Publications by authors named "Tadao Ooka"
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are leading causes of maternal and infant mortality, and maternal age is a known factor influencing maternal and pediatric outcomes during childbirth. This study aimed to clarify the impact of maternal age-specific blood pressure (BP) and its patterns on the risk of HDP using data from a large nationwide study in Japan. This cohort study (N = 100,949) used data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study.
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- The study explored how gut microbiota affects non-obese individuals who consume high levels of barley, a fiber-rich food potentially beneficial for obesity prevention.
- Researchers enrolled 185 participants, comparing those with high and low barley intake and assessing their gut bacteria and dietary habits.
- Results showed that barley responders consumed more natto (fermented soybeans) and had higher levels of specific beneficial bacteria, suggesting enhanced fiber breakdown and butyrate production in their guts.
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- The study investigates how genetic variations in the ADH1B and ALDH2 genes affect developmental outcomes in children based on maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy in a Japanese population.
- Analyzing data from 1727 mother-child pairs, it finds that children of mothers who drank alcohol during pregnancy are at a significantly higher risk for communication delays.
- Specifically, genetic differences in the ALDH2 gene increase the risk of developmental delays, highlighting the importance of both genetic and environmental factors in child development.
Introduction: Severe bronchiolitis (i.e., bronchiolitis requiring hospitalization) is linked to childhood asthma development.
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- Bronchiolitis is the primary reason infants are hospitalized, but the molecular causes behind it are still not fully understood.
- In a study involving 397 infants, researchers analyzed transcriptome and metabolome data to identify clusters of molecules that indicate the severity of bronchiolitis.
- They discovered a detailed molecular network linked to innate immunity that could lead to new treatment methods, including repurposing existing drugs to improve anti-inflammatory responses.
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- RSV bronchiolitis is a serious condition affecting infants worldwide, and the study investigates the role of microRNA (miRNA) in determining disease severity.
- Researchers analyzed the upper airway miRNA and mRNA of 493 hospitalized infants to find specific miRNAs and mRNAs linked to more severe cases that required advanced respiratory support.
- The findings identified 19 key miRNAs and numerous biological pathways associated with bronchiolitis severity, revealing a complex network of gene interactions that could inform future treatments.
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- The study assessed the link between excessive maternal weight gain during pregnancy and the risk of prolonged labor among Japanese women, focusing on a large cohort from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).
- It found that excessive weight gain significantly increased the likelihood of prolonged labor, with a notable incidence of 10.2% in first-time mothers and 6.1% in mothers who had given birth before.
- Analysis showed that women with excessive weight gain had longer median labor durations compared to those with normal weight gain, indicating a clear association between weight gain and complications during labor.
Background: Currently, there is no consensus regarding the relationship between neonatal transfer and duration of hospitalization in cases of impaired mother-infant bonding (MIB). This study aimed to determine whether neonatal transfer and duration of hospitalization of newborns increase the risk for impaired MIB.
Methods: The MIB Scale was used to assess impaired MIB 1 year after delivery, using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) increase the risk of preterm births and cesarean delivery. This study aimed to investigate whether maternal blood leukocyte, monocyte, or neutrophil counts in the first trimester are related to the development of HDP. Data were collected from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a large birth cohort study (n = 38,194) that recruited pregnant women in 15 Regional Centers across Japan (from January 2011 to March 2014).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to develop and validate a simple scoring system to determine the high-risk group for pancreatic cancer (PC) in the asymptomatic general population. The scoring system was developed using data from PC cases and randomly selected non-PC cases undergoing annual medical checkups between 2008 and 2013. The performance of this score was validated for participants with medical checkups between 2014 and 2016.
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- Previous research identified swimming, atopic dermatitis, and filaggrin (FLG) gene mutations as factors increasing the risk of molluscum contagiosum (MC) infection, as FLG mutations weaken skin barrier function.
- In this study, data from 2036 children were analyzed to assess the influence of FLG mutations on the occurrence and characteristics of MC, finding that 47.1% of children had developed MC by age 8.
- The results indicated that FLG mutations significantly increase the risk of MC (aOR 1.69), but do not influence the number of lesions or how quickly they resolve.
Article Synopsis
- Severe bronchiolitis in infants is linked to a higher risk of developing asthma later in childhood, but the biological reasons behind this connection are not yet fully understood.
- A study analyzed long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in infants hospitalized for severe bronchiolitis to see how they relate to asthma development by age 6.
- The research identified 190 specific lncRNAs that correlate with asthma development and other related clinical factors, revealing potential biological pathways involved in the progression to asthma.
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- The study investigates whether giving antibiotics to outpatients with influenza improves hospitalisation outcomes, aiming to see if it reduces the risk of hospitalisation.
- Researchers analyzed health records from over 900,000 outpatient influenza cases to compare hospitalisation rates and lengths of stay between those given antibiotics along with anti-influenza medications and those given only antiviral treatments.
- Findings showed that patients prescribed antibiotics had a higher hospitalisation risk and longer hospital stays for pneumonia, suggesting that antibiotics may not be beneficial in these cases.
Background: In regions with a high prevalence of peanut allergy (PA), there is a consensus that the introduction of peanuts in early infancy is preventive against the development of PA. However, few studies have investigated whether the introduction of peanuts to infants is associated with PA in regions with a low prevalence of PA, including Japan.
Methods: We used data from 74,240 mother-child pairs who participated in the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a prospective birth cohort recruited between January 2011 and March 2014.
Purpose: To investigate the distribution of visual acuity, refractive error, and axial length in 8-year-old children who participated in an additional survey in Yamanashi Prefecture of the Japan Environmental Children's Study (hereafter referred to as JECS-Y) conducted from 2019 to 2021.
Participants And Methods: Eight-year-old children who participated in the JECS-Y study were subjected to noncycloplegic measurements of refractive error and axial length. If the uncorrected visual acuity was less than 20/20, the best corrected visual acuity was evaluated in accordance with the autorefraction data.
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- The study investigates the relationship between high pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the risk of stillbirth in a Japanese population, using data from a large prospective cohort of pregnant individuals.
- Results showed that overweight and obese women had a significantly higher risk of stillbirth, with adjusted odds ratios indicating a 55% increase for overweight and a 160% increase for obese women compared to those with a normal BMI.
- The findings highlight the importance of advising women on maintaining an appropriate pre-pregnancy BMI to reduce the risk of stillbirth.
Background: Animal studies have shown that maternal low-fiber diets during pregnancy may impair brain development and function in offspring, but this has not been validated by epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the link between maternal dietary fiber intake during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental delay in offspring using a large birth cohort.
Methods: A total of 76,207 mother-infant pairs were analyzed using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide prospective cohort study.
Background: Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of infant hospitalization. Recent research suggests the heterogeneity within bronchiolitis and the relationship of airway viruses and bacteria with bronchiolitis severity. However, little is known about the pathobiological role of fungi.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough it remains debatable, exogenous oxytocin, commonly used for labour induction and augmentation, reportedly increases risks of neurodevelopment delay, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder among children prenatally exposed to exogenous oxytocin. However, only few studies have objectively examined exogenous oxytocin's impact on early childhood development through scoring evaluations. This study investigated the association between exogenous oxytocin exposure and neurodevelopment in 3-year-old children using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition.
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- * Results showed that vaccinated children had lower rates of infection compared to those who weren't vaccinated, with risk reductions of about 30%-32% at age 3 and 17%-24% at age 4.
- * The research suggests that past influenza infections increase the risk of getting infected again, highlighting the importance of annual vaccinations for better protection against IFV.
Article Synopsis
- A study investigates how gut bacteria might influence the blood pressure-lowering effects of barley, a fiber-rich grain expected to help with hypertension.
- Participants were classified as "responders" (with high barley intake and no hypertension) or "non-responders" (with high barley intake but hypertension risks).
- Results showed differences in gut bacterial composition between the two groups and allowed for the creation of a machine-learning model to predict the impact of barley on blood pressure, suggesting personalized dietary approaches may be developed in the future.
Background: Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of infant hospitalization in U.S. and is associated with increased risk for childhood asthma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to estimate the impact of interpregnancy weight change from the first to the second pregnancy on the risk of infants being large for gestational age (LGA).
Methods: This nationwide prospective birth cohort analysis included 3245 women who delivered their first two live singletons between 2011 and 2014. Interpregnancy weight change was calculated as the difference between the prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) of the first and second pregnancies.
Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) results in adverse consequences for both mother and infant. However, the association between multiple pregnancy and PPD is unknown because of the difference in the estimated prevalence rate of PPD based on country, ethnicity, and study type. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether Japanese women with multiple pregnancy were at a high risk of developing PPD at 1 and 6 months postpartum.
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- * Results showed that 7.2% of children developed asthma, with various maternal smoking statuses reported, including never smoked, quit before pregnancy, quit after learning of pregnancy, and still smoking.
- * The findings indicated that children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy had a 34% higher risk of asthma, while those whose mothers quit smoking either before or after recognizing the pregnancy also showed an increased risk, suggesting smoking cessation is crucial for reducing asthma risk.