Search

The percentage of children with no overall intellectual developmental delay but with significant difficulties in each of the learning and behavioral domains is reported as 8.8%, and the percentage of children/students with significant difficulties in learning is 6.5%. In addition, it was reported that among children and students who do not have intellectual developmental delays but show significant difficulties in various areas of learning and behavior, about 3.4% show significant difficulties in "calculation" or "reasoning," which are particularly relevant to math learning. The abilities related to arithmetic learning and the development of schema related to number and quantity are acquired through a process from early childhood, and it is assumed that difficulties in manipulation and comprehension are due to an innate impairment of the individual, which is different from educational environment factors. On the other hand, difficulties related to arithmetic learning often become more pronounced after entering elementary school and are often recognized as poor learning rather than as a predisposing factor for arithmetic difficulties. Various methods have been proposed for supporting children with arithmetic difficulties in Japan, as well as evaluation methods, and confirmation of their effectiveness has been conducted developmentally. However, as these difficulties do not surface until school age, early detection and early intervention are important issues, and evaluation combining objective indicators is also important. To understand the condition of children who present difficulties in learning arithmetic, this paper discusses the accuracy of estimates when children with arithmetic difficulties perform the Number Line Task by iPad app, focusing on the degree of fit（ representations） of the function and presenting a plot diagram. The results suggest that children with arithmetic learning difficulties show an immature estimation.

Maternal dietary zinc intake and childhood allergy have inconsistent relationships. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of low maternal dietary zinc intake during pregnancy on developing pediatric allergic diseases. This study was designed using the Japan Environment and Children’s Study dataset. The model building used data from 74,948 mother–child pairs. Maternal dietary zinc intake was estimated based on the food frequency questionnaire, collecting the intake information of 171 food and beverage items. Fitted logistic regression models and generalized estimating equation models (GEEs) estimated the association between energy-adjusted zinc intake and childhood allergic conditions. The energy-adjusted zinc intake did not affect the risk of developing allergic disorders (wheeze, asthma, atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, and food allergy) in offspring. The GEE model revealed similar insignificant odds ratios. No significant association was found between zinc intake during pregnancy and allergic diseases in offspring in early childhood. Further study remains necessary to examine the association between zinc and allergy with reliable zinc status biomarkers in the body.

Although endotoxin concentration in the environment is negatively associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) onset in early childhood, the association between endotoxin concentration in the environment and eczema resolution in children with preexisting eczema is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between endotoxin concentration in house dust and eczema persistence in young children. The authors used data from children participating in JECS (Japan Environment and Children's Study). In children who had AD or AD-like lesions at the age of 1 year, the authors investigated the association between the prevalence of eczema at the age of 3 years and endotoxin concentration (categorized by quartiles) in the dust on children's mattresses at the ages of 1.5 and 3 years. This study included 605 children. Eczema was significantly less prevalent among children whose mattresses were in the second and third quartiles of endotoxin concentration when they were 18 months old than among children whose mattresses were in the first quartile (adjusted odds ratio, 0.57 [95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.93] and adjusted odds ratio, 0.49 [95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.83], respectively). Moreover, of the children with eczema at age 3 years, those whose mattresses had endotoxin concentrations in the first quartile had significantly worse sleep disturbance caused by itchy rash (1 time per week) than did those whose mattresses were in the third and fourth quartiles (20.0% vs 3.3% and 3.7%, both p values 0.01). The findings indicate that low endotoxin exposure is associated with a higher prevalence of persistent eczema during early childhood.

The influence of family allergic history on food allergy in offspring in Japan is unknown. We analyzed data from a nationwide birth cohort study using logistic regression models to examine the associations of maternal, paternal, and both parental histories of allergic diseases (food allergy, atopic dermatitis, asthma, and rhinitis) with their child’s food allergy at 1.5 and 3 years of age. This analysis included 69,379 singleton full-term mothers and 37,179 fathers and their children. All parental histories of allergic diseases showed significant positive associations with their child’s food allergy. When both parents had a history of allergic diseases, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) tended to be higher than when either parent had allergic diseases (p for trend < 0.0001). The highest aOR was detected when both parents had food allergy (2.60; 95% confidential interval, 1.58–4.27), and the aOR was 1.71 when either parent had food allergy (95% confidential interval, 1.54–1.91). The aORs were attenuated but still had significant positive associations after adjusting for the child’s atopic dermatitis, a risk factor for allergy development. In conclusion, all parental allergic diseases were significantly positively associated with their child’s food allergy. The effect of family history showed a stepwise increase in risk from either parent to both parents, and the highest risk of allergic disease was a parental history of food allergy.

Previous epidemiological studies have reported an increased risk of anemia in people with allergic disorders. However, previous studies have followed a cross-sectional design. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the two conditions with a cohort dataset. We used data of 80,943 children in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, the largest birth cohort in Japan. The association between anemia and allergic disorders was evaluated with a logistic regression model and propensity score analysis. After adjusting for potential confounders, children with asthma (odds ratio [OR], 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32–2.60), atopic dermatitis (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.66–2.85), allergic rhinitis (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.05–1.74), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (OR, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.91–4.54), and food allergies (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.44–2.56) at 2 years of age predicted high odds of developing anemia in the next year. Any allergy at 2 years of age was associated with an increased risk of anemia at the age of 3 years (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.41–2.29). The findings remained stable in the propensity score analysis. Results suggest that allergic diseases were related to caregiver-reported anemia in children.

Background The study aim was to obtain epidemiological data on vitamin D levels for the pediatric population in Japan. We assessed the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in 2-year-old Japanese children using data from a large ongoing birth cohort study. Methods Data for analysis was obtained from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS) and a Sub-Cohort Study (SCS) of JECS. We evaluated the children’s serum 25(OH) D levels by 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles, and the rates of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. We also presented a weighted prevalence rate for vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency among all children in JECS. Results After excluding children with missing 25(OH)D2 or 25(OH)D3 data, we analyzed 4655 remaining children, of whom 24.7% (95% CI, 23.5–26.0%) had vitamin D deficiency ( Conclusion We analyzed data on serum 25(OH) D levels from a birth cohort study and found that vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are very common among 2-year-old Japanese children. Sex, season, and latitude affect serum 25(OH) D concentrations.

Few epidemiologic studies have examined the role of maternal iron status in allergic diseases in offspring and findings have been inconsistent. We used a large birth cohort in Japan to explore the association of the markers for maternal iron status (maternal hemoglobin, hematocrit and dietary iron intake during pregnancy) with allergy development in offspring during early childhood. We analyzed information on children age 0–3 years from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS). We used logistic models and generalized estimating equation models to evaluate the effect of maternal hemoglobin and hematocrit levels and dietary iron intake on allergies in children. Models were also fitted with propensity score-matched datasets. Data were collected for a total of 91,247 mother–child pairs. The prevalence (95% confidence interval) of low hemoglobin and hematocrit was 14.0% (13.7–14.2%) and 12.5% (12.3–12.8%), respectively. After adjusting confounders, low hemoglobin and hematocrit during pregnancy were not associated with childhood allergic outcomes. Findings from models with propensity score-matched datasets also indicated that children born to mothers with low hemoglobin or hematocrit levels during pregnancy did not have a higher risk of developing allergic conditions at 3 years old. We found no meaningful associations between low energy adjusted maternal dietary iron intake and allergies in children. In conclusion, using birth cohort data, we found no evidence supporting an association of low maternal hemoglobin, hematocrit and low dietary iron intake with allergy symptoms during early childhood. Further studies with more suitable proxy markers for blood iron status are needed.

Tobacco smoke exposure is known to lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations. This study evaluated the association between passive smoking and vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in young children using data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), the largest birth cohort study in Japan. Information on parental smoking status was extracted from a survey of JECS for children aged 1.5 years and data for serum 25(OH)D concentrations were obtained from blood tests in the Sub-Cohort Study of JECS performed at age 2 years. Logistic regression and linear models were fitted to evaluate the association between these variables. Data were analyzed for 4593 children. After adjusting for covariates, smoke exposure was significantly associated with increased incidence of VDD (OR 1.35; 95% CI, 1.14–1.59) according to the logistic model. The linear model indicated that passive smoking negatively predicted de-seasonalized serum 25(OH)D concentrations (β −0.5; 95% CI −0.95 to −0.08) in children aged 2 years. The results suggest that smoke exposure is a risk factor for VDD in children. Given that VD plays a crucial role in bone metabolism and the immune system, our findings are significant for clinical and public health.

Introduction: Previous studies have reported that maternal asthma increases the risk of preterm birth. We hypothesized that inflammatory reactions caused by allergic diseases might affect the uterine environment and, subsequently, perinatal outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between allergic features among mothers and preterm pregnancy outcomes in a nationwide birth cohort. Methods: We analyzed data from pregnant women obtained from the Japanese Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), a nationwide general birth cohort study. We used binomial and multinomial logistic regression models to examine the associations between maternal allergic features and preterm birth, threatened preterm labor (TPL), and preterm premature rupture of the membrane (PPROM). Results: A total of 97,683 pregnant women were included. Prevalence of preterm birth, TPL, and PPROM was 4.7, 19.6, and 1.2%, respectively. Maternal history of allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, food allergy, drug allergy, and contact dermatitis) increased the risk of TPL(adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.11 [95% CI: 1.06–1.17], aOR = 1.12 [1.08–1.16], aOR = 1.10 [1.04–1.16], aOR = 1.17 [1.09–1.26], aOR = 1.35 [1.23–1.48], and aOR = 1.34 [1.20–1.49], respectively). Although some maternal allergic features showed a negative association with preterm birth, the variables affecting preterm birth differed according to the gestational age of the fetus (22–33 weeks vs. 34–36 weeks). There were no significant associations between maternal allergic features and PPROM. Conclusion: Maternal allergic disease, except atopic dermatitis, may increase the risk of TPL. Comorbidity of maternal allergic disorders and perinatal adverse outcomes require further investigation.

Vitamin D (VitD) may affect immune system modulation and result in the development of atopic dermatitis (AD). However, published findings have remained controversial. We investigated the association between early-life 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and AD risk at childhood with a birth cohort. The data were obtained from “the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS)” and “the Sub-Cohort study of JECS” performed with children aged 2 years. “Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry” was used to measure VitD. The information on AD was obtained from parents’ answers to a questionnaire when their children were aged 3 years. In order to explain the seasonal effects on VitD levels, a deseasonalized continuous variable was further calculated. The logistic regression models were fitted to evaluate the effect of VitD on childhood AD. The study included 4378 children with complete data on VitD and AD. The results from models indicated that low VitD at 2 years was not a risk factor for the development of AD at 3 years, after adjusting for potential confounders. Moreover, there was no U-shape relationship between deseasonalized VitD and childhood AD. Overall, early-life 25(OH)D levels were not link to the increased risk of developing childhood AD.

Additional file 2: Figure S1. Flowchart of participant selection in this study

Additional file 3: Table S1. Summary of participant baseline characteristics. All data are presented as numbers (percentages). CQ: clinical question. Table S2. Summary of initial live vaccines and inactivated vaccines, RQ1. Table S3. Summary of the number of initial inactivated vaccines, RQ2. Table S4. Summary of number of initial BCG-only and rotavirus-only vaccines, RQ3

Additional file 1:. Definitions of outcomes

Objective Although environmental lead exposure has decreased, several studies have shown that low-level lead exposure can result in adverse psychological symptoms. However, few studies have examined lead neurotoxicity in pregnant women. We investigated the association between lead exposure and psychological symptoms in pregnant women, and between socio-economic status and blood lead levels. Methods Blood lead levels were measured in 17,267 pregnant women in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. Odds ratios (ORs) for high blood lead levels were calculated using multinomial logistic regression. Psychological symptoms were assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). ORs for depression (K6 ≥ 13 or ≥5) were calculated using logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounders. Results The geometric mean of whole blood lead levels was 0.58 μg/dl (range 0.14–6.75 μg/dl). Higher blood lead levels were associated with older age (OR 1.79, 9 5% confidence interval [CI] 1.46–2.19), unmarried status (OR 1.75, 95 % CI 1.31–2.33), lower household income (OR 1.76, 95 % CI 1.38–2.24), and lower educational attainment (OR 1.34, 95 % CI 1.20–1.48). The percentage of women with K6 scores ≥13 and ≥5 was 3 % and 28.2 %, respectively. There was no significant association between lead exposure and K6 score (K6 ≥ 13: OR 1.00, 95 % CI 0.76–1.32; K6 ≥ 5: OR 0.98, 95 % CI 0.88–1.09). Conclusion Our results indicate a small but significant association between higher blood lead levels and lower socio-economic status in a population with low blood lead levels, but no association between low-level lead exposure and psychological symptoms.

Background: Although we recognise that immunization is indispensable to global elimination of various diseases, the adjuvants used in inactivated vaccines often upregulate type 2 immunity that is dominant in allergic diseases. On the other hand, BCG vaccine is known to induce type 1 immunity. We hypothesised that administration during infancy of a greater number of "initial" vaccines that contain adjuvants may influence the development of allergies later in life by changing the balance of type 1/type 2 immunity. Methods: We obtained information regarding vaccinations and allergic diseases by using questionnaires that were used in The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), i.e., a nationwide, multicentre, prospective birth cohort study including 103,099 pregnant women and their children. We examined for associations between the history of vaccination before 6 months of age and symptoms related to allergies at 12 months of age. Findings: Our statistical analyses included 56,277 children. Physician-diagnosed asthma was associated with receiving 3 (aOR 1.395, 95% CI 1.028-1.893) or 4-5 different inactivated vaccines (aOR 1.544, 95% CI 1.149-2.075), compared with children who received only one inactivated vaccine. Similar results were found for two questionnaire-based symptoms, i.e., wheeze (aOR 1.238, 95% CI 1.094-1.401; 3 vaccines vs. a single vaccine) and eczema (aOR 1.144, 95% CI 1.007-1.299; 4 or 5 vaccines vs. a single vaccine). Interpretation: The prevalence of asthma, wheeze and eczema among children at 12 months of age was associated with having received a greater number of initial inactivated vaccines before 6 months of age. Although these results should be cautiously interpreted, we can at least postulate that development of better vaccines is needed to reduce the risk of later development of allergic diseases. Nevertheless, further studies should be conducted, and we are planning to extend the evaluation period until at least 13 years of age. Funding Statement: This study was funded and supported by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. Declaration of Interests: All authors have no conflicts of interest related to this study. Ethics Approval Statement: The JECS protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ministry of the Environment’s Institutional Review Board on Epidemiological Studies and by the ethics committees of all participating institutions. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants (i.e. pregnant women or other caregivers). The JECS was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration and other nationally valid regulations and guidelines.

In Soka University, we have been implementing the individual support called “Oasis Program” for the students, who do not meet their academic requirements for graduation, since 2010. This program is one of the unique projects for student support of our university in the following aspects— the collaboration between clinical psychotherapist and faculty advisers for each semester, and indirect support from Oasis Program to the advisers in order to develop students' academic achievements. In this research, the accomplishments of this program are analyzed specifically from the aspect of descriptive statistics by using the data for the past 3 years. Moreover, the present conditions and problems are clarified through the qualitative analysis from interviews with the advisers who used this program. The aim of this research is to announce our accomplishments of these 3 years and consider the anticipated problems in the future based on the thorough examination of the achievements. The statistical analysis shows that 60% of the students, who experienced this program for a semester, could meet or keep their academic requirements for graduation. Furthermore, about 85% of the students, who used this program, could improve their academic achievements. However, 30% of the students have quit the program because of mental or physical problems. Therefore, the results indicate the necessity of additional support for such students by working with the other institutions such as the student mental adviser office. The interview results show that faculty advisers basically recognize this program effective. However, several problems are found, including the limitation of the numbers of students, who can use this program, and the difficulty in the selection of targeted students. Furthermore, it is found that some consider the accessibility to this program should be improved, while others believe that thorough support should be continued.

Oxytocin (OT) signalling represents one of the most critical systems involved in human social behaviour. Although several studies have examined the relationship between social functioning and peripheral OT levels, the association between OT and the development of social attention has not been well studied. Therefore, we investigated the developmental relationship between gaze fixation for social cues and OT levels during young childhood. We examined visual attention using an eye tracking system in infants and children (5–90 months of age) and measured the concentration of OT in saliva samples. We observed a negative association between age and both attention toward social cues and salivary OT levels, and a positive association between age and attention for non-social cues. We also observed that salivary OT levels were modulated by polymorphisms in oxytocin receptor (OXTR) rs53576. Our results suggest that there is an age-dependent association between visual attention for social cues and OT levels in infants and children, and that the development of visual attention to the eyes as social cues is associated with both OXTR polymorphisms and OT levels. Such findings indicate that OT and OXTR status may provide insight into the atypical development of social attention in infants and young children.