How Infant Mortality Was Reduced in the Early Twentieth Century in Osaka

In 1983, the Vice Secretary-General of United Nations Children＇s Fund （UNICEF）, Karl Knutsson, visited Japan and remarked that the method of reducing the Japanese infant mortality rate （IMR） was a model for every country. In the early twentieth century, Osaka and at the time of UNICEF＇s plan in the 1980s, diarrhea was the cause of most babies＇ deaths, so we consider infant nutrition to be the central issue. The average IMR was 155.4 in rural areas in Japan, and IMR in Osaka city was 231.6 during 1906 to 1910. IMR in Osaka city might have been influenced by somewhat negative urban factors, which we can call the ＂urban penalty＂. Dr. Hiroshi Maruyama discovered the a-index in 1938. The a-index represents infant mortality number divided by neonatal mortality number. After all, Maruyama set one month after birth as a boundary to divide endogenous and exogenous. The a-index shows a qualitative measure of infant mortality. Post neonatal mortality was increased due to acquired diseases such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and beriberi. This shows that the effect of the urban penalty was raising the a-index. The a-index of the industrial zones shows that bad maternal conditions affected endogenous factors. Most mothers suffered from a deficiency of breast-feeding capability.

Identification and characterization of microRNAs in raw milk during different periods of lactation, commercial fluid, and powdered milk products

Recent baby formula milk powder contamination incidents have shown that the classic markers or standards in milk quality control are insufficient in identifying ＂manipulated＂ poor-quality milk. In the present study, we demonstrated for the first time that cow milk contains large amounts of microRNAs （miRNAs） and that the unique expression profile of milk-specific miRNAs can serve as a novel indicator and possible new standard for the quafity control of raw milk and milk-related commercial products, such as fluid milk and powdered formula milk. First, using Solexa sequencing, we systematically screened miRNA expression in raw milk and identified a total of 245 miR- NAs in raw milk. Unlike other classic biomarkers whose expression levels are nearly identical at different periods of lactation, individual miRNAs can be significantly altered during lactation process, implicating that miRNAs may be a more accurate indicator to reflect the quality alteration of milk. Second, using TaqMan probe-based miRNA quantitative RT-PCR, we further identified seven miRNAs that have a relatively consistent expression throughout the lactation process, and more importantly, the expression profile of these seven milk-specific miRNAs can serve as an ideal biomarker for discriminating poor-quality or ＂manipulated＂ milk from pure raw milk, as well as for the quality control of commercial milk products, such as fluid milk and powdered formula milk. Together, our findings provide a basis for understanding the physiological role of milk miRNAs and a new potential standard for determining the quality of raw milk or milk-related commercial products.

A 16-day old baby with transposition of great arteries and interrupted aortic arch: a case report

We report a 16-day-old boy who had transposition of great arteries combined with interrupted aortic arch (IAA). The boy developed cyanotic lips and body bruising 2 h after birth. Color Doppler sonography showed transposition of great arteries. The patient underwent total surgical correction of the transfection and defects. We summarized our experience in the perioperative management of the patient, including maintenance of body temperature, close intraoperative monitoring, anesthesia management, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) management and so on.

The milk-based diet of infancy and the gut microbiome

The composition and the diversity of the gut microbiome play a major role in the health and well-being of humans beginning at birth.The impact of the diet on the structure and the function of the gut microbiome is evident by the changes in the gut microbiome concurrent with the transition from human milk to solid food.Complex oligosaccharides contained in milk are essential nutrients for commensal microbes in the infant gut.The most important commensal bacterium in the infant gut,bifidobacterium,requires a1,2 fucosylated oligosaccharides for growth.Because not all humans are able to secrete a1,2 fucosylated oligosaccharides into milk,the gut microbiome of infants and bifidobacteria,in particular,vary considerably between‘secretors’and‘non-secretors’.A paucity of a1,2 fucosylated oligosaccharides and bifidobacteria in the gut of infants may be associated with poor health.