In order to examine the effect of maternal active and passive smoking on fetal growth, we carried out a population-based cohort study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 15,207 women who notified their pregnancy from April, 1989 to March, 1991. A total of 7,411 mother-singleton infant pairs were analyzed in this study. Paternal smoking status and maternal hours exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) were used as indicators of passive smoking.Infants born to active smoking mothers were 96 g lighter, on an average, at birth than those born to non-smokers, and the relative risk for intrauterine growth retardation was 1.79 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-3.04) among active smoking mothers.Infants with smoking fathers weighted 11 g lighter, on an average, than those with non-smoking fathers, and mean birth weight of infants was reduced by 19 g among mothers exposed to ETS. The relative risk for intrauterine growth retardation in non-smoking pregnants with a smoking husband and those exposed to ETS was 0.95 (95% Cl = 0.72-1.26) and 0.95 (95% Cl = 0.71-1.26), respectively. Our findings indicated an adverse effect of maternal active smoking on fetal growth in Japanese pregnant population, but with small influence of maternal passive smoking.

Background. We investigated the effects of loss of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) on the healing process of cutaneous excisional injury by using iNOS-null (KO) mice. Population of granulation tissue-related cell types, that is, myofibroblasts and macrophages, growth factor expression, and reepithelialization were evaluated. Methods. KO and wild type (WT) mice of C57BL/6 background were used. Under general anesthesia two round full-thickness excision wounds of 5.0 mm in diameter were produced in dorsal skin. After specific intervals of healing, macroscopic observation, histology, immunohistochemistry, and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were employed to evaluate the healing process. Results. The loss of iNOS retards granulation tissue formation and reepithelialization in excision wound model in mice. Detailed analyses showed that myofibroblast appearance, macrophage infiltration, and mRNA expression of transforming growth factor b and of collagen 1α2 were all suppressed by lacking iNOS. Conclusions. iNOS is required in the process of cutaneous wound healing. Lacking iNOS retards macrophage invasion and its expression of fibrogenic components that might further impair fibrogenic behaviors of fibroblasts.

BackgroundA recent multicenter trial demonstrated decreased mortality when patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome were treated with prone positioning (PP). However, the optimal duration of this treatment has not been established.MethodsFrom May 2010 to August 2013, 15 patients with respiratory failure underwent extended-duration prone positioning (more than 40 h) in the medical-surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital. The records of each patient were retrospectively investigated to evaluate the impact of prone positioning on the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (PFR) during the first 40 h of therapy.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 72.2 ± 7.8 years, and the mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 19.0 ± 6.0. The hospital mortality rate was 47% (7/15), and the median duration of prone positioning was 47.5 h (46.5–67). The mean PFR before prone positioning was 193.8 ± 70.1, and it significantly improved to 274.7 ± 70.7 (p = 0.02) at 8 h after prone positioning initiation. Although PFR further improved to 294.1 ± 78.0 (p = 0.23) at 16 h, the change was not significant and PFR remained relatively constant at 289.0 ± 88.1, 294.6 ± 68.2, and 291.7 ± 72.7 at 24, 32, and 40 h, respectively.ConclusionsExtended-duration prone positioning resulted in a progressive improvement in oxygenation until 8 to 16 h after treatment initiation, after which there was no significant improvement. Further studies are warranted to clarify the optimal duration of prone positioning and the actual effectiveness of extended-duration PP for respiratory failure.

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BackgroundThe factors that influence survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Japan have not been fully investigated. Methods and ResultsThe official emergency service record was used to investigate 1,600 patients for whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation was attempted by the city's emergency personnel. Only 45 (2.8%) patients survived for 1 month. The survival rate was 9.8% in the patients under 20 years of age, with a marked decreasing trend to 0.8% in the patients aged 80 years or older. The rate peaked at 4.8% on Sunday and bottomed out at 0.5% on Thursday, forming a distinct sine curve. The survival rate was 9.9% when an ambulance arrived at the scene within 4 min, with a steep drop to 2.5% when 4-7 min elapsed. However, the rate was not significantly different by the interval to hospital. Although bystander resuscitation did not significantly affect the survival, paramedics on board significantly improved the rate (3.5% vs 1.6%). Multivariate analysis confirmed that age, day of the week, place, interval to ambulance's arrival, and personnel on board were independently associated with the probability of survival. Conclusions Quick arrival of a paramedic team would improve the survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. General education of lifesaving techniques would be another key factor. (Circ J 2004; 68: 603 -609)

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Antiviral proteins (AVPs) including the oligoadenylate-synthase (OAS) and Interferon induced transmembrane protein (IFITM) families have protective roles within the innate immune system. However, little is known about their regulation in skin. BMAL1 and CLOCK, regulators of the circadian rhythm, have known importance in a number of immune functions. We hypothesized that the circadian clock may regulate cutaneous AVP expression. We demonstrate that murine skin displays homeostatic oscillations of AVP expression through the day, and that AVPs exhibit modest rhythmic expression in primary human keratinocytes post-circadian synchronization using serum starvation or dexamethasone shock with a periodicity of 20 to 24 hours. siRNA knockdown of CLOCK also decreased AVP expression in vitro. Further in silico analysis revealed that murine and non-human primate skin display circadian expression of AVPs. Notably, we have found that skin wounding at different times of day induces variable AVP expression. Woundinduced transcription of AVPs also was attenuated in ClockD19 circadian mutant mice. These findings support a paradigm where circadian rhythm may control time-of-day anticipatory AVP transcriptional production in order to prioritize cutaneous defenses when the host is more likely to be wounded and encounter pathogens. Further work is needed to establish the mechanistic links of wounding, circadian rhythm, and the AVP response to ultimately permit a better understanding of our skin's homeostatic and wound-induced viral defense mechanisms.