Influence of intimate partner violence on mental status in Japanese women during the first trimester of pregnancy

Objective: We examined the relation between intimate partner violence (IVP) and maternal mental status such as depression and anxiety.

Methods: Between April 2016 and October 2016, we asked all Japanese women during the first trimester of pregnancy to answer the three self-administered questionnaires to screen IVP and depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Results: There were 19 women who had a high score in the modified Violence Against Women Screen (VAWS) (4.1%, IPV group) and 408 women who had a score 0 (86.8%, control group). Overall, the rate of the women with depressive, anxiety, and depressive plus anxiety symptoms were 21.3, 31.5, and 16.0%, respectively. The rate of depressive and/or anxiety symptoms in the IPV group were significantly higher than those in the control group (Odds ratio?=?5.02 and 7.40, p?X² test).

Conclusions: The significant adverse effect of IPV on maternal mental status seemed to be observed in Japanese women during the first trimester of pregnancy.     

Current status of syphilis in pregnant women in Japan

We examined the current status of syphilis-infected pregnant Japanese women, according to the results of syphilis screening and confirmation tests of women who gave birth in Japan between October, 2015 and March, 2016. We requested 2458 obstetrical facilities to provide information of syphilis screening tests and 78.1% of them responded. Considering the response rate and the rate of implementation of confirmation tests, the number of syphilis-infected pregnant Japanese women was estimated to be 250 (1/4022) per year.     

Replication of reported genetic associations of PADI4, FCRL3, SLC22A4 and RUNX1 genes with rheumatoid arthritis: results of an independent Japanese population and evidence from meta-analysis of East Asian studies

We conducted population-based association tests for the four selected SNPs (rs2240340/padi4_94, rs7528684/fcrl3_3, rs3792876/slc2F2 and rs2268277/runx1) previously reported to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study population consisted of 950 unrelated Japanese subjects with RA and 507 controls, none of whom had previously been tested for these variants. Only the SNP rs2240340/padi4_94 was modestly associated with RA [allele odds ratio (OR) 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.43, P = 0.012]. The most significant association effect was found for genotype contrast between minor and major allele homozygotes (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.10–2.12, P = 0.010). No other SNPs showed a statistically significant association with RA in our population. Meta-analysis of published studies and our new data confirmed a highly significant association between PADI4 gene SNPs and increased risk of RA in East Asian populations (allele fixed-effects summary OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.22–1.41, P < 0.0001). We found some evidence for an association of either rs7528684/fcrl3_3 or rs3792876/slc2F2 with RA; however, because the magnitudes of effects were apparently much weaker than those reported in the initial positive reports, and there were substantial levels of inter-study OR heterogeneity, we concluded that additional studies are needed to fully understand the present results. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Two cases of partial trisomy 21 (pter-q22.1) without the major features of Down syndrome

We report two cases of partial trisomy 21 with clinical features distinct from Down syndrome (DS). These patients presented with moderate mental retardation and short stature, but the typical facial appearance of DS was not observed. Each patient had a similarly sized extra chromosome 21. We performed FISH analysis to examine whether deletions of reported approximately 5 Mb DS critical region (DSCR) might be associated with unusual clinical features in these cases. The results showed that each of their extra chromosomes 21 contained a distal part of chromosome 3p or 14q at the telomeric region of chromosome 21q. The translocation breakpoint of 21q for each patient was located on the centromeric side of DSCR (DSCR was deleted) and the sizes of partial trisomy 21 in respective patients are approximately 34.5 (21pter-q22.12) and approximately 33.0 Mb (21pter-q22.11). In one patient, the additional region of the short arm of chromosome 3 was 3pter-p26.1 from maternal origin, measuring approximately 9 Mb in size. The second patient had an extra 14q32.1-qter of maternal origin, measuring approximately 14 Mb in size. These are one of the shortest partial distal trisomy among reported cases. Taken together, two patients with partial trisomy 21 lack all of DSCR on 21q22, and their distinct clinical features are likely caused by the genes located at 21pter-q22.1 and the distal part of chromosome 3p or 14q.     

Hydrogenation of quinone compounds during secondary ion mass spectra measurement

Antibiotics containing a quinone group show characteristic reduced pseudo-molecular ions (M + 2)+ and (M + 3)+ during the measurements of secondary ion mass spectra using glycerol as a matrix. The ratios of peak intensities (M + 2)+ and (M + 3)+ over (M + 1)+ increase with time. As this phenomenon is not found using sulfolane as a matrix, the quinone group seems to be hydrogenated to a hydroquinone by active hydrogen which is produced from a free hydroxyl group of the glycerol by bombardment with the Xe+ beam. This hydrogenation reaction is specific for the quinone group.     

OF4949, new inhibitors of aminopeptidase B. I. Taxonomy, fermentation, isolation and characterization

New aminopeptidase B inhibitors that we named OF4949-I, II, III and IV were isolated from the culture broth of a fungus, Penicillium rugulosum OF4949. The molecular formula of I was C23H26N4O8 and that of II, C22H24O8, judging from elemental analysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The concentrations of I, II, III and IV required for 50% inhibition of aminopeptidase, using Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells as the source of the enzyme, were 0.0054, 0.0048, 3.4 and 1.7 micrograms/ml, respectively. Components I and II augmented delayed-type hypersensitivity in mice to sheep red blood cells.     

Colonic Mucosal Blood Flow in Ischemic Colitis

Altered colonic mucosal blood flow (CMBF) is thought to be involved in the onset mechanism of ischemic colitis (IC). This study was designed to clarify the features of CMBF in six patients with IC (average age, 61 yr) and 10 control subjects (44.6yr). In the IC patients, CMBF was measured at both the affected site (ulcer margin and surrounding mucosa) and at a normal appearing site, during the active, healing, or recovery phase, by the laser doppler method. In the control group, CMBF was measured in various segments of the colon. The CMBF around the ulcer site during the active phase was significantly lower than that at the homologous segment in normal controls, while CMBF at normal sites in IC patients did not differ markedly from that of normal controls. CMBF in reddened portions of the ulcer margin in IC patients was significantly higher than that of the surrounding mucosa. A significant increase in CMBF was also observed during PGEi administration as compared to that before administration. This evidence clearly indicates that decreased CMBF is involved in the pathogenic mechanism of IC. The CMBF at sites of active mucosal restoration was somewhat increased. Continuous intravenous administration of PGEi was found to increase CMBF in IC patients.