Maternal immune markers during pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 20 months in the Seychelles Child Development Study.

Immune dysregulation during pregnancy may influence behavior and neurodevelopment in offspring, but few human studies have tested this hypothesis. Using structural equation modeling, we examined associations between maternal inflammatory markers at 28 weeks gestation and child neurodevelopmental outcomes at 20 months of age in a sample of 1453 mother-child pairs. We observed several associations between maternal inflammatory markers measured in the late second or early third trimester and child neurodevelopmental outcomes.

In Silico Methods for Studying T Cell Biology.

T cell function is dictated by a delicate balance of stimuli that shapes T-cell phenotype, the latter characterizable using a number of immunogenic assays. Thanks to advancements in next-generation sequencing technology, and the intersection between genetics, engineering, computer science, biostatistics, and immunology, it is now possible to profile immune cells residing in any organ or disease site at single cell resolution. Herein we review the most common approaches available to describe T cell activation, T cell molecular heterogeneity, and T cell function.

Maternal Gestational Immune Response and Autism Spectrum Disorder Phenotypes at 7 Years of Age in the Seychelles Child Development Study.

Findings from observational and experimental studies suggest that maternal inflammation during pregnancy is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We report the first study in humans to examine this association in a large prospective birth cohort. We studied 788 mother-child pairs from the Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2.

Associations of maternal immune response with MeHg exposure at 28 weeks' gestation in the Seychelles Child Development Study.

Problem: Maternal methylmercury (MeHg) exposure may be associated with immune response during pregnancy.

Method Of Study: In the high fish-eating Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2, we examined the association between maternal MeHg, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and immune markers (Th1:Th2; TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, MCP-1, TARC, sFlt-1, VEGF-D, CRP and IL-6) at 28 weeks' gestation. Linear regression examined associations between MeHg exposure and immune markers with and without adjustment for PUFA.

Paternal lineage early onset hereditary ovarian cancers: A Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry study.

Given prior evidence that an affected woman conveys a higher risk of ovarian cancer to her sister than to her mother, we hypothesized that there exists an X-linked variant evidenced by transmission to a woman from her paternal grandmother via her father. We ascertained 3,499 grandmother/granddaughter pairs from the Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute observing 892 informative pairs with 157 affected granddaughters. We performed germline X-chromosome exome sequencing on 186 women with ovarian cancer from the registry.

Evaluation of phenytoin serum levels following a loading dose in the acute hospital setting.

Purpose: Due to the complex pharmacokinetic profiles of phenytoin (PHT) and fosphenytoin (FOS), achieving sustained, targeted serum PHT levels in the first day of use is challenging.

Methods: A population based approach was used to analyze total serum PHT (tPHT) level within 2-24h of PHT/FOS loading with or without supplementary maintenance or additional loading doses among PHT-naïve patients in the acute hospital setting. Adequate tPHT serum level was defined as ≥20μg/mL.

Transcriptomic Biomarkers to Discriminate Bacterial from Nonbacterial Infection in Adults Hospitalized with Respiratory Illness.

Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) commonly causes hospitalization in adults. Because bacterial diagnostic tests are not accurate, antibiotics are frequently prescribed. Peripheral blood gene expression to identify subjects with bacterial infection is a promising strategy.

Genetic variation in FADS genes is associated with maternal long-chain PUFA status but not with cognitive development of infants in a high fish-eating observational study.

Long-chain n-6 and n-3 PUFA (LC-PUFA), arachidonic acid (AA) (20:4n-6) and DHA (22:6n-3), are critical for optimal brain development. These fatty acids can be consumed directly from the diet, or synthesized endogenously from precursor PUFA by Δ-5 (encoded by FADS1) and Δ-6 desaturases (encoded by FADS2). The aim of this study was to determine the potential importance of maternal genetic variability in FADS1 and FADS2 genes to maternal LC-PUFA status and infant neurodevelopment in populations with high fish intakes.

A Viable and Simple Self-Sampling Method for Human Papillomavirus Detection among South African Adolescents.

Background: Self-sampling for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing may offer improved patient acceptability, decreased cost, and greater practicality than clinician collection of specimens. HPV testing among adolescents is necessary to conduct vaccine surveillance and may play a role in cervical cancer screening among some populations.

Methods: A cross-sectional prevalence study was conducted to compare the results of self-collected and clinician-collected specimens for Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing among South African adolescent females.

High Rate of Multiple Concurrent Human Papillomavirus Infections among HIV-Uninfected South African Adolescents.

Background: The epidemiology and impact of multiple concurrent Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections on the natural history of cervical disease is uncertain, but could have significant implications for cervical cancer prevention and HPV vaccination strategies.

Methods: A cross-sectional prevalence study was conducted to determine the overall prevalence of HPV and the rate of multiple concurrent HPV infections, in a cohort of sexually active HIV-uninfected South African adolescents. HPV genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction.