Kohei Ogawa

Testing the causality between CYP9M10 and pyrethroid resistance using the TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 technologies

Recently-emerging genome editing technologies have enabled targeted gene knockout experiments even in non-model insect species. For studies on insecticide resistance, genome editing technologies offer some advantages over the conventional reverse genetic technique, RNA interference, for testing causal relationships between genes of detoxifying enzymes and resistance phenotypes. There were relatively abundant evidences indicating that the overexpression of a cytochrome P450 gene CYP9M10 confers strong pyrethroid resistance in larvae of the southern house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. However, reverse genetic verification has not yet been obtained because of the technical difficulty of microinjection into larvae. Here, we tested two genome editing technologies, transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN)s and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9), to disrupt CYP9M10 in a resistant strain of C. quinquefasciatus. Additionally, we developed a novel, effective approach to construct a TALE using the chemical cleavage of phosphorothioate inter-nucleotide linkages in the level 1 assembly. Both TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 induced frame-shifting mutations in one or all copies of CYP9M10 in a pyrethroid-resistant strain. A line fixed with a completely disrupted CYP9M10 haplotype showed more than 100-fold reduction in pyrethroid resistance in the larval stage.

Validation of a food frequency questionnaire for Japanese pregnant women with and without nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy

Background No previous study has shown the validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in early pregnancy with consideration of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of a FFQ in early pregnancy for Japanese pregnant women. Method We included 188 women before 15 weeks of gestation and compared estimated nutrient intake and food group intake based on a modified FFQ with that based on 3-day dietary records (DRs). Spearmans rank correlation coefficients, adjusting energy intake and attenuating within-person error, were calculated. Subgroup analysis for those with and without NVP was conducted. We also examined the degree of appropriate classification across categories between FFQ and DRs through division of consumption of nutrients and food groups into quintiles. Results Crude Spearmans correlation coefficients of nutrients ranged from 0.098 (sodium) to 0.401 (vitamin C), and all of the 36 nutrients were statistically significant. In 27 food groups, correlation coefficients ranged from −0.015 (alcohol) to 0.572 (yogurt), and 81% were statistically significant. In subgroup analysis, correlation coefficients in 89% of nutrients and 70% of food groups in women with NVP and 97% of nutrients and 74% of food groups in women without NVP were statistically significant. On average, 63.7% of nutrients and 60.4% of food groups were classified into same or adjacent quintiles according to the FFQ and DRs. Conclusions The FFQ is a useful instrument, regardless of NVP, for assessing the diet of women in early pregnancy in Japan.

Validity of a food frequency questionnaire to estimate long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake among Japanese women in early and late pregnancy

Background The relative validity of food frequency questionnaires for estimating long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) intake among pregnant Japanese women is currently unclear. The aim of this study was to verify the external validity of a food frequency questionnaire, originally developed for non-pregnant adults, to assess the dietary intake of LC-PUFA using dietary records and serum phospholipid levels among Japanese women in early and late pregnancy. Methods A validation study involving 188 participants in early pregnancy and 169 participants in late pregnancy was conducted. Intake LC-PUFA was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire and evaluated using a 3-day dietary record and serum phospholipid concentrations in both early and late pregnancy. Results The food frequency questionnaire provided estimates of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake with higher precision than dietary records in both early and late pregnancy. Significant correlations were observed for LC-PUFA intake estimated using dietary records in both early and late pregnancy, particularly for EPA and DHA (correlation coefficients ranged from 0.34 to 0.40, p < 0.0001). Similarly, high correlations for EPA and DHA in serum phospholipid composition were also observed in both early and late pregnancy (correlation coefficients ranged 0.27 to 0.34, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Our findings suggest that the food frequency questionnaire, which was originally designed for non-pregnant adults and was evaluated in this study against dietary records and biological markers, has good validity for assessing LC-PUFA intake, especially EPA and DHA intake, among Japanese women in early and late pregnancy.

Factors affecting parental decisions to terminate pregnancy in the presence of chromosome abnormalities: A Japanese multicenter study

To investigate the rates of termination of pregnancy (TOP) for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and factors related to such parental decision in Japan.

Gross motor function and general development of babies born after assisted reproductive technology

To elucidate the gross motor function and general development of babies born after assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Stomach herniation predicts fetal death or non-reassuring fetal status in gastroschisis at late pregnancy

few have assessed the findings associated with IUFD or NRFS.Theobjectiveofthisstudywastoelucidatesuchantenatal findings.We identified 24 cases of fetal gastroschisis, which werediagnosed antenatally, all delivered at our hospital betweenJuly 2003 and July 2012. We excluded four cases of inducedand one case of spontaneous abortion all before 22weeks ofgestation. In the 19 cases, which were expectantly managedduring pregnancy, check up with ultrasonography wasperformed every 2weeks until 34weeks of gestation afterdiagnosis. After 34weeks, ultrasonography was performedonce a week, and a nonstress test was performed twice a weekuntil delivery. In all cases, elective cesarean section wasscheduled near term. The timing of the cesarean delivery wasdetermined on the basis of obstetric indications. Thisretrospective study was conducted with the approval of theinstitutional review board of the National Center for ChildHealth and Development in Japan.We classified the 19 cases into two groups, that is, eithercomplicatedbyIUFDorNRFS( n=7)orcaseswithreassuringfetalstatus(RFS) (n=12). In the IUFD/NRFS group, there was one fetaldeath at 34weeks of gestation and six cases undergoingemergency cesarean section due to NRFS. The RFS groupconsisted of 12 cases all delivered by scheduled cesarean section.We compared prenatal (e.g., stomach herniation,

Maternal vegetable intake in early pregnancy and wheeze in offspring at the age of 2 years

Background/objectivesVegetable intake during childhood may reduce the risk of subsequent asthma. We verified the effect of maternal intake during pregnancy on asthma risk in offspring, which has rarely been studied.Subjects/methodsIn a hospital-based birth cohort study conducted in Tokyo, we administered a food frequency questionnaire at two periods during the respondents’ pregnancy: early and mid to late periods. In addition, a questionnaire including the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire was conducted when the offspring were 2 years old. Multivariate Poisson regression adjusting for maternal baseline demographics was used to elucidate the association between maternal vegetable intake and the incidence of wheeze in the offspring.ResultsAmong 310 singletons, 82 (26.5%) experienced wheeze at 2 years of age. Women with the highest intake of cruciferous, and folate-rich vegetables during early pregnancy reported a significantly lower prevalence of wheeze in their child at 2 years of age in comparison with those who reported the lowest intake (adjusted risk ratio: 0.48 and 0.47, 95% confidence interval: 0.26–0.89, and 0.25–0.87, respectively). In trend analysis, a higher maternal intake of cruciferous, folate-rich vegetables, and total vegetables during early pregnancy was less likely to be associated with wheeze in the offspring at 2 years old (p for trend: 0.038, <0.001, and 0.028, respectively). Maternal vegetable intake during mid to late pregnancy was not associated with wheeze in the offspring.ConclusionsMaternal vegetable intake during early pregnancy may have a protective effect against asthma in offspring at 2 years of age.

Five‐year study assessing the feasibility and safety of autologous blood transfusion in pregnant Japanese women

Aim:  To assess the feasibility and safety of autologous blood donation during pregnancy in Japanese women.

Beta-2 receptor agonist exposure in the uterus associated with subsequent risk of childhood asthma

Although the beta‐2 receptor agonist (B2RA) is occasionally prescribed in the prenatal period for women with preterm labor, few studies have referred to the long‐term effects of intrauterine exposure to B2RA on fetus. We examined the association between intrauterine exposure to B2RA and asthma in the offspring.

Dietary n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Late Pregnancy and Postpartum Depressive Symptom among Japanese Women

Background The use of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFA) in preventive or therapeutic modalities for postpartum depression, especially long-chain types such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is of considerable interest. High n-3PUFA consumption has been reported among pregnant Japanese women. Therefore, analysis of this group could provide important insights into the relationship between postpartum depression and dietary n-3PUFA consumption. To further examine the relationship between the risk of postpartum depression and n-3PUFA consumption, we conducted a prospective hospital-based birth cohort study in Japan. Design and methods Our prospective birth cohort study was performed at the National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) in suburban Tokyo, Japan. Dietary n-3PUFA intake during late pregnancy was assessed by a semi-quantitative food questionnaire and participants were categorized by quintile distributions of n-3PUFA intake. A Japanese translation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to screen women for postpartum depression at 1 month after delivery (967 women) and at 6 months after delivery (710 women). We performed logistic regression analysis to examine the relationship between the risk of postpartum depression and n-3PUFA consumption after adjusting for confounding factors. Results Significant associations between EPA, DHA, and n-3PUFA intakes in late pregnancy and postpartum depression at both 1 and 6 months after delivery were not observed. Conclusion This prospective study indicated that EPA, DHA, and n-3PUFA intake during late pregnancy was not associated with the risk of postpartum depression.