Associations of multiple lifestyle behaviors with allergic disease symptoms and sensitization in 9-11-year-old Finnish children.

Background: The increase in allergic diseases in children has coincided with the westernization of lifestyles. Although clustering of modifiable lifestyles has been frequently reported in children, there is limited research on how lifestyle factors collectively contribute to allergic conditions. Our aim was to identify lifestyle clusters among Finnish school-aged children and explore their associations with the prevalence of allergic disease symptoms and sensitization.

Early-life gut microbiota associates with allergic rhinitis during 13-year follow-up in a Finnish probiotic intervention cohort.

Perinatal and early-life factors reported to affect risk of allergic diseases may be mediated by changes in the gut microbiota. Here, we explored the associations between the infant gut microbiota and allergic morbidity in childhood until 13 years of age in a subgroup of the FLORA probiotic intervention cohort. A mixture of four probiotic strains with galacto-oligosaccharides was administrated to the mothers from the 36th week of the pregnancy and later to their infants until 6 months of age.

Early-life environment and the risk of eczema at 2 years-Meta-analyses of six Finnish birth cohorts.

Background: Urban-related nature exposures are suggested to contribute to the rising prevalence of allergic diseases despite little supporting evidence. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of 12 land cover classes and two greenness indices around homes at birth on the development of doctor-diagnosed eczema by the age of 2 years, and the influence of birth season.

Methods: Data from 5085 children were obtained from six Finnish birth cohorts.

Long-term changes in milk component immunoglobulins reflect milk oral immunotherapy outcomes in Finnish children.

Background: Milk oral immunotherapy (OIT) may increase the amount of milk protein that can be ingested without triggering an allergic reaction. It is important to understand why some patients benefit from the treatment while others do not.

Objective: The aim was to define the differences in the milk allergen component-specific (casein, α-lactalbumin, ß-lactoglobulin) immunoglobulin (sIg [sIgE, sIgG4, and sIgA]) levels relative to the long-term outcomes of milk OIT.

Gut microbiota develop towards an adult profile in a sex-specific manner during puberty.

Accumulating evidence indicates that gut microbiota may regulate sex-hormone levels in the host, with effects on reproductive health. Very little is known about the development of intestinal microbiota during puberty in humans. To assess the connection between pubertal timing and fecal microbiota, and to assess how fecal microbiota develop during puberty in comparison with adult microbiota, we utilized a Finnish allergy-prevention-trial cohort (Flora).

Perinatal Probiotic Mixture and Development of Allergic Sensitization up to 13 Years of Age.

Background: Probiotics have shown promising results in primary prevention of allergies in early years, but the long-term effects on allergic sensitization need more evaluation.

Objectives: We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study to determine whether the use of a mixture of pre- and probiotics perinatally affects the prevalence of immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitization up to 13 years in high-risk children.

Methods: One thousand two hundred twenty-three pregnant women were randomized to receiving probiotics or placebo from 36 gestational weeks until delivery, and their infants received pre- and probiotics or placebo from birth until 6 months.

Outcome of oral immunotherapy for persistent cow's milk allergy from 11 years of experience in Finland.

Background: The safety and efficacy of long-term milk oral immunotherapy (OIT) in Finnish children with persistent cow's milk allergy (CMA) were evaluated in an open-label, non-randomized study.

Methods: During the 11-year study, 296 children aged 5 years or older with immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated CMA started milk OIT. Follow-up data were collected at three time points: the post-buildup phase, 1 year thereafter, and at the cross-sectional long-term follow-up between January 2016 and December 2017.

Association of Maternal Probiotic Supplementation With Human Milk Oligosaccharide Composition.

This study assesses the differences in composition of human milk oligosaccharides of mothers who received either probiotic supplements or placebos in the late stages of pregnancy.

Up with ecology, down with economy? The consolidation of the idea of climate change mitigation in the global public sphere.

Building on theories of valuation and evaluation, we develop an analytical framework that outlines six elements of the process of consolidation of an idea in the public sphere. We then use the framework to analyse the process of consolidation of the idea of climate change mitigation between 1997 and 2013, focusing on the interplay between ecological and economic evaluations. Our content analysis of 1274 articles in leading newspapers in five countries around the globe shows that (1) ecological arguments increase over time, (2) economic arguments decrease over time, (3) the visibility of environmental nongovernmental organizations as carriers of ecological ideas increases over time, (4) the visibility of business actors correspondingly decreases, (5) ecological ideas are increasingly adopted by political and business elites and (6) a compromise emerges between ecological and economic evaluations, in the form of the argument that climate change mitigation boosts, rather than hinders economic growth.

Perinatal probiotic intervention prevented allergic disease in a Caesarean-delivered subgroup at 13-year follow-up.

Background: The long-term effects of probiotic intervention for primary prevention of allergic diseases are not well known. We previously reported less eczema until 10 years in our probiotic intervention trial.

Objective: To investigate the effect of early probiotic intervention on the prevalence of allergic diseases up to 13 years of age.

Gal d 1-specific IgE predicts allergy to heated egg in Finnish children.

Background: Allergen-specific IgE levels can be useful in predicting outcomes of oral food challenges, but optimal cutoff levels vary in different populations. The aim was to determine cutoff values for egg white- and Gal d 1-, Gal d 2-, Gal d 3-, and Gal d 4-specific IgE (sIgE) predicting positive oral heated egg challenges in 185 Finnish children and adolescents.

Methods: A total of 185 egg-sensitized patients (age: 1-19 years, median: 6.

Component-resolved diagnosis in selecting patients for yellowjacket venom immunotherapy.

Background: Venom immunotherapy is effective in preventing systemic allergic reactions (SARs), but the diagnosis of venom allergy is problematic.

Objective: To compare the performance of component-resolved diagnosis and conventional tests in patients referred for venom immunotherapy.

Methods: We measured serum-specific immunoglobulin E to yellowjacket and honeybee venoms (Ves v 1 and Ves v 5 and Api m 1), cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants, serum basal tryptase (ImmunoCAP, ThermoFisher Scientific, Uppsala, Sweden), and skin prick test reactions in 84 patients referred to receive venom immunotherapy.

Celiac Disease by the Age of 13 Years Is Not Associated With Probiotics Administration in Infancy.

Probiotics are theoretically promising in primary prevention of celiac disease (CD), but research evidence on the topic is scarce. We used the data and material of a clinical double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial on primary allergy prevention (n = 1223) to investigate in an exploratory study whether administration of a mix of pro- and prebiotics during late pregnancy and first 6 months of life was associated with prevalence of CD during 13-year follow-up. Children who fulfilled diagnostic criteria for CD (n = 11) and subjects with a serum sample available for analyzing CD antibodies (n = 867) were included.

Double-blind placebo-controlled challenge showed that peanut oral immunotherapy was effective for severe allergy without negative effects on airway inflammation.

Aim: This study examined the efficacy and the safety of peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT).

Methods: We recruited 60 patients aged six years to 18 years who had a moderate-to-severe reaction to a double-blind placebo-controlled peanut challenge: 39 received OIT during an eight-month build-up phase and maintenance phase and 21 controls avoided peanuts. We measured specific immunoglobulin E and G4 (IgE and IgG4) to peanuts and to Ara h 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 and monitored adverse events, bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) to methacholine and fractional concentrations of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO).

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Early Childhood Is Nonlinearly Associated with Allergy.

Background: Vitamin D has several immunological functions. Data on the relation of vitamin D status and allergy are controversial.

Methods: We investigated the association between serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) and allergy in childhood.

FUT2-dependent breast milk oligosaccharides and allergy at 2 and 5 years of age in infants with high hereditary allergy risk.

Purpose: Manifestation of allergic disease depends on genetic predisposition, diet and commensal microbiota. Genetic polymorphism of mothers determines their breast milk glycan composition. One major determinant is the fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2, secretor gene) that was shown to be linked to commensal microbiota establishment.

Soluble CD14, α-and β-defensins in breast milk: association with the emergence of allergy in a high-risk population.

As innate immunity factors in breast milk (BM) modulate infants' immune responses, we investigated whether soluble CD14 (sCD14) and defensin levels in BM are associated with the emergence of allergy in childhood. The randomly selected group of 260 mother-child pairs belonged to a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial where 1223 mothers with fetuses at high risk for allergy received for the 4 last wk of pregnancy a mixture of probiotics, or placebo; after birth, the child received the treatment for 6 mo. Children were followed for the emergence of sensitization and allergic symptoms for 5 yr.

[Nut allergy - a difficult problem for the clinician].

Nuts belong to the most significant causes of food anaphylaxis in Finland. Diagnosis of nut allergy is complicated by the fact that for those having birch allergy, skin prick tests and serum tests yield a positive reaction for peanut and hazelnut without the nut causing the allergy reactions. For fear of anaphylaxis, avoidance of nuts on the basis of conventional tests measuring allergic sensitization leads to an unnecessary therapeutic diet.

Impact of maternal allergy and use of probiotics during pregnancy on breast milk cytokines and food antibodies and development of allergy in children until 5 years.

Background: Whether breast milk (BM) can protect against allergy has been studied extensively, with conflicting results. Variations in mothers' BM composition may explain some of the conflicting results. Our aim was to assess the impact of maternal allergy and probiotic intervention on BM food antibodies, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β(2) and interleukin (IL)-10 and their impact on allergy development in children until the ages of 2 and 5.

Protective and risk factors for allergic diseases in high-risk children at the ages of two and five years.

Background: Environmental and lifestyle factors such as breast-feeding and pets seem to affect atopic disease prevalence. We identified risk factors for allergic diseases.

Methods: We prospectively followed until the age of 5 years a cohort of 1,223 children born into allergic families, who participated in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of probiotics as preventive against allergic disease.