Percentage of overweight is overestimated in children of short stature.

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased, not just in adults but also in children. In Japan, the percentage of overweight (POW) is widely used for the estimation and assessment of percentage body fat (PBF) for children. We examine whether there is a difference between normal height and short stature children in terms of the relationship between POW and PBF.

Evaluation of uric acid levels, thyroid function, and anthropometric parameters in Japanese children with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome, caused by trisomy 21, is characterized by congenital abnormalities as well as mental retardation. From the neonatal stage through adolescence, patients with Down syndrome often have several complications. Thus, it is important to attain knowledge of the prevalence of these comorbidities in children with Down syndrome.

Relationship between asymmetric dimethylarginine in umbilical cord plasma and birth weight follows a U-shaped curve.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a nonselective nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. NO regulates placental blood flow, which plays an important role in fetal growth. Many epidemiological studies have disclosed that restricted fetal growth is associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance in adult life.

Decreased undercarboxylated osteocalcin in children with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Osteocalcin (OC) is a bone-specific protein secreted by osteoblasts and often used as a bone formation biomarker. OC undergoes post-translational carboxylation to yield carboxylated osteocalcin (Gla-OC) and undercarboxylated osteocalcin (uc-OC) molecules. The aim of this study was to explore the association between bone and glucose metabolism by evaluating OC, ionized cations, and markers of glucose metabolism in children with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2).

Asymmetric dimethylarginine is negatively correlated with hyperglycemia in children.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a nonselective nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. In several prospective and cross-sectional studies, ADMA has evolved as a marker of cardiovascular risk. However, there is limited information on this serum marker in young people, particularly in those with obesity, type 1 diabetes (DM1) and type 2 diabetes (DM2).

A fatal case of infantile malignant osteopetrosis complicated by pulmonary arterial hypertension after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Infantile malignant osteopetrosis (IMO) is a rare and fatal autosomal recessive condition characterized by a generalized increased in bone density. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only effective and rational therapy with achieving long-term disease-free survival. However, complications with HSCT for IMO remain unclear.

A common signaling pathway is activated in erythroid cells expressing high levels of fetal hemoglobin: a potential role for cAMP-elevating agents in β-globin disorders.

Background: Although erythroid cells prepared from fetal liver, cord blood, or blood from β-thalassemia patients are known to express fetal hemoglobin at high levels, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We previously showed that cyclic nucleotides such as cAMP and cGMP induce fetal hemoglobin expression in primary erythroid cells. Here we report that cAMP signaling contributes to high-level fetal hemoglobin expression in erythroid cells prepared from cord blood and β-thalassemia.

Measurement of tongue-artificial nipple contact force in infants with sucking difficulties.

Infants are known to suckle and ingest breast milk by wrapping the tongue around a nipple, writhing the tongue, and pressing the nipple. However, the dynamic mechanisms of tongue movement are still obscure, and factors related to sucking difficulties of infants are not well understood. We developed an artificial nipple installed with small cantilever-type sensors and directly measured the force applied on the nipple by the tongue.

Intracellular magnesium of obese and type 2 diabetes mellitus children.

Introduction: Magnesium is a critical cofactor in numerous enzymatic reactions. Diabetic patients and obese subjects are often reported to have intracellular magnesium ([Mg(2+)](i)) deficiency. We studied the change of [Mg(2+)](i) in obese children and children with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) after educational intervention or treatment.

Cerebral blood flow monitoring using a novel laser Doppler flowmeter in asphyxiated infants.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of early changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) predicting the severity of neurological outcome in asphyxiated infants.

Method: Serial monitoring of CBF was performed using a newly developed laser Doppler flowmeter (LDF) in parallel with conventional hemodynamic monitoring, such as mean arterial blood pressure (mABP) or heart rate (HR) in 11 asphyxiated infants (five infants with neurological sequelae and six infants without sequelae) during the first 4 days of life. Psychomotor development was followed up to 20 months.

Expression of the gamma-globin gene is sustained by the cAMP-dependent pathway in beta-thalassaemia.

The present study found that the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent pathway efficiently induced gamma-globin expression in adult erythroblasts, and this pathway plays a role in gamma-globin gene (HBG) expression in beta-thalassaemia. Expression of HBG mRNA increased to about 46% of non-HBA mRNA in adult erythroblasts treated with forskolin, while a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) analogue induced HBG mRNA to levels <20% of non-HBA mRNA. In patients with beta-thalassaemia intermedia, cAMP levels were elevated in both red blood cells and nucleated erythroblasts but no consistent elevation was found with cGMP levels.

cAMP differentially regulates gamma-globin gene expression in erythroleukemic cells and primary erythroblasts through c-Myb expression.

Our previous studies demonstrated roles of cyclic nucleotides in gamma-globin gene expression. We recently found that, upon activation of the cAMP pathway, expression of the gamma-globin gene is inhibited in K562 cells but induced in adult erythroblasts. Here we show that c-Myb, a proto-oncogene product that plays a role in cell growth and differentiation, is involved in the cAMP-mediated differential regulation of gamma-globin gene expression in K562 cells and primary erythroblasts.

Negative regulation of gamma-globin gene expression by cyclic AMP-dependent pathway in erythroid cells.

Objective: Fetal hemoglobin inducers such as hemin, butyrate, and hydroxyurea stimulate gamma-globin gene expression by activating the cyclic GMP (cGMP)-dependent pathway. Although cGMP activates the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent pathway by suppressing cGMP-inhibited phosphodiesterase 3 (PDE3), the effects of the cAMP-dependent pathway on gamma-globin gene expression are unknown.

Materials And Methods: The cAMP-dependent pathway was activated in K562 cells using the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin.