Changes in preterm and extremely preterm birth rates in Japan after the introduction of obstetrical practice guidelines in 2008.

Aim: Obstetrical guidelines were established in Japan in 2008, and obstetrical diagnoses and treatments were subsequently standardized nationally. We examined changes in the preterm birth rate (PTBR) and extremely preterm birth rate (EPTBR) following the introduction of such guidelines.

Methods: Information on 50 706 432 live births in Japan between 1979 and 2021, including Japanese reproductive medicine, the childbearing age of pregnant women, and the employment status of reproductive-age women between 2007 and 2020, were obtained from the Japanese government and academic societies.

Mediating Factors Between Parental Socioeconomic Status and Small for Gestational Age in Infants: Results from the Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health.

Objectives: Previous studies indicated a significant association between small for gestational age (SGA) in infants and their parents' socioeconomic status (SES). Thus, this study aimed to examine if parental factors, such as maternal smoking, and the pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) could mediate the associations between parental SES and SGA.

Methods: The participants of this study were pregnant women who enrolled in an ongoing birth cohort study, the Hokkaido study, during the first trimester of their pregnancies.

Trajectories of the Psychological Status of Mothers of Infants With Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts: A Prospective Cohort Study From the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Objective: This study examined psychological status trajectories of mothers of infants with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts in Japan.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Factors correlating with serum birch pollen IgE status in pregnant women in Hokkaido, Japan: The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Background: Birch pollen allergy affects pregnant women, and such allergy may affect the development of allergic diseases in their children. Using nationwide birth cohort data, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of birch pollen IgE positivity and to identify correlating factors in pregnant women in Hokkaido, Japan, a high-latitude island.

Methods: Participants included 6856 pregnant women.

Population Attributable Fractions of Modifiable Risk Factors for Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts: A Prospective Cohort Study From the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Background: Population impact of modifiable risk factors on orofacial clefts is still unknown. This study aimed to estimate population attributable fractions (PAFs) of modifiable risk factors for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL±P) and cleft palate only (CP) in Japan.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, which recruited pregnant women from 2011 to 2014.

Left atrial appendage thrombus detected by transesophageal examination with linear endoscopic ultrasound.

Linear endoscopic ultrasound (L-EUS) is mainly performed to assess pancreaticobiliary and mediastinal diseases. In this report, transesophageal observation with L-EUS revealed an LAA thrombus that was not detected by transthoracic echocardiography. This report highlights a novel potential role for L-EUS in the detection of cardiovascular diseases including LAA thrombi.

The relationship between prenatal psychological stress and placental abruption in Japan, The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Background: Prenatal psychological stress may increase the risk of placental abruption (PA). This study aimed to clarify the effects of psychological distress during pregnancy and exposure to stressful life events in the year before or during pregnancy on the occurrence of PA in Japanese women.

Methods: Using a nationwide prospective birth cohort study, we obtained data from 103,099 women between January 2011 and March 2014.

Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of Extremely Preterm Infants in Japan According to Outborn/Inborn Birth Status.

Objectives: Outborn (born outside tertiary centers) infants, especially extremely preterm infants, are at an increased risk of mortality and morbidity in comparison to inborn (born in tertiary centers) infants. Extremely preterm infants require not only skilled neonatal healthcare providers but also highly specialized equipment and environment surroundings. Maternal transport at an appropriate timing must be done to avoid the delivery of extremely preterm infants in a facility without the necessary capabilities.

Simple Electrocardiographic Score Can Predict Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling in Patients With Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.

Left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) is a favorable response in non-ischemic, non-valvular cardiomyopathy (NICM) patients. Recently, 18-lead body surface electrocardiography (ECG), the standard 12-lead ECG with synthesized right-sided/posterior chest leads, has been developed, but its predictive value for LVRR has not been evaluated. Of 216 consecutive hospitalized NICM patients with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%, we studied 125 who received optimization of their heart failure treatment and had 18-lead ECG and echocardiography data available for evaluating LVRR, defined as an absolute increase in LVEF ≥10% concomitant with LVEF ≥35% after 1-year optimized treatment.

The poly(A) polymerase beta gene may not be associated with azoospermia caused by Sertoli-cell-only syndrome in Japanese patients by comparing patients and normal controls.

Approximately 15% of couples are infertile, with half of these cases being due to a male factor. Testis-specific cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase beta (PAPOLB) is known to be critical for spermatogenesis. In mice, the loss of function of the Papolb gene results in the arrest of spermiogenesis and in male infertility.

Association Between Maternal Serum Folate Concentrations in the First Trimester and the Risk of Birth Defects: The Hokkaido Study of Environment and Children's Health.

Background: Low red blood cell folate concentrations during early pregnancy might cause neural tube defects. However, the association between folate concentrations and birth defects of other neural crest cell-derived organs remains unknown. We investigated the associations between birth defects and first-trimester serum folate concentrations in a birth-cohort study in Japan.

Ratio of pulmonary artery diameter to ascending aortic diameter and severity of heart failure.

Background: Treatment decisions in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients with severe heart failure (HF) and short clinical history are challenging because of the difficulty of determining HF stage or prognosis in the acute HF phase. We hypothesized that persistent decreased systemic or increased pulmonary arterial pressure, including in the sub-clinical phase, might affect the main pulmonary artery diameter (PAD), ascending aortic diameter (AoD), and their ratio (PAD/AoD). This study assessed AoD, PAD, and PAD/AoD by non-contrast computed tomography scans in DCM patients in the acute phase of HF and examined the association of these parameters with their clinical course.

Comparison of human papillomavirus genotyping and cytology triage, COMPACT Study: Design, methods and baseline results in 14 642 women.

Although cytology-based screening programs have significantly reduced mortality and morbidity from cervical cancer, the global consensus is that primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for cervical screening increases detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and invasive cancer. However, the optimal triage strategy for HPV-positive women to avoid over-referral to colposcopy may be setting specific. As Japan requires data that have been generated domestically to modify screening guidelines, we conducted a 3-year prospective study, COMparison of HPV genotyping And Cytology Triage (COMPACT), to evaluate the potential role of HPV16/18 partial genotyping and cytology for primary HPV screening.

Abnormal Expression of PICT-1 and Its Codon 389 Polymorphism Is a Risk Factor for Human Endometrial Cancer.

Objective: The protein interacting with carboxyl terminus-1 (PICT-1) gene has been implicated as a tumor suppressor gene, and its alterations have been reported in several cancers. This study investigated the association of PICT-1 alterations with endometrial carcinogenesis.

Methods: We analyzed the entire coding region of the PICT-1 gene using polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing to examine PICT-1 mutations in endometrial cancer.

Non-Ischemic Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction Is Associated With Altered Intestinal Microbiota.

Background: Research suggests that heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is a state of systemic inflammation that may be triggered by microbial products passing into the bloodstream through a compromised intestinal barrier. However, whether the intestinal microbiota exhibits dysbiosis in HFrEF patients is largely unknown.

Methods and results: Twenty eight non-ischemic HFrEF patients and 19 healthy controls were assessed by 16S rRNA analysis of bacterial DNA extracted from stool samples.

The role of echocardiography in transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an effective and less invasive treatment for the increasing population of individuals with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Echocardiography is crucial in the assessment of AS patients from pre- to post-procedure. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) may be used to assess patient suitability for TAVI, as well as evaluate the severity of AS, the aortic valve complex, aortic valve morphology, mitral regurgitation (MR), and left ventricular function.

Different Risk Factors for Very Low Birth Weight, Term-Small-for-Gestational-Age, or Preterm Birth in Japan.

From 1985 to 2013, the mean birth weight of infants in Japan decreased from 3120 g to 3000 g, and the low-birth-weight rate among live births increased from 6.3% to 9.6%.