Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy increase the incidence of febrile seizures in offspring.

BACKGROUND: Intrauterine exposure to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) may increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. This investigation examined for associations between maternal HDP and febrile seizures (FS) in offspring by the age of three years. METHODS: The present cohort study analyzed data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a large national birth cohort. We included mother-child pairs recruited between January 2011 and March 2014. Information regarding maternal HDP, the presence of FS in offspring up to 3 years of age, and potential confounding factors were assessed using written questionnaires administered to mothers. RESULTS: A total of 77,699 mother-child dyads were analyzed. The prevalence of FS was 8.4% in children without HDP exposure, 10.6% in those exposed to mild HDP, and 10.4% in those with severe HDP exposure. Among children with full-term birth, logistic regression analysis indicated that exposure to mild or severe HDP was significantly associated with a higher incidence of FS (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.27 [1.05-1.53] and 1.27 [0.90-1.78], respectively, P for trend = 0.008), compared with children without HDP exposure. CONCLUSION: In children with full-term birth, intrauterine exposure to HDP was significantly associated with FS by the age of three years. IMPACT: This study revealed a significant association between intrauterine exposure to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and the subsequent development of febrile seizures (FS) in offspring by three years. This increased incidence of FS by HDP was independent of preterm birth status. This is the first large nationwide birth cohort study showing the impact of intrauterine exposure to HDP on FS in early childhood.

Impact of dog and/or cat ownership on functional constipation at 3 years of age: the Japan Environment and Children's study.

PURPOSE: This investigation assessed the impact of dog and/or cat ownership during infancy on the presence of functional constipation (FC) at 3 years of age. METHODS: The fixed data of 73,936 singleton births from a large national birth cohort study commencing in 2011 were used to identify FC as estimated by Rome III at 3 years of age. Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to search for correlations between FC development and dog and/or cat ownership in early childhood. RESULTS: A total of 8,459 toddlers (11.6%) met the Rome III criteria for FC at 3 years of age. Overall, 57,264 (77.5%) participants had never owned a dog or cat. We identified 7,715 (10.4%) infant-period owners, 1,295 (1.8%) current owners, and 7,762 (10.5%) long-term owners. Multivariate analysis showed that infant-period ownership remained significantly associated with the risk of developing FC at 3 years of age after adjusting for covariates (adjusted OR [95% CI] 1.09 [1.01-1.19] based on non-ownership). CONCLUSIONS: This Japanese large nationwide survey uncovered a possible adverse effect of infant-period dog and/or cat ownership prior to 6 months of age on FC status at 3 years of age.

Impact of breastfeeding during infancy on functional constipation at 3 years of age: the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of large, nationwide, birth cohort studies in Japan that examine the relationships of initial feeding habits and breastfeeding period duration with offspring functional constipation at 3 years of age. This study assessed the impact of breastfeeding during infancy on early childhood functional constipation. METHODS: The fixed data of 70,078 singleton births from the ongoing Japan Environment and Children's Study cohort study that commenced in 2011 were used to identify functional constipation as estimated by Rome III at 3 years of age. The exposure variables were breastfeeding period duration until 12 months of age (never, up to 6 months, or ≥ 7 months) as well as breastfeeding status at 1 month and 6 months of age (breastfeeding exclusively, partial breastfeeding, or infant formula feeding only). Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to search for correlations for functional constipation development with breastfeeding period duration until 12 months of age and breastfeeding status during infancy. RESULTS: We identified 8,118 toddlers (11.6%) who met the Rome III criteria at 3 years of age. After controlling for potential covariates, a breastfeeding period duration of 7 months or more was inversely related to functional constipation development (≥ 7 months: adjusted odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)] 0.76 [0.65, 0.88] versus never breastfed, P for trend < 0.001). Other initial feeding methods were significantly related to an increased risk of functional constipation as compared with breastfeeding exclusively at 1 month of age (partial breastfeeding: adjusted OR [95% CI] 1.17 [1.11, 1.23], formula feeding only: 1.23 [1.07, 1.40]) and 6 months of age (partial breastfeeding: adjusted OR [95% CI] 1.18 [1.12, 1.24], formula feeding only: adjusted OR [95% CI] 1.42 [1.20, 1.68]). CONCLUSION: This large nationwide survey revealed a possible protective effect of a prolonged breastfeeding period duration and early exclusive breastfeeding in infancy on functional constipation at 3 years.

Short-Term Associations of Ambient Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) with All-Cause Hospital Admissions and Total Charges in 12 Japanese Cities.

The short-term association between ambient particulate matter ≤2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) and hospital admissions is not fully understood. Studies of this association with hospital admission costs are also scarce, especially in entire hospitalized populations. We examined the association between ambient PM2.5 and all-cause hospital admissions, the corresponding total charges, and the total charges per patient by analyzing the hospital admission data of 2 years from 628 hospitals in 12 cities in Japan. We used generalized additive models with quasi-Poisson regression for hospital admissions and generalized additive models with log-linear regression for total charges and total charges per patient. We first estimated city-specific results and the combined results by random-effect models. A total of 2,017,750 hospital admissions were identified. A 10 µg/m3 increase in the 2 day moving average was associated with a 0.56% (95% CI: 0.14-0.99%) increase in all-cause hospital admissions and a 1.17% (95% CI: 0.44-1.90%) increase in total charges, and a 10 µg/m3 increase in the prior 2 days was associated with a 0.75% (95% CI: 0.34-1.16%) increase in total charges per patient. Short-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 was associated with increased all-cause hospital admissions, total charges, and total charges per patient.

Persistent colonization of non-lymphoid tissue-resident macrophages by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

Accumulating evidence has revealed that lymphoid tissue-resident commensal bacteria (e.g. Alcaligenes spp.) survive within dendritic cells. We extended our previous study by investigating microbes that persistently colonize colonic macrophages. 16S rRNA-based metagenome analysis using DNA purified from murine colonic macrophages revealed the presence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The in situ intracellular colonization by S. maltophilia was recapitulated in vitro by using bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Co-culture of BMDMs with clinically isolated S. maltophilia led to increased mitochondrial respiration and robust IL-10 production. We further identified a 25-kDa protein encoded by the gene assigned as smlt2713 (recently renamed as SMLT_RS12935) and secreted by S. maltophilia as the factor responsible for enhanced IL-10 production by BMDMs. IL-10 production is critical for maintenance of the symbiotic condition, because intracellular colonization by S. maltophilia was impaired in IL-10-deficient BMDMs, and smlt2713-deficient S. maltophilia failed to persistently colonize IL-10-competent BMDMs. These findings indicate a novel commensal network between colonic macrophages and S. maltophilia that is mediated by IL-10 and smlt2713.

Detection of abused drugs in human blood by using the on-site drug-screening device Oratect® III.

A simple and precise drug screening method was developed for the detection of abused drugs in whole blood by using the Oratect® III device that is usually employed for the detection of drugs in saliva. Whole blood was acidified with phosphoric acid, following which the hemolyzed solution was filtered through the ultrafiltration column Vivaspin 2 Hydrosart®. The filtrate was then tested for the presence of drugs using Oratect III. The detection limit of the device for methamphetamine, amphetamine, morphine, codeine, dihydrocodeine, diazepam, alprazolam, estazolam, and prazepam in whole blood was 125, 125, 50, 50, 50, 25, 60, 15, and 75ng/mL, respectively. The concentration range detected was between therapeutic and toxic drug levels; therefore, the proposed method can be applied for detecting the presence of abused drugs in blood. Our method is a novel, optimized technique for use in forensic laboratories to screen whole blood for drugs of abuse.

[Cross-reactivity of Instant-View M-1 for detection of benzodiazepine-related drugs and their metabolites in urine].

Immunoassays are useful methods for the determination of regulated drugs in clinical and forensic laboratories. Although the Instant-View M-1 (IV M-1) immunoassay kit is frequently used to screen drugs in laboratories in Japan, basic information about the IV M-1 such as its specificity and reactivity is not available. In this study, we determined the specificity and cross-reactivity of IV M-1 for the detection of benzodiazepine-related drugs and their metabolites in urine. The IV M-1 could detect triazolobenzodiazepines such as triazolam in urine at concentrations > or = 300 ng/mL. However, thienodiazepines such as etizolam could not be detected because of lack of cross reactivity. A correlation was observed between the structure of the metabolites and the reactivity of the kit; 4-hydroxy metabolites of alprazolam and triazolam were detectable, whereas a-hydroxy metabolites were not. Furthermore, 7-amino metabolites such as nitrazepam could not be detected at any concentration, including high concentrations. The specificity and reactivity of various kits used for detection of drugs in urine are different. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the basic features of the kit used while assessing the results obtained.

Gender differences in D-aspartic acid content in skull bone.

In forensic medicine, the personal identification of cadavers is one of the most important tasks. One method of estimating age at death relies on the high correlation between racemization rates in teeth and actual age, and this method has been applied successfully in forensic odontology for several years. In this study, we attempt to facilitate the analysis of racemized amino acids and examine the determination of age at death on the basis of the extent of aspartic acid (Asp) racemization in skull bones. The specimens were obtained from 61 human skull bones (19 females and 42 males) that underwent judicial autopsy from October 2010 to May 2012. The amount of D-Asp and L-Asp, total protein, osteocalcin, and collagen I in the skull bones was measured. Logistic regression analysis was performed for age, sex, and each measured protein. The amount of D-Asp in the female skull bones was significantly different from that in the male skull bones (p = 0.021), whereas the amount of L-Asp was similar. Thus, our study indicates that the amount of D-Asp in skull bones is different between the sexes.