Many researchers report that cigarette smoking by parents adversely affects their children. We carried out a survey about cigarette puffing by distributing questionnaires to mothers of sucklings and little children. The survey found that mothers and family members were not well aware of the health consequences of passive smoking. It was also found that children frequently exposed to smoking are at high risk of contracting infections of the respiratory tract. The average weight at birth was less in babies borned by smoking mothers than by those who do not smoke. Furthermore, it was revealed that a larger number of smoking mothers had given birth to low birth weight infants than nonsmoking mothers had.
These findings suggested that passive cigarette smoking is linked to low birth weight and respiratory tract infection. We think it is incumbent on us, health-care professionals, to bring home to mothers and the rest of the family members how serious the consequences of passive smoking are.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is not regarded as life-threatening, and has been left undiagnosed on occasion. However, in some cases, the condition has resulted in hydronephrosis and renal failure. We have investigated the prevalence of hydronephrosis in patients with POP at the Female Pelvic Floor Medicine Center, and how it may be improved through surgery. Of the 555 patients examined between January 2016 and December 2017, 265 patients were diagnosed with POP. This study involved 192 of these cases diagnosed with POP as subjects. Using preoperative ultrasound scanning, hydronephrosis was classified into four categories depending on severity. At the time of surgery, the conditions of POP were classified into stages I to IV of the POP Quantification (POP-Q) system. Of these 192 patients, 20 (10.4%) had been evaluated as hydronephrosis (slight hydronephrosis 9, mild hydronephrosis 6, and severe hydronephrosis 5). It is known that as the staging of POP progresses, the likelihood of developing hydronephrosis also increases. In 20 cases with POP-Q stage IV, 7 were confirmed to have hydronephrosis; 3 of these were severe hydronephrosis. The 6 cases of mild, and 5 cases of severe hydronephrosis achieved cure after tension-free vaginal mesh TVM surgery. POP may cause hydronephrosis, so examination of the upper urinary tract is necessary. Ultrasound scans are useful in detecting hydronephrosis. There has been a case where it took 6 to 10 months for hydronephrosis to improve, so early diagnosis and management are crucial in order to prevent hydronephrosis. TVM surgery can be used for repair of not only anterior prolapse, but also uterine prolapse, which can be thus treated without hysterectomy, and this has the potential to improve hydronephrosis.