Maternal multivitamin intake and orofacial clefts in offspring: Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) cohort study

Objectives: Orofacial clefts are common birth defects with a lack of strong evidence regarding their association with maternal nutrition. We aimed to determine whether a relationship exists between maternal nutrient or multivitamin intake and orofacial clefts. Design: This is a prospective, population-based nationwide cohort study. Setting: The study was conducted in 15 regional centres, consisting of local administrative units and study areas. Participants: A total of 98 787 eligible mother–child pairs of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study were included. Intervention: Exposures were maternal nutrition and the use of supplemental multivitamins in mothers. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Outcomes were the occurrence of any orofacial cleft at birth. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between maternal multivitamin intake and the incidence of orofacial clefts. Results: Of the 98 787 children, 69 (0.07%) were diagnosed with cleft lip alone, 113 (0.11%) were diagnosed with cleft lip and palate, and 52 (0.05%) were diagnosed with cleft palate within 1 month after birth. Regarding the total orofacial cleft outcome, statistically significant point estimates of relative risk ratios (RR) were determined for multivitamin intake before pregnancy (RR=1.71; 95% CI 1.06 to 2.77) and during the first trimester (RR=2.00; 95% CI 1.18 to 3.37), but the association was not significant for multivitamin intake after the first trimester (RR=1.34; 95% CI 0.59 to 3.01). Maternal micronutrient intake via food was not associated with the incidence of orofacial clefts in offspring. Conclusions: Intake of multivitamin supplements shortly before conception or during the first trimester of pregnancy was found to be associated with an increased incidence of orofacial clefts at birth. Pregnant women and those intending to become pregnant should be advised of the potential risks of multivitamin supplementation

Construction of the ACDE Ring System of Calyciphylline A-type Alkaloids via Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reaction of a Tetrasubstituted Olefin

A concise synthesis of the ACDE tetracyclic ring system of calyciphylline A-type alkaloids was investigated. The intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction of a tetrasubstituted olefin with furan enabled the construction of the ACD ring system bearing two contiguous quaternary carbons in one step, and subsequent intramolecular [3+2] cycloaddition successfully gave the E ring

Distribution and life histories of tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in Tottori Sand Dunes (Tottori City, Honshu, Japan) with remarks on the extinction of Calomera angulata.

2013年から2014年にかけて鳥取砂丘の全域でハンミョウ類の生息調査をおこない，カワラハンミョウの幼虫の巣穴が砂丘のほぼ全域にみられるのに対し，エリザハンミョウのそれはオアシス周辺の湿り気のある砂泥地表に限定されていることを確認した。1990年代までオアシス周辺で生息が確認されていたハラビロハンミョウは確認できず，鳥取砂丘からは絶滅したと判断される。当地は環境省国立公園の特別保護地区であり，採集は厳密に規制されているのでこの絶滅は1994年からはじまった除草に影響された可能性が強く疑われる。本種の鳥取砂丘内での最終確認は1997年である。カワラハンミョウとエリザハンミョウについてはコドラート調査により，カワラハンミョウは基本的に年1化で1 ～ 2齢の幼虫で越冬，エリザハンミョウも年1化だがすべての齢で越冬していると推定された。巣穴は1年をとおして集中分布でとくに若齢幼虫の多い秋季にはその傾向がめだった。We surveyed distributions and life histories of cicindelid beetles in Tottori Sand Dunes, Tottori Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. Larval nests of Chaetodera laetescripta were widely found in the bare arenaceous ground around vegetation of sandy shore plants in the dunes, while those of Cilindela elisae were limited to the bare silt-mingling arenaceous ground along the stream flowing into the pool called “Oasis”. No adults and nests of Calomera angulata (Fabricius, 1798) that had been found up to 1990s around “Oasis”were found. Absence of the records of Calomera angulata from Tottori Sand Dunes after the last observation in 1997 strongly suggests extinction of the species in the area. It is highly suggested that weeding activities that started in 1994 in Tottori Sand Dunes influenced negatively for the occurrence of the species, because Tottori Sand Dunes has been designated as a special protection area of the national parks by the Japan Ministry of Environment and collecting animals and plants and other activities that may influence conservation of the environment are strictly regulated. Chaetodera laetescripta and Cilindela elisae were univoltine and adults appeared from July. Analyses of dispersion pattern of larval nests for the two species showed contagious distribution

Retraction: NF-κB activation by Helicobacter pylori requires Akt-mediated phosphorylation of p65

Article retracte

Influence of socioeconomic factors on medically unnecessary ambulance calls

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Unnecessary ambulance use has become a socioeconomic problem in Japan. We investigated the possible relations between socioeconomic factors and medically unnecessary ambulance calls, and we estimated the incremental demand for unnecessary ambulance use produced by socioeconomic factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a self-administered questionnaire-based survey targeting residents of Yokohama, Japan. The questionnaire included questions pertaining to socioeconomic characteristics, dichotomous choice method questions pertaining to ambulance calls in hypothetical nonemergency situations, and questions on the city's emergency medical system. The probit model was used to analyze the data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 2,029 out of 3,363 targeted recipients completed the questionnaire (response rate, 60.3%). Probit regression analyses showed that several demographic and socioeconomic factors influence the decision to call an ambulance. Male respondents were more apt than female respondents to state that they would call an ambulance in nonemergency situations (p < 0.05). Age was an important factor influencing the hypothetical decision to call an ambulance (p < 0.05); elderly persons were more apt than younger persons to state that they would call an ambulance. Possession of a car and hesitation to use an ambulance negatively influenced the hypothetical decision to call an ambulance (p < 0.05). Persons who do not have a car were more likely than those with a car to state that they would call an ambulance in unnecessary situations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results of the study suggest that several socioeconomic factors, i.e., age, gender, household income, and possession of a car, influence a person's decision to call an ambulance in nonemergency situations. Hesitation to use an ambulance and knowledge of the city's primary emergency medical center are likely to be important factors limiting ambulance overuse. It was estimated that unnecessary ambulance use is increased approximately 10% to 20% by socioeconomic factors.</p

Concise Construction of the ACDE Ring System of Calyciphylline A Type Alkaloids by a [5+2] Cycloaddition

A concise route for construction of the ACDE ring skeleton in calyciphylline A type alkaloids was developed using an intramolecular [5+2] cycloaddition reaction of an oxidopyrylium species bearing a tetrasubstituted olefin. Key to the success of this reaction was the combination of acid and base, which accelerated the construction of this skeleton containing a spiro ring and vicinal quaternary carbon centers. The resultant tricyclic ADE ring compound was converted to an ACDE ring model through C−H oxidation and an aza‐Wittig reaction

Association of maternal heavy metal exposure during pregnancy with isolated cleft lip and palate in offspring: Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS) cohort study

子どもの健康と環境に関する全国調査（エコチル調査）＜妊婦の血中重金属濃度と生まれた子どもの口唇口蓋裂との関連について --エコチル調査＞. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-04-12.[Background] Cleft lip and palate (cleft L/P) is one of the most common congenital anomalies and its etiology is assumed to be multifactorial. Recent epidemiological data involving a small number of participants suggested an association between perinatal exposure to heavy metals and cleft L/P in affected children. However, this association requires further investigation in a large cohort. [Methods] This nested case–control study used a dataset of The Japan Environment and Children’s Study, which is an ongoing research project to investigate the association between environmental factors and mother-child health. Participants were enrolled between 2011 and 2014. From the records of fetuses/children, we extracted data of isolated cleft L/P cases and matched children without cleft L/P at a ratio of 1:10. The exposures of interest were in utero exposure to four metals (mercury [Hg], lead [Pb], cadmium [Cd], and manganese [Mn]), which were sampled from mothers in the second/third trimester. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the association between heavy metal exposure and isolated cleft L/P. Three sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the findings, including the change in case definition and statistical methods. [Results] Of 104, 062 fetal records involving both live-birth and stillbirth, we identified 192 children with isolated cleft L/P and 1, 920 matched controls. Overall, the blood metal levels were low (for example, median Pb level was 5.85, 6.22, and 5.75 μg/L in the total cohort, cases, and controls, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that levels of none of the four heavy metals in the mother’s blood during pregnancy were associated with the risk of cleft L/P in offspring; the adjusted odds ratios (per 1 μg/L increase) with 95% intervals were 0.96 (0.91–1.03), 1.01 (0.94–1.08), 1.00 (0.61–1.63) and 1.00 (0.97–1.03) for Hg, Pb, Cd and Mn, respectively. The results were consistent in all sensitivity analyses. [Conclusions] Exposure to these four metals during pregnancy was not associated with isolated cleft L/P at the low exposure level in our cohort

Difference between perceptions of preceptors and newly graduated nurses regarding delay in professional growth: a thematic analysis

Abstract Background Smooth reciprocal relationships enable a preceptee’s growth, and it has been suggested that without such relationships, the preceptee may not be able to grow successfully. This study explored the differences in perceptions by matching the perspectives of both the preceptees who did not make progress in workplace adjustment and their preceptors. Identifying the differences in perceptions between the two groups is important for improving nursing education and the relationship between preceptees and preceptors. Methods A pair of nurses who had been with the company for less than 3 years and who had previously been transferred or had resigned due to poor workplace adjustment were designated as preceptees, and those who had directly supervised the preceptee during their first year of employment were included as preceptors in the study. A 50-minute semi-structured interview was conducted separately to examine the perceptions of the preceptee and preceptor. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. Results This study explored the differences in perceptions regarding the clinical practice of nursing between preceptors and their preceptees who did not make progress in workplace adjustment during nursing education; six themes were identified. After interviewing both sides, it became clear that the same event was interpreted differently depending on their positions, perspectives, and contexts. As the preceptees were nurses who had left or had been transferred, the existence of these differences in perceptions suggests that these factors may impact their departure or transfer. However, we do not aim to place blame on one side or the other for the preceptee’s turnover or transfer and would like to consider effective support, not only for the preceptee, but also for the preceptor. Conclusions It is necessary to examine nursing education on the premise that differences may occur depending on the position and role of nurses in the workplace and to look at curricular framework changes to bring in a systemic influence towards the training of young nurses