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Takashi Takeda, Kana Yoshimi, Sayaka Kai, Fumi Inoue Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, JapanCorrespondence: Takashi Takeda, Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan, Tel +81-72-366-0221 (Ext. 3393), Fax +81-72-366-6661, Email take@med.kindai.ac.jpPurpose: Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood where people are vulnerable to stress. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause sustained stress in the population. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation and loneliness have increased. Loneliness is associated with increased stress, psychological distress, and a higher risk of mental illnesses, such as depression. This study examined the association between loneliness, premenstrual symptoms, and other factors in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescent females in Japan.Patients and Methods: A school-based cross-sectional survey of 1450 adolescent female students in Japan was conducted in mid-December of 2021. Specifically, paper-based questionnaires were distributed in class, and the responses were collected. The Premenstrual Symptoms Questionnaire (PSQ), 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, 3-item Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA), and Fear of COVID-19 Scale were used as measurement tools. The prevalence of loneliness was defined as a total R-UCLA score ≥ 6.Results: The prevalence of loneliness was 29.0%. The prevalence of serious psychological distress was also high (8.2%), especially in the lonely group (16.0%). Multivariable regression analysis identified the following factors associated with loneliness: second year (odds ratio [OR] 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09– 2.14), longer internet use (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02– 1.20), total PSQ score (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.06– 1.11), and psychological distress (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01– 1.08).Conclusion: Adolescent females in Japan showed a high prevalence of loneliness. School year (2nd year), longer periods of internet use, premenstrual symptom severity, and psychological distress were independently associated with loneliness. For clinicians and school health professionals, special concern should be given to the psychological health of adolescent females during the COVID-19 pandemic.Keywords: adolescent female, digital media, mental health, psychological distress, stress

Takashi Takeda,* Kana Yoshimi,* Sayaka Kai, Fumi Inoue Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Takashi TakedaDivision of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, JapanTel +81-72-366-0221 (Ext. 3393)Fax +81-72-366-6661Email take@med.kindai.ac.jpPurpose: Pregnant women are vulnerable to stress. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic and created significant stress for many people. Social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19 has also reduced social interactions, which has increased social isolation and loneliness. Loneliness is thought to increase perceived stress, cause psychological distress, and increase the risk of mental illness, such as depression. This study examined the association between serious psychological distress (SPD) and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic in pregnant Japanese women.Patients and Methods: An internet survey of 1022 pregnant women in Japan was conducted between June 1 and July 21, 2021. The 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, 3-item Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Fear of COVID-19 Scale were used as measurement tools. The prevalence of SPD was defined as a K6 score of ≥ 13.Results: The prevalence of SPD was 16.5%. Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk factors for SPD were younger age (odds ratio [OR] 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01 to 1.10; p = 0.020), history of abortion or miscarriages (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.36; p = 0.034), unemployment (OR 1.67; 95% CI 1.14 to 2.45; p = 0.008), fear of COVID-19 (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.17; p < 0.001), and loneliness (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.38 to 1.70; p < 0.001).Conclusion: Pregnant women in Japan showed a high prevalence of SPD. Younger age, unemployment, history of abortion or miscarriages, fear of COVID-19, and loneliness were independently associated with SPD. Clinicians and health officials should pay particular attention to the psychological health of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic.Keywords: stress, mental health, social isolation, maternal health

Takashi Takeda, Kana Yoshimi, Sayaka Kai, Fumi Inoue Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, JapanCorrespondence: Takashi Takeda, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Japan, Tel +81-72-366-0221 (Ext. 3393), Fax +81-72-366-6661, Email take@med.kindai.ac.jpPurpose: The Premenstrual Symptoms Questionnaire (PSQ) is a patient-reported outcome measurement tool for premenstrual symptoms. Although the PSQ is a very useful tool with 14 items to screen for a wide variety of premenstrual symptoms, not everyone will respond to all the questions. Fewer questions would be less burdensome on the respondents. We aimed to develop and analyze the psychometric properties of a short-form of the PSQ (PSQ-S).Patients and Methods: The study participants were from an earlier study with a sample of 1388 female students. We reanalyzed data collected from 922 students with regular menstrual cycles who completed the PSQ, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) scale, Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8), and numerical rating scale (NRS) for menstrual pain. First, we selected nine items for the PSQ-S based on the results of the corrected item-total correlation analysis. The PSQ-S was then analyzed for reliability and validity using the classical test theory. Moreover, item response theory was applied to test the psychometric properties of the PSQ-S.Results: Cronbach’s α for the PSQ-S score was 0.93. Principal component factor analysis revealed a one-factor model. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the one-factor model was a good fit. The PSQ-S total score was strongly correlated with the PSQ total score, PMDD scale score, and SSS-8 score (r=0.978, 0.854, and 0.648, respectively) and moderately correlated with the NRS (r=0.437). Item response theory analyses showed that the constructs and items of the PSQ-S had satisfactory discrimination, difficulty parameters, item information curves, and test information curves. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a cut-off score of ≥ 22 for suspected premenstrual disorders based on the total PSQ-S score.Conclusion: The PSQ-S, consisting of nine items from the PSQ, had sufficient reliability and validity and could be a convenient assessment tool for premenstrual symptoms in routine clinical practice.Keywords: menstruation, premenstrual disorders, validity testing, item response theory

COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented global pandemic. Premenstrual symptoms include mood-related, behavioral, and physical symptoms that are limited to the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Psychosocial stress is a risk factor for premenstrual symptoms. The aim of this study was to examine the association between premenstrual symptoms and stress caused by COVID-19. We analyzed data from 871 students with regular menstrual cycles who completed the Premenstrual Symptoms Questionnaire (PSQ), Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised version (IES-R). The total PSQ score was significantly higher in women with COVID-19-induced posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) than in non-PTSS groups. Compared with pre-pandemic data (2019), the total PSQ score did not change in non-PTSS, but increased in PTSS groups. All symptoms were more severe in PTSS groups than in non-PTSS groups. Compared with 2019, PTSS groups had more severe symptoms for all symptoms except 'physical symptoms' and 'decreased social activity', and non-PTSS groups only exhibited improvements in the 'decreased social activity'. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the IES-R score was a significant exacerbation factor of the total PSQ score, along with age and menstrual pain. This study revealed the association between pandemic-associated PTSS and the severity of premenstrual symptoms.

Purpose Premenstrual symptoms can negatively impact the quality of life of women through a range of mood, behavioral, and physical symptoms. The association between the microbiota and brain function has been extensively studied. Here, we examined the characteristics of the microbiota in women with premenstrual disorders (PMDs) and the association between premenstrual symptoms and the microbiota. Materials and methods In this single center cross-sectional pilot study, we recruited 27 women reporting premenstrual symptoms and 29 women with no serious premenstrual symptoms. Among them, we further selected 21 women experiencing premenstrual symptoms resulting in interference to their social life (PMDs group) and 22 women with no serious premenstrual symptoms and thereby no interference to their social life (control group). The severity of symptoms was evaluated by a premenstrual symptoms questionnaire (PSQ). Inflammatory markers were analyzed in blood samples, including C reactive protein, soluble CD14, and lipopolysaccharide binding protein. Sequencing of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid genes was performed on stool samples. Results Inflammatory markers in blood samples did not differ significantly between the PMDs and control groups. A difference in beta, but not alpha diversity, was detected for the gut microbiotas of the PMDs and control groups. The relative abundance of the Bacteroidetes phylum was lower in the PMDs group. At the genus level, the prevalence was decreased for Butyricicoccus, Extibacter, Megasphaera, and Parabacteroides and increased for Anaerotaenia in the PMDs group, but after false discovery rate correction, these differences were no longer significant. Linear discriminant effect size analysis revealed a decrease in Extibacter, Butyricicoccus, Megasphaera, and Parabacteroides and an increase in Anaerotaenia in the PMDs group. The PSQ total score correlated with Anaerotaenia, Extibacter, and Parabacteroides. Multiple regression analysis showed that Parabacteroides and Megasphaera negatively predicted the PSQ total score. Conclusion The properties of the gut microbiota are associated with premenstrual symptoms.

Takeda T, Yoshimi K, Kai S, Inoue F. Int J Womens Health. 2021;13:1087–1093. The authors have advised that they mistakenly compared the data with that of postpartum mothers instead of pregnant women in the Discussion section on page 1091. Second paragraph, second sentence, the text “The proportion of women with a K6 score ≥ 10 in our survey was 37.7%, which is significantly higher than that in the large-scale 2020 survey (13.9%, n = 2977; p < 0.0001, Pearson’s chi-square test, Cramer’s V = 0.26);” should read “The proportion of women with a K6 score ≥ 10 in our survey was 37.7%, which is significantly higher than that in the large-scale 2020 survey (13.2%, n = 4798; p < 0.0001, Pearson’s chi-square test, Cramer’s V = 0.25);”. The authors apologize for this error and advise it does not affect the results of the paper. Read the original article

Takashi Takeda,1 Sayaka Kai,1,2 Kana Yoshimi1 1Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, JapanCorrespondence: Takashi TakedaDivision of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, JapanTel +81-72-366-0221 (Ext. 3393)Fax +81-72-366-6661Email take@med.kindai.ac.jpPurpose: The Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP) is commonly used to assess premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder throughout the world. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the DRSP (DRSP-J).Materials and Methods: We analyzed 324 women with regular menstrual cycles who completed the DRSP-J and the Premenstrual Symptoms Questionnaire (PSQ). They had all applied to participate in an ongoing study for the treatment of their premenstrual symptoms. The DRSP-J was examined for evidence of reliability and validity. To examine reliability, we assessed Cronbach’s α, a measure of internal consistency, and test–retest reliability. We assessed structural validity with principal component factor analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We used PSQ total score to examine concurrent validity.Results: Cronbach’s α for DRSP total score was 0.97. DRSP total score and individual items showed high test–retest reliability. PCA showed a two-factor model describing mood and behavioral and physical symptoms. CFA showed that the two-factor model derived from the PCA was an acceptably good fit. DRSP total score correlated moderately with PSQ total score (r = 0.42).Conclusion: The DRSP-J showed reliable and valid measures of premenstrual symptoms in Japanese women.Keywords: premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual disorders, psychometric testing, validity

Easily prepared Ni/NiO acts as a heterogeneous catalyst for the one-pot reductive amination of carbonyl compounds with nitroarenes to afford secondary amines with H2 as a hydride source. This catalytic system does not require a special technique to avoid air-exposure, in contrast to the common heterogeneous Ni catalysts.

Extremely low post-settlement survival is one of the largest barriers for artificial rehabilitation of Acropora corals. However, little data have been found for interspecific difference of the post-settlement survival probably because the observation of coral juvenile is difficult in the field. Here, we analyzed the survival of three dominant species of Acropora corals (A. digitifera, A. tenuis, A. yongei), with different colony morphologies and habitat preferences, for 2 years after settlement under the same environmental conditions. The post-settlement survival was significantly higher for A. tenuis than for A. digitifera 3 months after settlement. Two years later, the survival rate of A. tenuis was approximately 15 times higher than A. digitifera. In a separate analysis of three bottle-brush species (A. awi, A. echinata, A. subglabra) and A. tenuis, post-settlement survival was always higher for A. awi than for other two bottle-brush species, suggesting that the initial survival was different among morphologically sister species. Low survival was possibly associated with slow growth rates during the first 7 months. Thus, species selection is important for successful artificial coral rehabilitation, with A. tenuis being the most viable option. Alternatively, new techniques are required to improve post-settlement survival of slow growing coral species.

Summary: Severe invasive group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection evades anti-bacterial immunity by attenuating the cellular components of innate immune responses. However, this loss of protection is compensated for by interferon (IFN)-γ-producing immature myeloid cells (γIMCs), which are selectively recruited upon severe invasive GAS infection in mice. Here, we demonstrate that γIMCs provide this IFN-γ-mediated protection by sequentially sensing GAS through two distinct pattern recognition receptors. In a mouse model, GAS is initially recognized by Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), which promptly induces interleukin (IL)-6 production in γIMCs. γIMC-derived IL-6 promotes the upregulation of a recently identified GAS-sensing receptor, macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle), in an autocrine or paracrine manner. Notably, blockade of γIMC-derived IL-6 abrogates Mincle expression, downstream IFN-γ production, and γIMC-mediated protection against severe invasive GAS infection. Thus, γIMCs regulate host protective immunity against severe invasive GAS infection via a TLR2–IL-6–Mincle axis. : Matsumura et al. show that γIMCs sequentially sense group A Streptococcus (GAS) through TLR2 and Mincle. Specifically, TLR2-triggered production of IL-6 functions as an intermediate that amplifies Mincle expression to maximize host protection through IFN-γ production. The sequential sensing is a distinct feature in γIMCs following severe invasive GAS infection. Keywords: group A Streptococcus infections, immature myeloid cells, Toll-like receptors, C-type lectin receptors, cytokines

For corals that establish symbioses with dinoflagellate Symbiodinium spp. at the lar- val stage or later through horizontal transmission, the ecological significance of the early uptake of algal symbionts remains unknown. It has been hypothesized that early uptake of symbionts is an advantage for long-distance dispersal. Here, we tested the hypothesis that early acquisition of symbionts enhances post-settlement survival. We used a cultured strain of clade A Symbiodinium that was isolated from wild Acropora spat as the algal symbiont. Symbiotic and aposymbiotic Acropora larvae were prepared in the laboratory and settled on experimental plates in the field. The survival of settlers was monitored for 15 mo. Our results showed that more larval-stage set- tlers harbouring symbionts survived than those without, even when there was no difference in the initial density of settled larvae. We analysed the Symbiodinium clades harboured by the corals at 1 mo after settlement, and found that clade A was less abundant in the corals that grew from aposymbiotic larvae than in those that developed from symbiotic larvae. There was also a marked difference in coral survival between aposymbiotic and symbiotic larvae over this period. The higher survival rate of 'early uptake' corals was more pronounced on shaded plates. These results suggest that the early uptake of specific symbionts enhances post-settlement survival in dark places such as reef crevices, which are sites commonly settled by coral larvae.

Outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns sea star (Acanthaster planci) are likely to be strongly associated with drastic changes in larval survival influenced by food availability. However, no quantitative or qualitative data are available on the distribution of A. planci larvae in the field nor on the environmental factors that influence their survivorship. Here we use a DNA barcoding approach to describe the distribution of A. planci larvae in Sekisei Lagoon, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan after conducting three days of high-intensity sampling. High densities (53.3 individuals/m3) of A. planci larvae were found outside of Yonara Channel, which is the largest reef channel in this lagoon. Surprisingly, most (94%) of the aggregated larvae were advanced-stage brachiolaria. Considering that it takes several days to develop to this stage, this result demonstrates that A. planci larvae were floating for some time and maintaining a high-density population. However, this dense larval cloud disappeared immediately after a typhoon. No spatial correlation was found between larval density and either nutrient or chlorophyll a concentrations, suggesting that A. planci larvae do not necessarily aggregate in nutrient-rich water. These data suggest that some high-density populations of late developmental stage A. planci larvae were produced under a low phytoplankton concentration and could potentially trigger an adult outbreak. Consequently, our data suggest that adult outbreaks may not necessarily be triggered by food availability alone.

日本最大のサンゴ礁である石西礁湖における枝状ミドリイシ群集の回復阻害要因を検討するため，サンゴ群集形成の基礎的パラメータとなる幼生加入量，移植した成体の生残・成長率，栄養塩および底質環境を調査した。石西礁湖中央部において，かつては枝状ミドリイシが密生していた「未回復域」と現在も枝状ミドリイシが群生する「健全域」のそれぞれで4定点を設け，上記の各パラメータを比較した。群集の自然回復力を推定する上で重要な幼生加入量は，いずれの地点でも極めて低い水準（3個体以下/176cm2）であったが，特に「未回復」域で少なかった（平均0.5個体以下/176cm2）。成体の生残・成長率は，「未回復」と「健全」域では目立った違いは見られなかったが，地点ごとに大きく異なり，群体の移植方法の違い（海底接着法あるいは底上げ法）によっても異なった。栄養塩環境としては，亜硝酸塩，リン酸塩濃度およびクロロフィルα量が「未回復域」で有意に高く，サンゴと海藻類との競争関係に与える影響などをさらに精査する必要がある。以上のことから，幼生加入の不足，海水の僅かな富栄養状態が群集の回復阻害要因のひとつと推測される。また，養殖種苗等を使った移植による修復を試みる場合は，数km2程度の狭い地域内であっても，場所ごとに最適な方法を事前に調査すべきであることが示唆された。

The effect of colony size and age on growth and sexual reproduction was examined by taking small-sized fragments from large mature donor colonies of Goniastrea aspera and Favites chinensis. Both species are massive colonial corals in the family Faviidae. Monopolyp and oligopolyp (5 to 8 polyps) fragments were established. The fragments were cultured in running seawater aquaria for 22 mo, and growth and gamete production were measured. In both species, monopolyp fragments had higher growth rates than oligopolyp fragments. F. chinensis had higher growth rates than G. aspera in both fragment sizes. Polyps tended to bud when there was open space, and smaller colonies had higher growth rates, probably because the polyps of smaller colonies had more open space. In G. aspera, both the monopolyp and oligopolyp fragments produced gametes, whereas in F. chinensis, neither type of fragment produced gametes. These results suggest that sexual maturity is determined by colony age in G. aspera and by colony size in F. chinensis. Our results also suggest that polyps are integrated at the colony level. Polyp integration activity in a colony may be determined by the age of the colony in G. aspera and by the size of the colony in F. chinensis, likely maximizing colony fitness.

The plasticity of allocation between life history traits and of sex allocation in the sessile colonial coral Goniastrea aspera was examined by field survey and transplant experiment at two zones (lower intertidal and reef edge) of a fringing reef at Sesoko Island, Okinawa. A field survey showed that colony density, colony size, and polyp size were greater at the lower intertidal zone than at the reef edge zone. Mortality of transplanted fragments was higher at the reef edge zone than at the lower intertidal zone. These results suggest that the environment at the lower intertidal zone was more favorable for G. aspera. There was, however, no significant difference in the growth rate and reproductive effort of the transplanted fragments between the two zones. In contrast, sex allocation to testis was higher at the lower intertidal zone than at the reef edge zone in the transplanted fragments. Both spawning of gametes and brooding of planulae are known in G. aspera, and natural colonies at the lower intertidal zone brooded more planulae than those at the reef edge zone. Therefore, it is suggested that G. aspera produced more sperm at the habitat where number of brooded planulae was larger. It is considered that, in order to increase the possibility of cross-fertilization, G. aspera colonies exhibited the plasticity to allocate more resources to sperm where number of brooded planulae was larger.

Coral reef ecosystems are based on coral–zooxanthellae symbiosis. During the initiation of symbiosis, majority of corals acquire their own zooxanthellae (specifically from the dinoflagellate genus Symbiodinium) from surrounding environments. The mechanisms underlying the initial establishment of symbiosis have attracted much interest, and numerous field and laboratory experiments have been conducted to elucidate this establishment. However, it is still unclear whether the host corals selectively or randomly acquire their symbionts from surrounding environments. To address this issue, we initially compared genetic compositions of Symbiodinium within naturally settled about 2-week-old Acropora coral juveniles (recruits) and those in the adjacent seawater as the potential symbiont source. We then performed infection tests using several types of Symbiodinium culture strains and apo-symbiotic (does not have Symbiodinium cells yet) Acropora coral larvae. Our field observations indicated apparent preference toward specific Symbiodinium genotypes (A1 and D1-4) within the recruits, despite a rich abundance of other Symbiodinium in the environmental population pool. Laboratory experiments were in accordance with this field observation: Symbiodinium strains of type A1 and D1-4 showed higher infection rates for Acropora larvae than other genotype strains, even when supplied at lower cell densities. Subsequent attraction tests revealed that three Symbiodinium strains were attracted toward Acropora larvae, and within them, only A1 and D1-4 strains were acquired by the larvae. Another three strains did not intrinsically approach to the larvae. These findings suggest the initial establishment of corals–Symbiodinium symbiosis is not random, and the infection mechanism appeared to comprise two steps: initial attraction step and subsequent selective uptake by the coral.

The initial factors that cause a decline in the survival of in situ settled corals remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated through field experiments that the design of artificial grid plates may influence the initial survival of Acropora corals, with narrower grids being the most effective. In fact, grid plates with a 2.5-cm mesh presented the highest recorded survival rate (14%) at 6 months after settlement (representing approximately 50 corals per 0.25 m2 of plate). This is the first study where such high survival rates, matching those of cultures under aquarium conditions, were obtained in the field without using additional protective measures, such as guard nets against fish grazing after seeding. Therefore, our results provide a foundation for establishing new and effective coral restoration techniques for larval seeding, in parallel to clarifying the details of the early life stages of reef-building corals.