Paternal Tobacco Smoke Correlated to Offspring Asthma and Prenatal Epigenetic Programming.

Little is known about effects of paternal tobacco smoke (PTS) on the offspring's asthma and its prenatal epigenetic programming. To investigate whether PTS exposure was associated with the offspring's asthma and correlated to epigenetic CG methylation of potential tobacco-related immune genes: or/and genes. In a birth cohort of 1,629 newborns, we measured exposure rates of PTS (23%) and maternal tobacco smoke (MTS, 0.

Prevalence of infant sneezing without colds and prediction of childhood allergy diseases in a prospective cohort study.

Background: Allergy sensitization may begin during the perinatal period, but predicting allergic diseases in infancy remains difficult. This study attempted to identify early predictors of childhood allergy diseases in a prospective cohort study.

Materials And Methods: In a prospective birth cohort study at southern Taiwan locating in a subtropical region, questionnaire surveys of sneezing or cough without colds at 6 and 18 months of age were recorded, and the correlation with allergy diseases was assessed at 3 and 6 years of age.

A prospective birth cohort study of different risk factors for development of allergic diseases in offspring of non-atopic parents.

Background: Allergic diseases are thought to be inherited. Prevalence of allergic diseases has, however, increased dramatically in last decades, suggesting environmental causes for the development of allergic diseases.

Objective: We studied risk factors associated with the development of atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma (AS) in children of non-atopic parents in a subtropical country.

Differentiation of type 2 diabetes mellitus with different complications by proteomic analysis of plasma low abundance proteins.

Background: Few biomarkers of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are replicable in the differentiation of T2DM with different complications. We aimed to identify proteomic biomarkers among T2DM patients with nephropathy or retinopathy.

Methods: Plasma low abundance proteins were enriched by depletion of 14 high abundance proteins using an affinity removal system, and subjected to nanoflow liquid chromatography electrospray ionization (nano LC-ESI) mass spectrometry after a gel electrophoresis with in-gel digestion.

Gender-dependent effect of GSTM1 genotype on childhood asthma associated with prenatal tobacco smoke exposure.

It remains unclear whether the GSTM1 genotype interacts with tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) in asthma development. This study aimed to investigate the interactions among GSTM1 genotype, gender, and prenatal TSE with regard to childhood asthma development. In a longitudinal birth cohort in Taiwan, 756 newborns completed a 6-year follow-up, and 591 children with DNA samples available for GSTM1 genotyping were included in the study, and the interactive influences of gender-GSTM1 genotyping-prenatal TSE on childhood asthma development were analyzed.

Different genetic associations of the IgE production among fetus, infancy and childhood.

Elevation of serum IgE levels has long been associated with allergic diseases. Many genes have been linked to IgE production, but few have been linked to the developmental aspects of genetic association with IgE production. To clarify developmental genetic association, we investigated what genes and gene-gene interactions affect IgE levels among fetus, infancy and childhood in Taiwan individuals.

Partial protein-hydrolyzed infant formula decreased food sensitization but not allergic diseases in a prospective birth cohort study.

Background: Exposure to cow's milk protein in early infancy could lead to increased rates of allergic diseases later in life. We investigated whether feeding a protein-hydrolyzed formula (HF) in the first 6 months of life decreased allergic diseases up to 36 months later.

Methods: Newborns who had at least 1 first-degree family member with a history of atopy and could not breast-feed were enrolled.

Increased complement factor H with decreased factor B determined by proteomic differential displays as a biomarker of tai chi chuan exercise.

Background: Exhaustive exercise can be associated with short-term immune suppression, but moderate exercise such as tai chi chuan (TCC) has been shown to have beneficial effects on immunity. The mechanisms for the health benefits of exercise remain to be determined, and no potential biomarkers for these beneficial health effects have been identified. This study investigated serum proteomic markers in individuals participating in TCC exercise.

Sialylated glycans as receptor and inhibitor of enterovirus 71 infection to DLD-1 intestinal cells.

Background: Many viruses recognize specific sugar residues, particularly sulfated or sialylated glycans, as the infection receptors. A change of sialic acid (2-6)-linked galactose (SA-alpha2,6Gal) to SA-alpha2,3Gal determines the receptor for avian flu infection. The receptor for enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection that frequently causes fatal encephalitis in Asian children remains unclear.

Combination of CTLA-4 and TGFbeta1 gene polymorphisms associated with dengue hemorrhagic fever and virus load in a dengue-2 outbreak.

The pathogenesis of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) has been considered to be massive immune activation of T cells. Abnormal expression of the immune regulatory molecules, CTLA-4 and TGFbeta1, leads to disturbances of regulatory T cell immune response. We investigate the contribution of CTLA-4 and TGFbeta1 in DHF by analyzing them for association with virus load in blood and polymorphisms of CTLA-4 +49A/G, and TGFbeta1 -509C/T in a DEN-2 outbreak.

Higher spontaneous and TNFalpha-induced apoptosis of neonatal blood granulocytes.

Granulocytes play an important role in inflammatory diseases. Neonates tend to develop granulocytopenia under sepsis and stress. It remains unclear whether apoptosis of neonatal granulocytes is different from that of adult granulocytes.

Gender-limited association of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) polymorphism with cord blood IgE levels.

Allergic mechanism has long been attributed to IgE-mediated reaction. The relationship between gene polymorphism and cord blood IgE (CB IgE) is unclear. We investigated whether elevation of CB IgE levels was associated with polymorphisms of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) at (-318) CT and (+49) AG positions in a gender-limited fashion.

Association of cord blood cytokines with prematurity and cerebral palsy.

Background: Many studies have shown that certain cytokines in amniotic fluids are correlated to premature labor and neonatal brain insults.

Aims: We investigated whether different fetal phagocyte and vascular mediators including IL-8, myeloperoxidase (MPO), PGE(2) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) levels were correlated to prematurity and cerebral palsy (CP) of premature infants.

Subjects: Umbilical cord blood samples from 96 preterm babies from 2250 cord blood collections were studied.

Prenatal prediction of infant atopy by maternal but not paternal total IgE levels.

Background: The atopic history of parents has long been used to predict infant atopy. However, bias from questionnaires of allergic history are also frequently suspected, because a large number of vasomotor rhinitis, intrinsic asthma, and seborrheic dermatitis cases are probably misinterpreted to be atopic diseases.

Objective: We attempted to identify a risk factor other than parental atopic history to predict elevated infant IgE levels and infant atopy.

Prediction of elevated cord blood IgE levels by maternal IgE levels, and the neonate's gender and gestational age.

Background: Elevation of cord blood immunoglobulin E (IgE) is used to predict childhood atopy. In an effort to catch such problems at an earlier time, we sought to identify the impact of parental atopy as well as gestational age, the baby's gender, and the season of delivery on cord blood IgE levels.

Methods: The allergic history of parents was collected during pregnancy.

Different antigens trigger different Th1/Th2 reactions in neonatal mononuclear cells (MNCs) relating to T-bet/GATA-3 expression.

Neonates are known to have poor cellular immunity, especially poor Th1 response. We investigated how neonatal mononuclear cells raised different Th1/Th2 reactions in response to different antigens. Employing Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) extract and varicella zoster virus (VZV) as antigens, we assessed Th1/Th2 reactions as demonstrated by IL-4/IFNgamma production and mRNA expression, and transcriptional factors T-bet/GATA-3 mRNA expression in mononuclear cells from human umbilical cord blood (CBMC).

Glutamine protects activated human T cells from apoptosis by up-regulating glutathione and Bcl-2 levels.

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. A decrease of plasma glutamine concentrations is found in catabolic stress and is related to susceptibility to infections. Glutamine is known to modulate lymphocyte activation; however, little is known about glutamine modulation of cell death of activated human T cells.

Reversible phosphatidylserine expression on blood granulocytes related to membrane perturbation but not DNA strand breaks.

Exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) on the outer leaflet of the cell membrane is recognized as an early indicator of programmed cell death (apoptosis) in plant and mammalian cells. Currently, there is no literature describing that PS expression on the surface of white blood cells is reversible. We found that a hypotonic 0.