabolite ratio (VMR) 1 (defined as the ratio of 24,25(OH)D to 25(OH)D) and VMR2 (defined as the ratio of 3-epi-25(OH)D to 25(OH)D) using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study at Chiba Regional Center.

Individual and mixed metal maternal blood concentrations in relation to birth size: An analysis of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Background: Growth restriction in the prenatal period is a significant public health concern. Metals can negatively affect birth size, and pregnant women may be exposed to metal mixtures. Comprehensive studies analyzing the effects of combined metal exposure with accurate individual blood metal concentrations are limited.

Investigation of umbilical cord serum miRNAs associated with childhood obesity: A pilot study from a birth cohort study.

We investigated umbilical cord serum microRNA (miRNA) profiles to identify biomarkers of a risk for obesity later in life. Participating children were divided into high- and low-risk groups of obesity based on the timing of adiposity rebound and the body mass index (BMI) at 5 years and randomly selected from each group for this study. 3D-Gene® Human miRNA Oligo Chip was performed using cord serum in five children of both groups.

Maternal Iodine Intake and Neurodevelopment of Offspring: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Inadequate maternal iodine intake affects thyroid function and may impair fetal brain development. This study investigated the association between maternal iodine intake during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental delay in offspring at 1 and 3 years of age using a nationwide birth cohort: the Japan Environment and Children's Study. We assessed dietary iodine intake during pregnancy using a food frequency questionnaire and child neurodevelopment using the Japanese translation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition.

Retinal pigment epithelium melanin imaging using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography for patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

This study aimed to evaluate the distribution of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) melanin in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) using entropy measurements by custom-made polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) images, and compare entropy with the intensity of short-wavelength (SW) and near-infrared (NIR) autofluorescence (AF). We retrospectively reviewed the retinal images, including PS-OCT, SW-AF, and NIR-AF of patients with RP who had a hyperautofluorescent ring on AF. A total of 12 eyes of 12 patients (8 women and 4 men; mean age: 37.

[Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement: Current Situation and Perspectives].

Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) refers to the use of biochemical enhancers for achieving improved mental performance in healthy individuals. One particular use of PCE prevalence is the misuse of these enhancers among university students for academic performance enhancement. The prevalence rates demonstrate the use of a broad spectrum of substances for PCE that can be classified as OTC, prescription, and illegal drugs.