Machiko Minatoya

Hokkaido University | Hokudai · Faculty of Health Sciences

There is no information on the incidence of severe hypoglycemia in real-world patients with diabetes receiving ultra-rapid lispro (URLi). This post-marketing, observational, safety study assessed the incidence proportion and incidence rate of the first severe hypoglycemia event requiring a hospital visit in URLi-treated patients. It also compared t...

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of algorithms for identifying cases of severe hypoglycemia in Japanese hospital administrative data. Methods This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study conducted at 3 acute-care hospitals in Japan. The study population included patients aged ≥18 years with diabetes...

Informal electronic waste (e-waste) dismantling activities contribute to releasing hazardous compounds in the environment and potential exposure to humans and their health. These hazardous compounds include persistent organic pollutants (POPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. This review searched papers addressing hazardou...

Background Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants, including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs), and nondioxin-like PCBs (NDL-PCBs), has been hypothesized to have a detrimental impact on neurodevelopment. However, the association of prenatal e...

Background The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children’s Health is an ongoing study consisting of two birth cohorts of different population sizes: the Sapporo cohort and the Hokkaido cohort. Our primary objectives are to (1) examine the effects that low-level environmental chemical exposures have on birth outcomes, including birth defects and gr...

This prospective cohort study aimed to examine the associations between mold growth, type of stoves, and fragrance materials and early childhood wheezing and asthma, using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Mold growth at home, usage of kerosene/gas stove, wood stove/fireplace, and air freshener/deodorizer were surveyed using a q...

Background The influence of maternal psychological distress on infant congenital heart defects (CHDs) has not been thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, there have been no reports on the combined effect of maternal psychological distress and socioeconomic status on infant CHDs. This study aimed to examine whether maternal psychological distress, so...

Pets may play a role in the social-emotional development of children. In particular, some studies have suggested that family dog ownership is associated with better health outcomes. To date, no study has assessed child development in association with dog ownership of different time points. The purpose of the current study was primary to investigate...

Background The influence of mothers’ and fathers’ educational levels in separate evaluations of asthma has not been fully investigated. This study aims to examine the associations of the mother’s and fathers’ educational levels with childhood wheeze and asthma adjusting for crude and pre-and post-natal modifiable risk factors. Methods We conducted...

Purpose of review: Bisphenol A and phthalate have been found in the environment, as well as in humans. In this narrative review pre- and postnatal bisphenol A and phthalate exposures, their relationship to neurodevelopment, and the behavioral outcomes of children are elucidated, focusing in particular on the recent case-control, cross-sectional, a...

Background: The influence of maternal psychological distress on infant congenital heart defects (CHDs) has not been thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, there have been no reports on the combined effect of maternal psychological distress and socioeconomic status on infant CHDs. This study aimed to examine whether maternal psychological distress, s...

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are a cause of inpatient and outpatient care among children. Although orofacial clefts seem to be associated with LRTIs, epidemiological studies are scarce on this topic. This study aimed to examine whether infants with orofacial clefts were associated with LRTIs. Methods: This prospective coho...

Objective This study examined psychological status trajectories of mothers of infants with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts in Japan. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. Participants Infants with a nonsyndromic cleft (N = 148) including cleft lip and palate (CLP; n = 72), cleft lip (CL; n =...

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are environmental contaminants with potentially adverse effects on neurodevelopment. Previous findings on the association between prenatal exposure to OCPs and the maternal or infant thyroid hormone system are inconsistent. Moreover, the influence of exposure to multiple OCPs and other chemical compounds is not clea...

Background: Population impact of modifiable risk factors on orofacial clefts is still unknown. This study aimed to estimate population attributable fractions (PAFs) of modifiable risk factors for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL±P) and cleft palate only (CP) in Japan. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study using dat...

Background Motor coordination problems (MCP) in children can sometimes be diagnosed as developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Early intervention for DCD is necessary because it often continues into adolescence, causing mental and physical complications. Few studies have investigated the prevalence of childhood MCP in the Japanese population and...

Objectives Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common childhood disease with an increasing prevalence, affecting the quality of life of afflicted children. The onset of AD at an early age may disrupt normal sleep patterns, behavior, and relationships. Increased behavioral and discipline problems associated with AD have been documented. However, there are i...

Contact with companion animals has been suggested to have important roles in enhancing child development. However, studies focused on child development and pet ownership at a very early age are limited. The purpose of the current study was to investigate child development in relation to pet ownership at an early age in a nationwide prospective birt...

Background: There have been inconsistent findings reported on maternal passive smoking during pregnancy and child risk of ADHD. In this study, ADHD symptoms at pre-school age children in association with prenatal passive and active tobacco smoke exposure determined by maternal plasma cotinine levels in the third trimester were investigated. Metho...

It has been known that pregnant women are exposed to a number of environmental chemicals and studies have reported that these environmental chemicals are detected from pregnant women of various population. Environmental exposures such as air pollution, pesticides, solvents, heavy metals, and chemicals including persistent organic pollutants (POPs)...

This chapter provides a general introduction to bisphenols and alkylphenols in toxicity, exposure assessment, biomonitoring, and epidemiological studies. Both bisphenols and alkylphenols are applied intensively to the majority of consumer products and are ubiquitous in environmental matrices. Bisphenol A (BPA), nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol (OP), t...

Background: Thyroid antibodies (TAs) are the most common cause of hypothyroidism during gestation. Although previous studies found that prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) disrupts thyroid hormones (THs) in humans, their effects on TAs during the perinatal period have not been investigated. Objective: To explore the associatio...

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) in utero is associated with adverse health outcome of the offspring. Differential DNA methylation at specific CpG sites may link BPA exposure to health impacts. We examined the association of prenatal BPA exposure with genome-wide DNA methylation changes in cord blood in 277 mother-child pairs in the Hokkaido Study on...

This study aimed to construct a childhood obesity risk index based on predictors identified in pregnant women and 1-yr-old infants. The primary outcome was an identified obesity index of > 20% at 6–8 yr of age. Of a total sample size of 6,846 mother-child pairs, 80% and 20% were randomly allocated to the derivation and validation cohorts, respectiv...

Background Few previous studies have investigated the association between prenatal caffeine intake and birth size (small for gestational age [SGA], preterm birth, and birthweight Z‐score) in Japan. Objectives We examined the dose‐dependency of this association (prenatal caffeine consumption and birth size) as part of the Japan Environment and Chil...

Background: It is necessary to determine whether there are adverse health effects of prenatal exposure to long-term, low levels of mercury and selenium. However, there are limited that reports on the association between mercury levels by selenium levels and birth size. Therefore, we examined whether maternal mercury levels during pregnancy had any...

The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children’s Health is an ongoing study of two birth cohorts: the Sapporo cohort and the Hokkaido cohort. Our primary goals are (1) to examine the possible effects of low-level environmental chemical exposures, (2) to follow childhood development through a longitudinal observation study, (3) to identify a high-ri...

Background: Studies reported adverse behavioral development including internalizing and externalizing problems in association with prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates; however, findings were not sufficient due to using different assessment tools and child ages among studies. This study aimed to examine associations between matern...

In recent years, the birthrate has been continuously declining in Japan. The main causes of the decline are social factors. On the other hand, there is increasing evidence that many environmental chemicals show endocrine disrupting properties. Thus, we hypothesized that exposure to these chemicals would also be a causal for the fertility crisis. In...

Recently, we have published a book containing evidence-based public health guidelines and a practical manual for the prevention of sick house syndrome. The manual is available through the homepage of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (http://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/06-Seisakujouhou-11130500-Shokuhinanzenbu/0000155147.pdf). It is an almost comp...

Since "Our Stolen Future" by Theo Colborn was published in 1996, global interest on the impact of chemical substances, such as the endocrine-disrupting action of chemicals, has increased. In Japan, "The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health: Malformation, Development and Allergy" was launched in 2001. It was a model of Japan Environme...

Studies reported adverse behavioral development including internalizing and externalizing problems in association with prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, however, findings were not sufficient due to using different assessment tools and child ages among studies. This study aimed to examine associations between maternal serum leve...

Asia contains half of the world's children, and the countries of Asia are the most rapidly industrializing nations on the globe. Environmental threats to the health of children in Asia are myriad. Several birth cohorts were started in Asia in early 2000, and currently more than 30 cohorts in 13 countries have been established for study. Cohorts can...

Studies have suggested associations between maternal obesity and mental health problems of their children. However, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. A possible mechanism can be via inflammatory states and the other possible mechanism is metabolic hormone-induced programming. Cross-talk between adipokines, including inflammatory cytokine...

Bisphenol A and phthalates are widely detected in human urine, blood, breast milk, and amniotic fluid. Both bisphenol A and phthalates have been suggested as playing a role in obesity epidemics. Exposure to these chemicals during fetal development, and its consequences should be concerning because they can cross the placenta. Thus, this study aimed...

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are environmental contaminants that persist in the environment and bioaccumulate through the food chain in humans and animals. Although previous studies have shown an association between prenatal OCP exposure and subsequent neurodevelopment, the levels of OCPs included in these studies were inconsistent. A hospital-...

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is widely used and BPA exposure is nearly ubiquitous in developed countries. While animal studies have indicated adverse health effects of prenatal BPA exposure including reproductive dysfunction and thyroid function disruption possibly in sex-specific manner, findings from epidemiological studies have not been enough...

Introduction: In utero exposure to dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) may cause imbalance of immune development in early infancy. However, there are few epidemiological studies into the effects of in utero exposure to DLCs on allergies and infections during childhood. This study evaluates associations between concentrations of maternal DLCs and cord blo...

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic chemicals that persist in the environment and in humans. There is a possible association between prenatal PFASs exposure and both neonate adipokines and birth size, yet epidemiological studies are very limited. The objective of this study was to examine associations of prenatal exposure to PFASs with...

The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children’s Health is an ongoing study consisting of two birth cohorts of different population sizes: the Sapporo cohort and the Hokkaido cohort. Our primary study goals are (1) to examine the effects of low-level environmental chemical exposures on birth outcomes, including birth defects and growth retardation;...

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most widely used phthalates. Metabolites of DEHP are detectable in majority of the population. Findings on adverse health outcomes, particularly birth weight in association with prenatal exposure to DEHP remain equivocal. Besides, there is insufficient evidence to address influence on metabolic functio...

Background: Finding associated factors with childhood behavioural problems as early as preschool age is important. Studies have revealed several factors including socioeconomic factors, which may vary among different cultural background and population. However, investigation in general Japanese population of preschool age has not been well demonst...

Bisphenol A (BPA) is endocrine disrupting chemical that have been detected among general population. Exposure levels among pregnant women and their fetus are yet largely unknown among Japanese. We have developed a new method of measuring total BPA in whole blood samples by using isotopic dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-L...

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is commonly used phthalates and concerns of adverse effects of prenatal DEHP exposure on neonatal thyroid hormone (TH) and neurodevelopment are increasing. However, there is no report regarding association between prenatal DEHP exposure and infant neurodevelopment including TH levels in Japanese population. Thus t...

Background: It is known that obesity is one of the risk factors for breast cancer although the association may differ between ethnic groups and with the menopausal status. Recently obesity-related risk factors including serum adiponectin and insulin levels have been analyzed together with BMI in association with breast cancer risk. Materials and...

Obesity is one of the well-known risk factors of breast cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that adiponectin, an obesity-related hormone, is inversely associated with breast cancer risk, particularly in postmenopausal women. Obesity is also associated with high levels of insulin. In addition, studies have suggested that the soy isoflavones prese...

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers and the leading cause of cancer death among women. Soy isoflavones have been widely studied and among all isoflavones equol has been gaining interest with regard to its relationship with breast cancer risk. Obesity has been revealed as one of the breast cancer risk factors, known to be a...

Background: The age-adjusted incidence rate of prostate cancer (PCa) has been reported to be lower among Asians than Western populations. A traditional Japanese meal, high in soybean products or isoflavones, may be associated with a decreased risk of PCa. Equol, which is converted from daidzein by human intestinal flora, is biologically more activ...

Pilot-scale libraries of eight-membered medium ring lactams (MRLs) and related tricyclic compounds (either seven-membered lactams, thiolactams or amines) were screened for their ability to inhibit the catalytic activity of human recombinant 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase in vitro. A dozen of the synthetic compounds mimic...

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We have previously demonstrated the utility of N-vinylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate salts as novel electrophilic coupling partners in Pd(0)-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling reactions with aryl and vinyl boronic acids. We now report that these crystalline, air-stable, and non-hygroscopic salts are also useful reagents for the synthesis of symmetrical...