Effects of parental smoking on interferon gamma production in children.

Objectives: Environmental tobacco smoke is associated with several negative health outcomes in children, including an increased susceptibility to infections. One of the postulated mechanisms for these effects is the impairment of the immune system function and/or development. Yet, it remains unknown whether cumulative exposure to parental smoking is associated with altered immune responses in childhood and whether these effects are independent of in utero exposure to maternal smoking.

Exposure to pets, and the association with hay fever, asthma, and atopic sensitization in rural children.

Background: An increasing number of studies report pet exposure to be associated with lower risk of asthma and allergies. This 'protective pet effect' has been suggested to result from a modified T-helper (Th)2-cell response, or because of increased microbial load in homes where pets are kept. We examined the associations between pet contact and the occurrence of asthma and allergies in children of the rural Allergy and Endotoxin (ALEX) population, taking farm animal contact, endotoxin and cat allergen levels in mattress dust into account.

Rethinking Th2 antibody responses and allergic sensitization.

Human Th2 cytokines (interleukins 4 and 13) induce co-expression of IgE and IgG4 through sequential switching. The regulation of IgG4 responses and the role of these responses in the pathogenesis of allergy have not been characterized. We are addressing these issues by comparing and contrasting the expression of allergen-specific IgE and IgG4 in a population of European children thoroughly defined for lifestyle, environmental exposures and allergic phenotypes.

Preparation of mouse type I and type II insulins for immunologic studies.

Mouse pancreata contain comparatively meager amounts of two insulin species, types I and II. When these insulins are to be prepared for immunogenetic studies, it is desirable to obtain equivalent amounts of both in concentrations suitable for immunization. Standard methods, based on isolating single species, favor recovery of one type.