Maternal nutritional status during pregnancy and infant immune response to routine childhood vaccinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Obanewa, Olayinka; Newell, Marie-Louise

2017-09-01

To systematically review the association between maternal nutritional status in pregnancy and infant immune response to childhood vaccines. We reviewed literature on maternal nutrition during pregnancy, fetal immune system and vaccines and possible relationships. Thereafter, we undertook a systematic review of the literature of maternal nutritional status and infant vaccine response, extracted relevant information, assessed quality of the nine papers identified and present findings in a narrative format. From limited evidence of average quality, intrauterine nutrition deficiency could lead to functional deficit in the infant's immune function; child vaccine response may thus be negatively affected by maternal malnutrition. Response to childhood vaccination may be associated with fetal and early life environment; evaluation of programs should take this into account.

Function and Content of Maternal Demands: Developmental Significance of Early Demands for Competent Action.

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Kuczynski, Leon; Kochanska, Grazyna

1995-01-01

Examined mothers' demands during mothers' interactions with their 1.5- to 3.5-year olds. Mothers with authoritative child-rearing attitudes emphasized proactive, competence-oriented demands and avoided regulatory control. Maternal demands for competent action predicted fewer behavior problems in their children at age five; maternal demands focused…

Pertussis Maternal Immunization: Narrowing the Knowledge Gaps on the Duration of Transferred Protective Immunity and on Vaccination Frequency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Emilia Gaillard

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Maternal safety through pertussis vaccination and subsequent maternal–fetal-antibody transfer are well documented, but information on infant protection from pertussis by such antibodies and by subsequent vaccinations is scarce. Since mice are used extensively for maternal-vaccination studies, we adopted that model to narrow those gaps in our understanding of maternal pertussis immunization. Accordingly, we vaccinated female mice with commercial acellular pertussis (aP vaccine and measured offspring protection against Bordetella pertussis challenge and specific-antibody levels with or without revaccination. Maternal immunization protected the offspring against pertussis, with that immune protection transferred to the offspring lasting for several weeks, as evidenced by a reduction (4–5 logs, p < 0.001 in the colony-forming-units recovered from the lungs of 16-week-old offspring. Moreover, maternal-vaccination-acquired immunity from the first pregnancy still conferred protection to offspring up to the fourth pregnancy. Under the conditions of our experimental protocol, protection to offspring from the aP-induced immunity is transferred both transplacentally and through breastfeeding. Adoptive-transfer experiments demonstrated that transferred antibodies were more responsible for the protection detected in offspring than transferred whole spleen cells. In contrast to reported findings, the protection transferred was not lost after the vaccination of infant mice with the same or other vaccine preparations, and conversely, the immunity transferred from mothers did not interfere with the protection conferred by infant vaccination with the same or different vaccines. These results indicated that aP-vaccine immunization of pregnant female mice conferred protective immunity that is transferred both transplacentally and via offspring breastfeeding without compromising the protection boostered by subsequent infant vaccination. These results�

Relations among Maternal Parenting Style, Academic Competence, and Life Satisfaction in Chinese Early Adolescents

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Leung, Candice Y.-W.; McBride-Chang, Catherine; Lai, Beatrice P.-Y.

2004-01-01

The relations among maternal concern and restrictiveness, self-evaluated academic competence, and life satisfaction were explored in a short-term longitudinal study of 346 7th-grade students (126 males and 220 females) in Hong Kong. The authors found that perceived maternal concern, academic competence, and life satisfaction significantly declined…

Competing spreading processes and immunization in multiplex networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Bo; Deng, Zhenghong; Zhao, Dawei

2016-01-01

Epidemic spreading on physical contact network will naturally introduce the human awareness information diffusion on virtual contact network, and the awareness diffusion will in turn depress the epidemic spreading, thus forming the competing spreading processes of epidemic and awareness in a multiplex networks. In this paper, we study the competing dynamics of epidemic and awareness, both of which follow the SIR process, in a two-layer networks based on microscopic Markov chain approach and numerical simulations. We find that strong capacities of awareness diffusion and self-protection of individuals could lead to a much higher epidemic threshold and a smaller outbreak size. However, the self-awareness of individuals has no obvious effect on the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. In addition, the immunization of the physical contact network under the interplay between of epidemic and awareness spreading is also investigated. The targeted immunization is found performs much better than random immunization, and the awareness diffusion could reduce the immunization threshold for both type of random and targeted immunization significantly.

Prenatal programing: at the intersection of maternal stress and immune activation.

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Howerton, Christopher L; Bale, Tracy L

2012-08-01

Exposure to prenatal insults such as maternal stress and pathogenic infections has been associated with an increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. The mechanisms by which these programing events occur likely involve complex interactions between the maternal hormonal milieu, the placenta, and the developing fetus, in addition to compounding factors such as fetal sex and gestational stage of development. Despite the diverse biological processes involved, examination of common pathways in maternal stress and immune activation offers intriguing possibilities for elucidation of mechanistic insight. Further, the endocrine and sex-specific placenta is a tissue poised to be a key mediator in fetal programing, located at the intersection of the maternal and embryonic environments. In this review, we will discuss the potential shared mechanisms of maternal stress and immune pathway activation, with a particular focus on the important contribution and role of the placenta. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The tripartite immune conflict in placentals and a hypothesis on fetal-->maternal microchimerism.

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Apari, Péter; Rózsa, Lajos

2009-01-01

There is a two-way traffic of immune cells through the placenta; and fetal immune cells are often present in the maternal body even long after giving birth. We present an adaptationist theory to interpret fetal-->maternal microchimerism and the diverse set of concomitant medical phenomena. We handle fetal, maternal, and paternal adaptive interests separately and in interaction with one another. Fetuses may benefit from immunological information gathered by migrant cells in the maternal body, and also from improved maternal defence. However, they may be jeopardized by a selfish maternal usage of fetal-->maternal microchimerism - i.e., some mothers get pregnant only to improve their immune system and then to abort. The use of microchimeric cells by the maternal immune system may contribute to the adaptive benefits of female choosiness and polyandry. While fathers may enjoy an indirect benefit from enhanced fetal and maternal health, they also face the risk of wasting sexual efforts due to selfish pregnancies of cheating females. Paternal alleles acting via clones of microchimeric cells in the maternal body could launch an immunological attack against the non-kin sperm in the female genitalia, or against the non-kin fetus in the womb. Furthermore, an intraspecific version of Zahavi's Mafia Hypothesis could explain a potential interaction between the abortion of fetuses and a subsequent rise of an autoimmune disease. We suggest that males may be capable to provoke microchimerism-induced autoimmune-like diseases in the mother in revenge of selfish pregnancies. This hypothetic paternal threat could increase the maternal costs associated to selfish pregnancies. From a medical point of view, we propose new interpretations for autoimmune-like diseases, infertility, miscarriage, and also for the prevailing connections among them. Specifically, we argue that miscarriages may cause autoimmune diseases, a reversed causality as compared to the currently accepted one.

Maternal Immune-Mediated Conditions, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Developmental Delay

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Lyall, Kristen; Ashwood, Paul; Van de Water, Judy; Hertz-Picciotto, Irva

2014-01-01

The maternal immune system may play a role in offspring neurodevelopment. We examined whether maternal autoimmune disease, asthma, and allergy were associated with child autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delay without autism (DD) using 560 ASD cases, 391 typically developing controls, and 168 DD cases from the CHildhood Autism Risk…

The effect of maternal and paternal immune challenge on offspring immunity and reproduction in a cricket.

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McNamara, K B; van Lieshout, E; Simmons, L W

2014-06-01

Trans-generational immune priming is the transmission of enhanced immunity to offspring following a parental immune challenge. Although within-generation increased investment into immunity demonstrates clear costs on reproductive investment in a number of taxa, the potential for immune priming to impact on offspring reproductive investment has not been thoroughly investigated. We explored the reproductive costs of immune priming in a field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus. To assess the relative importance of maternal and paternal immune status, mothers and fathers were immune-challenged with live bacteria or a control solution and assigned to one of four treatments in which one parent, neither or both parents were immune-challenged. Families of offspring were reared to adulthood under a food-restricted diet, and approximately 10 offspring in each family were assayed for two measures of immunocompetence. We additionally quantified offspring reproductive investment using sperm viability for males and ovary mass for females. We demonstrate that parental immune challenge has significant consequences for the immunocompetence and, in turn, reproductive investment of their male offspring. A complex interaction between maternal and paternal immune status increased the antibacterial immune response of male offspring. This increased immune response was associated with a reduction in son's sperm viability, implicating a trans-generational resource trade-off between investment into immunocompetence and reproduction. Our data also show that these costs are sexually dimorphic, as daughters did not demonstrate a similar increase in immunity, despite showing a reduction in ovary mass. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2014 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Pertussis Maternal Immunization: Narrowing the Knowledge Gaps on the Duration of Transferred Protective Immunity and on Vaccination Frequency

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Gaillard, María Emilia; Bottero, Daniela; Zurita, María Eugenia; Carriquiriborde, Francisco; Martin Aispuro, Pablo; Bartel, Erika; Sabater-Martínez, David; Bravo, María Sol; Castuma, Celina; Hozbor, Daniela Flavia

2017-01-01

Maternal safety through pertussis vaccination and subsequent maternal–fetal-antibody transfer are well documented, but information on infant protection from pertussis by such antibodies and by subsequent vaccinations is scarce. Since mice are used extensively for maternal-vaccination studies, we adopted that model to narrow those gaps in our understanding of maternal pertussis immunization. Accordingly, we vaccinated female mice with commercial acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine and measured offspring protection against Bordetella pertussis challenge and specific-antibody levels with or without revaccination. Maternal immunization protected the offspring against pertussis, with that immune protection transferred to the offspring lasting for several weeks, as evidenced by a reduction (4–5 logs, p protection to offspring up to the fourth pregnancy. Under the conditions of our experimental protocol, protection to offspring from the aP-induced immunity is transferred both transplacentally and through breastfeeding. Adoptive-transfer experiments demonstrated that transferred antibodies were more responsible for the protection detected in offspring than transferred whole spleen cells. In contrast to reported findings, the protection transferred was not lost after the vaccination of infant mice with the same or other vaccine preparations, and conversely, the immunity transferred from mothers did not interfere with the protection conferred by infant vaccination with the same or different vaccines. These results indicated that aP-vaccine immunization of pregnant female mice conferred protective immunity that is transferred both transplacentally and via offspring breastfeeding without compromising the protection boostered by subsequent infant vaccination. These results—though admittedly not necessarily immediately extrapolatable to humans—nevertheless enabled us to test hypotheses under controlled conditions through detailed sampling and data collection. These

Maternal immunization increases nestling energy expenditure, immune function, and fledging success in a passerine bird

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Gary Burness

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Female birds transfer maternally derived antibodies (matAb to their nestlings, via the egg yolk. These antibodies are thought to provide passive protection, and allow nestlings to avoid the costs associated with mounting an innate immune response. To test whether there is an energetic benefit to nestlings from receiving matAb, we challenged adult female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor prior to clutch initiation with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS or saline (Control. Following hatching, one half of each female's nestlings were immunized on day 8 post-hatch with LPS or saline, and the 4-h post-immunization nestling metabolic rate (MR was measured. There was no difference in either LPS-reactive antibodies or total Ig levels between offspring of immunized and non-immunized mothers on day 6 or 14 post-hatch, possibly reflecting a relatively short half-life of matAbs in altricial birds. Additionally, we found no evidence that nestlings from LPS-immunized mothers could avoid the growth suppression that may result from activation of an inflammatory response. Unexpectedly, we found that control nestlings from LPS mothers had higher resting MR than control nestlings of control mothers. We attribute the increased MR to the costs associated with a general non-specific enhancement of immune function in nestlings from LPS-immunized mothers. Consistent with enhanced immune function, nestlings of immunized mothers had a more robust inflammatory response to phytohaemagglutinin and higher fledging success. Our results suggest that maternal antigen exposure pre-laying can result in increased fitness for both mothers and offspring, depending on food availability.

The impact of maternally derived immunity on influenza A virus transmission in neonatal pig populations.

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Allerson, Matt; Deen, John; Detmer, Susan E; Gramer, Marie R; Joo, Han Soo; Romagosa, Anna; Torremorell, Montserrat

2013-01-07

The commonality of influenza A virus (IAV) exposure and vaccination on swine farms in the United States ensures that the majority of neonatal pigs will have some degree of maternal immunity to IAV. The influence of maternal immunity on IAV transmission in neonatal pig populations will impact virus prevalence and infection dynamics across pig populations. The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of maternally derived immunity on IAV transmission in an experimental setting. Neonatal pigs suckled colostrum and derived maternal (passive) immunity from sows in one of three treatment groups: (a) non-vaccinated control (CTRL) or vaccinated with (b) homologous (PASSV-HOM) or (c) heterologous (PASSV-HET) inactivated experimental IAV vaccines. Sentinel neonatal pigs derived from the groups above were challenged with IAV via direct contact with an experimentally infected pig (seeder pig) and monitored for IAV infection daily via nasal swab sampling. A susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) experimental model was used to obtain and estimate transmission parameters in each treatment group via a generalized linear model. All sentinel pigs in the CTRL (30/30) and PASSV-HET (30/30) groups were infected with IAV following contact with the seeder pigs and the reproduction ratio estimates (95% confidence interval) were 10.4 (6.6-15.8) and 7.1 (4.2-11.3), respectively. In contrast, 1/20 sentinel pigs in the PASSV-HOM group was infected following contact with the seeder pigs and the reproduction ratio estimate was significantly lower compared to the CTRL and PASSV-HET groups at 0.8 (0.1-3.7). Under the conditions of this study, IAV transmission was reduced in neonatal pigs with homologous maternal immunity compared to seronegative neonatal pigs and pigs with heterologous maternal immunity as defined in this study. This study provides estimates for IAV transmission in pigs with differing types of maternal immunity which may describe the influence of maternal immunity on

Maternal stress, nutrition and physical activity: Impact on immune function, CNS development and psychopathology.

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Marques, Andrea Horvath; Bjørke-Monsen, Anne-Lise; Teixeira, Antônio L; Silverman, Marni N

2015-08-18

Evidence suggests that maternal and fetal immune dysfunction may impact fetal brain development and could play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders, although the definitive pathophysiological mechanisms are still not completely understood. Stress, malnutrition and physical inactivity are three maternal behavioral lifestyle factors that can influence immune and central nervous system (CNS) functions in both the mother and fetus, and may therefore, increase risk for neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders. First, we will briefly review some aspects of maternal-fetal immune system interactions and development of immune tolerance. Second, we will discuss the bidirectional communication between the immune system and CNS and the pathways by which immune dysfunction could contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders. Third, we will discuss the effects of prenatal stress and malnutrition (over and undernutrition) on perinatal programming of the CNS and immune system, and how this might influence neurodevelopment. Finally, we will discuss the beneficial impact of physical fitness during pregnancy on the maternal-fetal unit and infant and how regular physical activity and exercise can be an effective buffer against stress- and inflammatory-related disorders. Although regular physical activity has been shown to promote neuroplasticity and an anti-inflammatory state in the adult, there is a paucity of studies evaluating its impact on CNS and immune function during pregnancy. Implementing stress reduction, proper nutrition and ample physical activity during pregnancy and the childbearing period may be an efficient strategy to counteract the impact of maternal stress and malnutrition/obesity on the developing fetus. Such behavioral interventions could have an impact on early development of the CNS and immune system and contribute to the prevention of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Further research is needed to elucidate this relationship and the underlying

The impact of maternal obesity during pregnancy on offspring immunity.

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Wilson, Randall M; Messaoudi, Ilhem

2015-12-15

In the United States, approximately 64% of women of childbearing age are either overweight or obese. Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with a greater risk for adverse maternal-fetal outcomes. Adverse health outcomes for the offspring can persist into adulthood, increasing the incidence of several chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and asthma. Since these diseases have a significant inflammatory component, these observations are indicative of perturbation of the normal development and maturation of the immune system of the offspring in utero. This hypothesis is strongly supported by data from several rodent studies. Although the mechanisms of these perturbations are not fully understood, it is thought that increased placental inflammation due to obesity may directly affect neonatal development through alterations in nutrient transport. In this review we examine the impact of maternal obesity on the neonatal immune system, and potential mechanisms for the changes observed. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Maternal Resources, Parenting Practices, and Child Competence in Rural, Single-Parent African American Families.

Science.gov (United States)

Brody, Gene H.; Flor, Douglas L.

1998-01-01

Tested a model linking maternal/family characteristics to child cognitive and psychosocial competence in African-American 6- to 9-year olds in rural single-mother-headed households. Found that maternal education, religiosity, and financial resources were linked with parenting style, mother-child relationship, and maternal school involvement.…

Influence of ionizing radiation on immune competent cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakhno, T.O.; Davidova, T.Yi.; Chumak, A.A.

1997-01-01

Stable injuries of immune-competent cells in patients with dose load higher than professional one are determined. Changes of metabolic profile, beside changes of surface membrane structures were observed

Individual differences in maternal response to immune challenge predict offspring behavior: Contribution of environmental factors

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Bronson, Stefanie L.; Ahlbrand, Rebecca; Horn, Paul S.; Kern, Joseph R.; Richtand, Neil M.

2011-01-01

Maternal infection during pregnancy elevates risk for schizophrenia and related disorders in offspring. Converging evidence suggests the maternal inflammatory response mediates the interaction between maternal infection, altered brain development, and behavioral outcome. The extent to which individual differences in the maternal response to immune challenge influence the development of these abnormalities is unknown. The present study investigated the impact of individual differences in maternal response to the viral mimic polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) on offspring behavior. We observed significant variability in body weight alterations of pregnant rats induced by administration of poly I:C on gestational day 14. Furthermore, the presence or absence of maternal weight loss predicted MK-801 and amphetamine stimulated locomotor abnormalities in offspring. MK-801 stimulated locomotion was altered in offspring of all poly I:C treated dams; however, the presence or absence of maternal weight loss resulted in decreased and modestly increased locomotion, respectively. Adult offspring of poly I:C treated dams that lost weight exhibited significantly decreased amphetamine stimulated locomotion, while offspring of poly I:C treated dams without weight loss performed similarly to vehicle controls. Social isolation and increased maternal age predicted weight loss in response to poly I:C but not vehicle injection. In combination, these data identify environmental factors associated with the maternal response to immune challenge and functional outcome of offspring exposed to maternal immune activation. PMID:21255612

Self-representation of children suffering from congenital heart disease and maternal competence

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Giovanna Perricone

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Child development may be subject to forms of motor, physical, cognitive and self-representation impairments when complex congenital heart disease (CHD occurs. In some cases, inadequacy of both self-representation as well as the family system are displayed. It seems to be important to search the likely internal and external resources of the CHD child, and the possible connections among such resources, which may help him/her to manage his/her own risk condition. The research project inquires the possible resources related to the self-representation and self-esteem levels of the CHD child, and those related to maternal self-perception as competent mothers. A group of 25 children (mean age = 10.2; SD=1.8 suffering from specific forms of CHD, and a group made up of their relative mothers (mean age = 38.2; SD=5 were studied. The tools used were the Human Figure Drawing, to investigate child body-related self-representation; the TMA scale (Self-esteem Multidimensional Test, to investigate the child’s self-esteem; and the Q-sort questionnaire, to assess how mothers perceived their maternal competence. Data concerning the likely correlations between the child’s self-representation and the maternal role competence show [that] positive correlations between some indicators of maternal competence, specific aspects of CHD children’s self-representation (mothers’ emotional coping and children’s self-image adequacy and self-esteem (mothers’ emotional scaffolding and children’s self-esteem at an emotional level. By detecting the occurrence of specific correlations among resources of both child and mother, the study provides cardiologists with information that is useful for building a relationship with the families concerned, which would seem to enhance the quality of the process of the cure itself.

Perceived Safety, Quality and Cultural Competency of Maternity Care for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women in Queensland.

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Mander, Sarah; Miller, Yvette D

2016-03-01

Various policies, plans and initiatives have been implemented to provide safe, quality and culturally competent care to patients within Queensland's health care system. A series of models of maternity care are available in Queensland that range from standard public care to private midwifery care. The current study aimed to determine whether identifying as culturally or linguistically diverse (CALD) was associated with the perceived safety, quality and cultural competency of maternity care from a consumer perspective, and to identify specific needs and preferences of CALD maternity care consumers. Secondary analysis of data collected in the Having a Baby in Queensland Survey 2012 was used to compare the experiences of 655 CALD women to those of 4049 non-CALD women in Queensland, Australia, across three stages of maternity care: pregnancy, labour and birth, and after birth. After adjustment for model of maternity care received and socio-demographic characteristics, CALD women were significantly more likely than non-CALD women to experience suboptimal staff technical competence in pregnancy, overall perceived safety in pregnancy and labour/birth, and interpersonal sensitivity in pregnancy and labour/birth. Approximately 50 % of CALD women did not have the choice to use a translator or interpreter, or the gender of their care provider, during labour and birth. Thirteen themes of preferences and needs of CALD maternity care consumers based on ethnicity, cultural beliefs, or traditions were identified; however, these were rarely met. Findings imply that CALD women in Queensland experience disadvantageous maternity care with regards to perceived staff technical competence, safety, and interpersonal sensitivity, and receive care that lacks cultural competence. Improved access to support persons, continuity and choice of carer, and staff availability and training is recommended.

Transfer of maternal immunity to piglets is involved in early protection against Mycoplasma hyosynoviae infection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauritsen, Klara Tølbøl; Hagedorn-Olsen, Tine; Jungersen, Gregers

2017-01-01

Mycoplasma hyosynoviae causes arthritis in pigs older than 12 weeks. The role of colostrum in protection of piglets against M. hyosynoviae infection is not clear. Our objective was therefore to investigate whether transfer of maternal immunity to piglets was involved in early protection against...... immune response that complements the maternally transferred immune factors. Evident from this study is that the general absence of M. hyosynoviae arthritis in piglets can be ascribed mainly to their immunological status....

Maternal uptake of pertussis cocooning strategy and other pregnancy related recommended immunizations.

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Wong, C Y; Thomas, N J; Clarke, M; Boros, C; Tuckerman, J; Marshall, H S

2015-01-01

Maternal immunization is an important strategy to prevent severe morbidity and mortality in mothers and their offspring. This study aimed to identify whether new parents were following immunization recommendations prior to pregnancy, during pregnancy, and postnatally. A cross-sectional survey was conducted by a questionnaire administered antenatally to pregnant women attending a maternity hospital with a follow-up telephone interview at 8-10 weeks post-delivery. Factors associated with uptake of pertussis vaccination within the previous 5 y or postnatally and influenza vaccination during pregnancy were explored using log binomial regression models. A total of 297 pregnant women completed the questionnaire. For influenza vaccine, 20.3% were immunized during pregnancy and 3.0% postnatally. For pertussis vaccine, 13.1% were vaccinated within 5 y prior to pregnancy and 31 women received the vaccine postnatally, 16 (51.6%) received the vaccine >4 weeks after delivery. Receiving a recommendation from a healthcare provider (HCP) was an independent predictor for receipt of both pertussis (RR 2.07, p immunization is low and likely due to poor knowledge of availability, language barriers and lack of recommendations from HCPs. Strategies to improve maternal vaccine uptake should include education about recommended vaccines for both HCPs and parents and written information in a variety of languages.

The Influence of Maternal Prenatal and Early Childhood Nutrition and Maternal Prenatal Stress on Offspring Immune System Development and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

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Andrea Horvath Marques

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The developing immune system and central nervous system in the fetus and child are extremely sensitive to both exogenous and endogenous signals. Early immune system programming, leading to changes that can persist over the life course, has been suggested, and other evidence suggests that immune dysregulation in the early developing brain may play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. The timing of immune dysregulation with respect to gestational age and neurologic development of the fetus may shape the elicited response. This creates a possible sensitive window of programming or vulnerability. This review will explore the effects of prenatal maternal and infant nutritional status (from conception until early childhood as well as prenatal maternal stress and anxiety on early programming of immune function, and how this might influence neurodevelopment. We will describe fetal immune system development and maternal-fetal immune interactions to provide a better context for understanding the influence of nutrition and stress on the immune system. Finally, we will discuss the implications for prevention of neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on nutrition. Although certain micronutrient supplements have shown to both reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and enhance fetal immune development, we do not know whether their impact on immune development contributes to the preventive effect on neurodevelopmental disorders. Future studies are needed to elucidate this relationship, which may contribute to a better understanding of preventative mechanisms. Integrating studies of neurodevelopmental disorders and prenatal exposures with the simultaneous evaluation of neural and immune systems will shed light on mechanisms that underlie individual vulnerability or resilience to neurodevelopmental disorders and ultimately contribute to the development of primary preventions and early

Adaptive maternal immune deviations as a ground for autism spectrum disorders development in children.

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Poletaev, Alexander B; Poletaeva, Alina A; Pukhalenko, Alexander I; Zamaleeva, Roza S; Cherepanova, Natalia A; Frizin, Dmitry V

2014-01-01

Autism is a vexed problem today. Overall, there is a high frequency of birth children (1:80 - 1:150) with late diagnosed autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and this trend is getting progressively stronger. The causes for the currently increased frequency of ASD and the pathogenesis of ASD are not fully understood yet. One of the most likely mechanisms inducing ASD may be a maternal immune imprinting. This phenomenon is based on transplacental translocation of maternal antibodies of IgG class and, as a consequence, on the epigenetic "tuning" of immune system of the fetus and child. This mechanism provides development of child's anti-infection resistance before meeting with microorganisms, but it can be also a cause of inborn pathology including the ASD appearance. The quantitative changes in maternal blood serum autoantibodies depend on a specific microbial population, or are induced by environmental chemical pollutants in association with some individual features of the maternal metabolism. These immune changes are adaptive in most cases for the maternal organism, but can be pathogenic for the fetus in some cases. We discuss in the present paper the possibilities to predict the risk from abnormal development of nervous system in fetus and early diagnosis of ASD in high-risk group of children.

PRENATAL INFECTION, MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION, AND RISK FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA.

Science.gov (United States)

Canetta, Sarah E; Brown, Alan S

2012-12-01

A body of epidemiological literature has suggested an association between prenatal infection, subsequent maternal immune activation (MIA), and later risk of schizophrenia. These epidemiological studies have inspired preclinical research using rodent and primate models of prenatal infection and MIA. The findings from these preclinical studies indicate that severe infection and immune activation during pregnancy can negatively impact offspring brain development and impair adult behavior. This review aims to summarize the major epidemiological and preclinical findings addressing the connection between prenatal infection and immune activation and later risk of developing schizophrenia, as well as the more limited literature addressing the mechanisms by which this gestational insult might affect offspring neurodevelopment. Finally, directions for future research will be discussed.

Maternal obesity alters immune cell frequencies and responses in umbilical cord blood samples.

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Wilson, Randall M; Marshall, Nicole E; Jeske, Daniel R; Purnell, Jonathan Q; Thornburg, Kent; Messaoudi, Ilhem

2015-06-01

Maternal obesity is one of the several key factors thought to modulate neonatal immune system development. Data from murine studies demonstrate worse outcomes in models of infection, autoimmunity, and allergic sensitization in offspring of obese dams. In humans, children born to obese mothers are at increased risk for asthma. These findings suggest a dysregulation of immune function in the children of obese mothers; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal body weight and the human neonatal immune system. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected from infants born to lean, overweight, and obese mothers. Frequency and function of major innate and adaptive immune cell populations were quantified using flow cytometry and multiplex analysis of circulating factors. Compared to babies born to lean mothers, babies of obese mothers had fewer eosinophils and CD4 T helper cells, reduced monocyte and dendritic cell responses to Toll-like receptor ligands, and increased plasma levels of IFN-α2 and IL-6 in cord blood. These results support the hypothesis that maternal obesity influences programming of the neonatal immune system, providing a potential link to increased incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma and cardiovascular disease in the offspring. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cost-effectiveness of maternal GBS immunization in low-income sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Louise B; Kim, Sun-Young; Cosgriff, Ben; Pentakota, Sri Ram; Schrag, Stephanie J; Sobanjo-Ter Meulen, Ajoke; Verani, Jennifer R; Sinha, Anushua

2017-12-14

A maternal group B streptococcal (GBS) vaccine could prevent neonatal sepsis and meningitis. Its cost-effectiveness in low-income sub-Saharan Africa, a high burden region, is unknown. We used a decision tree model, with Markov nodes to project infants' lifetimes, to compare maternal immunization delivered through routine antenatal care with no immunization. 37 countries were clustered on the basis of economic and health resources and past public health performance. Vaccine efficacy for covered serotypes was ranged from 50% to 90%. The model projected EOGBS (early-onset) and LOGBS (late-onset) cases and deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), healthcare costs (2014 US$), and cost-effectiveness for a representative country in each of the four clusters: Guinea-Bissau, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana. Maximum vaccination costs/dose were estimated to meet two cost-effectiveness benchmarks, 0.5 GDP and GDP per capita/DALY, for ranges of disease incidence (reported and adjusted for under-reporting) and vaccine efficacy. At coverage equal to the proportion of pregnant women with≥4 antenatal visits (ANC4) and serotype-specific vaccine efficacy of 70%, maternal GBS immunization would prevent one-third of GBS cases and deaths in Uganda and Nigeria, where ANC4 is 50%, 42-43% in Guinea-Bissau (ANC4=65%), and 55-57% in Ghana (ANC4=87%). At a vaccination cost of $7/dose, maternal immunization would cost $320-$350/DALY averted in Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, and Ghana, less than half these countries' GDP per capita. In Uganda, which has the lowest case fatality ratios, the cost would be $573/DALY. If the vaccine prevents a small proportion of stillbirths, it would be even more cost-effective. Vaccination cost/dose, disease incidence, and case fatality were key drivers of cost/DALY in sensitivity analyses. Maternal GBS immunization could be a cost-effective intervention in low-income sub-Saharan Africa, with cost-effectiveness ratios similar to other recently introduced vaccines

Maternal Vaccination as an Essential Component of Life-Course Immunization and Its Contribution to Preventive Neonatology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naomi Bergin

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Maternal immunisation schedules are increasingly coming under the spotlight as part of the development of lifetime immunisation programmes for the role that they play in improving maternal, foetal, and neonatal health. Maternally-acquired antibodies are critical in protecting infants during the first months of their lives. Maternal immunisation was previously overlooked owing to concerns regarding vaccinations in this untested and high-risk population but is now acknowledged for its potential impact on the outcomes in many domains of foetal and neonatal health, aside from its maternal benefits. This article highlights the role that maternal immunisation may play in reducing infections in preterm and term infants. It explores the barriers to antenatal vaccinations and the optimisation of the immunisation uptake. This review also probes the part that maternal immunisation may hold in the reduction of perinatal antimicrobial resistance and the prevention of non-infectious diseases. Both healthcare providers and expectant mothers should continue to be educated on the importance and safety of the appropriate immunizations during pregnancy. Maternal vaccination merits its deserved priority in a life-course immunization approach and it is perhaps the only immunization whereby two generations benefit directly from a single input. We outline the current recommendations for antenatal vaccinations and highlight the potential advances in the field contributing to “preventive neonatology”.

Maternal retinoids control type 3 innate lymphoid cells and set the offspring immunity

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van de Pavert, Serge A.; Ferreira, Manuela; Domingues, Rita G.; Ribeiro, Hélder; Molenaar, Rosalie; Moreira-Santos, Lara; Almeida, Francisca F.; Ibiza, Sales; Barbosa, Inês; Goverse, Gera; Labão-Almeida, Carlos; Godinho-Silva, Cristina; Konijn, Tanja; Schooneman, Dennis; O'Toole, Tom; Mizee, Mark R.; Habani, Yasmin; Haak, Esther; Santori, Fabio R.; Littman, Dan R.; Schulte-Merker, Stefan; Dzierzak, Elaine; Simas, J. Pedro; Mebius, Reina E.; Veiga-Fernandes, Henrique

2014-04-01

The impact of nutritional status during fetal life on the overall health of adults has been recognized; however, dietary effects on the developing immune system are largely unknown. Development of secondary lymphoid organs occurs during embryogenesis and is considered to be developmentally programmed. Secondary lymphoid organ formation depends on a subset of type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) named lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells. Here we show that mouse fetal ILC3s are controlled by cell-autonomous retinoic acid (RA) signalling in utero, which pre-sets the immune fitness in adulthood. We found that embryonic lymphoid organs contain ILC progenitors that differentiate locally into mature LTi cells. Local LTi cell differentiation was controlled by maternal retinoid intake and fetal RA signalling acting in a haematopoietic cell-autonomous manner. RA controlled LTi cell maturation upstream of the transcription factor RORγt. Accordingly, enforced expression of Rorgt restored maturation of LTi cells with impaired RA signalling, whereas RA receptors directly regulated the Rorgt locus. Finally, we established that maternal levels of dietary retinoids control the size of secondary lymphoid organs and the efficiency of immune responses in the adult offspring. Our results reveal a molecular link between maternal nutrients and the formation of immune structures required for resistance to infection in the offspring.

Early infections by myxoma virus of young rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) protected by maternal antibodies activate their immune system and enhance herd immunity in wild populations.

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Marchandeau, Stéphane; Pontier, Dominique; Guitton, Jean-Sébastien; Letty, Jérôme; Fouchet, David; Aubineau, Jacky; Berger, Francis; Léonard, Yves; Roobrouck, Alain; Gelfi, Jacqueline; Peralta, Brigitte; Bertagnoli, Stéphane

2014-03-04

The role of maternal antibodies is to protect newborns against acute early infection by pathogens. This can be achieved either by preventing any infection or by allowing attenuated infections associated with activation of the immune system, the two strategies being based on different cost/benefit ratios. We carried out an epidemiological survey of myxomatosis, which is a highly lethal infectious disease, in two distant wild populations of rabbits to describe the epidemiological pattern of the disease. Detection of specific IgM and IgG enabled us to describe the pattern of immunity. We show that maternal immunity attenuates early infection of juveniles and enables activation of their immune system. This mechanism associated with steady circulation of the myxoma virus in both populations, which induces frequent reinfections of immune rabbits, leads to the maintenance of high immunity levels within populations. Thus, myxomatosis has a low impact, with most infections being asymptomatic. This work shows that infection of young rabbits protected by maternal antibodies induces attenuated disease and activates their immune system. This may play a major role in reducing the impact of a highly lethal disease when ecological conditions enable permanent circulation of the pathogen.

Support for viral persistence in bats from age-specific serology and models of maternal immunity.

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Peel, Alison J; Baker, Kate S; Hayman, David T S; Broder, Christopher C; Cunningham, Andrew A; Fooks, Anthony R; Garnier, Romain; Wood, James L N; Restif, Olivier

2018-03-01

Spatiotemporally-localised prediction of virus emergence from wildlife requires focused studies on the ecology and immunology of reservoir hosts in their native habitat. Reliable predictions from mathematical models remain difficult in most systems due to a dearth of appropriate empirical data. Our goal was to study the circulation and immune dynamics of zoonotic viruses in bat populations and investigate the effects of maternally-derived and acquired immunity on viral persistence. Using rare age-specific serological data from wild-caught Eidolon helvum fruit bats as a case study, we estimated viral transmission parameters for a stochastic infection model. We estimated mean durations of around 6 months for maternally-derived immunity to Lagos bat virus and African henipavirus, whereas acquired immunity was long-lasting (Lagos bat virus: mean 12 years, henipavirus: mean 4 years). In the presence of a seasonal birth pulse, the effect of maternally-derived immunity on virus persistence within modelled bat populations was highly dependent on transmission characteristics. To explain previous reports of viral persistence within small natural and captive E. helvum populations, we hypothesise that some bats must experience prolonged infectious periods or within-host latency. By further elucidating plausible mechanisms of virus persistence in bat populations, we contribute to guidance of future field studies.

Maternal immunization with ovalbumin prevents neonatal allergy development and up-regulates inhibitory receptor FcγRIIB expression on B cells

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Duarte Alberto JS

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Preconception allergen immunization prevents neonatal allergen sensitization in mice by a complex interaction between regulatory cells/factors and antibodies. The present study assessed the influence of maternal immunization with ovalbumin (OVA on the immune response of 3 day-old and 3 week-old offspring immunized or non-immunized with OVA and evaluated the effect of IgG treatment during fetal development or neonatal period. Results Maternal immunization with OVA showed increased levels of FcγRIIb expression in splenic B cells of neonates, which were maintained for up to 3 weeks and not affected by additional postnatal OVA immunization. Maternal immunization also exerted a down-modulatory effect on both IL-4 and IFN-γ-secreting T cells and IL-4 and IL-12- secreting B cells. Furthermore, immunized neonates from immunized mothers showed a marked inhibition of antigen-specifc IgE Ab production and lowered Th2/Th1 cytokine levels, whereas displaying enhanced FcγRIIb expression on B cells. These offspring also showed reduced antigen-specific proliferative response and lowered B cell responsiveness. Moreover, in vitro evaluation revealed an impairment of B cell activation upon engagement of B cell antigen receptor by IgG from OVA-immunized mice. Finally, in vivo IgG transference during pregnancy or breastfeeding revealed that maternal Ab transference was able to increase regulatory cytokines, such as IL-10, in the prenatal stage; yet only the postnatal treatment prevented neonatal sensitization. None of the IgG treatments induced immunological changes in the offspring, as it was observed for those from OVA-immunized mothers. Conclusion Maternal immunization upregulates the inhibitory FcγRIIb expression on offspring B cells, avoiding skewed Th2 response and development of allergy. These findings contribute to the advancement of prophylactic strategies to prevent allergic diseases in early life.

Three randomized trials of maternal influenza immunization in Mali, Nepal, and South Africa: Methods and expectations.

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Omer, Saad B; Richards, Jennifer L; Madhi, Shabir A; Tapia, Milagritos D; Steinhoff, Mark C; Aqil, Anushka R; Wairagkar, Niteen

2015-07-31

Influenza infection in pregnancy can have adverse impacts on maternal, fetal, and infant outcomes. Influenza vaccination in pregnancy is an appealing strategy to protect pregnant women and their infants. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting three large, randomized trials in Nepal, Mali, and South Africa evaluating the efficacy and safety of maternal immunization to prevent influenza disease in pregnant women and their infants <6 months of age. Results from these individual studies are expected in 2014 and 2015. While the results from the three maternal immunization trials are likely to strengthen the evidence base regarding the impact of influenza immunization in pregnancy, expectations for these results should be realistic. For example, evidence from previous influenza vaccine studies - conducted in general, non-pregnant populations - suggests substantial geographic and year-to-year variability in influenza incidence and vaccine efficacy/effectiveness. Since the evidence generated from the three maternal influenza immunization trials will be complementary, in this paper we present a side-by-side description of the three studies as well as the similarities and differences between these trials in terms of study location, design, outcome evaluation, and laboratory and epidemiological methods. We also describe the likely remaining knowledge gap after the results from these trials become available along with a description of the analyses that will be conducted when the results from these individual data are pooled. Moreover, we highlight that additional research on logistics of seasonal influenza vaccine supply, surveillance and strain matching, and optimal delivery strategies for pregnant women will be important for informing global policy related to maternal influenza immunization. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Cultural Competence among Maternal Healthcare Providers in Bahir Dar City Administration, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross sectional Study.

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Aragaw, Amanu; Yigzaw, Tegbar; Tetemke, Desalegn; G/Amlak, Wubalem

2015-09-24

Cultural competency is now a core requirement for maternal health providers working in multicultural society. However, it has not yet received due attention in Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the level of cultural competence and its associated factors among maternal health care providers in Bahir Dar City Administration, Northwest Ethiopia. Institution based cross-sectional study was carried out using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Maternal health care providers from all health facilities were our study participants. Structured Questionnaire with some modification of Campinha Bacote's tool was used to collect quantitative data from health workers and semi structured guide line was used for qualitative data among women. While quantitative data analysis was done using SPSS, qualitative data was analyzed using open code software. P-value of less than 0.05 was taken to determine statistical significance. Cronbach's alpha was used to test internal reliability and a factor loading of 0.3 or greater was the criterion used to retain items. Two hundred seventy four health workers and seven women were involved in the study. The overall competency level was 57.3 % thought vary in different subscales or stages. Of the cultural competent health workers near to three fourth (73.0 %) were in awareness stage which is the earliest stage of competence in which individuals were aware only their own culture but not the world view of their clients. The voices of mothers in the qualitative assessment also showed discordance in cultural competence with their healthcare providers. Female health workers almost six times [AOR,5.5; 2.71, 11.30] more competent than male providers and those who got in-service training related to maternal care provided services more culturally competent than their counter parts with [AOR,3.5; 1.4, 8.64]. Reliability Cronbach's α coefficient value of cultural competence subscales showed 0.672,0 .719, 0.658, 0.714, and 0.631 for cultural

Evaluating Maternal and Child Health and Leadership Competencies of Emerging MCH Leaders: The MCHC/RISE-UP Experience.

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Belcher, Harolyn M E; Stone, Jacqueline D; McFadden, Jenese A; Hemmingson, Tyler A; Kreutzer, Cary; Harris, Lisa G; Wheeler, Barbara Y; Van Osdel, Joanne; Avila, Margaret; Yorker, Beatrice; Hoffman, Beth R; Turner-Musa, Jocelyn O

2015-12-01

This study examines maternal and child health core competencies and leadership characteristics of undergraduate students following participation in the Maternal and Child Health Careers/Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement-Undergraduate Program (MCHC/RISE-UP). MCHC/RISE-UP is a 10-week public health leadership program designed to promote diversity in public health workforce through mentored research, community engagement and advocacy, and clinical experiences for undergraduate students. The MCHC/RISE-UP is a national consortium of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities including, (1) Kennedy Krieger Institute (Kennedy Krieger, lead institution) partnering with Morgan State University, a Historically Black University, (2) the University of South Dakota partnering with Tribal Serving Institutions; and (3) the University of Southern California Children's Hospital-Los Angeles and their partner institution, California State University Los Angeles, a Hispanic Serving Institution. Eighty-four junior and senior undergraduates and recent baccalaureate degree students who participated in the MCHC/RISE-UP worked on 48 maternal and child health projects. Following the MCHC/RISE-UP, students demonstrated statistically significant improvements in all maternal and child health core competencies. Transformational leadership characteristics also increased (mean increase 9.4, 95% CI 7.2-11.8; p leadership programs may extend the reach and recruitment of diverse students into the maternal and child health field. Experiential, didactic, and mentored learning opportunities may enhance student integration of maternal and child health competencies and transformational leadership characteristics.

The placental immune milieu is characterized by a Th2- and anti-inflammatory transcription profile, regardless of maternal allergy, and associates with neonatal immunity.

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Abelius, Martina S; Janefjord, Camilla; Ernerudh, Jan; Berg, Göran; Matthiesen, Leif; Duchén, Karel; Nilsson, Lennart J; Jenmalm, Maria C

2015-05-01

How maternal allergy affects the systemic and local immunological environment during pregnancy and the immune development of the offspring is unclear. Expression of 40 genes was quantified by PCR arrays in placenta, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) from 7 allergic and 12 non-allergic women and their offspring. Placental gene expression was dominated by a Th2-/anti-inflammatory profile, irrespectively of maternal allergy, as compared to gene expression in PBMC. p35 expression in placenta correlated with fetal Tbx21 (ρ = -0.88, P pregnancy was partly associated with the offspring's gene expression, possibly indicating that the immunological milieu is important for fetal immune development. Maternal allergy was not associated with an enhanced Th2 immunity in placenta or PBMC, while a marked prenatal Th2 skewing, shown as increased CCL22 mRNA expression, might contribute to postnatal allergy development. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Maternal immunity against rabies in raccoon dogs.

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Vos, A; Müller, T; Schuster, P; Selhorst, T; Wenzel, U

2001-01-01

The objective of the study was to examine possible maternally transferred antibodies (maAb) against rabies in raccoon dogs. Ten cubs born from a rabies-immune animal were bled on days 31, 36, 43, 50, 57 and 64 post partum. The geometric mean titres of the cubs were 1.19, 1.18, 0.45, 0.25, 0.25 and 0.16 IU/ml, respectively. Up to 36 days post partum maAb were detected in all cubs at levels > or = 0.5 IU/ml and at day 56 post partum all animals had maAb levels dogs as well.

Age, pathogen exposure, but not maternal care shape offspring immunity in an insect with facultative family life.

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Vogelweith, Fanny; Körner, Maximilian; Foitzik, Susanne; Meunier, Joël

2017-03-07

To optimize their resistance against pathogen infection, individuals are expected to find the right balance between investing into the immune system and other life history traits. In vertebrates, several factors were shown to critically affect the direction of this balance, such as the developmental stage of an individual, its current risk of infection and/or its access to external help such as parental care. However, the independent and/or interactive effects of these factors on immunity remain poorly studied in insects. Here, we manipulated maternal presence and pathogen exposure in families of the European earwig Forficula auricularia to measure whether and how the survival rate and investment into two key immune parameters changed during offspring development. The pathogen was the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum and the immune parameters were hemocyte concentration and phenol/pro-phenoloxidase enzyme activity (total-PO). Our results surprisingly showed that maternal presence had no effect on offspring immunity, but reduced offspring survival. Pathogen exposure also lowered the survival of offspring during their early development. The concentration of hemocytes and the total-PO activity increased during development, to be eventually higher in adult females compared to adult males. Finally, pathogen exposure overall increased the concentration of hemocytes-but not the total-PO activity-in adults, while it had no effect on these measures in offspring. Our results show that, independent of their infection risk and developmental stage, maternal presence does not shape immune defense in young earwigs. This reveals that pathogen pressure is not a universal evolutionary driver of the emergence and maintenance of post-hatching maternal care in insects.

Innate and adaptive immune interactions at the fetal-maternal interface in healthy human pregnancy and preeclampsia

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Peter eHsu

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Maternal immune tolerance of the fetus is indispensible for a healthy pregnancy outcome. Nowhere is this immune tolerance more important than at the fetal-maternal interface – the decidua, the site of implantation and placentation. Indeed, many lines of evidence suggest an immunological origin to the common pregnancy-related disorder, preeclampsia. Within the innate immune system, decidual NK cells and antigen presenting cells (including dendritic cells and macrophages make up a large proportion of the decidual leukocyte population, and are thought to modulate vascular remodeling and trophoblast invasion. On the other hand, within the adaptive immune system, Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg cells are crucial for ensuring immune tolerance towards the semi-allogeneic fetus. Additionally, another population of CD4+HLA-G+ suppressor T cells has also been identified as a potential player in the maintenance of immune tolerance. More recently, studies are beginning to unravel the potential interactions between the innate and the adaptive immune system within the decidua, that are required to maintain a healthy pregnancy. In this review, we discuss the recent advances exploring the complex crosstalk between the innate and the adaptive immune system during human pregnancy.

Maternal immune activation during pregnancy in rats impairs working memory capacity of the offspring.

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Murray, Brendan G; Davies, Don A; Molder, Joel J; Howland, John G

2017-05-01

Maternal immune activation during pregnancy is an environmental risk factor for psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia in the offspring. Patients with schizophrenia display an array of cognitive symptoms, including impaired working memory capacity. Rodent models have been developed to understand the relationship between maternal immune activation and the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. The present experiment was designed to test whether maternal immune activation with the viral mimetic polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (polyI:C) during pregnancy affects working memory capacity of the offspring. Pregnant Long Evans rats were treated with either saline or polyI:C (4mg/kg; i.v.) on gestational day 15. Male offspring of the litters (2-3months of age) were subsequently trained on a nonmatching-to-sample task with odors. After a criterion was met, the rats were tested on the odor span task, which requires rats to remember an increasing span of different odors to receive food reward. Rats were tested using delays of approximately 40s during the acquisition of the task. Importantly, polyI:C- and saline-treated offspring did not differ in performance of the nonmatching-to-sample task suggesting that both groups could perform a relatively simple working memory task. In contrast, polyI:C-treated offspring had reduced span capacity in the middle and late phases of odor span task acquisition. After task acquisition, the rats were tested using the 40s delay and a 10min delay. Both groups showed a delay-dependent decrease in span, although the polyI:C-treated offspring had significantly lower spans regardless of delay. Our results support the validity of the maternal immune activation model for studying the cognitive symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PERSONAL COMPETENCIES, SOCIAL RESOURCES, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT OF PRIMIPAROUS WOMEN OF ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE AND THEIR PARTNERS.

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Guedes, Maryse; Canavarro, Maria Cristina

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to (a) characterize the personal competencies, the social resources, and the psychosocial adjustment (psychological distress, quality of life, and parenting self-perceptions) during the early postpartum period of primiparous women of advanced age (≥35 years at the time of delivery) and their partners (older parents) compared with that of younger first-time mothers (20-34 years) and their partners (younger parents); and (b) explore the role of personal competencies and social resources in couples' psychosocial adjustment, depending on the age group. Older (n = 74) and younger parents (n = 71) completed self-report measures to assess personal competencies and social resources (third trimester of pregnancy), psychological distress, and quality of life (third trimester of pregnancy and 1-month' postpartum) and parenting self-perceptions (1-month' postpartum). Older parents were more similar than different from younger parents regarding personal competencies, social resources, and psychosocial adjustment during the first postnatal month. Regardless of the age group, higher personal competencies and social resources predicted lower anxiety and more positive parenting self-perceptions in women. Beyond higher personal competencies, older maternal age also predicted higher quality of life. In men, higher personal competencies were protective against anxiety, but only at older maternal age. © 2015 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Pathogen-induced maternal effects result in enhanced immune responsiveness across generations.

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Rosengaus, Rebeca B; Hays, Nicole; Biro, Colette; Kemos, James; Zaman, Muizz; Murray, Joseph; Gezahegn, Bruck; Smith, Wendy

2017-05-01

Parental investment theory postulates that adults can accurately perceive cues from their surroundings, anticipate the needs of future offspring based on those cues, and selectively allocate nongenetic resources to their progeny. Such context-dependent parental contributions can result in phenotypically variable offspring. Consistent with these predictions, we show that bacterially exposed Manduca sexta mothers oviposited significantly more variable embryos (as measured by mass, volume, hatching time, and hatching success) relative to naïve and control mothers. By using an in vivo "clearance of infection" assay, we also show that challenged larvae born to heat-killed- or live- Serratia -injected mothers, supported lower microbial loads and cleared the infection faster than progeny of control mothers. Our data support the notion that mothers can anticipate the future pathogenic risks and immunological needs of their unborn offspring, providing progeny with enhanced immune protection likely through transgenerational immune priming. Although the inclusion of live Serratia into oocytes does not appear to be the mechanism by which mothers confer protection to their young, other mechanisms, including epigenetic modifications in the progeny due to maternal pathogenic stress, may be at play. The adaptive nature of maternal effects in the face of pathogenic stress provides insights into parental investment, resource allocation, and life-history theories and highlights the significant role that pathogen-induced maternal effects play as generators and modulators of evolutionary change.

Isotope-based immunological techniques. Their use in assessment of immune competence and the study of immune responses to pathogens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffus, W.P.H.

1984-01-01

The influence of isotope-based techniques on both assessment of immune competence and immune response to pathogens is discussed. Immunodeficiencies acquired as a result of factors like malnutrition and concomitant disease can severely affect not only attempts to intensify and improve production but also successful immune response against important vaccines such as rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease. Isotope-based techniques, with their accuracy, speed and small sample volume, are ideally suited for assessing immunocompetence. One of the main drawbacks remains antigen purity, an area where research should now be concentrated. Lymphocyte transformation is widely used to assess cell-mediated immuno-competence but techniques to assess biological functions such as phagocytosis and cell-mediated cytotoxicity could more usefully reflect immune status. These latter techniques utilize isotopes such as 3 H, 14 C, 32 P and 125 I. Investigation of specific cell-mediated immune response often requires a labelled target. Suitable isotopes such as 51 Cr, 99 Tcsup(m), 75 Se and 3 H are compared for their capacity to label both mammalian and parasite targets. Suggestions are made on a number of areas of research that might usefully be encouraged and supported in order to improve applied veterinary immunology in tropical countries. (author)

Maternal antibody transfer can lead to suppression of humoral immunity in developing zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).

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Merrill, Loren; Grindstaff, Jennifer L

2014-01-01

Maternally transferred antibodies have been documented in a wide range of taxa and are thought to adaptively provide protection against parasites and pathogens while the offspring immune system is developing. In most birds, transfer occurs when females deposit immunoglobulin Y into the egg yolk, and it is proportional to the amount in the female's plasma. Maternal antibodies can provide short-term passive protection as well as specific and nonspecific immunological priming, but high levels of maternal antibody can result in suppression of the offspring's humoral immune response. We injected adult female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) with one of two antigens (lipopolysaccharide [LPS] or keyhole limpet hemocyanin [KLH]) or a control and then injected offspring with LPS, KLH, or a control on days 5 and 28 posthatch to examine the impact of maternally transferred antibodies on the ontogeny of the offspring's humoral immune system. We found that offspring of females exposed to KLH had elevated levels of KLH-reactive antibody over the first 17-28 days posthatch but reduced KLH-specific antibody production between days 28 and 36. We also found that offspring exposed to either LPS or KLH exhibited reduced total antibody levels, compared to offspring that received a control injection. These results indicate that high levels of maternal antibodies or antigen exposure during development can have negative repercussions on short-term antibody production and may have long-term fitness repercussions for the offspring.

The risk for behavioural deficits is determined by the maternal immune response to prenatal immune challenge in a neurodevelopmental model.

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Missault, S; Van den Eynde, K; Vanden Berghe, W; Fransen, E; Weeren, A; Timmermans, J P; Kumar-Singh, S; Dedeurwaerdere, S

2014-11-01

Schizophrenia is a highly disabling psychiatric disorder with a proposed neurodevelopmental basis. One mechanism through which genetic and environmental risk factors might act is by triggering persistent brain inflammation, as evidenced by long-lasting neuro-immunological disturbances in patients. Our goal was to investigate whether microglia activation is a neurobiological correlate to the altered behaviour in the maternal immune activation (MIA) model, a well-validated animal model with relevance to schizophrenia. A recent observation in the MIA model is the differential maternal body weight response to the immune stimulus, correlated with a different behavioural outcome in the offspring. Although it is generally assumed that the differences in maternal weight response reflect differences in cytokine response, this has not been investigated so far. Our aim was to investigate whether (i) the maternal weight response to MIA reflects differences in the maternal cytokine response, (ii) the differential behavioural phenotype of the offspring extends to depressive symptoms such as anhedonia and (iii) there are changes in chronic microglia activation dependent on the behavioural phenotype. Based on a dose-response study, MIA was induced in pregnant rats by injecting 4mg/kg Poly I:C at gestational day 15. Serum samples were collected to assess the amount of TNF-α in the maternal blood following MIA. MIA offspring were divided into weight loss (WL; n=14) and weight gain (WG; n=10) groups, depending on the maternal body weight response to Poly I:C. Adult offspring were behaviourally phenotyped for prepulse inhibition, locomotor activity with and without amphetamine and MK-801 challenge, and sucrose preference. Finally, microglia activation was scored on CD11b- and Iba1-immunohistochemically stained sections. Pregnant dams that lost weight following MIA showed increased levels of TNF-α compared to controls, unlike dams that gained weight following MIA. Poly I:C WL

Protein Nutrition of Southern Plains Small Mammals: Immune Response to Variation in Maternal and Offspring Dietary Nitrogen

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Maternal nutrition during pregnancy and postnatal offspring nutrition may influence offspring traits. We investigated the effects of maternal and postweaning offspring dietary nitrogen on immune function and hematology in two species of rodent: the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon his...

Immune competence assessment in marine medaka (Orzyias melastigma)-a holistic approach for immunotoxicology.

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Ye, Roy R; Peterson, Drew R; Seemann, Frauke; Kitamura, Shin-Ichi; Lee, J S; Lau, Terrance C K; Tsui, Stephen K W; Au, Doris W T

2017-12-01

Many anthropogenic pollutants in coastal marine environments can induce immune impairments in wild fish and reduce their survival fitness. There is a pressing need to establish sensitive and high throughput in vivo tools to systematically evaluate the immunosuppressive effects of contaminants in marine teleosts. This study reviewed a battery of in vivo immune function detection technologies established for different biological hierarchies at molecular (immune function pathways and genes by next generation sequencing (NGS)), cellular (leukocytes profiles by flow cytometry), tissues/organ system (whole adult histo-array), and organism (host resistance assays (HRAs)) levels, to assess the immune competence of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma. This approach enables a holistic assessment of fish immune competence under different chemical exposure or environmental scenarios. The data obtained will also be useful to unravel the underlying immunotoxic mechanisms. Intriguingly, NGS analysis of hepatic immune gene expression profiles (male > female) are in support of the bacterial HRA findings, in which infection-induced mortality was consistently higher in females than in males. As such, reproductive stages and gender-specific responses must be taken into consideration when assessing the risk of immunotoxicants in the aquatic environment. The distinct phenotypic sexual dimorphism and short generation time (3 months) of marine medaka offer additional advantages for sex-related immunotoxicological investigation.

Self-Perceived Competence as a Mediator between Maternal Feedback and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents

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Jacquez, Farrah; Cole, David A.; Searle, Barbara

2004-01-01

Self-report, other-report, clinical interview, and behavioral observations of evaluative maternal feedback (e.g., positive feedback, criticism), adolescent depressive symptoms, and self-perceived competence were obtained from 72 adolescents and their mothers. Most path analyses supported the hypothesis that adolescent self-perceived competence…

Maternal supplementation with LGG reduces vaccine-specific immune responses in infants at high-risk of developing allergic disease

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Paul V Licciardi

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Probiotics are defined as live micro-organisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Among their pleiotropic effects, inhibition of pathogen colonisation at the mucosal surface as well as modulation of immune responses are widely recognised as the principal biological activities of probiotic bacteria. In recent times, the immune effects of probiotics have led to their application as vaccine adjuvants, offering a novel strategy for enhancing the efficacy of current vaccines. Such an approach is particularly relevant in regions where infectious disease burden is greatest and where access to complete vaccination programs is limited. In this study, we report the effects of the probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG on immune responses to tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib and pneumococcal conjugate (PCV7 vaccines in infants. This study was conducted as part of a larger clinical trial assessing the impact of maternal LGG supplementation in preventing the development of atopic eczema in infants at high-risk for developing allergic disease. Maternal LGG supplementation was associated with reduced antibody responses against tetanus, Hib and pneumococcal serotypes contained in PCV7 (N=31 compared to placebo-treatment (N=30 but not total IgG levels. Maternal LGG supplementation was also associated with a trend to increased number of tetanus toxoid-specific Treg in the peripheral blood compared to placebo-treated infants. These findings suggest that maternal LGG supplementation may not be beneficial in terms of improving vaccine-specific immunity in infants. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings. As probiotic immune effects can be species/strain specific, our findings do not exclude the potential use of other probiotic bacteria to modulate infant immune responses to vaccines.

A role for fetal hemoglobin and maternal immune IgG in infant resistance to Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

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Chanaki Amaratunga

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In Africa, infant susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum malaria increases substantially as fetal hemoglobin (HbF and maternal immune IgG disappear from circulation. During the first few months of life, however, resistance to malaria is evidenced by extremely low parasitemias, the absence of fever, and the almost complete lack of severe disease. This resistance has previously been attributed in part to poor parasite growth in HbF-containing red blood cells (RBCs. A specific role for maternal immune IgG in infant resistance to malaria has been hypothesized but not yet identified.We found that P. falciparum parasites invade and develop normally in fetal (cord blood, CB RBCs, which contain up to 95% HbF. However, these parasitized CB RBCs are impaired in their binding to human microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs, monocytes, and nonparasitized RBCs--cytoadherence interactions that have been implicated in the development of high parasite densities and the symptoms of malaria. Abnormal display of the parasite's cytoadherence antigen P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein-1 (PfEMP-1 on CB RBCs accounts for these findings and is reminiscent of that on HbC and HbS RBCs. IgG purified from the plasma of immune Malian adults almost completely abolishes the adherence of parasitized CB RBCs to MVECs.Our data suggest a model of malaria protection in which HbF and maternal IgG act cooperatively to impair the cytoadherence of parasitized RBCs in the first few months of life. In highly malarious areas of Africa, an infant's contemporaneous expression of HbC or HbS and development of an immune IgG repertoire may effectively reconstitute the waning protective effects of HbF and maternal immune IgG, thereby extending the malaria resistance of infancy into early childhood.

Early DNA vaccination of puppies against canine distemper in the presence of maternally derived immunity.

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Griot, Christian; Moser, Christian; Cherpillod, Pascal; Bruckner, Lukas; Wittek, Riccardo; Zurbriggen, Andreas; Zurbriggen, Rinaldo

2004-01-26

Canine distemper (CD) is a disease in carnivores caused by CD virus (CDV), a member of the morbillivirus genus. It still is a threat to the carnivore and ferret population. The currently used modified attenuated live vaccines have several drawbacks of which lack of appropriate protection from severe infection is the most outstanding one. In addition, puppies up to the age of 6-8 weeks cannot be immunized efficiently due to the presence of maternal antibodies. In this study, a DNA prime modified live vaccine boost strategy was investigated in puppies in order to determine if vaccinated neonatal dogs induce a neutralizing immune response which is supposed to protect animals from a CDV challenge. Furthermore, a single DNA vaccination of puppies, 14 days after birth and in the presence of high titers of CDV neutralizing maternal antibodies, induced a clear and significant priming effect observed as early as 3 days after the subsequent booster with a conventional CDV vaccine. It was shown that the priming effect develops faster and to higher titers in puppies preimmunized with DNA 14 days after birth than in those vaccinated 28 days after birth. Our results demonstrate that despite the presence of maternal antibodies puppies can be vaccinated using the CDV DNA vaccine, and that this vaccination has a clear priming effect leading to a solid immune response after a booster with a conventional CDV vaccine.

The effects of a childbirth psychoeducation program on learned resourcefulness, maternal role competence and perinatal depression: a quasi-experiment.

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Ngai, Fei-Wan; Chan, Sally Wai-Chi; Ip, Wan-Yim

2009-10-01

Learned resourcefulness plays a significant role in facilitating maternal coping during the transition to motherhood. Given the growing evidence of perinatal depression and the frequent feeling of incompetence in the maternal role, the implementation of an effective intervention to promote maternal role competence and emotional well-being is essential. To determine the impact of a childbirth psychoeducation program based on the concept of learned resourcefulness on maternal role competence and depressive symptoms in Chinese childbearing women. A pretest-posttest, control group quasi-experimental design with repeated measures was used. The study was conducted in two regional public hospitals in Hong Kong that provide routine childbirth education programs with similar content and structure. One hospital was being randomly selected as the experimental hospital. A convenience sample of 184 Chinese pregnant women attending the childbirth education was recruited between October 2005 and April 2007. Inclusion criteria were primiparous with singleton and uneventful pregnancy, at gestation between 12 and 35 weeks, and did not have a past or familial psychiatric illness. The intervention was a childbirth psychoeducation program that was incorporated into the routine childbirth education in the experimental hospital. The experimental group (n=92) received the childbirth psychoeducation program and the routine childbirth education. The comparison group (n=92) received the routine childbirth education alone in the comparison hospital. Outcomes were measured by the Self-Control Schedule, Parenting Sense of Competence Scale-Efficacy subscale and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at baseline, immediately post-intervention, at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum. Analysis was by intention to treat. Women receiving the childbirth psychoeducation program had significant improvement in learned resourcefulness at 6 weeks postpartum (p=0.004) and an overall reduction in depressive

Regulatory T cells, maternal-foetal immune tolerance and recurrent miscarriage: new therapeutic challenging opportunities.

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Alijotas-Reig, Jaume; Melnychuk, Taisiia; Gris, Josep Maria

2015-03-15

Because maternal alloreactive lymphocytes are not depleted during pregnancy, local and/or systemic mechanisms have to play a key role in altering the maternal immune response. Peripheral T regulatory cells (pTregs) at the maternal-foetal interface are necessary in situ to prevent early abortion, but only those pTregs that have been previously exposed to paternal alloantigens. It has been showed that pregnancy selectively stimulates the accumulation of maternal Foxp3(+)CD4(+)CD25(+) (Foxp3Tregs) cells with foetal specificity. Interestingly, after delivery, foetal-specific pTregs persist at elevated levels, maintain tolerance to pre-existing foetal antigen, and rapidly re-accumulate during subsequent pregnancy. pTreg up-regulation could be hypothesized as a possible future therapeutic strategy in humans. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Adolescent Daughters' Romantic Competence: The Role of Divorce, Quality of Parenting, and Maternal Romantic History

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Shulman, Shmuel; Zlotnik, Aynat; Shachar-Shapira, Lital; Connolly, Jennifer; Bohr, Yvonne

2012-01-01

This study examined the links between parental divorce, quality of maternal parenting, spousal relationships and middle adolescent romantic competence in 80 mother-adolescent daughter pairs (40 divorced). Mothers were asked to describe their attitudes and behaviors with regard to their daughters' romantic behavior. In addition, mothers were…

Health System Competency for Maternal Health Services in Balasore District and Jaleswar Block, Balasore, Odisha, India: An Assessment.

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Dehury, Ranjit Kumar; Samal, Janmejaya

2016-08-01

A competent health system is of paramount importance in delivering the desired health services in a particular community. The broad objective of this study was to assess the health system competency for the maternal health services in Balasore District and Jaleswar block of Balasore district, Odisha, India. A mixed method approach was adopted in order to understand the health system competency for maternal health services in the study area. There was poor accessibility through road, poor electricity connection and piped water for the health care centers in the district. Even, existing Primary Health Centres (PHCs) lack ECG and X-Ray machines for proper diagnostic services which jeopardize the catering of health services. Community Health Centres (CHC) lack basic diagnostic and ambulance services making the tribal pockets inaccessible. The tribal dominated Jaleswar block shows poor performance in terms of total registered Antenatal Checkups (ANC) (only 77%). A gradual decrease in the rate of ANC, from first to fourthcheckup, was observed in the district. Lack of public health infrastructure in general and non-compliance to Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) in particular, affect the health of tribal women resulting in lack of interest in availing the institutional delivery services and other pertinent maternal health services.

Prenatal passive transfer of maternal immunity in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

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Nofs, Sally A; Atmar, Robert L; Keitel, Wendy A; Hanlon, Cathleen; Stanton, Jeffrey J; Tan, Jie; Flanagan, Joseph P; Howard, Lauren; Ling, Paul D

2013-06-15

Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants exhibit characteristics of endotheliochorial placentation, which is common in carnivore species and is associated with modest maternal to fetal transplacental antibody transfer. However, it remains unknown whether the bulk of passive immune transfer in elephants is achieved prenatally or postnatally through ingestion of colostrum, as has been documented for horses, a species whose medical knowledgebase is often extrapolated for elephants. To address this issue, we took advantage of the fact that many zoo elephants are immunized with tetanus toxoid and/or rabies vaccines as part of their routine health care, allowing a comparison of serum antibody levels against these antigens between dams and neonates. Serum samples were collected from 3 newborn Asian elephant calves at birth (before ingestion of colostrum); 2-4 days after birth; and 2-3 months of age. The findings indicate that the newborns had anti-tetanus toxoid and anti-rabies titers that were equivalent to or higher than the titers of their dams from birth to approximately 3 months of age, suggesting that the majority of maternal-to-fetal transfer is transplacental and higher than expected based on the architecture of the Asian elephant placenta. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relationships between maternal malaria and malarial immune responses in mothers and neonates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasheed, F N; Bulmer, J N; De Francisco, A

1995-01-01

and schizonts (190L and 190N) were higher in neonates than mothers. There was no clear relationship between maternal malaria and neonatal mean lymphoproliferation to malarial antigens, although fewer neonates responded when mothers were actively infected. Matched maternal and neonatal lymphoproliferation...... responses did not correlate. However, first born neonatal lymphoproliferation to PPD and malarial antigens appeared lower than other neonates, in agreement with lower lymphoproliferation in primigravidae compared with multigravidae. Also in common with mothers, autologous plasma suppressed neonatal...... lymphoproliferation to PPD and malarial antigens, suggesting common immunoregulation. Higher cortisol or other circulating factors in first pregnancies may be implicated. The relevance of cell-mediated malarial immune responses detected at birth remains to be established....

Maternal immune response to helminth infection during pregnancy determines offspring susceptibility to allergic airway inflammation.

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Straubinger, Kathrin; Paul, Sabine; Prazeres da Costa, Olivia; Ritter, Manuel; Buch, Thorsten; Busch, Dirk H; Layland, Laura E; Prazeres da Costa, Clarissa U

2014-12-01

Schistosomiasis, a chronic helminth infection, elicits distinct immune responses within the host, ranging from an initial TH1 and subsequent TH2 phase to a regulatory state, and is associated with dampened allergic reactions within the host. We sought to evaluate whether non-transplacental helminth infection during pregnancy alters the offspring's susceptibility to allergy. Ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation was analyzed in offspring from Schistosoma mansoni-infected mothers mated during the TH1, TH2, or regulatory phase of infection. Embryos derived from in vitro fertilized oocytes of acutely infected females were transferred into uninfected foster mice to determine the role of placental environment. The fetomaternal unit was further characterized by helminth-specific immune responses and microarray analyses. Eventually, IFN-γ-deficient mice were infected to evaluate the role of this predominant cytokine on the offspring's allergy phenotype. We demonstrate that offspring from schistosome-infected mothers that were mated in the TH1 and regulatory phases, but not the TH2 immune phase, are protected against the onset of allergic airway inflammation. Interestingly, these effects were associated with distinctly altered schistosome-specific cytokine and gene expression profiles within the fetomaternal interface. Furthermore, we identified that it is not the transfer of helminth antigens but rather maternally derived IFN-γ during the acute phase of infection that is essential for the progeny's protective immune phenotype. Overall, we present a novel immune phase-dependent coherency between the maternal immune responses during schistosomiasis and the progeny's predisposition to allergy. Therefore, we propose to include helminth-mediated transmaternal immune modulation into the expanded hygiene hypothesis. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nutritional intervention in animals: benchmarking of strategies, monitoring biomarkers and immune competence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krimpen, van M.M.; Hulst, M.M.; Meulen, van der J.; Schokker, D.; Savelkoul, H.F.J.; Tijhaar, E.J.; Rutten, V.P.M.G.

2014-01-01

The current study covers a review of literature regarding a number of topics related to immune competence in farm animals, which are introduced in chapter 1. These topics are: 1) A demonstration of the relationship between functional feed components and the expression of genes/biological processes

The Relationship between Maternal Acceptance-Rejection Levels and Preschoolers' Social Competence and Emotion Regulation Skills

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Bayindir, Dilan; Güven, Gülçin; Sezer, Türker; Aksin-Yavuz, Ezgi; Yilmaz, Elif

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between maternal acceptance-rejection levels and preschool children's social competence and emotion regulation skills. The study group of the research, which was designed in survey method, consisted of 303 voluntary mother-child dyad. The participant children were attending a preschool…

Recovery of immune competence following sublethal irradiation: the role of the mouse strains, thymic function and aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, W.J.

1976-01-01

The bone marrow, thymus and lymphohematopoietic microenvironments are determining factors in recovery of immune competence following sublethal irradiation. Because of age-related degenerative changes in all of these parameters it was anticipated that immune competence of irradiated old mice would show an altered pattern of recovery. Therefore, three age groups (3-7, 15, and 23-34-months) of C57BL/6J mice were treated with either 250R, 500R or 600R. At various intervals thereafter their spleen cells were assessed for recovery of humoral and cell-mediated immunologic activity and for thymus derived (T-), bone marrow derived (B-) and stem-cell compartments. Two age groups (3-7 and 23-months) of C3H/Anf Cum mice were also treated with the two highest doses or irradiation and their spleen cells tested only for recovery of T- and B-cell compartments. The results showed that recovery of immune competence following 250R was independent of age

Maternal Infectious Diseases, Antimicrobial Therapy or Immunizations: Very few Contraindications to Breastfeeding

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Noni E Macdonald

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends exclusive breastfeeding as the optimal method of infant feeding for the first six months of life for healthy, term infants (1. There are many benefits associated with breastfeeding, including nutritional, immunological, psychological, developmental, environmental, social, economic and health (eg, decrease in infectious diseases (2-4. To promote, protect and support breastfeeding, every effort must be made to minimize contraindications to breastfeeding, particularly unnecessary ones. The present article summarizes the maternal infectious diseases in which continuing breastfeeding is recommended, the very few infectious diseases in which it is not recommended, the rare instances in which maternal antimicrobial therapy indicates a caution for breastfeeding, and the continuation of breastfeeding when a mother or her infant is receiving a routine recommended immunization.

Th2-like chemokine levels are increased in allergic children and influenced by maternal immunity during pregnancy.

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Abelius, Martina S; Lempinen, Esma; Lindblad, Karin; Ernerudh, Jan; Berg, Göran; Matthiesen, Leif; Nilsson, Lennart J; Jenmalm, Maria C

2014-06-01

The influence of the intra-uterine environment on the immunity and allergy development in the offspring is unclear. We aimed to investigate (i) whether the pregnancy magnifies the Th2 immunity in allergic and non-allergic women, (ii) whether the maternal chemokine levels during pregnancy influenced the offspring's chemokine levels during childhood and (iii) the relationship between circulating Th1/Th2-associated chemokines and allergy in mothers and children. The Th1-associated chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and the Th2-associated chemokines CCL17, CCL18 and CCL22 were quantified by Luminex and ELISA in 20 women with and 36 women without allergic symptoms at gestational week (gw) 10-12, 15-16, 25, 35, 39 and 2 and 12 months post-partum and in their children at birth, 6, 12, 24 months and 6 years of age. Total IgE levels were measured using ImmunoCAP Technology. The levels of the Th2-like chemokines were not magnified by pregnancy. Instead decreased levels were shown during pregnancy (irrespectively of maternal allergy status) as compared to post-partum. In the whole group, the Th1-like chemokine levels were higher at gw 39 than during the first and second trimester and post-partum. Maternal CXCL11, CCL18 and CCL22 levels during and after pregnancy correlated with the corresponding chemokines in the offspring during childhood. Increased CCL22 and decreased CXCL10 levels in the children were associated with sensitisation and increased CCL17 levels with allergic symptoms during childhood. Maternal chemokine levels were not associated with maternal allergic disease. Allergic symptoms and sensitisation were associated with decreased Th1- and increased Th2-associated chemokine levels during childhood, indicating a Th2 shift in the allergic children, possibly influenced by the maternal immunity during pregnancy. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The frequency of ABO blood group maternal-fetal incompatibility, maternal iso-agglutinins, and immune agglutinins quantitation in Osogbo, Osun State, South-West of Nigeria

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Oseni Bashiru

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background : ABO incompatibility in maternal-fetal relationship has been shown to cause hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDNB; a survey which is not yet done in this locality. Aim: Frequency of ABO blood group maternal-fetal incompatibility, maternal iso-agglutinins, and immune agglutinins quantitation was carried out in Osogbo, Osun State, South-West of Nigeria. Settings and Designs : A total of 260 subjects comprising 130 postpartum mothers within the age range of 22-35 years having good obstetrics history and normal delivery, with their 130 neonate babies were used for the study. Materials and Methods : ABO cell and serum groupings were carried out on the subjects using standard antisera and cells with appropriate controls. Direct Coomb′s Test was carried out on neonate red cells. Antibody quantitation by double dilution on the maternal serum using red cells containing corresponding antigen to the antibody was determined. A titer, which is the reciprocal of the highest dilution showing agglutination by Indirect Coombs Test, was determined. Another batch of sera was pretreated with 2-mecarptoethanol before determining the titer. Statistical Analysis: The distribution study results obtained were compared in percentages, whereas the antibodies quantitation was expressed as titers using the mode of the titers for compariso-agglutininsn. Results and Conclusions : Thirty-eight percent (50 mothers were ABO incompatible with their babies, whereas 62% (80 mothers were compatible. The distribution of blood groups in the compatible population showed blood group O (45%; A (30%; B (20%; and AB (5%. Mothers O, A, and B carrying incompatible babies had a frequency of 24% each, whereas mothers AB had 28%. Serologist differences occur in maternal ABO antibodies of corresponding incompatible baby ABO antigens. A high incidence of ABO maternal-fetal incompatibility observed without detection of immune agglutinins is indicative of a rare incidence of HDNB due

A randomized trial of maternal influenza immunization decision-making: A test of persuasive messaging models.

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Frew, Paula M; Kriss, Jennifer L; Chamberlain, Allison T; Malik, Fauzia; Chung, Yunmi; Cortés, Marielysse; Omer, Saad B

2016-08-02

We sought to examine the effectiveness of persuasive communication interventions on influenza vaccination uptake among black/African American pregnant women in Atlanta, Georgia. We recruited black/African American pregnant women ages 18 to 50 y from Atlanta, GA to participate in a prospective, randomized controlled trial of influenza immunization messaging conducted from January to April 2013. Eligible participants were randomized to 3 study arms. We conducted follow-up questionnaires on influenza immunization at 30-days post-partum with all groups. Chi-square and t tests evaluated group differences, and outcome intention-to-treat assessment utilized log-binomial regression models. Of the 106 enrolled, 95 women completed the study (90% retention), of which 31 were randomly assigned to affective messaging intervention ("Pregnant Pause" video), 30 to cognitive messaging intervention ("Vaccines for a Healthy Pregnancy" video), and 34 to a comparison condition (receipt of the Influenza Vaccine Information Statement). The three groups were balanced on baseline demographic characteristics and reported health behaviors. At baseline, most women (63%, n = 60) reported no receipt of seasonal influenza immunization during the previous 5 y. They expressed a low likelihood (2.1 ± 2.8 on 0-10 scale) of obtaining influenza immunization during their current pregnancy. At 30-days postpartum follow-up, influenza immunization was low among all participants (7-13%) demonstrating no effect after a single exposure to either affective messaging (RR = 1.10; 95% CI: 0.30-4.01) or cognitive messaging interventions (RR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.11-2.88). Women cited various reasons for not obtaining maternal influenza immunizations. These included concern about vaccine harm (47%, n = 40), low perceived influenza infection risk (31%, n = 26), and a history of immunization nonreceipt (24%, n = 20). The findings reflect the limitations associated with a single exposure to varying maternal influenza

Neonatal immune responses to TLR2 stimulation: Influence of maternal atopy on Foxp3 and IL-10 expression

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Gold Diane R

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Maternal atopic background and stimulation of the adaptive immune system with allergen interact in the development of allergic disease. Stimulation of the innate immune system through microbial exposure, such as activation of the innate Toll-like-receptor 2 (TLR2, may reduce the development of allergy in childhood. However, little is known about the immunological effects of microbial stimulation on early immune responses and in association with maternal atopy. Methods We analyzed immune responses of cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC from 50 healthy neonates (31 non-atopic and 19 atopic mothers. Cells were stimulated with the TLR2 agonist peptidoglycan (Ppg or the allergen house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae (Derf1, and results compared to unstimulated cells. We analyzed lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine secretion of CBMC. In addition, we assessed gene expression associated with T regulatory cells including the transcription factor Foxp3, the glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor (GITR, and the cytotoxic lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4. Lymphocyte proliferation was measured by 3H-Thymidine uptake, cytokine concentrations determined by ELISA, mRNA expression of T cell markers by real-time RT-PCR. Results Ppg stimulation induced primarily IL-10 cytokine production, in addition to IFN-γ, IL-13 and TNF-α secretion. GITR was increased following Ppg stimulation (p = 0.07. Ppg-induced IL-10 production and induction of Foxp3 were higher in CBMC without, than with maternal atopy (p = 0.04, p = 0.049. IL-10 production was highly correlated with increased expression of Foxp3 (r = 0.53, p = 0.001, GITR (r = 0.47, p = 0.004 and CTLA4 (r = 0.49, p = 0.003, independent of maternal atopy. Conclusion TLR2 stimulation with Ppg induces IL-10 and genes associated with T regulatory cells, influenced by maternal atopy. Increased IL-10 and Foxp3 induction in CBMC of non-atopic compared to atopic mothers, may indicate an increased capacity to

Stereological quantification of immune-competent cells in baseline biopsy specimens from achilles tendons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kragsnaes, Maja Skov; Fredberg, Ulrich; Stribolt, Katrine

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist on the presence and function of immune-competent cells in chronic tendinopathic tendons and their potential role in inflammation and tissue healing as well as in predicting long-term outcome. PURPOSE: To quantify subtypes of immune-competent cells in biopsy specimens...... immunohistochemically by quantifying the presence of macrophages (CD68-PGM1(+), CD68-KP1(+)), hemosiderophages (Perls blue), T lymphocytes (CD2(+), CD3(+), CD4(+), CD7(+), CD8(+)), B lymphocytes (CD20(+)), natural killer cells (CD56(+)), mast cells (NaSDCl(+)), Schwann cells (S100(+)), and endothelial cells (CD34......(+)) using a stereological technique. A follow-up examination was conducted more than 4 years (range, 4-9 years) after the biopsy procedure to evaluate the long-term presence of Achilles tendon symptoms. RESULTS: Macrophages, T lymphocytes, mast cells, and natural killer cells were observed in the majority...

Effectiveness of Mental Immunization Program Training on Social Competency and Personality Traits of Individuals With Cerebral Palsy

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Mohammad Ashoori

2017-07-01

Conclusion The results of the present research indicated a significant increase in social competency in adolescents with cerebral palsy. Also, desirable changes were found to be developed in the personality traits of these adolescents. In other words, there was a decreased level of neuroticism and significant increase in positive traits such as extroversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The overall results of the present research indicated that mental immunization program training led to improvement in social competency and personality traits of individuals with cerebral palsy. Therefore, paying attention to the mental immunization program training is essential, and planning for providing of psychological immunization program training is of particular importance. Cerebral palsy affects all aspect of an individual’s life and implementing the mental immunization program training has been associated with effective outcomes. Therefore, instructional interventions such as mental immunization program training are required . While a lot of research works have been conducted with regard to the effectiveness of mental immunization program training on social competency and personality traits of normal students, only a few investigations have been carried out for the same in relation to individuals with cerebral palsy. As far as present study used experimental method, could be cautioned in generalization of results . Another limitation of this study is the use of self-reporting questionnaires, wherein individuals do not feel the responsibility to answer correctly and honestly in order to avoid stigma or rejection by the community. It is recommended that the psychological immunization program training, which is very helpful in the instruction  of teenagers with cerebral palsy, be used in primary schools and among various categories of exceptional students.

Assessment of provider competence and quality of maternal/newborn care in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries

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Joyce E Thompson

2015-05-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To obtain a snapshot of the maternal and newborn care provided by different types of maternal and child health providers in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC to 1 better inform advocacy and programmatic strategies and interventions to improve the quality of those services in the region, and 2 determine the need for more rigorous study of the issues. METHODS: A rapid assessment of 83 health workers providing antepartum, intrapartum, and immediate postpartum and newborn care (within two hours of birth in eight LAC countries was conducted in November and December of 2011. Health workers were observed by two-person expert maternal/newborn clinician teams using pretested forms based on international quality-of-care standards. A total of 105 care encounters were observed, primarily in urban, public, referral-level settings. Providers of care included obstetricians, midwives, generalist physicians, medical residents, registered nurses, auxiliary nurses, and students of medicine, midwifery, and nursing. RESULTS: Hand washing, as an indicator of quality of antepartum care, was observed in only 41% of the observed encounters. Labor management often lacked certain elements of respectful maternity care across all provider groups. Several clinical tasks of high importance in the identification and prevention of common complications of antepartum, intrapartum, and immediate postpartum/newborn care were not documented as performed during the observation periods. Providers self-reported limited competence (ability to perform to a defined level of proficiency in manual removal of the placenta, bimanual compression of the uterus, and newborn resuscitation. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that 1 the quality of maternal and newborn care and 2 the competence of maternal and child health providers in the diverse selection of LAC countries that were studied require substantial attention.

Microglia, the missing link in maternal immune activation and fetal neurodevelopment; and a possible link in preeclampsia and disturbed neurodevelopment?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prins, Jelmer R; Eskandar, Sharon; Eggen, Bart J L; Scherjon, Sicco A

Disturbances in fetal neurodevelopment have extensively been related to neurodevelopmental disorders in early and later life. Fetal neurodevelopment is dependent on adequate functioning of the fetal immune system. During pregnancy, the maternal immune system is challenged to both tolerate the

Immunizing Children

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Geraldine Jody Macdonald

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This article addresses the complex contexts within which Canadian health professionals engage in immunizing children and focuses on the Canadian practice guidelines and current scientific evidence that direct Canadian health professional competencies. The article begins by presenting two current global vaccine initiatives and links these to immunization in Canada. A selected literature review identifies current best immunization practices. With the purpose of promoting quality improvement, three key Canadian immunization competencies for health professional are highlighted: communication with parents, including those who are experiencing vaccine hesitancy; administration of immunizing agents; and documentation of immunizations. Health professionals are encouraged to reflect on immunization competencies and ensure evidence-based practices underpin vaccine delivery in their primary care settings.

Climatic anomaly affects the immune competence of California sea lions.

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Marina Banuet-Martínez

Full Text Available The past decades have been characterized by a growing number of climatic anomalies. As these anomalies tend to occur suddenly and unexpectedly, it is often difficult to procure empirical evidence of their effects on natural populations. We analysed how the recent sea surface temperature (SST anomaly in the northeastern Pacific Ocean affects body condition, nutritional status, and immune competence of California sea lion pups. We found that pup body condition and blood glucose levels of the pups were lower during high SST events, although other biomarkers of malnutrition remained unchanged, suggesting that pups were experiencing early stages of starvation. Glucose-dependent immune responses were affected by the SST anomaly; specifically, pups born during high SST events had lower serum concentrations of IgG and IgA, and were unable to respond to an immune challenge. This means that not only were pups that were born during the SST anomaly less able to synthesize protective antibodies; they were also limited in their ability to respond rapidly to nonspecific immune challenges. Our study provides empirical evidence that atypical climatic conditions can limit energetic reserves and compromise physiological responses that are essential for the survival of a marine top predator.

Durability and Kinetics of Maternal Pertussis Antibodies in Infants of Mothers Immunized with Tdap During Pregnancy

Science.gov (United States)

Healy, C Mary; Rench, Marcia; Swaim, Laurie; Timmins, Audra; Vyas, Anuja; Ng, Nancy; Paulos, Simon; Park, So Hee; Jeyachandran, Amilia; Rajam, Gorisankar; Schiffer, Jarad; Baker, Carol J

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Infant protection against severe pertussis requires sufficient maternal pertussis antibodies until infant immunization begins. The kinetics of maternally-derived Tdap-induced antibodies in infants is poorly understood. Methods 34 healthy mother-infant pairs were followed prospectively from maternal Tdap immunization to infant age 6 weeks. Blood was collected from women pre-Tdap, 4 weeks post Tdap and at delivery, and from infants at birth, and age 3 and 6 weeks. IgG to pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), fimbrial proteins (FIM) and pertactin (PRN) was quantified by luminex assay (IU/mL). Geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) with 95% confidence intervals (C.I.) for pertussis-specific IgG and half-life of IgG to PT were calculated. Results Mean maternal age was 31.1 years (range 22.7–39.7); 47% were white, 32% Hispanic and 21% Black. Tdap was administered at a mean gestation of 30.7 weeks (28–32.7). Infants had a mean gestation of 39.1 weeks (36–41.1) and birthweight of 3379g (2580–4584). GMCs (95%C.I.) for maternal pertussis-specific IgG increased significantly 4 weeks post-Tdap (4-fold higher in 59%, 41%, 29% and 44% for PT, FHA, FIM and PRN, respectively) and waned before delivery. Placental transfer was 135% for PT, 141% for FHA, 131% for FIM and 136% for PRN. Maternal antibodies in infants decayed quickly, but at age 6 weeks GMC of infant PT-specific IgG was 21.1IU/mL (14.7–30.2) and 91% had PT ≥ 10 IU/mL. Estimated half-life of PT-specific IgG in infants was 30.9 days. Time PT (IU/mL) FHA (IU/mL) FIM (IU/mL) PRN (IU/mL) Pre-Tdap 9.85 (6.71–14.45) 32.81 (21.79–49.42) 131.55 (81.98–211.15) 55.67 (35.75–86.68) Post-Tdap 46.8 (34.4–63.68) 116.82 (88.9–153.5) 440.35 (327.57–591.97) 233.02 (179.14–303.04) Maternal Delivery 40.78 (29.4–56.53) 104.81 (78.27–140.35) 384.5 (287.41–514.28) 204.41 (155.42–268.84) Infant Cord 55.12 (38.65–78.6) 147.81 (113.47–192.49) 505.36 (366.44–696.95) 278

Maternal HIV infection alters the immune balance in the mother and fetus; implications for pregnancy outcome and infant health.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfeifer, Caroline; Bunders, Madeleine J

2016-03-01

With the rapid roll-out of combination antiretroviral therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, there is an annual increase in the number of uninfected infants born to HIV-infected women. Although the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy has vastly improved pregnancy outcome and the health of infants born to HIV-infected women, concerns remain regarding the impact the maternal HIV infection on the pregnancy outcome and the health of HIV-exposed uninfected infants. Maternal HIV infection is associated with negative pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight. In addition, an increased susceptibility to infections is reported in HIV-exposed uninfected infants compared with infants born to uninfected women. Studies have shown that HIV-exposure affects the maternal/fetal unit, with increase of proinflammatory cytokine produced by placental cells, as well as altered infant immune responses. These changes could provide the underlying conditions for negative pregnancy outcomes and facilitate mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the infant. Further studies are required to understand the underlying mechanisms and investigate whether these altered infant immune responses persist and have clinical consequences beyond childhood. HIV infection in pregnant women is associated with altered immune responses in HIV-infected women and their offspring with clinical consequences for pregnancy outcome and the HIV-exposed uninfected infant. Further studies are required to address the origin and long-term consequences of prenatal HIV-exposure and subsequent immune activation for infant health.

Waning of maternal immunity and the impact of diseases: the example of myxomatosis in natural rabbit populations.

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Fouchet, D; Marchandeau, S; Langlais, M; Pontier, D

2006-09-07

Myxomatosis is a leporipoxvirus that infects the european rabbit, inducing a high mortality rate. Observations lead us to hypothesize that a rabbit carrying maternal antibodies (or having recovered) can be infected (or re-infected) upon being exposed (or re-exposed) to the virus. Infection will lead to mild disease, boosting host immune protection. Using a modelling approach we show that this phenomenon may lead to a difference of impact of myxomatosis according to its transmission rate. Young are exposed when they still carry maternal antibodies and develop a mild disease in high transmission populations. Our results show that the impact of myxomatosis is generally higher in epidemic situations compared to populations where the virus circulates all the year. As a consequence, waning of acquired immunity and the continuous supply of newborn along the year may reduce the impact of the disease.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of universal maternal immunization with tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine in Brazil.

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Sartori, Ana Marli Christovam; de Soárez, Patrícia Coelho; Fernandes, Eder Gatti; Gryninger, Ligia Castellon Figueiredo; Viscondi, Juliana Yukari Kodaira; Novaes, Hillegonda Maria Dutilh

2016-03-18

Pertussis incidence has increased significantly in Brazil since 2011, despite high coverage of whole-cell pertussis containing vaccines in childhood. Infants cost-effectiveness of introducing universal maternal vaccination with tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) into the National Immunization Program in Brazil. Economic evaluation using a decision tree model comparing two strategies: (1) universal vaccination with one dose of Tdap in the third trimester of pregnancy and (2) current practice (no pertussis maternal vaccination), from the perspective of the health system and society. An annual cohort of newborns representing the number of vaccinated pregnant women were followed for one year. Vaccine efficacy were based on literature review. Epidemiological, healthcare resource utilization and cost estimates were based on local data retrieved from Brazilian Health Information Systems. Costs of epidemiological investigation and treatment of contacts of cases were included in the analysis. No discount rate was applied to costs and benefits, as the temporal horizon was one year. Primary outcome was cost per life year saved (LYS). Univariate and best- and worst-case scenarios sensitivity analysis were performed. Maternal vaccination of one annual cohort, with vaccine effectiveness of 78%, and vaccine cost of USD$12.39 per dose, would avoid 661 cases and 24 infant deaths of pertussis, save 1800 years of life and cost USD$28,942,808 and USD$29,002,947, respectively, from the health system and societal perspective. The universal immunization would result in ICERs of USD$15,608 and USD$15,590 per LYS, from the health system and societal perspective, respectively. In sensitivity analysis, the ICER was most sensitive to discounting of life years saved, variation in case-fatality, disease incidence, vaccine cost, and vaccine effectiveness. The results indicate that universal maternal immunization with Tdap is a cost-effective intervention for preventing

Transforming LEND leadership training curriculum through the maternal and child health leadership competencies.

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Humphreys, Betsy P; Couse, Leslie J; Sonnenmeier, Rae M; Kurtz, Alan; Russell, Susan M; Antal, Peter

2015-02-01

The purpose of this article is to describe how the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Leadership Competencies (v 3.0) were used to examine and improve an MCH Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) training curriculum for New Hampshire and Maine. Over 15 % of the nation's children experience neurodevelopmental disabilities or special health care needs and estimates suggest 1 in every 68 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Across the Unites States critical shortages of qualified MCH professionals exist, particularly in poor and rural areas. A continued investment in training interdisciplinary leaders is critical. The MCH Leadership Competencies provide an effective foundation for leadership training through identification of requisite knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of MCH leaders. This paper describes a three-step process, which began in 2010 and included utilizing the MCH Leadership Competencies as a tool to reflect on, develop, and evaluate the NH LEND leadership curriculum. Curriculum development was further supported through participation in a multi-state learning collaborative. Through a series of intentional decisions, the curriculum design of NH LEND utilized the competencies and evidence-based principles of instruction to engage trainees in the development of specific MCH content knowledge and leadership skills. The LEND network specifically, and MCH leadership programs more broadly, may benefit from the intentional use of the MCH competencies to assist in curriculum development and program evaluation, and as a means to support trainees in identifying specific leadership goals and evaluating their leadership skill development.

Maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy related to changes in newborn's cord blood lymphocyte subpopulations. The EDEN study cohort.

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Baïz , Nour; Slama , Rémy; Béné , Marie-Christine; Charles , Marie-Aline; Kolopp-Sarda , Marie-Nathalie; Magnan , Antoine; Thiebaugeorges , Olivier; Faure , Gilbert; Annesi-Maesano , Isabella

2011-01-01

Abstract Background Toxicants can cross the placenta and expose the developing fetus to chemical contamination leading to possible adverse health effects, by potentially inducing alterations in immune competence. Our aim was to investigate the impacts of maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy on newborn's immune system. Methods Exposure to background particulate matter less than 10 μm in diameter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was assessed in 370 women three months ...

Meta-Analysis of Maternal and Fetal Transcriptomic Data Elucidates the Role of Adaptive and Innate Immunity in Preterm Birth

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Vora, Bianca; Wang, Aolin; Kosti, Idit; Huang, Hongtai; Paranjpe, Ishan; Woodruff, Tracey J.; MacKenzie, Tippi; Sirota, Marina

2018-01-01

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of newborn deaths around the world. Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) accounts for two-thirds of all PTBs; however, there remains an unmet need of detecting and preventing sPTB. Although the dysregulation of the immune system has been implicated in various studies, small sizes and irreproducibility of results have limited identification of its role. Here, we present a cross-study meta-analysis to evaluate genome-wide differential gene expression signals in sPTB. A comprehensive search of the NIH genomic database for studies related to sPTB with maternal whole blood samples resulted in data from three separate studies consisting of 339 samples. After aggregating and normalizing these transcriptomic datasets and performing a meta-analysis, we identified 210 genes that were differentially expressed in sPTB relative to term birth. These genes were enriched in immune-related pathways, showing upregulation of innate immunity and downregulation of adaptive immunity in women who delivered preterm. An additional analysis found several of these differentially expressed at mid-gestation, suggesting their potential to be clinically relevant biomarkers. Furthermore, a complementary analysis identified 473 genes differentially expressed in preterm cord blood samples. However, these genes demonstrated downregulation of the innate immune system, a stark contrast to findings using maternal blood samples. These immune-related findings were further confirmed by cell deconvolution as well as upstream transcription and cytokine regulation analyses. Overall, this study identified a strong immune signature related to sPTB as well as several potential biomarkers that could be translated to clinical use.

Meta-Analysis of Maternal and Fetal Transcriptomic Data Elucidates the Role of Adaptive and Innate Immunity in Preterm Birth

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Bianca Vora

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Preterm birth (PTB is the leading cause of newborn deaths around the world. Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB accounts for two-thirds of all PTBs; however, there remains an unmet need of detecting and preventing sPTB. Although the dysregulation of the immune system has been implicated in various studies, small sizes and irreproducibility of results have limited identification of its role. Here, we present a cross-study meta-analysis to evaluate genome-wide differential gene expression signals in sPTB. A comprehensive search of the NIH genomic database for studies related to sPTB with maternal whole blood samples resulted in data from three separate studies consisting of 339 samples. After aggregating and normalizing these transcriptomic datasets and performing a meta-analysis, we identified 210 genes that were differentially expressed in sPTB relative to term birth. These genes were enriched in immune-related pathways, showing upregulation of innate immunity and downregulation of adaptive immunity in women who delivered preterm. An additional analysis found several of these differentially expressed at mid-gestation, suggesting their potential to be clinically relevant biomarkers. Furthermore, a complementary analysis identified 473 genes differentially expressed in preterm cord blood samples. However, these genes demonstrated downregulation of the innate immune system, a stark contrast to findings using maternal blood samples. These immune-related findings were further confirmed by cell deconvolution as well as upstream transcription and cytokine regulation analyses. Overall, this study identified a strong immune signature related to sPTB as well as several potential biomarkers that could be translated to clinical use.

Sexual orientation, fraternal birth order, and the maternal immune hypothesis: a review.

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Bogaert, Anthony F; Skorska, Malvina

2011-04-01

In 1996, psychologists Ray Blanchard and Anthony Bogaert found evidence that gay men have a greater number of older brothers than do heterosexual men. This "fraternal birth order" (FBO) effect has been replicated numerous times, including in non-Western samples. More recently, strong evidence has been found that the FBO effect is of prenatal origin. Although there is no direct support for the exact prenatal mechanism, the most plausible explanation may be immunological in origin, i.e., a mother develops an immune reaction against a substance important in male fetal development during pregnancy, and that this immune effect becomes increasingly likely with each male gestation. This immune effect is hypothesized to cause an alteration in (some) later born males' prenatal brain development. The target of the immune response may be molecules (i.e., Y-linked proteins) on the surface of male fetal brain cells, including in sites of the anterior hypothalamus, which has been linked to sexual orientation in other research. Antibodies might bind to these molecules and thus alter their role in typical sexual differentiation, leading some later born males to be attracted to men as opposed to women. Here we review evidence in favor of this hypothesis, including recent research showing that mothers of boys develop an immune response to one Y-linked protein (i.e., H-Y antigen; SMCY) important in male fetal development, and that this immune effect becomes increasingly likely with each additional boy to which a mother gives birth. We also discuss other Y-linked proteins that may be relevant if this hypothesis is correct. Finally, we discuss issues in testing the maternal immune hypothesis of FBO. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of maternal age, gestational age and fetal gender on expression of immune mediators in amniotic fluid

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Weissenbacher Tobias

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Variations in cytokine and immune mediator expression patterns in amniotic fluid due to gestational age, maternal age and fetal gender were investigated. Findings Amniotic fluid samples were obtained from 192 women, 82 with a mid-trimester amniocentesis (median gestational age 17 weeks and 110 with a caesarean section not in labor (median gestational age 39 weeks. Amniotic fluid was screened by commercial ELISAs for the TH1/TH2/TH17 cytokines and immune mediators IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-15, IL-17, TNF alpha, GRO-alpha, MIP1alpha, MIP1beta, Histone, and IP10. Analysis was by Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. None of the 15 examined cytokines revealed any differences in expression patterns regarding fetal gender. Significant differences were found in IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, TNF- alpha, GRO-alpha and MIP1-beta with respect to gestational age and in GRO-alpha regarding maternal age. Conclusion Cytokines utilized as biomarkers in the diagnosis of intrauterine infections are not influenced in their expression pattern by fetal gender but may vary with respect to maternal age and gestational age.

Intra-amniotic Ureaplasma parvum-Induced Maternal and Fetal Inflammation and Immune Responses in Rhesus Macaques.

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Senthamaraikannan, Paranthaman; Presicce, Pietro; Rueda, Cesar M; Maneenil, Gunlawadee; Schmidt, Augusto F; Miller, Lisa A; Waites, Ken B; Jobe, Alan H; Kallapur, Suhas G; Chougnet, Claire A

2016-11-15

 Although Ureaplasma species are the most common organisms associated with prematurity, their effects on the maternal and fetal immune system remain poorly characterized.  Rhesus macaque dams at approximately 80% gestation were injected intra-amniotically with 10 7 colony-forming units of Ureaplasma parvum or saline (control). Fetuses were delivered surgically 3 or 7 days later. We performed comprehensive assessments of inflammation and immune effects in multiple fetal and maternal tissues.  Although U. parvum grew well in amniotic fluid, there was minimal chorioamnionitis. U. parvum colonized the fetal lung, but fetal systemic microbial invasion was limited. Fetal lung inflammation was mild, with elevations in CXCL8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, and CCL2 levels in alveolar washes at day 7. Inflammation was not detected in the fetal brain. Significantly, U. parvum decreased regulatory T cells (Tregs) and activated interferon γ production in these Tregs in the fetus. It was detected in uterine tissue by day 7 and induced mild inflammation and increased expression of connexin 43, a gap junction protein involved with labor.  U. parvum colonized the amniotic fluid and caused uterine inflammation, but without overt chorioamnionitis. It caused mild fetal lung inflammation but had a more profound effect on the fetal immune system, decreasing Tregs and polarizing them toward a T-helper 1 phenotype. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sex-biased terminal investment in offspring induced by maternal immune challenge in the house wren (Troglodytes aedon).

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Bowers, E Keith; Smith, Rebecca A; Hodges, Christine J; Zimmerman, Laura M; Thompson, Charles F; Sakaluk, Scott K

2012-07-22

The reproductive costs associated with the upregulation of immunity have been well-documented and constitute a fundamental trade-off between reproduction and self-maintenance. However, recent experimental work suggests that parents may increase their reproductive effort following immunostimulation as a form of terminal parental investment as prospects for future reproduction decline. We tested the trade-off and terminal investment hypotheses in a wild population of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) by challenging the immune system of breeding females with lipopolysaccharide, a potent but non-lethal antigen. Immunized females showed no evidence of reproductive costs; instead, they produced offspring of higher phenotypic quality, but in a sex-specific manner. Relative to control offspring, sons of immunized females had increased body mass and their sisters exhibited higher cutaneous immune responsiveness to phytohaemagglutinin injection, constituting an adaptive strategy of sex-biased allocation by immune-challenged females to enhance the reproductive value of their offspring. Thus, our results are consistent with the terminal investment hypothesis, and suggest that maternal immunization can induce pronounced transgenerational effects on offspring phenotypes.

Maternal inflammation induces immune activation of fetal microglia and leads to disrupted microglia immune responses, behavior, and learning performance in adulthood.

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Schaafsma, Wandert; Basterra, Laura Bozal; Jacobs, Sabrina; Brouwer, Nieske; Meerlo, Peter; Schaafsma, Anne; Boddeke, Erik W G M; Eggen, Bart J L

2017-10-01

Maternal inflammation during pregnancy can have detrimental effects on embryonic development that persist during adulthood. However, the underlying mechanisms and insights in the responsible cell types are still largely unknown. Here we report the effect of maternal inflammation on fetal microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). In mice, a challenge with LPS during late gestation stages (days 15-16-17) induced a pro-inflammatory response in fetal microglia. Adult whole brain microglia of mice that were exposed to LPS during embryonic development displayed a persistent reduction in pro-inflammatory activation in response to a re-challenge with LPS. In contrast, hippocampal microglia of these mice displayed an increased inflammatory response to an LPS re-challenge. In addition, a reduced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was observed in hippocampal microglia of LPS-offspring. Microglia-derived BDNF has been shown to be important for learning and memory processes. In line with these observations, behavioral- and learning tasks with mice that were exposed to maternal inflammation revealed reduced home cage activity, reduced anxiety and reduced learning performance in a T-maze. These data show that exposure to maternal inflammation during late gestation results in long term changes in microglia responsiveness during adulthood, which is different in nature in hippocampus compared to total brain microglia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The maternal immune activation (MIA) model of schizophrenia produces pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) deficits in both juvenile and adult rats but these effects are not associated with maternal weight loss.

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Wolff, Amy R; Bilkey, David K

2010-12-01

The developmental onset of deficits in sensorimotor-gating was examined in the maternal immune activation (MIA) animal model of schizophrenia. Pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) deficits were evident in juvenile MIA rats. This parallels the sensorimotor-gating deficits observed in groups at high-risk of schizophrenia. PPI deficits were independent of maternal weight loss following the MIA manipulation, suggesting that this measure may not be a useful marker of treatment efficacy. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pregnancy immunology: decidual immune cells.

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Sanguansermsri, Donruedee; Pongcharoen, Sutatip

2008-01-01

Human pregnancy is a complex process. Placental development depends on the function of secretory molecules produced by placental trophoblast cells as well as by maternal uterine immune cells within the decidua. These decidual immune cells are T cells, natural killer cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. The interactions between the trophoblast cells and the maternal immune cells have an impact on the outcome of the pregnancy. Knowledge about the phenotypes and functions of the maternal immune cells in normal and pathological pregnancies including recurrent spontaneous abortions, preeclampsia and hydatidiform moles may improve our understanding of the immunobiology of the normal pregnancy as a whole and may provide approaches for improving the treatment of pathological pregnancies.

Disrupted PI3K p110δ Signaling Dysregulates Maternal Immune Cells and Increases Fetal Mortality In Mice

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Jens Kieckbusch

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Maternal immune cells are an integral part of reproduction, but how they might cause pregnancy complications remains elusive. Macrophages and their dual function in inflammation and tissue repair are thought to play key yet undefined roles. Altered perinatal growth underpins adult morbidity, and natural killer (NK cells may sustain fetal growth by establishing the placental blood supply. Using a mouse model of genetic inactivation of PI3K p110δ, a key intracellular signaling molecule in leukocytes, we show that p110δ regulates macrophage dynamics and NK-cell-mediated arterial remodeling. The uterus of dams with inactive p110δ had decreased IFN-γ and MHC class IIlow macrophages but enhanced IL-6. Poor vascular remodeling and a pro-inflammatory uterine milieu resulted in fetal death or growth retardation. Our results provide one mechanism that explains how imbalanced adaptations of maternal innate immune cells to gestation affect offspring well-being with consequence perinatally and possibly into adulthood.

Influence of maternal gestational treatment with mycobacterial antigens on postnatal immunity in an experimental murine model.

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Muhammad Jubayer Rahman

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that the immune system could be primed as early as during the fetal life and this might have an impact on postnatal vaccination. Therefore, we addressed in murine models whether gestational treatment with mycobacterial antigens could induce better immune responses in the postnatal life. METHODS/FINDINGS: BALB/c mice were treated subcutaneously (s.c. at the second week of gestation with antigen (Ag85A or heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA in the absence of adjuvant. Following birth, offspring mice were immunized intranasally (i.n. with the same antigens formulated with the adjuvant cholera toxin (CT at week 1 and week 4. One week after the last immunization, we assessed antigen-specific recall interferon gamma (IFN-gamma responses by in vitro restimulation of lung-derived lymphocytes. Protection against infection was assessed by challenge with high dose Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG given i.n. We found that recall IFN-gamma responses were higher in the offspring born to the treated mother compared to the untreated-mother. More importantly, we observed that the offspring born to the treated mother controlled infection better than the offspring born to the untreated mother. Since the gestational treatment was done in absence of adjuvant, essentially there was no antibody production observed in the pregnant mice and therefore no influence of maternal antibodies was expected. We hypothesized that the effect of maternal treatment with antigen on the offspring occurred due to antigen transportation through placenta. To trace the antigens, we conjugated fluorescent nanocrystals with Ag85A (Qdot-ITK-Ag85A. After inoculation in the pregnant mice, Qdot-ITK-Ag85A conjugates were detected in the liver, spleen of pregnant females and in all the fetuses and placentas examined. CONCLUSION: The fetal immune system could be primed in utero by mycobacterial antigens transported through the placenta.

Effects of rye inclusion in grower diets on immune competence-related parameters and performance in broilers.

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van Krimpen, M M; Torki, M; Schokker, D

2017-09-01

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary inclusion of rye, a model ingredient to increase gut viscosity, between 14 and 28 d of age on immune competence-related parameters and performance of broilers. A total of 960 day-old male Ross 308 chicks were weighed and randomly allocated to 24 pens (40 birds per pen), and the birds in every 8 replicate pens were assigned to 1 of 3 experimental diets including graded levels, 0%, 5%, and 10% of rye. Tested immune competence-related parameters were composition of the intestinal microbiota, genes expression in gut tissue, and gut morphology. The inclusion of 5% or 10% rye in the diet (d 14 to 28) resulted in decreased performance and litter quality, but in increased villus height and crypt depth in the small intestine (jejunum) of the broilers. Relative bursa and spleen weights were not affected by dietary inclusion of rye. In the jejunum, no effects on number and size of goblet cells, and only trends on microbiota composition in the digesta were observed. Dietary inclusion of rye affected expression of genes involved in cell cycle processes of the jejunal enterocyte cells, thereby influencing cell growth, cell differentiation and cell survival, which in turn were consistent with the observed differences in the morphology of the gut wall. In addition, providing rye-rich diets to broilers affected the complement and coagulation pathways, which among others are parts of the innate immune system. These pathways are involved in eradicating invasive pathogens. Overall, it can be concluded that inclusion of 5% or 10% rye to the grower diet of broilers had limited effects on performance. Ileal gut morphology, microbiota composition of jejunal digesta, and gene expression profiles of jejunal tissue, however, were affected by dietary rye inclusion level, indicating that rye supplementation to broiler diets might affect immune competence of the birds. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

MATERNAL-FETAL TOLERANCE AS A MANIFESTATION OF REGULATORY CONTINUUM AND PLASTICITY OF THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS (in memory of I.P. Ashmarin

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E. P. Kharchenko

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. Relations of immune tolerance between mother and fetus are considered in view of a common regulatory continuum which is formed under the influence of a growing fetus. To explain such an immune tolerance, a notion of immune system plasticity is introduced, as an analogue to the nervous system plasticity, which develops in response to a continuum of changes occurring in fetal and maternal organisms during the nine months of pregnancy. The immune system plasticity in females is supposed to be among possible factors causing collisions upon conception and in the course of pregnancy. (Med. Immunol., 2011, vol. 13, N 2-3, pp 121-132

Effects of rye inclusion in grower diets on immune competence-related parameters and performance in broilers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krimpen, van M.M.; Torki, M.; Schokker, D.

2017-01-01

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary inclusion of rye, a model ingredient to increase gut viscosity, between 14 and 28 d of age on immune competence-related parameters and performance of broilers. A total of 960 day-old male Ross 308 chicks were weighed and randomly

Maternal immune activation results in complex microglial transcriptome signature in the adult offspring that is reversed by minocycline treatment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mattei, D.; Ivanov, A.; Ferrai, C.; Jordan, P.; Guneykaya, D.; Buonfiglioli, A.; Schaafsma, W.; Przanowski, P.; Deuther-Conrad, W.; Brust, P.; Hesse, S.; Patt, M.; Sabri, O.; Ross, T. L.; Eggen, B. J. L.; Boddeke, E. W. G. M.; Kaminska, B.; Beule, D.; Pombo, A.; Kettenmann, H.; Wolf, S. A.

2017-01-01

Maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of developing psychiatric pathologies in later life. This link may be bridged by a defective microglial phenotype in the offspring induced by MIA, as microglia have key roles in the development and maintenance of

Maternal role attainment with medically fragile infants: Part 2. relationship to the quality of parenting.

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Holditch-Davis, Diane; Miles, Margaret Shandor; Burchinal, Margaret R; Goldman, Barbara Davis

2011-02-01

We examined which components of maternal role attainment (identity, presence, competence) influenced quality of parenting for 72 medically fragile infants, controlling for maternal education and infant illness severity. Maternal competence was related to responsiveness. Maternal presence and technology dependence were inversely related to participation. Greater competence and maternal education were associated with better normal caregiving. Presence was negatively related although competence was positively related to illness-related caregiving. Mothers with lower competence and more technology dependent children perceived their children as more vulnerable and child cues as more difficult to read. Maternal role attainment influenced parenting quality for these infants more than did child illness severity; thus interventions are needed to help mothers develop their maternal role during hospitalization and after discharge. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 34:35-48, 2011. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Interaction Between 2 Nutraceutical Treatments and Host Immune Status in the Pediatric Critical Illness Stress-Induced Immune Suppression Comparative Effectiveness Trial.

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Carcillo, Joseph A; Dean, J Michael; Holubkov, Richard; Berger, John; Meert, Kathleen L; Anand, Kanwaljeet J S; Zimmerman, Jerry J; Newth, Christopher J L; Harrison, Rick; Burr, Jeri; Willson, Douglas F; Nicholson, Carol; Bell, Michael J; Berg, Robert A; Shanley, Thomas P; Heidemann, Sabrina M; Dalton, Heidi; Jenkins, Tammara L; Doctor, Allan; Webster, Angie; Tamburro, Robert F

2017-11-01

The pediatric Critical Illness Stress-induced Immune Suppression (CRISIS) trial compared the effectiveness of 2 nutraceutical supplementation strategies and found no difference in the development of nosocomial infection and sepsis in the overall population. We performed an exploratory post hoc analysis of interaction between nutraceutical treatments and host immune status related to the development of nosocomial infection/sepsis. Children from the CRISIS trial were analyzed according to 3 admission immune status categories marked by decreasing immune competence: immune competent without lymphopenia, immune competent with lymphopenia, and previously immunocompromised. The comparative effectiveness of the 2 treatments was analyzed for interaction with immune status category. There were 134 immune-competent children without lymphopenia, 79 previously immune-competent children with lymphopenia, and 27 immunocompromised children who received 1 of the 2 treatments. A significant interaction was found between treatment arms and immune status on the time to development of nosocomial infection and sepsis ( P patient characteristic.

Exophiala (Wangiella dermatitidis Prosthetic Aortic Valve Endocarditis and Prosthetic Graft Infection in an Immune Competent Patient

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Jay S. Berger

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Exophiala (Wangiella dermatitidis is an emerging dematiaceous fungus associated with high mortality rates and is a rare cause of endocarditis. We describe the first case of E. dermatitidis endocarditis of a prosthetic aortic valve and aortic graft in an immune competent patient with no clear risk factors of hematological acquisition.

Maternal warmth and toddler development: support for transactional models in disadvantaged families.

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Girard, Lisa-Christine; Doyle, Orla; Tremblay, Richard E

2017-04-01

Studies support cognitive and social domains of development as entwined in childhood, however, there is a paucity of investigation into the nature of the mother-child relationship within an interdependence framework. Furthermore, the focus on these processes within families from impoverished communities using frequent assessments in early childhood has been limited. Our objectives were to identify (1) the directional associations between toddler's communication ability and social competence, (2) to establish whether the association between toddler's communication ability and social competence is mediated by maternal warmth, and (3) to establish support for transactional models between toddlers' outcomes and maternal warmth in disadvantaged communities in Ireland. Participants included 173 toddlers and their families enrolled in a prenatally commencing prevention programme. Toddler's communication and social competence were assessed at 12, 18, 24 and 36 months and maternal warmth at 6 and 24 months. Cross-lagged models were estimated examining multiple paths of associations simultaneously. Direct and indirect paths of maternal warmth were also examined. Bi-directional associations were found between communication ability and social competence from 12 to 24 months but not thereafter. Maternal warmth did not significantly mediate these associations, however, support of a transactional model was found with social competence. The results support early positive associations between better communication ability and social competence in the first 2 years, however, they suggest that these associations are no longer present by the third year. The role of maternal warmth in fostering social competencies is important for toddlers and equally important is toddler's level of social competence in eliciting increased maternal warmth.

Contribution of Maternal Immunity to Decreased Rotavirus Vaccine Performance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

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Mwila, Katayi; Simuyandi, Michelo; Permar, Sallie R.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The role of maternal immunity, received by infants either transplacentally or orally from breast milk, in rotavirus vaccine (RV) performance is evaluated here. Breastfeeding withholding has no effect on vaccine responses, but higher levels of transplacental rotavirus-specific IgG antibody contribute to reduced vaccine seroconversion. The gaps in knowledge on the factors associated with low RV efficacy in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) remain, and further research is needed to shed more light on these issues. PMID:27847365

DOHaD at the intersection of maternal immune activation and maternal metabolic stress: a scoping review.

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Goldstein, J A; Norris, S A; Aronoff, D M

2017-06-01

The prenatal environment is now recognized as a key driver of non-communicable disease risk later in life. Within the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) paradigm, studies are increasingly identifying links between maternal morbidity during pregnancy and disease later in life for offspring. Nutrient restriction, metabolic disorders during gestation, such as diabetes or obesity, and maternal immune activation provoked by infection have been linked to adverse health outcomes for offspring later in life. These factors frequently co-occur, but the potential for compounding effects of multiple morbidities on DOHaD-related outcomes has not received adequate attention. This is of particular importance in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs), which have ongoing high rates of infectious diseases and are now experiencing transitions from undernutrition to excess adiposity. The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize studies examining the effect and interaction of co-occurring metabolic or nutritional stressors and infectious diseases during gestation on DOHaD-related health outcomes. We identified nine studies in humans - four performed in the United States and five in LMICs. The most common outcome, also in seven of nine studies, was premature birth or low birth weight. We identified nine animal studies, six in mice, two in rats and one in sheep. The interaction between metabolic/nutritional exposures and infectious exposures had varying effects including synergism, inhibition and independent actions. No human studies were specifically designed to assess the interaction of metabolic/nutritional exposures and infectious diseases. Future studies of neonatal outcomes should measure these exposures and explicitly examine their concerted effect.

Maternal exposure to fish oil primes offspring to harbor intestinal pathobionts associated with altered immune cell balance.

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Gibson, D L; Gill, S K; Brown, K; Tasnim, N; Ghosh, S; Innis, S; Jacobson, K

2015-01-01

Our previous studies revealed that offspring from rat dams fed fish oil (at 8% and 18% energy), developed impaired intestinal barriers sensitizing the colon to exacerbated injury later in life. To discern the mechanism, we hypothesized that in utero exposure to fish oil, rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), caused abnormal intestinal reparative responses to mucosal injury through differences in intestinal microbiota and the presence of naïve immune cells. To identify such mechanisms, gut microbes and naïve immune cells were compared between rat pups born to dams fed either n-6 PUFA, n-3 PUFA or breeder chow. Maternal exposure to either of the PUFA rich diets altered the development of the intestinal microbiota with an overall reduction in microbial density. Using qPCR, we found that each type of PUFA differentially altered the major gut phyla; fish oil increased Bacteroidetes and safflower oil increased Firmicutes. Both PUFA diets reduced microbes known to dominate the infant gut like Enterobacteriaceae and Bifidobacteria spp. when compared to the chow group. Uniquely, maternal fish oil diets resulted in offspring showing blooms of opportunistic pathogens like Bilophila wadsworthia, Enterococcus faecium and Bacteroides fragilis in their gut microbiota. As well, fish oil groups showed a reduction in colonic CD8+ T cells, CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells and arginase+ M2 macrophages. In conclusion, fish oil supplementation in pharmacological excess, at 18% by energy as shown in this study, provides an example where excess dosing in utero can prime offspring to harbor intestinal pathobionts and alter immune cell homeostasis.

Maternal Weight Predicts Children's Psychosocial Development via Parenting Stress and Emotional Availability.

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Bergmann, Sarah; Schlesier-Michel, Andrea; Wendt, Verena; Grube, Matthias; Keitel-Korndörfer, Anja; Gausche, Ruth; von Klitzing, Kai; Klein, Annette M

2016-01-01

Maternal obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for obesity in children and may also affect children's psychosocial outcomes. It is not yet clear whether there are also psycho-emotional mechanisms explaining the effects of maternal weight on young children's weight and psychosocial development. We aimed to evaluate whether maternal body mass index (BMI), mother-child emotional availability (EA), and maternal parenting stress are associated with children's weight and psychosocial development (i.e., internalizing/externalizing symptoms and social competence) and whether these predictors interact with each other. This longitudinal study included three assessment points (~11 months apart). The baseline sample consisted of N = 194 mothers and their children aged 5-47 months (M = 28.18, SD = 8.44, 99 girls). At t 1, we measured maternal weight and height to calculate maternal BMI. We videotaped mother-child interactions, coding them with the EA Scales (fourth edition). We assessed maternal parenting stress with the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) short form. At t 1 to t 3, we measured height and weight of children and calculated BMI-SDS scores. Children's externalizing and internalizing problems (t 1-t 3) and social competence (t 3, N = 118) were assessed using questionnaires: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1.5-5), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ: prosocial behavior), and a checklist for behavioral problems at preschool age (VBV 3-6: social-emotional competence). By applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and a latent regression analysis, we found maternal BMI to predict higher BMI-SDS and a poorer psychosocial development (higher externalizing symptoms, lower social competence) in children. Higher parenting stress predicted higher levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms and lower social competence. Better maternal EA was associated with higher social competence. We found parenting stress to serve as a mediator in the association between

Effects of maternal protein or energy restriction during late gestation on immune status and responses to lipopolysaccharide challenge in postnatal young goats.

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He, Z X; Sun, Z H; Yang, W Z; Beauchemin, K A; Tang, S X; Zhou, C S; Han, X F; Wang, M; Kang, J H; Tan, Z L

2014-11-01

Knowledge of maternal malnutrition of ruminants and effects on development of the immune system of their offspring is lacking. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of maternal protein or energy restriction during late gestation on immune status of their offspring at different ages. Sixty-three pregnant goats (local breed, Liuyang black goat, 22.2 ± 1.5 kg at d 90 of gestation) were fed control (CON, ME = 9.34 MJ/kg and CP = 12.5%, DM basis), 40% protein restricted (PR), or 40% energy restricted (ER) diets from d 91 of gestation to parturition, after which all animals received an adequate diet for nutritional recovery. Plasma concentrations of complement components (C3, C4), C-reactive protein (CRP) and immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM), jejunum cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10) expression levels and morphology in the offspring were measured. Additionally, plasma concentration of complement and IL-6, and cytokines expression levels in gastrointestinal tract obtained at 6 wk from young goats were assessed under saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenging conditions. Maternal PR or ER decreased (P 0.05) plasma CRP concentration. The IL-10 mRNA expression of jejunum from PR kids was also less (P 0.05) in any plasma or tissue immune parameters among the 3 treatments. However, when given a LPS challenge, ER and PR kids had greater (P = 0.02) IL-6 concentration compared with CON kids. Our results suggest that both PR and ER during late gestation induced short-term as well as long-lasting alterations on immune responses in their offspring, which may make the animals more susceptible to a bacterial pathogen challenge. The present findings expand the existing knowledge in immunological mechanisms responsible for the development of disease in later life.

Immunizations challenge healthcare personnel and affects immunization rates.

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Strohfus, Pamela K; Kim, Susan C; Palma, Sara; Duke, Russell A; Remington, Richard; Roberts, Caleb

2017-02-01

This study measured 1. medical office immunization rates and 2. health care personnel competency in managing vaccine practices before and after evidence-based immunization education was provided. This descriptive study compared 32 family medicine and pediatric offices and 178 medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians in knowledge-based testing pre-education, post-education, and 12-months post-education. Immunization rates were assessed before and 18-months post-education. Immunization rates increased 10.3% - 18months post-education; knowledge increased 7.8% - 12months post-education. Family medicine offices, licensed practical nurses, and medical assistants showed significant knowledge deficits before and 12-months post-education. All demographic groups scored less in storage/handling 12-months post-education. This study is one of the first studies to identify competency challenges in effective immunization delivery among medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, and family medicine offices. Formal and continuous education in immunization administration and storage/handling is recommended among these select groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lifesaving pericardiocentesis due to purulent pericarditis with growth of Gram-negative rods in an immune-competent Inuit male

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonÿ, Carl Frederik Brandt; Malham, Mikkel; Kanstrup, Jacob

2014-01-01

by echocardiography but is not the case in rural areas in common. Change in the infectious aetiology indicates broad-spectrum antibiotics. We describe a case of purulent pericarditis causing cardiac tamponade due to haematogenous spread of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Proteus species in an immune-competent Inuit...

Initiation-promotion skin carcinogenesis and immunological competence.

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Curtis, G L; Stenbäck, F; Ryan, W L

1975-10-01

The immune competence of mice during initiation-promotion skin carcinogenesis was determined by skin allograft rejection and lymphocyte mitogenesis. The carcinogen 7, 12-dimethylbenzanthracene inhibited the cellular immune competence of mice while lymphocytes from croton oil treated mice had enhanced PWM response. Chlorphenesin, a stimulator of cellular immunity, was found to inhibit tumorigenesis in initiation-promotion skin carcinogenesis when injected during promotion.

Heightened fear in response to a safety cue and extinguished fear cue in a rat model of maternal immune activation

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Susan eSangha

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Maternal immune activation during pregnancy is an environmental risk factor for psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and autism in the offspring. Hence, changes in an array of behaviors, including behavioral flexibility, consistent with altered functioning of cortico-limbic circuits have been reported in rodent models of maternal immune activation. Surprisingly, previous studies have not examined the effect of maternal immune activation on the extinction of fear conditioning which depends on cortico-limbic circuits. Thus, we tested the effects of treating pregnant Long Evans rats with the viral mimetic polyI:C (gestational day 15; 4 mg/kg; i.v. on fear conditioning and extinction in the male offspring using two different tasks. In the first experiment, we observed no effect of polyI:C treatment on the acquisition or extinction of a classically conditioned fear memory in a non-discriminative auditory cue paradigm. However, polyI:C-treated offspring did increase contextual freezing during the recall of fear extinction in this non-discriminative paradigm. The second experiment utilized a recently developed task to explicitly test the ability of rats to discriminate among cues signifying fear, reward, and safety; a task that requires behavioral flexibility. To our surprise, polyI:C-treated rats acquired the task in a manner similar to saline-treated rats. However, upon subsequent extinction training, they showed significantly faster extinction of the freezing response to the fear cue. In contrast, during the extinction recall test, polyI:C-treated offspring showed enhanced freezing behavior before and after presentation of the fear cue, suggesting an impairment in their ability to regulate fear behavior. These behavioral results are integrated into the literature suggesting impairments in cortico-limbic brain function in the offspring of rats treated with polyI:C during pregnancy.

Competing Values Framework: A useful tool to define the predominant culture in a maternity setting in Australia.

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Adams, Catherine; Dawson, Angela; Foureur, Maralyn

2017-04-01

To identify the predominant culture of an organisation which could then assess readiness for change. An exploratory design using the Competing Values Framework (CVF) as a self-administered survey tool. The Maternity Unit in one Australian metropolitan tertiary referral hospital. All 120 clinicians (100 midwives and 20 obstetricians) employed in the maternity service were invited to participate; 26% responded. The identification of the predominant culture of an organisation to assess readiness for change prior to the implementation of a new policy. The predominant culture of this maternity unit, as described by those who responded to the survey, was one of hierarchy with a focus on rules and regulations and less focus on innovation, flexibility and teamwork. These results suggest that this unit did not have readiness to change. There is value in undertaking preparatory work to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of an organisation prior to designing and implementing change. This understanding can influence additional preliminary work that may be required to increase the readiness for change and therefore increase the opportunity for successful change. The CVF is a useful tool to identify the predominant culture and characteristics of an organisation that could influence the success of change. Copyright © 2016 Australian College of Midwives. All rights reserved.

Transgenerational effects enhance specific immune response in a wild passerine

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Juli Broggi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Vertebrate mothers transfer diverse compounds to developing embryos that can affect their development and final phenotype (i.e., maternal effects. However, the way such effects modulate offspring phenotype, in particular their immunity, remains unclear. To test the impact of maternal effects on offspring development, we treated wild breeding house sparrows (Passer domesticus in Sevilla, SE Spain with Newcastle disease virus (NDV vaccine. Female parents were vaccinated when caring for first broods, eliciting a specific immune response to NDV. The immune response to the same vaccine, and to the PHA inflammatory test were measured in 11-day-old chicks from their following brood. Vaccinated chicks from vaccinated mothers developed a stronger specific response that was related to maternal NDV antibody concentration while rearing their chicks. The chicks’ carotenoid concentration and total antioxidant capacity in blood were negatively related to NDV antibody concentration, whereas no relation with PHA response was found. Specific NDV antibodies could not be detected in 11-day-old control chicks from vaccinated mothers, implying that maternally transmitted antibodies are not directly involved but may promote offspring specific immunity through a priming effect, while other immunity components remain unaffected. Maternally transmitted antibodies in the house sparrow are short-lived, depend on maternal circulation levels and enhance pre-fledging chick specific immunity when exposed to the same pathogens as the mothers.

Influence of maternal immunity on vaccine efficacy and susceptibility of one day old chicks against Egyptian highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1.

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Abdelwhab, E M; Grund, Christian; Aly, Mona M; Beer, Martin; Harder, Timm C; Hafez, Hafez M

2012-02-24

In Egypt, continuous circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses of clade 2.2.1 in vaccinated commercial poultry challenges strenuous control efforts. Here, vaccine-derived maternal AIV H5 specific immunity in one-day old chicks was investigated as a factor of vaccine failure in long-term blanket vaccination campaigns in broiler chickens. H5 seropositive one-day old chicks were derived from breeders repeatedly immunized with a commercial inactivated vaccine based on the Potsdam/H5N2 strain. When challenged using the antigenically related HPAIV strain Italy/98 (H5N2) clinical protection was achieved until at least 10 days post-hatch although virus replication was not fully suppressed. No protection at all was observed against the Egyptian HPAIV strain EGYvar/H5N1 representing a vaccine escape lineage. Other groups of chicks with maternal immunity were vaccinated once at 3 or 14 days of age using either the Potsdam/H5N2 vaccine or a vaccine based on EGYvar/H5N1. At day 35 of age these chicks were challenged with the Egyptian HPAIV strain EGYcls/H5N1 which co-circulates with EGYvar/H5N1 but does not represent an antigenic drift variant. The Potsdam/H5N2 vaccinated groups were not protected against EGYcls/H5N1 infection while, in contrast, the EGYvar/H5N1 vaccinated chicks withstand challenge with EGYvar/H5N1 infection. In addition, the results showed that maternal antibodies could interfere with the immune response when a homologous vaccine strain was used. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Maternal Weight Predicts Children's Psychosocial Development via Parenting Stress and Emotional Availability

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Bergmann, Sarah; Schlesier-Michel, Andrea; Wendt, Verena; Grube, Matthias; Keitel-Korndörfer, Anja; Gausche, Ruth; von Klitzing, Kai; Klein, Annette M.

2016-01-01

Introduction: Maternal obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for obesity in children and may also affect children's psychosocial outcomes. It is not yet clear whether there are also psycho-emotional mechanisms explaining the effects of maternal weight on young children's weight and psychosocial development. We aimed to evaluate whether maternal body mass index (BMI), mother–child emotional availability (EA), and maternal parenting stress are associated with children's weight and psychosocial development (i.e., internalizing/externalizing symptoms and social competence) and whether these predictors interact with each other. Methods: This longitudinal study included three assessment points (~11 months apart). The baseline sample consisted of N = 194 mothers and their children aged 5–47 months (M = 28.18, SD = 8.44, 99 girls). At t1, we measured maternal weight and height to calculate maternal BMI. We videotaped mother–child interactions, coding them with the EA Scales (fourth edition). We assessed maternal parenting stress with the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) short form. At t1 to t3, we measured height and weight of children and calculated BMI–SDS scores. Children's externalizing and internalizing problems (t1–t3) and social competence (t3, N = 118) were assessed using questionnaires: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1.5–5), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ: prosocial behavior), and a checklist for behavioral problems at preschool age (VBV 3–6: social-emotional competence). Results: By applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and a latent regression analysis, we found maternal BMI to predict higher BMI–SDS and a poorer psychosocial development (higher externalizing symptoms, lower social competence) in children. Higher parenting stress predicted higher levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms and lower social competence. Better maternal EA was associated with higher social competence. We found parenting stress to serve as

Mothering and anxiety: Social support and competence as mitigating factors for first-time mothers.

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Chavis, Llena

2016-07-01

This study investigated anxiety as a phenomenon distinct from depression and evaluated several variables that influence anxiety in first-time mothers. This explored the relationship between maternal sense of competence (both of mothering and efficacy) and perceived social support (from family, friends, and significant others) and first-time mothers' postpartum anxiety, when depression, socioeconomic status (SES), and marital status were controlled for. The population studied were 86 first-time mothers made up of women with children 24 months or younger in two populations of Kentucky and Michigan. The constructs of maternal sense of competence and perceived social support were found to be significant in explaining first-time mothers' anxiety. The study concluded that a combined association of perceived social support and maternal sense of competence were associated with a 34% (change in R-squared = .339) decrease of a first-time mothers' anxiety. However, not all types of social support, or maternal competence appeared to be equally important with regards to maternal anxiety: social support from friends and family and maternal sense of competence in regard to productivity appeared to be most significant. Lastly, some recommendations for health practitioners who work with mothers are provided.

Maternal Adaptive Immune Cells in Decidua Parietalis Display a More Activated and Coinhibitory Phenotype Compared to Decidua Basalis

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Martin Solders

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The maternal part of the placenta, the decidua, consists of maternal immune cells, decidual stromal cells, and extravillous fetal trophoblasts. In a successful pregnancy, these cell compartments interact to provide an intricate balance between fetal tolerance and antimicrobial defense. These processes are still poorly characterized in the two anatomically different decidual tissues, basalis and parietalis. We examined immune cells from decidua basalis and parietalis from term placentas (n=15 with flow cytometry. By using multivariate discriminant analysis, we found a clear separation between the two decidual compartments based on the 81 investigated parameters. Decidua parietalis lymphocytes displayed a more activated phenotype with a higher expression of coinhibitory markers than those isolated from basalis and contained higher frequencies of T regulatory cells. Decidua basalis contained higher proportions of monocytes, B cells, and mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT cells. The basalis B cells were more immature, and parietalis MAIT cells showed a more activated phenotype. Conventional T cells, NK cells, and MAIT cells from both compartments potently responded with the production of interferon-γ and/or cytotoxic molecules in response to stimulation. To conclude, leukocytes in decidua basalis and parietalis displayed remarkable phenotypic disparities, indicating that the corresponding stromal microenvironments provide different immunoregulatory signals.

Rodent vertical sleeve gastrectomy alters maternal immune health and fetoplacental development.

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Spann, Redin A; Lawson, William J; Bidwell, Gene L; Zamarripa, C Austin; Maranon, Rodrigo O; Bandyopadhyay, Sibali; Taylor, Erin R; Reckelhoff, Jane F; Garrett, Michael R; Grayson, Bernadette E

2018-01-31

Bariatric surgery is increasingly employed to improve fertility and reduce obesity-related co-morbidities in obese women. Surgical weight loss not only improves the chance of conception but reduces the risk of pregnancy complications including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and macrosomia. However, bariatric procedures increase the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), fetal demise, thromboembolism, and other gestational disorders. Using our rodent model of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), we tested the hypothesis that VSG in diet-induced, obese dams would cause immune and placental structural abnormalities that may be responsible for fetal demise during pregnancy. VSG dams studied on gestational day (G) 19 had reduced circulating T-cell (CD3 + and CD8 + ) populations compared with lean or obese controls. Further, local interleukin (IL) 1β and IL 1 receptor antagonist ( il1rn ) cmRNA were increased in placenta of VSG dams. Placental barrier function was also affected, with increased transplacental permeability to small molecules, increased matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression, and increased apoptosis in VSG. Furthermore, we identified increased placental mTOR signaling that may contribute to preserving the body weight of the fetuses during gestation. These changes occurred in the absence of a macronutrient deficit or gestational hypertension in the VSG dams. In summary, previous VSG in dams may contribute to fetal demise by affecting maternal immune system activity and compromise placental integrity. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

Pulmonary histoplasmosis presenting as chronic productive cough, fever, and massive unilateral consolidation in a 15-year-old immune-competent boy: a case report

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Mshana Stephen E

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Severe histoplasmosis is known to be among the AIDS-defining opportunistic infections affecting patients with very low CD4 cell counts in histoplasmosis-endemic areas. Histoplasma capsulatum var. duboisii is common in West and Central Africa, where it occurs in both HIV/AIDS and non-HIV patients. Few cases of life-threatening histoplasmosis in immune-competent individuals have been reported worldwide. Case report We describe a case of pulmonary histoplasmosis diagnosed on the basis of autopsy and histological investigations. A 15-year old East African immune-competent boy with a history of smear-positive tuberculosis and a two-year history of rock cutting presented to our hospital with chronic productive cough, fever, and massive unilateral consolidation. At the time of presentation to our hospital, this patient was empirically treated for recurrent tuberculosis without success, and he died on the seventh day after admission. The autopsy revealed a huge granulomatous lesion with caseation, but no acid-fast bacilli were detected on several Ziehl-Neelsen stains. However, periodic acid-Schiff staining was positive, and the histological examination revealed features suggestive of Histoplasma yeast cells. Conclusion Severe pulmonary histoplasmosis should be considered in evaluating immune-competent patients with risk factors for the disease who present with pulmonary symptoms mimicking tuberculosis.

Maternal weight predicts children’s psychosocial development via parenting stress and emotional availability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Bergmann

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Maternal obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for obesity in children and may also affect children’s psychosocial outcomes. It is not yet clear whether there are also psycho-emotional mechanisms explaining the effects of maternal weight on young children’s weight and psychosocial development. We aimed to evaluate whether maternal body mass index (BMI, mother-child emotional availability (EA and maternal parenting stress are associated with children’s weight and psychosocial development (i.e. internalizing/externalizing symptoms and social competence and whether these predictors interact with each other. Methods: This longitudinal study included 3 assessment points (approx. 11 months apart. The baseline sample consisted of N=194 mothers and their children aged 5 to 47 months (M=28.18, SD=8.44, 99 girls. At t1, we measured maternal weight and height to calculate maternal BMI. We videotaped mother-child interactions, coding them with the Emotional Availability Scales (4th edition. We assessed maternal parenting stress with the Parenting Stress Index (PSI short form. At t1 to t3, we measured height and weight of children and calculated BMI-SDS scores. Children’s externalizing and internalizing problems (t1-t3 and social competence (t3, N=118 were assessed using questionnaires: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL1, 5-5, Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ: prosocial behavior and a checklist for behavioral problems at preschool age (VBV 3-6: social-emotional competence. Results: By applying structural equation modeling (SEM and a latent regression analysis, we found maternal BMI to predict higher BMI-SDS and a poorer psychosocial development (higher externalizing symptoms, lower social competence in children. Higher parenting stress predicted higher levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms and lower social competence. Better maternal EA was associated with higher social competence. We found parenting stress to

Honey bee drones maintain humoral immune competence throughout all life stages in the absence of vitellogenin production.

Science.gov (United States)

Gätschenberger, Heike; Gimple, Olaf; Tautz, Jürgen; Beier, Hildburg

2012-04-15

Drones are haploid male individuals whose major social function in honey bee colonies is to produce sperm and mate with a queen. In spite of their limited tasks, the vitality of drones is of utmost importance for the next generation. The immune competence of drones - as compared to worker bees - is largely unexplored. Hence, we studied humoral and cellular immune reactions of in vitro reared drone larvae and adult drones of different age upon artificial bacterial infection. Haemolymph samples were collected after aseptic and septic injury and subsequently employed for (1) the identification of immune-responsive peptides and/or proteins by qualitative proteomic analyses in combination with mass spectrometry and (2) the detection of antimicrobial activity by inhibition-zone assays. Drone larvae and adult drones responded with a strong humoral immune reaction upon bacterial challenge, as validated by the expression of small antimicrobial peptides. Young adult drones exhibited a broader spectrum of defence reactions than drone larvae. Distinct polypeptides including peptidoglycan recognition protein-S2 and lysozyme 2 were upregulated in immunized adult drones. Moreover, a pronounced nodulation reaction was observed in young drones upon bacterial challenge. Prophenoloxidase zymogen is present at an almost constant level in non-infected adult drones throughout the entire lifespan. All observed immune reactions in drones were expressed in the absence of significant amounts of vitellogenin. We conclude that drones - like worker bees - have the potential to activate multiple elements of the innate immune response.

Maternal immune activation in rats produces temporal perception impairments in adult offspring analogous to those observed in schizophrenia.

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Ashley R Deane

Full Text Available The neurophysiology underlying temporal perception significantly overlaps with areas of dysfunction identified in schizophrenia. Patients commonly exhibit distorted temporal perception, which likely contributes to functional impairments. Thus, study of temporal perception in animal models of the disease may help to understand both cognitive and neurobiological factors involved in functional impairments in patients. As maternal immune activation (MIA has been shown to be a significant etiological risk factor in development of schizophrenia and other developmental psychiatric diseases, we tested interval timing in a rat model of MIA that has previously been shown to recapitulate several behavioural and neurophysiological impairments observed in the disease. Rats were tested on a temporal-bisection task, in which temporal duration stimuli were categorized as either "short" or "long" by responding to a corresponding lever. Data from this task were modeled to provide estimates of accuracy and sensitivity of temporal perception. Parameter estimates derived from the model fitting showed that MIA rats significantly overestimated the passage of time compared to controls. These results indicate that the MIA rat paradigm recapitulates timing distortions that are phenotypical of schizophrenia. These findings lend further support to the epidemiological validity of this MIA rat model, supporting its relevance for future research into the role of maternal immune activation in producing neurobiological and behavioural impairments in schizophrenia.

Omega-3 supplementation, milk quality and cow immune-competence

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Andrea Bragaglio

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to assess the effect of a dietary supplementation rich in n-3 fatty acids from algae (Schizochytrium sp. on cow immune-competence and milk quality. Twenty-one lactating Italian Friesian cows (at 220±20 days of lactation were equally allocated to 3 treatments: group C received no supplementation, group D was offered 136 g of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA per day and group E was supplemented with 136 g of DHA + 2000 U.I. of vitamin E per day. Individual milk production was recorded weekly and samples were collected for analysis of milk composition and fatty acid profile. At the end of the trial and 2 weeks later animals were subcutaneously injected with 5 mg of keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH, whereas at the end of the trial and 8 weeks later skinfold thickness was measured after intradermal injection with 500 mg phytohaemagglutinin. Dietary treatment showed no effect on milk production. Concentrations of DHA were higher (P<0.05 in milk fat from D and E groups, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids tended to be higher (P<0.10. When DHA and DHA + vitamin E were supplemented to the animals, milk sensory properties were significantly modified as samples from groups D and E could be discriminated from the control using the triangle test (P<0.001. Both supplemented groups showed evidence of increased antibody response 4 to 8 weeks after the first KLH administration (P<0.05. In the two skin tests the treated groups showed a higher skin thickening in comparison with control animals (P<0.05. Although provided in a late stage of lactation, an n-3 fatty acid enriched diet favourably changed milk fatty acid profile and promoted animal healthiness by enhancing cellular and humoral immune response.

Assessing the Evidence for Maternal Pertussis Immunization: A Report From the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Symposium on Pertussis Infant Disease Burden in Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries.

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Sobanjo-Ter Meulen, Ajoke; Duclos, Philippe; McIntyre, Peter; Lewis, Kristen D C; Van Damme, Pierre; O'Brien, Katherine L; Klugman, Keith P

2016-12-01

Implementation of effective interventions has halved maternal and child mortality over the past 2 decades, but less progress has been made in reducing neonatal mortality. Almost 45% of under-5 global mortality now occurs in infants <1 month of age, with approximately 86% of neonatal deaths occurring in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). As an estimated 23% of neonatal deaths globally are due to infectious causes, maternal immunization (MI) is one intervention that may reduce mortality in the first few months of life, when direct protection often relies on passively transmitted maternal antibodies. Despite all countries including pertussis-containing vaccines in their routine childhood immunization schedules, supported through the Expanded Programme on Immunization, pertussis continues to circulate globally. Although based on limited robust epidemiologic data, current estimates derived from modeling implicate pertussis in 1% of under-5 mortality, with infants too young to be vaccinated at highest risk of death. Pertussis MI programs have proven effective in reducing infant pertussis mortality in high-income countries using tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines in their maternal and infant programs; however, these vaccines are cost-prohibitive for routine use in LMICs. The reach of antenatal care programs to deliver maternal pertussis vaccines, particularly with respect to infants at greatest risk of pertussis, needs to be further evaluated. Recognizing that decisions on the potential impact of pertussis MI in LMICs need, as a first step, robust contemporary mortality data for early infant pertussis, a symposium of global key experts was held. The symposium reviewed current evidence and identified knowledge gaps with respect to the infant pertussis disease burden in LMICs, and discussed proposed strategies to assess the potential impact of pertussis MI. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases

Increased use of recommended maternal health care as a determinant of immunization and appropriate care for fever and diarrhoea in Ghana: an analysis pooling three demographic and health surveys.

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McGlynn, Natalie; Wilk, Piotr; Luginaah, Isaac; Ryan, Bridget L; Thind, Amardeep

2015-09-01

Enhancing maternal and child health are key Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This study examined whether increased utilization of recommended maternal health care (MHC), is associated with factors that improve children's health; specifically, complete immunization and appropriate care for fever and diarrhoea in Ghana. Data from the 1998, 2003, and 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys were pooled for a nationally representative sample of 6786 women aged 15-49 years who had a child in the previous 5 years. Children aged 12-23 months were considered fully immunized if they received all eight basic immunizations. Appropriate care for children under-five was receipt of medical treatment for fever or oral rehydration therapy for diarrhoea. The effect of recommended MHC utilization (characterized as poor, intermediate or best use) on immunization and appropriate care for fever and diarrhoea was determined through logistic regression with Andersen's Behavioural Model guiding co-variate selection. Increased MHC utilization (reference: intermediate MHC use) increased the odds of immunization [poor use: odds ratio (OR) = 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.42-0.69; best use: OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01-1.67], as well as appropriate care for fever (poor use: OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.35-0.88; best use: OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.17-2.52) and diarrhoea (poor use: OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.43-0.93). Survey year and region also predicted each outcome. Other determinants of immunization were maternal education, ethnicity, religion, media exposure, wealth and birth weight. Determinants of appropriate care for fever included paternal education, media exposure and wealth, and for diarrhoea, child's age and birth weight. This study proposes a linkage between MDGs; initiatives to improve maternal health through promoting increased use of recommended MHC may enhance children's health-related care. This could be useful for countries with limited resources in achieving MDGs, especially in sub

Effects of Home Visitation on Maternal Competencies, Family Environment, and Child Development: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

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Sierau, Susan; Dähne, Verena; Brand, Tilman; Kurtz, Vivien; von Klitzing, Kai; Jungmann, Tanja

2016-01-01

Based on the US Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program, the German home visiting program "Pro Kind" offered support for socially and financially disadvantaged first-time mothers from pregnancy until the children's second birthday. A multi-centered, longitudinal randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to assess its effectiveness on mothers and children. A total of 755 women with multiple risk factors were recruited, 394 received regular home visits (treatment group), while 361 only had access to standard community services (control group). Program influences on family environment (e.g., quality of home, social support), maternal competencies (e.g., maternal self-efficacy, empathy, parenting style), and child development (e.g., cognitive and motor development) were assessed from mothers' program intake in pregnancy to children's second birthday based on self-reports in regular interviews and developmental tests. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) models showed small, but significant positive treatment effects on parental self-efficacy, and marginally significant effects on social support, and knowledge on child rearing. Maternal stress, self-efficacy, and feelings of attachment in the TG tend to show a more positive development over time. Subgroup effects were found for high-risk mothers in the TG, who reported more social support over time and, generally, had children with higher developmental scores compared to their CG counterparts. Post hoc analyses of implementation variables revealed the quality of the helping relationship as a significant indicator of treatment effects. Results are discussed in terms of implementation and public policy differences between NFP and Pro Kind.

Transfer of Maternal Immunity to Newborns of Diabetic Mothers

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Eduardo Luzía França

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This study was carried out with hyperglycemic pregnant women to investigate the transfer of antibody classes to newborns across the placenta or by colostrum and the functional activity of phagocytes in maternal blood, cord blood, and colostrum from diabetes mothers. Samples from maternal blood, cord blood, and colostrum were collected from 20 normoglycemic and 20 hyperglycemic pregnant women. We determined antibodies levels, superoxide release, phagocytosis and bactericidal activity of phagocytes. We demonstrated that IgG levels in cord blood were higher in the hyperglycemic group. IgA and IgM levels were higher in maternal than in cord blood samples. Plasma antibody levels were lower in hyper- than in normoglycemic women. The colostrum of diabetic mothers had lower IgA and IgG levels. Colostrum and maternal blood phagocytes when exposed to EPEC increased the superoxide release. Cord blood phagocytes of hyperglycemic group, independently of bacteria, had higher superoxide release. Colostrum and blood phagocytes from diabetic group exhibited some phagocytic and microbicidal activity in response to EPEC. Mononuclear phagocytes from cord blood had the lowest phagocytosis, and bactericidal activity for EPEC, regardless of glycemic status. These data showed that hyperglycemia altered IgG transfer across the placenta and decreases immunoglobulin levels in maternal blood and colostrum.

Response of maternal immune cells of irradiation of mouse embryos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicholls, E.M.; Markovic, B.

1988-01-01

This work began as an attempt to explain the paradox of pregnancy - the survival and growth of the semi-allogenic embryo in an immunologically hostile environment. In 1982 and 1983 we reported the tracing of quinacrine labelled maternal leukocytes (WBC) in maternal, placental and embryonic mouse tissues by fluorescence microscopy. We found that cells in the placenta phagocytose labelled WBC, so that after 1-2 hours the labelled nuclear DNA is found as brightly fluorescing particles in the cytoplasm of the phagocytes with no evidence of it in the nuclei. Identical cells were observed in slide preparations of embryos which had been carefully separated from their placentas. We also found a small population of intact labelled lymphocytes, clearly maternal in origin, in the embryos. This seems to be another paradox - placental phagocytes are observed to be phagocytosing maternal WBC in the placenta and embryo, but there are also free maternal cells in the placenta and embryo. A theoretical explanation is that maternal lymphocytes alloreactive against the embryo will attempt to react with placental cells and in the process be phagocytosed, while other maternal cells will be able to enter the embryo where they could have a surveillance function, removing dead or mutant embryonic cells. To test this theory a series of experiments were carried out and are reported

Rural maternity care.

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Miller, Katherine J; Couchie, Carol; Ehman, William; Graves, Lisa; Grzybowski, Stefan; Medves, Jennifer

2012-10-01

rural settings. Remuneration models should facilitate interprofessional collaboration. 9. Practitioners skilled in neonatal resuscitation and newborn care are essential to rural maternity care. 10. Training of rural maternity health care providers should include collaborative practice as well as the necessary clinical skills and competencies. Sites must be developed and supported to train midwives, nurses, and physicians and provide them with the skills necessary for rural maternity care. Training in rural and northern settings must be supported. 11. Generalist skills in maternity care, surgery, and anaesthesia are valued and should be supported in training programs in family medicine, surgery, and anaesthesia as well as nursing and midwifery. 12. All physicians and nurses should be exposed to maternity care in their training, and basic competencies should be met. 13. Quality improvement and outcome monitoring should be integral to all maternity care systems. 14. Support must be provided for ongoing, collaborative, interprofessional, and locally provided continuing education and patient safety programs.

Plasma-mediated immune suppression : a neonatal perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Belderbos, Mirjam E.; Levy, Ofer; Meyaard, Linde; Bont, Louis

Plasma is a rich mixture of immune regulatory factors that shape immune cell function. This immunomodulatory role of plasma is especially important in neonates. To maintain in utero feto-maternal tolerance and to allow for microbial colonization after birth, the neonatal immune system is biased

Effect of maternal probiotic intervention on HPA axis, immunity and gut microbiota in a rat model of irritable bowel syndrome.

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Javad Barouei

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To examine whether maternal probiotic intervention influences the alterations in the brain-immune-gut axis induced by neonatal maternal separation (MS and/or restraint stress in adulthood (AS in Wistar rats. DESIGN: Dams had free access to drinking water supplemented with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis BB-12® (3 × 10(9 CFU/mL and Propionibacterium jensenii 702 (8.0 × 10(8 CFU/mL from 10 days before conception until postnatal day (PND 22 (weaning day, or to control ad lib water. Offspring were subjected to MS from PND 2 to 14 or left undisturbed. From PND 83 to 85, animals underwent 30 min/day AS, or were left undisturbed as controls. On PND 24 and 86, blood samples were collected for corticosterone, ACTH and IgA measurement. Colonic contents were analysed for the composition of microflora and luminal IgA levels. RESULTS: Exposure to MS significantly increased ACTH levels and neonatal fecal counts of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, E. coli, enterococci and clostridia, but reduced plasma IgA levels compared with non-MS animals. Animals exposed to AS exhibited significantly increased ACTH and corticosterone levels, decreased aerobic bacteria and bifidobacteria, and increased Bacteroides and E. coli counts compared to non-AS animals. MS coupled with AS induced significantly decreased anaerobes and clostridia compared with the non-stress adult controls. Maternal probiotic intervention significantly increased neonatal corticosterone levels which persisted until at least week 12 in females only, and also resulted in elevated adult ACTH levels and altered neonatal microflora comparable to that of MS. However, it improved plasma IgA responses, increased enterococci and clostridia in MS adults, increased luminal IgA levels, and restored anaerobes, bifidobacteria and E. coli to normal in adults. CONCLUSION: Maternal probiotic intervention induced activation of neonatal stress pathways and an imbalance in gut microflora. Importantly

Effects of inadequate maternal dietary protein:carbohydrate ratios during pregnancy on offspring immunity in pigs

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Tuchscherer Margret

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Inadequate nutrition in utero may retard foetal growth and alter physiological development of offspring. This study investigated the effects of low and high protein diets fed to primiparous German Landrace sows throughout pregnancy on the immune function of their offspring at different ages. Sows were fed diets with adequate (AP, 12.1%; n = 13, low (LP, 6.5%; n = 15, or high (HP, 30%; n = 14 protein content, made isoenergetic by varying carbohydrate levels. Cortisol, total protein and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgM, IgA concentrations were measured in the blood of sows over the course of pregnancy. Cortisol, total protein, immunoglobulins, lymphocyte proliferation, immune cell counts, and cytokines were assessed in the blood of offspring at baseline and under challenging conditions (weaning; lipopolysaccharide (LPS administration. Results In sows, the LP diet increased cortisol (P P P P + cell percentage and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio increased after weaning (P P = 0.09 and HP (P P  Conclusions Our results indicate that both low and high protein:carbohydrate ratios in the diet of pregnant sows can induce short-term as well as long-lasting effects on immune competence in piglets that may have serious consequences for host defence against bacterial pathogens.

Maternal presence, childrearing practices, and children's response to an injection.

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Broome, M E; Endsley, R C

1989-08-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of maternal presence or absence and childrearing practices on young children's response to an injection. One hundred thirty-eight mothers and their children, who were attending health screening clinic, were assigned to one of four groups in which mothers were either present or absent during an interview and an immunization. Mothers were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their childrearing practices. Child behavior was observed during both the interview and the immunization. Results indicated that while maternal presence was associated with the children behaving more distressed during the interview, maternal presence had no effect on child behavior during the immunization. Children whose mothers reported high levels of both control and warmth in their relationship (authoritative parents) were found to be significantly less distressed during the immunization than children of either the low-control, high-warmth (permissive), high-control, low-warmth (authoritarian) or low-control, low-warmth (nonresponsive) parent groups.

Male homosexuality and maternal immune responsivity to the Y-linked protein NLGN4Y.

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Bogaert, Anthony F; Skorska, Malvina N; Wang, Chao; Gabrie, José; MacNeil, Adam J; Hoffarth, Mark R; VanderLaan, Doug P; Zucker, Kenneth J; Blanchard, Ray

2018-01-09

We conducted a direct test of an immunological explanation of the finding that gay men have a greater number of older brothers than do heterosexual men. This explanation posits that some mothers develop antibodies against a Y-linked protein important in male brain development, and that this effect becomes increasingly likely with each male gestation, altering brain structures underlying sexual orientation in their later-born sons. Immune assays targeting two Y-linked proteins important in brain development-protocadherin 11 Y-linked (PCDH11Y) and neuroligin 4 Y-linked (NLGN4Y; isoforms 1 and 2)-were developed. Plasma from mothers of sons, about half of whom had a gay son, along with additional controls (women with no sons, men) was analyzed for male protein-specific antibodies. Results indicated women had significantly higher anti-NLGN4Y levels than men. In addition, after statistically controlling for number of pregnancies, mothers of gay sons, particularly those with older brothers, had significantly higher anti-NLGN4Y levels than did the control samples of women, including mothers of heterosexual sons. The results suggest an association between a maternal immune response to NLGN4Y and subsequent sexual orientation in male offspring. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Prenatal immune challenge in rats: Altered responses to dopaminergic and glutamatergic agents, prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle, and reduced route-based learning as a function of maternal body weight gain after prenatal exposure to Poly IC

OpenAIRE

Vorhees, Charles V.; Graham, Devon L.; Braun, Amanda A.; Schaefer, Tori L.; Skelton, Matthew R.; Richtand, Neil M.; Williams, Michael T.

2012-01-01

Prenatal maternal immune activation has been used to test the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia. Most of the data are in mouse models; far less is available for rats. We previously showed that maternal weight change in response to the immune activator polyinosinic-polycytidylic (Poly IC) in rats differentially affects offspring. Therefore, we treated gravid Harlan Sprague-Dawley rats i.p. on embryonic day 14 with 8 mg/kg of Poly IC or Saline. The Poly IC group was divided into th...

Maternal sensitivity: a concept analysis.

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Shin, Hyunjeong; Park, Young-Joo; Ryu, Hosihn; Seomun, Gyeong-Ae

2008-11-01

The aim of this paper is to report a concept analysis of maternal sensitivity. Maternal sensitivity is a broad concept encompassing a variety of interrelated affective and behavioural caregiving attributes. It is used interchangeably with the terms maternal responsiveness or maternal competency, with no consistency of use. There is a need to clarify the concept of maternal sensitivity for research and practice. A search was performed on the CINAHL and Ovid MEDLINE databases using 'maternal sensitivity', 'maternal responsiveness' and 'sensitive mothering' as key words. The searches yielded 54 records for the years 1981-2007. Rodgers' method of evolutionary concept analysis was used to analyse the material. Four critical attributes of maternal sensitivity were identified: (a) dynamic process involving maternal abilities; (b) reciprocal give-and-take with the infant; (c) contingency on the infant's behaviour and (d) quality of maternal behaviours. Maternal identity and infant's needs and cues are antecedents for these attributes. The consequences are infant's comfort, mother-infant attachment and infant development. In addition, three positive affecting factors (social support, maternal-foetal attachment and high self-esteem) and three negative affecting factors (maternal depression, maternal stress and maternal anxiety) were identified. A clear understanding of the concept of maternal sensitivity could be useful for developing ways to enhance maternal sensitivity and to maximize the developmental potential of infants. Knowledge of the attributes of maternal sensitivity identified in this concept analysis may be helpful for constructing measuring items or dimensions.

Competence of maternal and child health clinic workers in detecting ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: The MCH clinic workers in Somalia receive formal and in-service training to perform their professional duties. Their competence in the field was never examined. This study assessed their competencies in detecting malnourished children 5 years and below in Beledweyne. Objective: To assess the competence ...

Parental attitudes and social competence in adolescents.

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Drózdz, E; Pokorski, M

2007-11-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationships among perceived parental attitudes and domains of social competence in late adolescents. Forty boys and 40 girls, all aged 18, representing a population sample of high school second graders were examined. Self-report data were collected using questionnaires of parent-child relations and of social competence. Analyses detected a significant association between the maternal loving or protective attitude and competence in interpersonal relations in the combined sample of adolescents. However, gender was a moderator of this general relationship. Maternal control fostered their sons' interpersonal relations, and no such relationship was observed toward daughters. Adolescents' behavior was somehow less influenced by fatherly control. The findings are in line with the concept of familism as a dominant form of family organization, but implicate constraints in parental sentiments whose overly expression may backfire and do more harm than good in other domains of social competence of adolescents, such as assertiveness and performance during social exposure. The study may contribute to future research on how parenting style shapes adolescent social outcomes.

Immune competence in 90Sr-exposed, adult thymectomized and antilymphocyteglobulin-treated CBA mice. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bierke, P.

1989-01-01

CBA mice subjected to either adult thymectomy, internal exposure to 90 Sr or antilymphocyteglobulin treatment separately, or to combinations of the three were tested for cellular immune competence using their reaction to allogenic skin grafts. Peripheral blood white cell counts did not reveal any obvious correlation between the degree of mononuclear cell depletion and the ability to accept grafts, suggesting that the particular treatments depleted specific fractions of mononuclear cells, differing in their extent of involvement in the rejection process. No single treatment alone induced a significant prolongation in the time elapsed before graft rejection. Adult thymectomy followed by appropriate antilymphocyteglobulin treatment induced severe lymphocytopenia and a profound suppression of the cell-mediate immune system, as evidenced by the acceptance of allogenic skin grafts. When applied to 90 Sr-preexposed mice the same treatment induced lifelong acceptance of grafts, indicating a similar, though weaker immunosuppressive impact of 90 Sr. Hence it was possible to significantly enhance immunosuppression in 90 Sr-exposed mice. This in vivo model should be useful when investigating the role of immunological responsiveness in radiation carcinogenesis. (orig.)

Maternal Immune Activation During the Third Trimester Is Associated with Neonatal Functional Connectivity of the Salience Network and Fetal to Toddler Behavior.

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Spann, Marisa N; Monk, Catherine; Scheinost, Dustin; Peterson, Bradley S

2018-03-14

Prenatal maternal immune activation (MIA) is associated with altered brain development and risk of psychiatric disorders in offspring. Translational human studies of MIA are few in number. Alterations of the salience network have been implicated in the pathogenesis of the same psychiatric disorders associated with MIA. If MIA is pathogenic, then associated abnormalities in the salience network should be detectable in neonates immediately after birth. We tested the hypothesis that third trimester MIA of adolescent women who are at risk for high stress and inflammation is associated with the strength of functional connectivity in the salience network of their neonate. Thirty-six women underwent blood draws to measure interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and electrocardiograms to measure fetal heart rate variability (FHRV) at 34-37 weeks gestation. Resting-state imaging data were acquired in the infants at 40-44 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). Functional connectivity was measured from seeds placed in the anterior cingulate cortex and insula. Measures of cognitive development were obtained at 14 months PMA using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (BSID-III). Both sexes were studied. Regions in which the strength of the salience network correlated with maternal IL-6 or CRP levels included the medial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction, and basal ganglia. Maternal CRP level correlated inversely with FHRV acquired at the same gestational age. Maternal CRP and IL-6 levels correlated positively with measures of cognitive development on the BSID-III. These results suggest that MIA is associated with short- and long-term influences on offspring brain and behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Preclinical studies in rodents and nonhuman primates and epidemiological studies in humans suggest that maternal immune activation (MIA) alters the development of brain circuitry and associated behaviors, placing offspring at risk for

Elsevier Trophoblast Research Award Lecture: Unique properties of decidual T cells and their role in immune regulation during human pregnancy.

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Tilburgs, T; Claas, F H J; Scherjon, S A

2010-03-01

Maternal lymphocytes at the fetal-maternal interface play a key role in the immune acceptance of the allogeneic fetus. Most studies focus on decidual NK cells and their interaction with fetal trophoblasts, whereas limited data are available on the mechanisms of fetus specific immune recognition and immune regulation by decidual T cells at the fetal-maternal interface. The aim of this review is to describe the phenotypic characteristics of decidual T cell subsets present at the fetal-maternal interface, their interaction with HLA-C expressed by fetal trophoblasts and their role in immune recognition and regulation at the fetal-maternal interface during human pregnancy. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy related to changes in newborn's cord blood lymphocyte subpopulations. The EDEN study cohort

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Baïz Nour

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Toxicants can cross the placenta and expose the developing fetus to chemical contamination leading to possible adverse health effects, by potentially inducing alterations in immune competence. Our aim was to investigate the impacts of maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy on newborn's immune system. Methods Exposure to background particulate matter less than 10 μm in diameter (PM10 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2 was assessed in 370 women three months before and during pregnancy using monitoring stations. Personal exposure to four volatile organic compounds (VOCs was measured in a subsample of 56 non-smoking women with a diffusive air sampler during the second trimester of pregnancy. Cord blood was analyzed at birth by multi-parameter flow cytometry to determine lymphocyte subsets. Results Among other immunophenotypic changes in cord blood, decreases in the CD4+CD25+ T-cell percentage of 0.82% (p = 0.01, 0.71% (p = 0.04, 0.88% (p = 0.02, and 0.59% (p = 0.04 for a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM10 levels three months before and during the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy, respectively, were observed after adjusting for confounders. A similar decrease in CD4+CD25+ T-cell percentage was observed in association with personal exposure to benzene. A similar trend was observed between NO2 exposure and CD4+CD25+ T-cell percentage; however the association was stronger between NO2 exposure and an increased percentage of CD8+ T-cells. Conclusions These data suggest that maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy may alter the immune competence in offspring thus increasing the child's risk of developing health conditions later in life, including asthma and allergies.

Maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy related to changes in newborn's cord blood lymphocyte subpopulations. The EDEN study cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Baïz, Nour; Slama, Rémy; Béné, Marie-Christine; Charles, Marie-Aline; Kolopp-Sarda, Marie-Nathalie; Magnan, Antoine; Thiebaugeorges, Olivier; Faure, Gilbert; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella

2011-11-02

Toxicants can cross the placenta and expose the developing fetus to chemical contamination leading to possible adverse health effects, by potentially inducing alterations in immune competence. Our aim was to investigate the impacts of maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy on newborn's immune system. Exposure to background particulate matter less than 10 μm in diameter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was assessed in 370 women three months before and during pregnancy using monitoring stations. Personal exposure to four volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was measured in a subsample of 56 non-smoking women with a diffusive air sampler during the second trimester of pregnancy. Cord blood was analyzed at birth by multi-parameter flow cytometry to determine lymphocyte subsets. Among other immunophenotypic changes in cord blood, decreases in the CD4+CD25+ T-cell percentage of 0.82% (p = 0.01), 0.71% (p = 0.04), 0.88% (p = 0.02), and 0.59% (p = 0.04) for a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM10 levels three months before and during the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy, respectively, were observed after adjusting for confounders. A similar decrease in CD4+CD25+ T-cell percentage was observed in association with personal exposure to benzene. A similar trend was observed between NO2 exposure and CD4+CD25+ T-cell percentage; however the association was stronger between NO2 exposure and an increased percentage of CD8+ T-cells. These data suggest that maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy may alter the immune competence in offspring thus increasing the child's risk of developing health conditions later in life, including asthma and allergies.

Maternal mind-mindedness and toddler behavior problems: The moderating role of maternal trauma and posttraumatic stress.

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Easterbrooks, M Ann; Crossman, Molly K; Caruso, Alessandra; Raskin, Maryna; Miranda-Julian, Claudia

2017-10-01

Maternal mind-mindedness (MM) reflects a caregiver's tendency to view a child as an individual with an independent mind. Research has linked higher MM with more favorable parenting and child adaptation. The aim of this study was to examine whether MM was associated with toddlers' behavior problems and competence, and the moderating role of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample (N = 212) of adolescent mothers and their toddlers. MM was coded from maternal utterances during free play; mothers completed the University of California at Los Angeles Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index and reported on children's behavior problems and competence using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. The majority of mothers (84%) experienced trauma; 45% of these mothers met criteria for partial or full PTSD. Trauma was related to greater behavior problems, and PTSD moderated MM-child functioning relations. When mothers experienced full PTSD, there was no relation between MM and behavior problems. With child competence, when compared to children of mothers with no trauma exposure, children of mothers experiencing partial PTSD symptoms were more likely to have delays in competence when mothers made more MM comments. Results are discussed in light of how MM, in the context of trauma and PTSD, may affect parenting.

The maternal microbiome during pregnancy and allergic disease in the offspring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vuillermin, Peter J; Macia, Laurence; Nanan, Ralph

2017-01-01

There is substantial epidemiological and mechanistic evidence that the increase in allergic disease and asthma in many parts of the world in part relates to changes in microbial exposures and diet acting via the composition and metabolic products of the intestinal microbiome. The majority...... of research in this field has focused on the gut microbiome during infancy, but it is increasingly clear that the maternal microbiome during pregnancy also has a key role in preventing an allergy-prone immune phenotype in the offspring. The mechanisms by which the maternal microbiome influences the developing...... influence on fetal immune development. However, our understanding of these pathways is at an early stage and further mechanistic studies are needed. There are also no data from human studies relating the composition and metabolic activity of the maternal microbiome during pregnancy to the offspring's immune...

Mapping the Fetomaternal Peripheral Immune System at Term Pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Fragiadakis, Gabriela K; Baca, Quentin J; Gherardini, Pier Federico; Ganio, Edward A; Gaudilliere, Dyani K; Tingle, Martha; Lancero, Hope L; McNeil, Leslie S; Spitzer, Matthew H; Wong, Ronald J; Shaw, Gary M; Darmstadt, Gary L; Sylvester, Karl G; Winn, Virginia D; Carvalho, Brendan; Lewis, David B; Stevenson, David K; Nolan, Garry P; Aghaeepour, Nima; Angst, Martin S; Gaudilliere, Brice L

2016-12-01

Preterm labor and infections are the leading causes of neonatal deaths worldwide. During pregnancy, immunological cross talk between the mother and her fetus is critical for the maintenance of pregnancy and the delivery of an immunocompetent neonate. A precise understanding of healthy fetomaternal immunity is the important first step to identifying dysregulated immune mechanisms driving adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes. This study combined single-cell mass cytometry of paired peripheral and umbilical cord blood samples from mothers and their neonates with a graphical approach developed for the visualization of high-dimensional data to provide a high-resolution reference map of the cellular composition and functional organization of the healthy fetal and maternal immune systems at birth. The approach enabled mapping of known phenotypical and functional characteristics of fetal immunity (including the functional hyperresponsiveness of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells and the global blunting of innate immune responses). It also allowed discovery of new properties that distinguish the fetal and maternal immune systems. For example, examination of paired samples revealed differences in endogenous signaling tone that are unique to a mother and her offspring, including increased ERK1/2, MAPK-activated protein kinase 2, rpS6, and CREB phosphorylation in fetal Tbet + CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, B cells, and CD56 lo CD16 + NK cells and decreased ERK1/2, MAPK-activated protein kinase 2, and STAT1 phosphorylation in fetal intermediate and nonclassical monocytes. This highly interactive functional map of healthy fetomaternal immunity builds the core reference for a growing data repository that will allow inferring deviations from normal associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Copyright © 2016 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

Multiple brain abscesses due to Enterobacter cloacae in an immune-competent child

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Arushi G. Saini

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Brain abscesses due to Enterobacteriaceae in immune-competent children are rare, and those due to Enterobacter cloacae are even rarer. We report an interesting case of community-acquired E. cloacae neuroinfection resulting in multiple brain abscesses in a young child with no underlying risk-factors. A 10 year-old-boy presented with low-grade fever, headache, neck pain and progressive deterioration of sensorium. On examination, he was conscious but drowsy with photophobia, normal fundii, meningeal signs, mild hypertonia, brisk muscle stretch reflexes and extensor plantar responses. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain showed bilateral, multiple pyogenic abscesses. Culture of the abscess material aspirated at the time of surgical drainage showed growth of E. cloacae. He received intravenous imipenem for 18 weeks guided by clinical and radiological response. A pragmatic approach combining early surgical drainage, targeted antimicrobial therapy and patient-tailored duration based on the clinico-radiological response is needed in such difficult cases. Keywords: Neuroinfection, Enterobacter, Brain abscess, Pyogenic, Carbapenems

Secondary recurrent miscarriage and H-Y immunity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Henriette Svarre

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND Approximately half recurrent miscarriage (RM) cases remain unexplained after standard investigations. Secondary RM (SRM) is, in contrast to primary RM, preceded by a birth, which increases the transfer of fetal cells into the maternal circulation. Mothers of boys are often immunized...... against male-specific minor histocompatibility (H-Y) antigens, and H-Y immunity can cause graft-versus-host disease after stem-cell transplantation. We proposed the H-Y hypothesis that aberrant H-Y immunity is a causal factor for SRM. METHODS This is a critical review of the H-Y hypothesis based on own....... Maternal carriage of HLA-class II alleles presenting H-Y antigens to immune cells is associated with a reduced live birth rate and increased risk of obstetric complications in surviving pregnancies in SRM patients with a firstborn boy. In early pregnancy, both antibodies against HLA and H-Y antigens...

Heritable variation in maternally derived yolk androgens, thyroid hormones and immune factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruuskanen, S; Gienapp, P; Groothuis, T G G; Schaper, S V; Darras, V M; Pereira, C.; Vries, de Bonnie; Visser, Marcel

2016-01-01

Maternal reproductive investment can critically influence offspring phenotype, and thus these maternal effects are expected to be under strong natural selection. Knowledge on the extent of heritable variation in the physiological mechanisms underlying maternal effects is however limited. In birds,

Effects of source and level of energy on the immune competence and response to an Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Virus (IBRV) challenge in cattle

Science.gov (United States)

Objectives were to evaluate how dietary energy level and source affect immune competence and response to a viral challenge in cattle. Forty-eight crossbred beef steers were stratified by BW within 2 periods and randomized to 1 of 3 dietary treatments (8 steers/treatment within period). Treatments we...

Effect of maternal dietary cow’s milk on the immune response to beta-lactoglobulin in the offspring: A four generation study in mice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Susanne Brix; Christensen, Hanne Risager; Barkholt, Vibeke

2005-01-01

deviated from the response observed in the F0 and F2/F3 generations. Importantly, trace amounts of BLG detected in the commercial milk-free diet did not induce oral tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that breeding mice on an antigen-free diet for at least two generations is required to attain animals......Evaluation of immune responses to food proteins in animal models requires that the animals are not already sensitized or orally tolerized against the proteins in question. Since maternal transfer of specific immune responses has been observed, breeding of animals on an antigen-free diet for several...... generations may be necessary to obtain immunologically naive animals. METHODS: To determine the most appropriate breeding conditions of mice to be used in immunological studies on food proteins, we examined immune responses towards beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) in mice bred on a milk-containing diet (F0...

Pathways from maternal effortful control to child self-regulation: The role of maternal emotional support.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeytinoglu, Selin; Calkins, Susan D; Swingler, Margaret M; Leerkes, Esther M

2017-03-01

This study examined the direct and indirect pathways from maternal effortful control to 2 aspects of children's self-regulation-executive functioning and behavioral regulation-via maternal emotional support. Two hundred seventy-eight children and their primary caregivers (96% mothers) participated in laboratory visits when children were 4 and 5 years, and teachers reported on children's behavior at kindergarten. At the 4-year assessment, maternal effortful control was measured using the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (Evans & Rothbart, 2007) and maternal emotional support was observed during a semistructured mother-child problem-solving task. At the 5-year assessment, children's executive functioning was measured using laboratory tasks designed to assess updating/working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, whereas behavioral regulation was assessed via teacher-report questionnaires on children's attention control, discipline and persistence, and work habits. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that, after controlling for child gender and minority status, and maternal education, maternal effortful control was indirectly associated with both child executive functioning and behavioral regulation through maternal emotional support. Maternal effortful control had a direct association with children's teacher-reported behavioral regulation but not observed executive functioning. These findings suggest that maternal effortful control may be a key contributing factor to the development of children's self-regulatory competencies through its impact on maternal emotional support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of dietary source and intake of energy on immune competence and the response to an infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV) challenge in cattle

Science.gov (United States)

Objectives were to evaluate how dietary energy intake and source affect immune competence and response to an infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV) challenge in cattle. Forty-eight crossbred beef steers were stratified by body weight within 2 periods and randomized to 1 of 3 dietary treatmen...

The Contribution of Inhibitory Control to Preschoolers' Social-Emotional Competence

Science.gov (United States)

Rhoades, Brittany L.; Greenberg, Mark T.; Domitrovich, Celene E.

2009-01-01

Social-emotional competence is a key developmental task during early childhood. This study examined concurrent relationships between maternal education and employment status, children's sex, ethnicity, age, receptive vocabulary, emotional knowledge, attention skills, inhibitory control and social-emotional competence in a sample of 146 preschool,…

Effect of Azolla feeding on the growth, feed conversion ratio, blood biochemical attributes and immune competence traits of growing turkeys.

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Shukla, Mayank; Bhattacharyya, Amitav; Shukla, Pankaj Kumar; Roy, Debashis; Yadav, Brijesh; Sirohi, Rajneesh

2018-04-01

In the recent past,few studies have been carried out in chicken to assess the effect of Azolla meal and raw Azolla feeding on the performance of chicken. If turkeys effectively use unconventional feedstuffs like Azolla without reducing the performance, it will increase the profitability of turkey business. Hence, a study was carried out to evaluate the effect of dried Azolla pinnata vis-a-vis raw Azolla as choice feeding on the growth, feed conversion ratio (FCR), blood biochemical attributes, and immune competence traits of growing turkeys under intensive system. A total of 72, 8-week-old grower turkey poults of black variety were randomly distributed into three dietary treatments having three replicates each with eight birds. The birds of the control group (T1) were fed a basal diet (CP - 19.71% and ME - 2789.79 Kcal/kg), while the other group (T2) and choice-feeding group (T3) were fed 5% of basal diet replaced by dry Azolla powder on DM basis and ad libitumAzolla along with basal diet, respectively. There was no significant difference among the different groups in the average weekly weight gain during the entire experiment. FCR was significantly better (pdiet may improve FCR without any adverse effect on blood biochemical attributes and immune competence traits.

Perceived and actual academic competence in maltreated children.

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Kinard, E M

2001-01-01

The aims were twofold: 1) to determine whether maltreated and nonmaltreated children differed in the accuracy of their self-assessments of academic achievement; and 2) to determine whether discrepancies between perceived and actual academic competence were related to perceptions of social support from mothers, teachers, and peers. A sample of 195 maltreated children known to a state protective service agency was compared to a control group of 179 nonmaltreated children. The groups were matched on child's gender, age, ethnicity, and birth order; socioeconomic ranking of neighborhood; and family structure. Although maltreated children had significantly lower achievement scores than did nonmal-treated children, the two groups did not differ on perceived academic competence. With regard to discrepancies between perceived and actual competence, maltreated children were more likely than nonmaltreated children to overestimate their level of competence, particularly for reading and arithmetic. Overall, children who reported low maternal support were more likely to overestimate reading competence than were those who reported average or high maternal support. When maltreatment status was considered, maltreated children with low support seemed likely to overestimate abilities, whereas nonmaltreated children with low support seemed likely to underestimate competence. Maltreated children may overestimate their academic abilities in order to compensate for self-perceptions of low self-worth. Efforts to improve academic performance in maltreated children should focus not only on increasing academic skills but also on enhancing self-esteem.

Maternal fatty acid desaturase genotype correlates with infant immune responses at 6 months

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muc, Magdalena; Kreiner-Møller, Eskil; Larsen, Jeppe Madura

2015-01-01

-produced cytokines after anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 6-month-old infants from the Copenhagen Prospective Study of Asthma in Childhood birth cohort. LCPUFA concentrations of breast milk were assessed at 4 weeks of age, and FADS SNP were determined in both mothers and infants (n...... and cytotoxic T-cells and decreased T-helper cell counts. The minor FADS alleles were associated with lower breast milk AA and EPA, and infants of mothers carrying the minor allele of FADS SNP rs174556 had higher production of IL-10 (r -0.23; P=0.018), IL-17 (r -0.25; P=0.009) and IL-5 (r -0.21; P=0.038) from......Breast milk long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) have been associated with changes in early life immune responses and may modulate T-cell function in infancy. We studied the effect of maternal fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genotype and breast milk LCPUFA levels on infants' blood T-cell profiles and ex vivo...

Effect of maternal Schistosoma mansoni infection and praziquantel treatment during pregnancy on Schistosoma mansoni infection and immune responsiveness among offspring at age five years.

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Robert Tweyongyere

Full Text Available Offspring of Schistosoma mansoni-infected women in schistosomiasis-endemic areas may be sensitised in-utero. This may influence their immune responsiveness to schistosome infection and schistosomiasis-associated morbidity. Effects of praziquantel treatment of S. mansoni during pregnancy on risk of S. mansoni infection among offspring, and on their immune responsiveness when they become exposed to S. mansoni, are unknown. Here we examined effects of praziquantel treatment of S. mansoni during pregnancy on prevalence of S. mansoni and immune responsiveness among offspring at age five years.In a trial in Uganda (ISRCTN32849447, http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN32849447/elliott, offspring of women treated with praziquantel or placebo during pregnancy were examined for S. mansoni infection and for cytokine and antibody responses to SWA and SEA, as well as for T cell expression of FoxP3, at age five years.Of the 1343 children examined, 32 (2.4% had S. mansoni infection at age five years based on a single stool sample. Infection prevalence did not differ between children of treated or untreated mothers. Cytokine (IFNγ, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13 and antibody (IgG1, Ig4 and IgE responses to SWA and SEA, and FoxP3 expression, were higher among infected than uninfected children. Praziquantel treatment of S. mansoni during pregnancy had no effect on immune responses, with the exception of IL-10 responses to SWA, which was higher in offspring of women that received praziquantel during pregnancy than those who did not.We found no evidence that maternal S. mansoni infection and its treatment during pregnancy influence prevalence and intensity of S. mansoni infection or effector immune response to S. mansoni infection among offspring at age five years, but the observed effects on IL-10 responses to SWA suggest that maternal S. mansoni and its treatment during pregnancy may affect immunoregulatory responsiveness in childhood schistosomiasis. This might have

What influences success in family medicine maternity care education programs?

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Biringer, Anne; Forte, Milena; Tobin, Anastasia; Shaw, Elizabeth; Tannenbaum, David

2018-01-01

Abstract Objective To ascertain how program leaders in family medicine characterize success in family medicine maternity care education and determine which factors influence the success of training programs. Design Qualitative research using semistructured telephone interviews. Setting Purposive sample of 6 family medicine programs from 5 Canadian provinces. Participants Eighteen departmental leaders and program directors. METHODS Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with program leaders in family medicine maternity care. Departmental leaders identified maternity care programs deemed to be “successful.” Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Team members conducted thematic analysis. Main findings Participants considered their education programs to be successful in family medicine maternity care if residents achieved competency in intrapartum care, if graduates planned to include intrapartum care in their practices, and if their education programs were able to recruit and retain family medicine maternity care faculty. Five key factors were deemed to be critical to a program’s success in family medicine maternity care: adequate clinical exposure, the presence of strong family medicine role models, a family medicine–friendly hospital environment, support for the education program from multiple sources, and a dedicated and supportive community of family medicine maternity care providers. Conclusion Training programs wishing to achieve greater success in family medicine maternity care education should employ a multifaceted strategy that considers all 5 of the interdependent factors uncovered in our research. By paying particular attention to the informal processes that connect these factors, program leaders can preserve the possibility that family medicine residents will graduate with the competence and confidence to practise full-scope maternity care. PMID:29760273

Pregnancy: an immune challenge

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Maria Angelica Ehara Watanabe

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Several studies demonstrate the importance of immunological aspects of pregnancy. During pregnancy, the embryo is implanted in the womb, where it will develop until the end of pregnancy. Amongst the immune aspects, the importance of the modulation of T lymphocytes, natural killers (NK cells and many cytokines in maternal organism can be mentioned. The maternal tolerance to the fetus appears to be mediated by specific maternal hormones and by the expression of human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G - characteristic in pregnancy. Other studies suggest that fetal rejection and complications during pregnancy may occur because of the presence of minor histocompatibility antigens (mHAg, acquired by blood sharing of the mother with the fetus, and because of the presence of maternal antibodies against the sperm and against the fetus. The purpose of this review is to describe the immunological aspects that allow maternal tolerance to the fetus during pregnancy, as well as possible causes for rejection of the embryo and complications during pregnancy.

Impact of HIV-1 infection on the feto-maternal crosstalk and consequences for pregnancy outcome and infant health.

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Altfeld, Marcus; Bunders, Madeleine J

2016-11-01

Adaptation of the maternal immune system to establish maternal/fetal equilibrium is required for a successful pregnancy. Viral infections, including HIV-1 infection, can alter this maternal/fetal equilibrium, with significant consequences for pregnancy outcome, including miscarriages, impaired fetal growth, and premature delivery. Furthermore, maternal HIV-1 infection has been shown to have a long-term impact on the developing fetal immune system also when the infant is not infected with the virus. In this review, we discuss the consequences of maternal HIV-1 infection and antiretroviral therapy on pregnancy outcome and the health of the uninfected HIV-1-exposed infant.

The Role of the Immune System in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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Meltzer, Amory; Van de Water, Judy

2017-01-01

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in communication and social skills as well as repetitive and stereotypical behaviors. While much effort has focused on the identification of genes associated with autism, research emerging within the past two decades suggests that immune dysfunction is a viable risk factor contributing to the neurodevelopmental deficits observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Further, it is the heterogeneity within this disorder that has brought to light much of the current thinking regarding the subphenotypes within ASD and how the immune system is associated with these distinctions. This review will focus on the two main axes of immune involvement in ASD, namely dysfunction in the prenatal and postnatal periods. During gestation, prenatal insults including maternal infection and subsequent immunological activation may increase the risk of autism in the child. Similarly, the presence of maternally derived anti-brain autoantibodies found in ~20% of mothers whose children are at risk for developing autism has defined an additional subphenotype of ASD. The postnatal environment, on the other hand, is characterized by related but distinct profiles of immune dysregulation, inflammation, and endogenous autoantibodies that all persist within the affected individual. Further definition of the role of immune dysregulation in ASD thus necessitates a deeper understanding of the interaction between both maternal and child immune systems, and the role they have in diagnosis and treatment.

Vitamin D treatment during pregnancy prevents autism-related phenotypes in a mouse model of maternal immune activation.

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Vuillermot, Stephanie; Luan, Wei; Meyer, Urs; Eyles, Darryl

2017-01-01

Prenatal exposure to infection is a recognized environmental risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders of developmental origins such as autism or schizophrenia. Experimental work in animals indicates that this link is mediated by maternal immune activation (MIA) involving interactions between cytokine-associated inflammatory events, oxidative stress, and other pathophysiological processes such as hypoferremia and zinc deficiency. Maternal administration of the viral mimic polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) in mice produces several behavioral phenotypes in adult offspring of relevance to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we investigated whether some of these phenotypes might also present in juveniles. In addition, given the known immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects of vitamin D, we also investigated whether the co-administration of vitamin D could block MIA-induced ASD-related behaviors. We co-administered the hormonally active form of vitamin D, 1α,25 dihydroxy vitamin D3 (1,25OHD), simultaneously with poly(I:C) and examined (i) social interaction, stereotyped behavior, emotional learning and memory, and innate anxiety-like behavior in juveniles and (ii) the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in maternal plasma and fetal brains. We show that like adult offspring that were exposed to MIA, juveniles display similar deficits in social approach behavior. Juvenile MIA offspring also show abnormal stereotyped digging and impaired acquisition and expression of tone-cued fear conditioning. Importantly, our study reveals that prenatal administration of 1,25OHD abolishes all these behavioral deficits in poly(I:C)-treated juveniles. However, prenatal administration of vitamin D had no effect on pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in dams or in fetal brains suggesting the anti-inflammatory actions of vitamin D are not the critical mechanism for its preventive actions in this ASD

Maternally acquired runt disease.

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Beer, A E; Billingham, R E

1973-01-19

Without altering the structural integrity of the placenta by irradiation or drugs, we have shown that it is possible to immunize females both adoptively and actively against the paternally inherited transplantation antigens of their fetuses. Such immunization causes a high incidence of runt disease among the litters. Although the putative chimeric status of the affected offspring has yet to be confirmed, the results of our experiments support the thesis that runt disease is caused by the activities of "unwanted" immigrant lymphocytes from the maternal circulation. Our results suggest that immunologically activated cells are more likely to cross the placenta than normal cells and that this greater mobility may not be related to the immunologic specificity of the activated cells. Two factors may have contributed to the apparent failure of numerous previous attempts to demonstrate the capacity of transplantation immunity to affect the well-being of a fetus or, more correctly, its placenta, in the way that might be expected of a homograft. (i) Investigators were preoccupied with obtaining a classic type of rejection, in utero, analogous to the rejection of an orthotopic skin homograft. The birth of consistently healthy-looking litters, interpreted as a failure of the experiment, convinced the investigators of the efficacy of nature's solution of the homograft problem and there was no reason for them to suspect its possible limitations. Observation of the litters for several weeks might have uncovered the phenomenon of maternally induced runt disease. (ii) Most investigators resorted to hyperimmunization of the mothers. This would have facilitated the synthesis of protective isoantibodies capable of interfering with the expression of the potentially harmful cellular immune response (6). Ever since the abnormalities of runt disease were first described they have repeatedly been compared to those observed in patients with certain lymphomas (17). Various theories have been

Gay Male Only-Children: Evidence for Low Birth Weight and High Maternal Miscarriage Rates.

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Skorska, Malvina N; Blanchard, Ray; VanderLaan, Doug P; Zucker, Kenneth J; Bogaert, Anthony F

2017-01-01

Recent findings suggest that there may be a maternal immune response underpinning the etiology of sexual orientation of gay male only-children. This maternal immune response appears to be distinct from that which is purported to explain the classic fraternal birth order effect found in studies of male sexual orientation. We tested two predictions related to the hypothesized maternal immune response in mothers of gay male only-children: (1) elevated fetal loss among mothers who have had gay male only-children and (2) lower birth weight in gay male only-children. Mothers of at least one gay son (n = 54) and mothers of heterosexual son(s) (n = 72) self-reported their pregnancy histories, including the birth weights of newborns and number of fetal losses (e.g., miscarriages). Mothers of gay male only-children (n = 8) reported significantly greater fetal loss compared with mothers of males with four other sibship compositions (gay with no older brothers, gay with older brothers, heterosexual only-children, heterosexual with siblings) (n = 118). Also, firstborn gay male only-children (n = 4) had a significantly lower birth weight than firstborn children in the four other sibship compositions (n = 59). Duration of pregnancy was not significantly different among the groups of firstborn children in the birth weight analyses. Thus, this study found further support for a distinct pattern of maternal immune response implicated in the etiology of male sexual orientation. Mechanisms that may underlie this potential second type of maternal immune response are discussed.

Factors associated with maternal influenza immunization decision-making. Evidence of immunization history and message framing effects.

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Frew, Paula M; Owens, Lauren E; Saint-Victor, Diane S; Benedict, Samantha; Zhang, Siyu; Omer, Saad B

2014-01-01

We examined pregnant women's intention to obtain the seasonal influenza vaccine via a randomized controlled study examining the effects of immunization history, message exposure, and sociodemographic correlates. Pregnant women ages 18-50 participated in a randomized message framing study from September 2011 through May 2012. Venue-based sampling was used to recruit racial and ethnic minority women throughout Atlanta, Georgia. Key outcomes were evaluated using bivariate and multivariate analyses. History of influenza immunization was positively associated with intent to immunize during pregnancy [OR=2.31, 90%CI: (1.06, 5.00)]. Significant correlates of intention to immunize included perceived susceptibility to influenza during pregnancy [OR=3.8, 90% CI: (1.75, 8.36)] and vaccine efficacy [OR=10.53, 90% CI: (4.34, 25.50)]. Single message exposure did not influence a woman's intent to vaccinate. Prior immunization, perceived flu susceptibility and perceived vaccine effectiveness promoted immunization intent among this population of pregnant minority women. Vaccine efficacy and disease susceptibility are critical to promoting immunization among women with no history of seasonal influenza immunization, while those who received the vaccine are likely to do so again. These findings provide evidence for the promotion of repeated exposure to vaccine messages emphasizing vaccine efficacy, normative support, and susceptibility to influenza.

Competing Risks Quantile Regression at Work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dlugosz, Stephan; Lo, Simon M. S.; Wilke, Ralf

2017-01-01

large-scale maternity duration data with multiple competing risks derived from German linked social security records to analyse how public policies are related to the length of economic inactivity of young mothers after giving birth. Our results show that the model delivers detailed insights...

A randomized controlled study on the efficacy of a novel combination vaccine against enzootic pneumonia (Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae) and porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2) in the presence of strong maternally derived PCV2 immunity in pigs.

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Tassis, Panagiotis D; Tsakmakidis, Ioannis; Papatsiros, Vassileios G; Koulialis, Dimitrios; Nell, Tom; Brellou, Georgia; Tzika, Eleni D

2017-04-07

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) and Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) are major pathogens that cause significant health problems in swine worldwide. Maternal derived immunity (MDI) has been suggested as a significant immediate defence factor for newborn piglets and may interfere with piglet's vaccination-induced immunity. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of a novel combination vaccine (consisting of PCV2 subunits and inactivated M. hyo strain J), against PCV2 and M. hyo natural infection [Porcilis ® PCV M Hyo (MSD Animal Health, Boxmeer, the Netherlands)], in the presence of strong maternally derived PCV2 immunity (antibody titre averaged 11.08 log 2 ), under field conditions. The study was performed according to a controlled, randomized and blinded design in a Greek swine unit with Enzootic Pneumonia (EP) and subclinical PCV2 infection. In total, 600 healthy three-week-old suckling piglets were allocated randomly, either to treatment (vaccinated with the test product) or control group (injected with sterile buffered saline). Vaccination significantly reduced the severity of lung lesions at slaughter (lesions of cranio-ventral pulmonary consolidation) (P pigs. Furthermore, 25 g higher average daily weight gain (ADWG) was observed during the finishing phase (P < 0.001) and 18 g greater ADWG overall (P < 0.001). Results of LLS, PCV2 viremia and ADWG support the test product's efficacy in the face of strong maternally derived PCV2 immunity.

Maternal autonomy and child health care utilization in India: results from the National Family Health Survey.

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Malhotra, Chetna; Malhotra, Rahul; Østbye, Truls; Subramanian, S V

2014-07-01

The objective of this study was to examine the association of maternal autonomy with preventive and curative child health care utilization in India. Data from the National Family Health Survey 2005-2006 were used to ascertain association of maternal autonomy (in 3 dimensions: decision making, access to financial resources, freedom of movement) with child's primary immunization status (indicative of preventive health care use) and treatment seeking for child's acute respiratory infection (indicative of curative health care use). Low maternal freedom of movement was associated with higher odds of incomplete primary immunization of the child and for not seeking treatment for the child's acute respiratory infection. Low maternal financial access was associated with increased odds for incomplete primary immunization of the child. The findings show that improvement in autonomy of Indian mothers, especially their freedom of movement, may help improve utilization of health care for their children. © 2012 APJPH.

Effect of endosulfan on immunological competence of layer birds.

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Singh, P P; Kumar, Ashok; Chauhan, R S; Pankaj, P K

2016-07-01

The present study was aimed to investigate the immunological competence of endosulfan insecticide after limited oral administration in White Leghorn layer chickens. A total of 20 White Leghorn birds were given endosulfan in drinking water at 30 ppm/bird/day (no observable effect level dose) for a period of 3-months. Immune competence status of layer birds and chicks hatched from endosulfan offered birds were estimated at 15-day interval in layer birds and at monthly interval in chicks using immunological, biochemical parameters, and teratological estimates. There was a significant decrease in levels of total leukocytes count, absolute lymphocyte count, absolute heterophil count, total serum protein, serum albumin, serum globulin, and serum gamma globulin in the birds fed with endosulfan as compared to control. Similarly, immune competence tests such as lymphocyte stimulation test, oxidative burst assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests indicated lower immunity in birds treated with endosulfan as compared to control. Subsequently, chicks produced from endosulfan-treated birds were also examined for immune competence, but no significant difference was observed between chicks of both the groups. The exposure to endosulfan in limited oral dosage was able to exhibit hemo-biochemical and other changes that could be correlated with changes in the immunological profile of layer chickens suggesting cautious usage of endosulfan insecticide in poultry sheds.

Maternal microchimerism: increased in the insulin positive compartment of type 1 diabetes pancreas but not in infiltrating immune cells or replicating islet cells.

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Jody Ye

Full Text Available Maternal microchimeric cells (MMc transfer across the placenta during pregnancy. Increased levels of MMc have been observed in several autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes but their role is unknown. It has been suggested that MMc are 1 effector cells of the immune response, 2 targets of the autoimmune response or 3 play a role in tissue repair. The aim of this study was to define the cellular phenotype of MMc in control (n = 14 and type 1 diabetes pancreas (n = 8.Using sex chromosome-based fluorescence in-situ hybridization, MMc were identified in male pancreas and their phenotype determined by concomitant immunofluorescence.In normal pancreas, MMc positive for endocrine, exocrine, duct and acinar markers were identified suggesting that these cells are derived from maternal progenitors. Increased frequencies of MMc were observed in type 1 diabetes pancreas (p = 0.03 with particular enrichment in the insulin positive fraction (p = 0.01. MMc did not contribute to infiltrating immune cells or Ki67+ islet cell populations in type 1 diabetes.These studies provide support for the hypothesis that MMc in human pancreas are derived from pancreatic precursors. Increased frequencies of MMc beta cells may contribute to the initiation of autoimmunity or to tissue repair but do not infiltrate islets in type 1 diabetes.

Maternal Antibody-Mediated Disease Enhancement in Type I Interferon-Deficient Mice Leads to Lethal Disease Associated with Liver Damage.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia María Martínez Gómez

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Epidemiological studies have reported that most of the severe dengue cases occur upon a secondary heterologous infection. Furthermore, babies born to dengue immune mothers are at greater risk of developing severe disease upon primary infection with a heterologous or homologous dengue virus (DENV serotype when maternal antibodies reach sub-neutralizing concentrations. These observations have been explained by the antibody mediated disease enhancement (ADE phenomenon whereby heterologous antibodies or sub-neutralizing homologous antibodies bind to but fail to neutralize DENV particles, allowing Fc-receptor mediated entry of the virus-antibody complexes into host cells. This eventually results in enhanced viral replication and heightened inflammatory responses. In an attempt to replicate this ADE phenomenon in a mouse model, we previously reported that upon DENV2 infection 5-week old type I and II interferon (IFN receptors-deficient mice (AG129 born to DENV1-immune mothers displayed enhancement of disease severity characterized by increased virus titers and extensive vascular leakage which eventually led to the animals' death. However, as dengue occurs in immune competent individuals, we sought to reproduce this mouse model in a less immunocompromised background. Here, we report an ADE model that is mediated by maternal antibodies in type I IFN receptor-deficient A129 mice. We show that 5-week old A129 mice born to DENV1-immune mothers succumbed to a DENV2 infection within 4 days that was sub-lethal in mice born to naïve mothers. Clinical manifestations included extensive hepatocyte vacuolation, moderate vascular leakage, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Anti-TNFα therapy totally protected the mice and correlated with healthy hepatocytes. In contrast, blocking IL-6 did not impact the virus titers or disease outcome. This A129 mouse model of ADE may help dissecting the mechanisms involved in dengue pathogenesis and evaluate the efficacy of

Maternal Cytomegalovirus-Specific Immune Responses and Symptomatic Postnatal Cytomegalovirus Transmission in Very Low-Birth-Weight Preterm Infants

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Ehlinger, Elizabeth P.; Webster, Emily M.; Kang, Helen H.; Cangialose, Aislyn; Simmons, Adam C.; Barbas, Kimberly H.; Burchett, Sandra K.; Gregory, Mary L.; Puopolo, Karen P.

2011-01-01

Introduction. Transmission of cytomegalovirus (CMV) via breast milk can lead to severe acute illness in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) preterm infants. Although the majority of CMV-seropositive women shed CMV in milk, symptomatic postnatal infection of VLBW infants occurs infrequently, suggesting that virologic or immunologic factors in milk may be associated with the risk and severity of postnatal CMV infection. Methods. We investigated the magnitude of CMV-specific cellular and humoral immune responses in milk of 30 seropositive mothers of VLWB preterm infants and assessed their relationship to milk CMV load and symptomatic CMV transmission. Results. Milk immunoglobulin G (IgG) avidity was inversely correlated to milk CMV load (r = −0.47; P = .009). However, milk CMV load and CMV-specific cellular and humoral immune responses were similar in mothers of VLBW infants with and those without symptomatic postnatal CMV infection. Conclusions. Similar immunologic parameters in milk of CMV-seropositive mothers of VLBW infants with and without symptomatic postnatal CMV infection indicate that screening milk by these parameters may not predict disease risk. However, the inverse correlation between milk CMV IgG avidity and CMV load may suggest that enhancement of maternal CMV-specific IgG responses could aid in reduction of CMV shedding into breast milk. PMID:21984738

Tracing changes in families who participated in the home-start parenting program: parental sense of competence as mechanism of change.

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Deković, Maja; Asscher, Jessica J; Hermanns, Jo; Reitz, Ellen; Prinzie, Peter; van den Akker, Alithe L

2010-09-01

The present study aimed to (1) determine the long-term effectiveness of Home-Start, a preventive parenting program, and (2) test the hypothesis that changes in maternal sense of competence mediate the program's effects. Participants were 124 mothers (n = 66 intervention, n = 58 comparison). Four assessments took place during a 1-year period. Latent growth modeling showed that Home-Start enhanced growth in maternal sense of competence and supportive parenting, and led to a decrease in the use of inept discipline. Results of mediational and cross-lagged analyses were consistent with the hypothesized model: Participation in Home-Start was related to the changes in maternal sense of competence, which in turn predicted changes in parenting. The results affirm the importance of directly targeting parental sense of competence in the context of prevention work with parents.

The association between mothers' psychopathology, childrens' competences and psychological well-being in obese children.

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Roth, B; Munsch, S; Meyer, A; Isler, E; Schneider, S

2008-09-01

The prevalence of childhood obesity is rapidly increasing, and many obese children suffer from emotional and behavior problems and mental disorders. Associations with social stigmatization of obesity, maternal psychopathology, socioeconomic status (SES) and resilience factors are discussed. We hypothesize maternal psychopathology to have an impact on the psychological well-being of an obese child. We further hypothesize that competence factors within the child are important key factors that influence the way a child deals with the psychological burden of obesity. A referred clinical sample of 59 obese children with their mothers was assessed using a structured clinical interview for DSM-IV diagnosis and questionnaires for child and maternal psychopathology, SES, body mass index (BMI), and percent overweight. Correlations, hierarchical linear and logistic regression models were used to analyze associations between mothers and child and the impact of potential predictors. Mental disorders were found in 37.3% of the obese children in our sample. Maternal anxiety predicted the mother reported child's internalizing problems as well as the child's depression and anxiety self report scores. The mental disorder status of the mother predicted the child's internalizing problems, and maternal binge eating disorder (BED) had an impact on the mental disorder of the child. If the child's total competences were included in the hierarchical regression model they predicted the child's outcome in all three subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), thereby reducing the effect of maternal anxiety to influencing the child's depression score only. Neither SES nor the child's percent overweight accounted for the child's wellbeing. Although maternal psychopathology and diagnosis of mental disorder had some impact on the psychological well-being of the child, the child's competences showed a significant negative association with the problem scales. More research on parental and

A Recombinant Measles Vaccine with Enhanced Resistance to Passive Immunity.

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Julik, Emily; Reyes-Del Valle, Jorge

2017-09-21

Current measles vaccines suffer from poor effectiveness in young infants due primarily to the inhibitory effect of residual maternal immunity on vaccine responses. The development of a measles vaccine that resists such passive immunity would strongly contribute to the stalled effort toward measles eradication. In this concise communication, we show that a measles virus (MV) with enhanced hemagglutinin (H) expression and incorporation, termed MVvac2-H2, retained its enhanced immunogenicity, previously established in older mice, when administered to very young, genetically modified, MV-susceptible mice in the presence of passive anti-measles immunity. This immunity level mimics the sub-neutralizing immunity prevalent in infants too young to be vaccinated. Additionally, toward a more physiological small animal model of maternal anti-measles immunity interference, we document vertical transfer of passive anti-MV immunity in genetically-modified, MV susceptible mice and show in this physiological model a better MVvac2-H2 immunogenic profile than that of the parental vaccine strain. In sum, these data support the notion that enhancing MV hemagglutinin incorporation can circumvent in vivo neutralization. This strategy merits additional exploration as an alternative pediatric measles vaccine.

Co-ordinate expression of Th1/Th2 phenotypes in maternal and fetal blood: evidence for a transplacental nexus.

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Tse, Doris B; Young, Bruce K

2012-01-06

If maternal atopy and environmental exposure affect prenatal Th cell development, the maternal and fetal immune systems should display common Th1/Th2 phenotypes. To test this hypothesis, we studied maternal and neonatal blood samples from mothers with total serum IgE ordinate IFN-γ production from paired maternal and fetal mononuclear cells, accompanied by co-ordinate increases in activated CD4+CD69+ cells that display the CCR4+Th2 and CXCR3+ Th1 phenotypes. Maternal and fetal CD4+CXCR3+ T cells were subsequently identified as the major producers of IFN-γ. The data established that a transplacental nexus exists during normal pregnancy and that fetal Th cell responses may be biased by the maternal immune system.

Redirecting reproductive immunology research toward pregnancy as a period of temporary immune tolerance.

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Gleicher, Norbert; Kushnir, Vitaly A; Barad, David H

2017-04-01

Referring to two recent publications, we here propose that clinical reproductive immunology has for decades stagnated because reproductive medicine, including assisted reproduction (AR), has failed to accept embryo implantation as an immune system-driven process, dependent on establishment of maternal tolerance toward the implanting fetal semi-allograft (and complete allograft in cases of oocyte donation). Pregnancy represents a biologically unique period of temporary (to the period of gestation restricted) tolerance, otherwise only known in association with parasitic infections. Rather than investigating the immune pathways necessary to induce this rather unique state of tolerance toward the rapidly growing parasitic antigen load of the fetus, the field, instead, concentrated on irrelevant secondary immune phenomena (i.e., "immunological noise"). It, therefore, does not surprise that interesting recent research, offering new potential insights into maternal tolerance during pregnancy, was mostly published outside of the field of reproductive medicine. This research offers evidence for existence of inducible maternal tolerance pathways with the ability of improving maternal fecundity and, potentially, reducing such late pregnancy complications as premature labor and preeclampsia/eclampsia due to premature abatement of maternal tolerance. Increasing evidence also suggests that tolerance-inducing immune pathways are similar in successful pregnancy, successful organ transplantation and, likely also in the tolerance of "self" (i.e., prevention of autoimmunity). Identifying and isolating these pathways, therefore, may greatly benefit all three of these clinical areas, and research in reproductive immunology should be accordingly redirected.

Maternal characteristics associated with vaccination of young children.

Science.gov (United States)

Luman, Elizabeth T; McCauley, Mary Mason; Shefer, Abigail; Chu, Susan Y

2003-05-01

Mothers can be instrumental in gaining access to vaccination services for their children. This study examines maternal characteristics associated with vaccination in US preschool children. We analyzed data from 21 212 children aged 19 to 35 months in the National Immunization Survey. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify maternal characteristics associated with completion of all recommended vaccinations in these children. Factors most strongly associated with undervaccination included having mothers who were black; had less than a high school education; were divorced, separated, or widowed; had multiple children; were eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) but not participating; or had incomes below 50% of the federal poverty level. Because most mothers play an important role in their children's vaccination, it is important to address maternal concerns and barriers when developing public health interventions for promoting childhood vaccinations. Encouraging eligible women and their children to participate in the WIC program and providing support and encouragement for immunization to mothers with multiple children may improve early childhood vaccination coverage.

Development of immune organs and functioning in humans and test animals: Implications for immune intervention studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuper, C Frieke; van Bilsen, Jolanda; Cnossen, Hilde; Houben, Geert; Garthoff, Jossie; Wolterbeek, Andre

2016-09-01

A healthy immune status is mostly determined during early life stages and many immune-related diseases may find their origin in utero and the first years of life. Therefore, immune health optimization may be most effective during early life. This review is an inventory of immune organ maturation events in relation to developmental timeframes in minipig, rat, mouse and human. It is concluded that time windows of immune organ development in rodents can be translated to human, but minipig reflects the human timeframes better; however the lack of prenatal maternal-fetal immune interaction in minipig may cause less responsiveness to prenatal intervention. It is too early to conclude which immune parameters are most appropriate, because there are not enough comparative immune parameters. Filling these gaps will increase the predictability of results observed in experimental animals, and guide future intervention studies by assessing relevant parameters in the right corresponding developmental time frames. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ketogenic diet improves behaviors in a maternal immune activation model of autism spectrum disorder.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David N Ruskin

Full Text Available Prenatal factors influence autism spectrum disorder (ASD incidence in children and can increase ASD symptoms in offspring of animal models. These may include maternal immune activation (MIA due to viral or bacterial infection during the first trimesters. Unfortunately, regardless of ASD etiology, existing drugs are poorly effective against core symptoms. For nearly a century a ketogenic diet (KD has been used to treat seizures, and recent insights into mechanisms of ASD and a growing recognition that immune/inflammatory conditions exacerbate ASD risk has increased interest in KD as a treatment for ASD. Here we studied the effects of KD on core ASD symptoms in offspring exposed to MIA. To produce MIA, pregnant C57Bl/6 mice were injected with the viral mimic polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid; after weaning offspring were fed KD or control diet for three weeks. Consistent with an ASD phenotype of a higher incidence in males, control diet-fed MIA male offspring were not social and exhibited high levels of repetitive self-directed behaviors; female offspring were unaffected. However, KD feeding partially or completely reversed all MIA-induced behavioral abnormalities in males; it had no effect on behavior in females. KD-induced metabolic changes of reduced blood glucose and elevated blood ketones were quantified in offspring of both sexes. Prior work from our laboratory and others demonstrate KDs improve relevant behaviors in several ASD models, and here we demonstrate clear benefits of KD in the MIA model of ASD. Together these studies suggest a broad utility for metabolic therapy in improving core ASD symptoms, and support further research to develop and apply ketogenic and/or metabolic strategies in patients with ASD.

What influences success in family medicine maternity care education programs? Qualitative exploration.

Science.gov (United States)

Biringer, Anne; Forte, Milena; Tobin, Anastasia; Shaw, Elizabeth; Tannenbaum, David

2018-05-01

To ascertain how program leaders in family medicine characterize success in family medicine maternity care education and determine which factors influence the success of training programs. Qualitative research using semistructured telephone interviews. Purposive sample of 6 family medicine programs from 5 Canadian provinces. Eighteen departmental leaders and program directors. Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with program leaders in family medicine maternity care. Departmental leaders identified maternity care programs deemed to be "successful." Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Team members conducted thematic analysis. Participants considered their education programs to be successful in family medicine maternity care if residents achieved competency in intrapartum care, if graduates planned to include intrapartum care in their practices, and if their education programs were able to recruit and retain family medicine maternity care faculty. Five key factors were deemed to be critical to a program's success in family medicine maternity care: adequate clinical exposure, the presence of strong family medicine role models, a family medicine-friendly hospital environment, support for the education program from multiple sources, and a dedicated and supportive community of family medicine maternity care providers. Training programs wishing to achieve greater success in family medicine maternity care education should employ a multifaceted strategy that considers all 5 of the interdependent factors uncovered in our research. By paying particular attention to the informal processes that connect these factors, program leaders can preserve the possibility that family medicine residents will graduate with the competence and confidence to practise full-scope maternity care. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Up-and-down immunity of pregnancy in humans [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Le Bouteiller

2017-07-01

Full Text Available One part of the human placenta in early pregnancy is particularly important for local immunity: the decidua basalis, which is transformed endometrium located at the site of embryo implantation. This placental bed tissue contains both maternal uterine immune cells, including decidual natural killer (NK cells, the dominant leukocyte population exhibiting a unique phenotype, and fetal extravillous trophoblast which comes into direct contact with maternal decidual cells. To establish a successful placental development and healthy pregnancy outcome, the maternal immune system must tolerate paternal antigens expressed by trophoblast cells yet remain efficient for clearing any local pathogen infection. This review deals mainly with decidual NK cells. A key element, among others, to achieve such dual functions is the direct interaction between activating and inhibitory receptors expressed by decidual NK cells and their specific ligands presented by trophoblast or other decidual cells. Depending whether maternal decidual cells and trophoblast are infected by viruses, the balance between activating and inhibitory receptor signals mediated by decidual NK cell–trophoblast cross-talk results in tolerance (healthy pregnancy or specific killing (pathogen-infected cells.

The mother-offspring dyad: microbial transmission, immune interactions and allergy development.

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Jenmalm, M C

2017-12-01

The increasing prevalence of allergy in affluent countries may be caused by reduced intensity and diversity of microbial stimulation, resulting in abnormal postnatal immune maturation. Most studies investigating the underlying immunomodulatory mechanisms have focused on postnatal microbial exposure, for example demonstrating that the gut microbiota differs in composition and diversity during the first months of life in children who later do or do not develop allergic disease. However, it is also becoming increasingly evident that the maternal microbial environment during pregnancy is important in childhood immune programming, and the first microbial encounters may occur already in utero. During pregnancy, there is a close immunological interaction between the mother and her offspring, which provides important opportunities for the maternal microbial environment to influence the immune development of the child. In support of this theory, combined pre- and postnatal supplementations seem to be crucial for the preventive effect of probiotics on infant eczema. Here, the influence of microbial and immune interactions within the mother-offspring dyad on childhood allergy development will be discussed. In addition, how perinatal transmission of microbes and immunomodulatory factors from mother to offspring may shape appropriate immune maturation during infancy and beyond, potentially via epigenetic mechanisms, will be examined. Deeper understanding of these interactions between the maternal and offspring microbiome and immunity is needed to identify efficacious preventive measures to combat the allergy epidemic. © 2017 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

The RNA m6A Reader YTHDF2 Is Essential for the Post-transcriptional Regulation of the Maternal Transcriptome and Oocyte Competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanova, Ivayla; Much, Christian; Di Giacomo, Monica; Azzi, Chiara; Morgan, Marcos; Moreira, Pedro N; Monahan, Jack; Carrieri, Claudia; Enright, Anton J; O'Carroll, Dónal

2017-09-21

YTHDF2 binds and destabilizes N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A)-modified mRNA. The extent to which this branch of m 6 A RNA-regulatory pathway functions in vivo and contributes to mammalian development remains unknown. Here we find that YTHDF2 deficiency is partially permissive in mice and results in female-specific infertility. Using conditional mutagenesis, we demonstrate that YTHDF2 is autonomously required within the germline to produce MII oocytes that are competent to sustain early zygotic development. Oocyte maturation is associated with a wave of maternal RNA degradation, and the resulting relative changes to the MII transcriptome are integral to oocyte quality. The loss of YTHDF2 results in the failure to regulate transcript dosage of a cohort of genes during oocyte maturation, with enrichment observed for the YTHDF2-binding consensus and evidence of m 6 A in these upregulated genes. In summary, the m 6 A-reader YTHDF2 is an intrinsic determinant of mammalian oocyte competence and early zygotic development. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A minimal model for multiple epidemics and immunity spreading.

Science.gov (United States)

Sneppen, Kim; Trusina, Ala; Jensen, Mogens H; Bornholdt, Stefan

2010-10-18

Pathogens and parasites are ubiquitous in the living world, being limited only by availability of suitable hosts. The ability to transmit a particular disease depends on competing infections as well as on the status of host immunity. Multiple diseases compete for the same resource and their fate is coupled to each other. Such couplings have many facets, for example cross-immunization between related influenza strains, mutual inhibition by killing the host, or possible even a mutual catalytic effect if host immunity is impaired. We here introduce a minimal model for an unlimited number of unrelated pathogens whose interaction is simplified to simple mutual exclusion. The model incorporates an ongoing development of host immunity to past diseases, while leaving the system open for emergence of new diseases. The model exhibits a rich dynamical behavior with interacting infection waves, leaving broad trails of immunization in the host population. This obtained immunization pattern depends only on the system size and on the mutation rate that initiates new diseases.

Neonatal thyrotoxicosis caused by maternal autoimmune hyperthyroidism.

Science.gov (United States)

Correia, Miguel Fragata; Maria, Ana Teresa; Prado, Sara; Limbert, Catarina

2015-03-06

Neonatal immune hyperthyroidism is a rare but potentially fatal condition. It occurs in 1-5% of infants born to women with Graves' disease (GD). In most of the cases it is due to maternal antibodies transferred from the mother into the fetal compartment, stimulating the fetal thyroid by binding thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH) receptor. We present a case of neonatal thyrotoxicosis due to maternal GD detected at 25 days of age and discuss the potential pitfalls in the diagnosis. 2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Learning maternity: the experiences of rural nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

MacKinnon, Karen

2010-03-01

Two research studies explored rural nurses' experience with the provision of maternity care in rural British Columbia, Canada. Frontline nurses, managers, and health-care providers were interviewed and their practices observed. One of the main challenges identified by rural nurses was ensuring that a knowledgeable/skilled maternity or perinatal nurse was always available at the local hospital. Learning how to provide safe and supportive maternity care is difficult for nurses working in small rural hospitals today due to declining birth rates, increased workloads, and a decrease in opportunities for mentoring. Decisions about the allocation of time off and resources for rural nurses' continuing professional education (CPE) were structured by discourses of personal responsibility for "continuing competence." These institutional work processes increase the burden on rural nurses, negatively affecting their opportunities for CPE and their experiences of providing maternity care, with implications for both patient safety and nurse retention.

Maternal KIR in combination with paternal HLA-C2 regulate human birth weight.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiby, Susan E; Apps, Richard; Chazara, Olympe; Farrell, Lydia E; Magnus, Per; Trogstad, Lill; Gjessing, Håkon K; Carrington, Mary; Moffett, Ashley

2014-06-01

Human birth weight is subject to stabilizing selection; babies born too small or too large are less likely to survive. Particular combinations of maternal/fetal immune system genes are associated with pregnancies where the babies are ≤ 5th birth weight centile, specifically an inhibitory maternal KIR AA genotype with a paternally derived fetal HLA-C2 ligand. We have now analyzed maternal KIR and fetal HLA-C combinations at the opposite end of the birth weight spectrum. Mother/baby pairs (n = 1316) were genotyped for maternal KIR as well as fetal and maternal HLA-C. Presence of a maternal-activating KIR2DS1 gene was associated with increased birth weight in linear or logistic regression analyses of all pregnancies >5th centile (p = 0.005, n = 1316). Effect of KIR2DS1 was most significant in pregnancies where its ligand, HLA-C2, was paternally but not maternally inherited by a fetus (p = 0.005, odds ratio = 2.65). Thus, maternal KIR are more frequently inhibitory with small babies but activating with big babies. At both extremes of birth weight, the KIR associations occur when their HLA-C2 ligand is paternally inherited by a fetus. We conclude that the two polymorphic immune gene systems, KIR and HLA-C, contribute to successful reproduction by maintaining birth weight between two extremes with a clear role for paternal HLA.

Swine as a model for the study of maternal neonatal immunoregulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butler, J.E.; Cambier, J.C.; Klobasa, F.; Werhahn, E.

1986-01-01

Swine provide a useful model for evaluating maternal antibody influences on the immune system of developing neonates. Unlike rodents and humans, no antibodies are transferred passively in utero so that newborn piglets, unlike mice pups and babies, enter the world having had no previous exposure to antibodies of their mothers. If maternal antibodies transmitted in utero are immunoregulatory and are in part the basis for neonatal unresponsiveness in neonatal mice and infants, swine offer a model with which to study this regulation. Neonatal piglets can be obtained at birth before suckling and reared in ''artificial sows'' without maternal antibodies which may be administered to neonates in metered amounts with regard to specificity, isotype and idiotype. Fetal piglets can be manipulated surgically in utero; their blood vascular system can be cannulated permitting in utero immunization and continuous sampling. Maternal immunoglobulins play an immunoregulatory role in both conventional and artificial feeding experiments. Data are presented which illustrate the magnitude of this phenomenon and which show that such an effect occurs naturally when piglets suckling first gestation and multilitter sows are compared. Finally, data are reviewed on the characterization of an idiotype anti-idiotype system developed to probe the mechanism of maternal neonatal immunoregulation

Does improvement in maternal attachment representations predict greater maternal sensitivity, child attachment security and lower rates of relapse to substance use? A second test of Mothering from the Inside Out treatment mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Suchman, Nancy E; DeCoste, Cindy; Borelli, Jessica L; McMahon, Thomas J

2018-02-01

In this study, we replicated a rigorous test of the proposed mechanisms of change associated with Mothering from the Inside out (MIO), an evidence-based parenting therapy that aims to enhance maternal reflective functioning and mental representations of caregiving in mothers enrolled in addiction treatment and caring for young children. First, using data from 84 mothers who enrolled in our second randomized controlled trial, we examined whether therapist fidelity to core MIO treatment components predicted improvement in maternal reflective functioning and mental representations of caregiving, even after taking fidelity to non-MIO components into account. Next, we examined whether improvement in directly targeted outcomes (e.g., maternal mentalizing and mental representations of caregiving) led to improvements in the indirectly targeted outcome of maternal caregiving sensitivity, even after controlling for other plausible competing mechanisms (e.g., improvement in maternal psychiatric distress and substance use). Third, we examined whether improvement in targeted parenting outcomes (e.g., maternal mentalizing, mental representations of caregiving and caregiving sensitivity) was associated in improvement in child attachment status, even after controlling for competing mechanisms (e.g., improvement in maternal psychiatric distress and substance use). Finally, we examined whether improvement in maternal mentalizing and caregiving representations was associated with a reduction in relapse to substance use. Support was found for the first three tests of mechanisms but not the fourth. Implications for future research and intervention development are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of floor heating on body temperature, water consumption, stress response and immune competence around parturition in loose-housed sows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, B M; Malmkvist, J; Pedersen, L J

2009-01-01

The aim of the present study was to study whether floor heating from 12 h after onset of nest building until 48 h after birth of the first piglet had any effect on measures related to body temperature, water consumption, stress response and immune competence in loose-housed sows (n = 23......). In conclusion, the present results indicate that floor heating for a limited period around parturition did not compromise physiological and immunological parameters, water intake and body temperature in loose-housed sows. The water intake peaked the day before parturition and the body temperature peaked...

Hepatitis E and Maternal Deaths

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2012-11-06

Dr. Alain Labrique, assistant professor in the Department of International Health and Department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, gives us his perspective on hepatitis E and maternal deaths.  Created: 11/6/2012 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID); National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD).   Date Released: 11/7/2012.

A minimal model for multiple epidemics and immunity spreading.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim Sneppen

Full Text Available Pathogens and parasites are ubiquitous in the living world, being limited only by availability of suitable hosts. The ability to transmit a particular disease depends on competing infections as well as on the status of host immunity. Multiple diseases compete for the same resource and their fate is coupled to each other. Such couplings have many facets, for example cross-immunization between related influenza strains, mutual inhibition by killing the host, or possible even a mutual catalytic effect if host immunity is impaired. We here introduce a minimal model for an unlimited number of unrelated pathogens whose interaction is simplified to simple mutual exclusion. The model incorporates an ongoing development of host immunity to past diseases, while leaving the system open for emergence of new diseases. The model exhibits a rich dynamical behavior with interacting infection waves, leaving broad trails of immunization in the host population. This obtained immunization pattern depends only on the system size and on the mutation rate that initiates new diseases.

Postoperative radiation therapy and adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in breast cancer. Aspects of timing and immune competence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klefstroem, P.; Nuortio, L.; Taskinen, E.

The effects of radiation therapy and adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy on the immune competence of patients with breast cancer were investigated. The tests performed included intradermal tuberculin tests, T- and B-lymphocyte counts, and lymphocyte blast transformation tests; phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (ConA) and pokeweed mitogen (PMW) were used as mitogens. Enhancement in lymphocyte proliferative response to mitogenic stimulation by PHA and PMW was seen in patients after 3 courses of chemotherapy + levamisole, whereas irradiation given after chemotherapy caused long-lasting depression in response to PHA and PWM (not significant). T-lymphocyte counts were also lower after irradiation than after chemoimmunotherapy. Clinically, the 16 patients treated with radiation therapy after chemotherapy exhibited a higher recurrence rate than the 24 patients treated first by irradiation. Enhanced reactivity to tuberculin tests occurred generally in patients receiving a planned treatment including irradiation, chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide) and levamisole. Enhancement of reactivity was seen more often in patients who had not relapsed.

Maternal-Fetal rejection reactions are unconstrained in preeclamptic women.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Tina A; Kahn, Daniel A; Loewendorf, Andrea I

2017-01-01

The risk factors for preeclampsia, extremes of maternal age, changing paternity, concomitant maternal autoimmunity, and/or birth intervals greater than 5 years, suggest an underlying immunopathology. We used peripheral blood and lymphocytes from the UteroPlacental Interface (UPI) of 3rd trimester healthy pregnant women in multicolor flow cytometry-and in vitro suppression assays. The major end-point was the characterization of activation markers, and potential effector functions of different CD4-and CD8 subsets as well as T regulatory cells (Treg). We observed a significant shift of peripheral CD4 -and CD8- T cells from naïve to memory phenotype in preeclamptic women compared to healthy pregnant women consistent with long-standing immune activation. While the proportions of the highly suppressive Cytokine and Activated Treg were increased in preeclampsia, Treg tolerance toward fetal antigens was dysfunctional. Thus, our observations indicate a long-standing inflammatory derangement driving immune activation in preeclampsia; in how far the Treg dysfunction is caused by/causes this immune activation in preeclampsia will be the object of future studies.

Maternal-Fetal rejection reactions are unconstrained in preeclamptic women.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tina A Nguyen

Full Text Available The risk factors for preeclampsia, extremes of maternal age, changing paternity, concomitant maternal autoimmunity, and/or birth intervals greater than 5 years, suggest an underlying immunopathology. We used peripheral blood and lymphocytes from the UteroPlacental Interface (UPI of 3rd trimester healthy pregnant women in multicolor flow cytometry-and in vitro suppression assays. The major end-point was the characterization of activation markers, and potential effector functions of different CD4-and CD8 subsets as well as T regulatory cells (Treg. We observed a significant shift of peripheral CD4 -and CD8- T cells from naïve to memory phenotype in preeclamptic women compared to healthy pregnant women consistent with long-standing immune activation. While the proportions of the highly suppressive Cytokine and Activated Treg were increased in preeclampsia, Treg tolerance toward fetal antigens was dysfunctional. Thus, our observations indicate a long-standing inflammatory derangement driving immune activation in preeclampsia; in how far the Treg dysfunction is caused by/causes this immune activation in preeclampsia will be the object of future studies.

A modified live canine parvovirus vaccine. II. Immune response.

Science.gov (United States)

Carmichael, L E; Joubert, J C; Pollock, R V

1983-01-01

The safety and efficacy of an attenuated canine parvovirus (A-CPV) vaccine was evaluated in both experimental and in field dogs. After parenteral vaccination, seronegative dogs developed hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody titers as early as postvaccination (PV) day 2. Maximal titers occurred within 1 week. Immunity was associated with the persistence of HI antibody titers (titers greater than 80) that endured at least 2 years. Immune dogs challenged with virulent CPV did not shed virus in their feces. The A-CPV vaccine did not cause illness alone or in combination with living canine distemper (CD) and canine adenovirus type-2 (CAV-2) vaccines, nor did it interfere with the immune response to the other viruses. A high rate (greater than 98%) of immunity was engendered in seronegative pups. In contrast, maternal antibody interfered with the active immune response to the A-CPV. More than 95% of the dogs with HI titers less than 10 responded to the vaccine, but only 50% responded when titers were approximately 20. No animal with a titer greater than 80 at the time of vaccination became actively immunized. Susceptibility to virulent CPV during that period when maternal antibody no longer protects against infection, but still prevents active immunization, is the principal cause of vaccinal failure in breeding kennels where CPV is present. Reduction, but not complete elimination, of CPV disease in large breeding kennels occurred within 1-2 months of instituting an A-CPV vaccination program.

Importance of maternal diet in the training of the infant's immune system during gestation and lactation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeurink, P V; Knipping, K; Wiens, F; Barańska, K; Stahl, B; Garssen, J; Krolak-Olejnik, B

2018-02-02

Latest forecasts predict that half of the European population will be allergic within the coming 15 years, with food allergies contributing substantially to the total burden; preventive measures are urgently needed. Unfortunately, all attempted alimentary strategies for primary prevention of allergic diseases through allergen avoidance so far have failed. This also holds true for the prevention of food allergies in breastfed infants by the common practice of excluding certain foods with allergenic potential from the maternal diet. As a preventive measure, therefore, exclusion diets should be discouraged. They can exhaust nursing mothers and negatively impact both their nutritional status as well as their motivation to breastfeed. A prolonged exclusion diet may be indicated solely in cases of doctor-diagnosed food allergy following rigid medical tests (e.g. double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges). Indicated cases usually involve exclusion of only a few food items. Continued breastfeeding is generally important for many aspects of the infant's health, including the training of the infant's immune responses to foreign compounds and avoidance of overshooting inflammatory responses. Recent studies suggest that the presence of maternal dietary proteins in amniotic fluid, cord blood, and human milk might support the induction of tolerance towards solid foods in infants. These are exactly the same species of proteins or remnants thereof that, in comparatively few cases, trigger allergic responses. However, the insight that the proteins of maternal dietary origin in human milk are more likely to be cure (or, more precise, directing prevention) than curse has still largely evaded the attention of health care professionals consulted by worried breastfeeding mothers. In this paper, we summarize recent literature on the importance of exposure to dietary proteins in the establishment of immunological tolerance and hence prevention of allergic disease. Multiple

The structure of pyogenecin immunity protein, a novel bacteriocin-like immunity protein from streptococcus pyogenes.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, C.; Coggill, P.; Bateman, A.; Finn, R.; Cymborowski, M.; Otwinowski, Z.; Minor, W.; Volkart, L.; Joachimiak, A.; Wellcome Trust Sanger Inst.; Univ. of Virginia; UT Southwestern Medical Center

2009-12-17

Many Gram-positive lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce anti-bacterial peptides and small proteins called bacteriocins, which enable them to compete against other bacteria in the environment. These peptides fall structurally into three different classes, I, II, III, with class IIa being pediocin-like single entities and class IIb being two-peptide bacteriocins. Self-protective cognate immunity proteins are usually co-transcribed with these toxins. Several examples of cognates for IIa have already been solved structurally. Streptococcus pyogenes, closely related to LAB, is one of the most common human pathogens, so knowledge of how it competes against other LAB species is likely to prove invaluable. We have solved the crystal structure of the gene-product of locus Spy-2152 from S. pyogenes, (PDB: 2fu2), and found it to comprise an anti-parallel four-helix bundle that is structurally similar to other bacteriocin immunity proteins. Sequence analyses indicate this protein to be a possible immunity protein protective against class IIa or IIb bacteriocins. However, given that S. pyogenes appears to lack any IIa pediocin-like proteins but does possess class IIb bacteriocins, we suggest this protein confers immunity to IIb-like peptides. Combined structural, genomic and proteomic analyses have allowed the identification and in silico characterization of a new putative immunity protein from S. pyogenes, possibly the first structure of an immunity protein protective against potential class IIb two-peptide bacteriocins. We have named the two pairs of putative bacteriocins found in S. pyogenes pyogenecin 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Translation and validation of a chinese version of the parenting sense of competence scale in chinese mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ngai, Fei-Wan; Wai-Chi Chan, Sally; Holroyd, Eleanor

2007-01-01

Women's sense of competence and satisfaction in the maternal role are essential for positive parenting practices and child development. Measures of maternal role competence and satisfaction are limited in the Chinese population. To translate the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale into Chinese (C-PSOC) and to examine the psychometric properties of the C-PSOC. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a convenience sample of 170 mothers recruited from a postnatal unit. Participants completed the C-PSOC, Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. A randomly selected subsample of 57 mothers participated in the 4-week retest. The C-PSOC demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .85) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .87). Factor analysis supported the two-factor structure reflecting the efficacy and satisfaction dimensions of the original instrument. The scale discriminated between primiparas and multiparas (t = 2.2, p Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (r = .60, p Scale (r = -.48, p < .01) demonstrated good construct validity. The C-PSOC has satisfactory psychometric properties. It has the potential to be used as a clinical and research instrument for measuring maternal role competence and satisfaction in the Chinese population.

Alternative theories: Pregnancy and immune tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonney, Elizabeth A

2017-09-01

For some time, reproductive immunologists have worked to understand the balance between maternal tolerance of the fetus, maternal health, and fetal protection which leads to successful pregnancy in mammalian species. We have always understood the potential importance of multiple factors, including nutrition, genetics, anatomy, hormonal regulation, environmental insult and many others. Yet, we still struggle to combine our knowledge of these factors and immunology to finally understand complex diseases of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia. Data, and potentially other factors (e.g. politics, economics), support the work to fit pregnancy into classical immune theory driven by the concept of self-non-self-discrimination. However, based on data, many classical theorists call pregnancy "a special case." This review is a first-pass suggestion to attempt to view three models of immune system activation and tolerance as potential alternatives to classical self-non-self-discrimination and to propose a theoretical framework to view them in the context of pregnancy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Maternal inflammation induces immune activation of fetal microglia and leads to disrupted microglia immune responses, behavior, and learning performance in adulthood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaafsma, Wandert; Basterra, Laura Bozal; Jacobs, Sabrina; Brouwer, Nieske; Meerlo, Peter; Schaafsma, Anne; Boddeke, Erik W. G. M.; Eggen, Bart J. L.

2017-01-01

Maternal inflammation during pregnancy can have detrimental effects on embryonic development that persist during adulthood. However, the underlying mechanisms and insights in the responsible cell types are still largely unknown. Here we report the effect of maternal inflammation on fetal microglia,

Seroprevalence and placental transmission of maternal antibodies specific for Neisseria meningitidis Serogroups A, C, Y and W135 and influence of maternal antibodies on the immune response to a primary course of MenACWY-CRM vaccine in the United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanchard-Rohner, Geraldine; Snape, Matthew D; Kelly, Dominic F; O'Connor, Daniel; John, Tessa; Kibwana, Elizabeth; Parks, Hannah; Ford, Karen; Dull, Peter M; Pollard, Andrew J

2013-07-01

Maternal antibodies give neonates some protection against bacterial infection. We measured antibodies against Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y and W135 in mothers and their 2-month-old infants at study enrollment. We also assessed the impact of maternal antibody present at 2 months of age on the immune response to a primary course of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-CRM197) given at 2 and 4 months of age. This was a single-center, open-label, randomized study undertaken in Oxford, United Kingdom. Two hundred sixteen healthy infants were enrolled in the study and vaccinated with MenACWY-CRM197 at 2 and 4 months of age. Blood was obtained from all mothers, in a subset of infants at 2 months and all infants at 5 months. Antibody and memory B-cell responses at 5 months were correlated with maternal antibodies. Mothers had low IgG antibodies against serogroups C, W135 and Y polysaccharides, but high serogroup A antibody, whereas 61-78% had protective human complement serum bactericidal activity (hSBA) (≥1:4) for serogroups C, W135 and Y but only 31% for serogroup A. Only 9%, 32%, 45% and 19% of 2-month-old infants had hSBA ≥1:4 for serogroups A, C, W135 and Y, respectively. Maternal antibody had little association on responses to MenACWY-CRM197, except a moderate negative association between MenC-specific bactericidal antibody at 2 and 5 months (r = -0.5, P = 0.006, n = 28) and between carrier-specific IgG antibody at 2 months and MenC-specific hSBA/IgG antibody at 5 months (r = -0.4, P = 0.02 and 0.04, n = 32 and 23). Nonetheless, 90% of infants achieved protective MenC-hSBA titers after vaccination at 2 and 4 months of age. The levels of serogroup-specific meningococcal antibodies were low in mothers and 2-month-old infants. Immunizing mothers before or during pregnancy with meningococcal conjugate vaccines might increase antibody levels in early infancy and provide protection against infection due to N. meningitidis.

Regulatory T-cells and immune tolerance in pregnancy : a new target for infertility treatment?

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Guerin, Leigh R.; Prins, Jelmer R.; Robertson, Sarah A.

2009-01-01

Adaptation of the maternal immune response to accommodate the semi-allogeneic fetus is necessary for pregnancy success, and disturbances in maternal tolerance are implicated in infertility and reproductive pathologies. T regulatory (Treg) cells are a recently discovered subset of T-lymphocytes with

The influence of pregnancy on systemic immunity.

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Pazos, Michael; Sperling, Rhoda S; Moran, Thomas M; Kraus, Thomas A

2012-12-01

Adaptations in maternal systemic immunity are presumed to be responsible for observed alterations in disease susceptibility and severity as pregnancy progresses. Epidemiological evidence as well as animal studies have shown that influenza infections are more severe during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, resulting in greater morbidity and mortality, although the reason for this is still unclear. Our laboratory has taken advantage of 20 years of experience studying the murine immune response to respiratory viruses to address questions of altered immunity during pregnancy. With clinical studies and unique animal model systems, we are working to define the mechanisms responsible for altered immune responses to influenza infection during pregnancy and what roles hormones such as estrogen or progesterone play in these alterations.

Early maternal depressive symptom trajectories: Associations with 7-year maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior.

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Buckingham-Howes, Stacy; Oberlander, Sarah E; Wang, Yan; Black, Maureen M

2017-06-01

This study examines potential mechanisms linking maternal depressive symptoms over 2 years postpartum with child behavior problems at school-age in a sample of adolescent mothers and their first-born child. Potential mechanisms include: mother-reported caregiving engagement at 6 months; observed parental nurturance and control, and child competence and affect at 24 months; and mother-reported resilience at 7 years based on achievement of adult developmental tasks. One hundred eighteen low-income African American adolescent mothers were recruited at delivery and followed through child age 7 years. Maternal depressive symptom trajectories over 24 months were estimated (low, medium, and high) based on mother-reported depressive symptoms. Direct and indirect associations between depressive symptom trajectories with 7-year maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems were examined. The high maternal depressive symptom trajectory was associated with 7-year maternal depressive symptoms (b = 5.52, SE = 1.65, p child internalizing problems (b = 7.60, SE = 3.12, p = .02) and externalizing problems (b = 6.23, SE = 3.22, p = .05). Caregiving engagement among high depressive symptom trajectory mothers was significantly associated with observed child affect (b = -0.21, SE = 0.11, p = 0.05). Parental nurturance in toddlerhood mediated the association between high maternal depressive symptom trajectory and child internalizing problems at 7 years (indirect effect b = 2.33, 95% CI: 0.32-5.88). Findings suggest that family based interventions to promote parenting and adolescent resiliency strengthening may be beneficial in this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Maternal steroid therapy for fetuses with second-degree immune-mediated congenital atrioventricular block: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Ciardulli, Andrea; D'Antonio, Francesco; Magro-Malosso, Elena R; Manzoli, Lamberto; Anisman, Paul; Saccone, Gabriele; Berghella, Vincenzo

2018-03-07

To explore the effect of maternal fluorinated steroid therapy on fetuses affected by second-degree immune-mediated congenital atrioventricular block. Studies reporting the outcome of fetuses with second-degree immune-mediated congenital atrioventricular block diagnosed on prenatal ultrasound and treated with fluorinated steroids compared with those not treated were included. The primary outcome was the overall progression of congenital atrioventricular block to either continuous or intermittent third-degree congenital atrioventricular block at birth. Meta-analyses of proportions using random effect model and meta-analyses using individual data random-effect logistic regression were used. Five studies (71 fetuses) were included. The progression rate to congenital atrioventricular block at birth in fetuses treated with steroids was 52% (95% confidence interval 23-79) and in fetuses not receiving steroid therapy 73% (95% confidence interval 39-94). The overall rate of regression to either first-degree, intermittent first-/second-degree or sinus rhythm in fetuses treated with steroids was 25% (95% confidence interval 12-41) compared with 23% (95% confidence interval 8-44) in those not treated. Stable (constant) second-degree congenital atrioventricular block at birth was present in 11% (95% confidence interval 2-27) of cases in the treated group and in none of the newborns in the untreated group, whereas complete regression to sinus rhythm occurred in 21% (95% confidence interval 6-42) of fetuses receiving steroids vs. 9% (95% confidence interval 0-41) of those untreated. There is still limited evidence as to the benefit of administered fluorinated steroids in terms of affecting outcome of fetuses with second-degree immune-mediated congenital atrioventricular block. © 2018 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Methylation and Expression of Immune and Inflammatory Genes in the Offspring of Bariatric Bypass Surgery Patients

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Frédéric Guénard

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Maternal obesity, excess weight gain and overnutrition during pregnancy increase risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease in the offspring. Maternal biliopancreatic diversion is an effective treatment for severe obesity and is beneficial for offspring born after maternal surgery (AMS. These offspring exhibit lower severe obesity prevalence and improved cardiometabolic risk factors including inflammatory marker compared to siblings born before maternal surgery (BMS. Objective. To assess relationships between maternal bariatric surgery and the methylation/expression of genes involved in the immune and inflammatory pathways. Methods. A differential gene methylation analysis was conducted in a sibling cohort of 25 BMS and 25 AMS offspring from 20 mothers. Following differential gene expression analysis (23 BMS and 23 AMS, pathway analysis was conducted. Correlations between gene methylation/expression and circulating inflammatory markers were computed. Results. Five immune and inflammatory pathways with significant overrepresentation of both differential gene methylation and expression were identified. In the IL-8 pathway, gene methylation correlated with both gene expression and plasma C-reactive protein levels. Conclusion. These results suggest that improvements in cardiometabolic risk markers in AMS compared to BMS offspring may be mediated through differential methylation of genes involved in immune and inflammatory pathways.

Parental Investment and sexual immune dimorphism in cichlids ans syngnathids

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Keller, Isabel Salome

2017-01-01

I investigated how the interrelationship between parental investment and sexual immune dimorphism shape the evolution of parental care strategies within the cichlids and syngnathids. To understand why parental investment is displayed in such diversity in the animal kingdom, I assessed evolutionary and provisioning costs of parental investment in male pregnancy, biparental and maternal mouthbrooding. Additionally, to address the importance of parental investment, I tested for maternal effects ...

Improving maternity services for Indigenous women in Australia: moving from policy to practice.

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Kildea, Sue; Tracy, Sally; Sherwood, Juanita; Magick-Dennis, Fleur; Barclay, Lesley

2016-10-17

The well established disparities in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians include a significant and concerning higher incidence of preterm birth, low birth weight and newborn mortality. Chronic diseases (eg, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and renal disease) that are prevalent in Indigenous Australian adults have their genesis in utero and in early life. Applying interventions during pregnancy and early life that aim to improve maternal and infant health is likely to have long lasting consequences, as recognised by Australia's National Maternity Services Plan (NMSP), which set out a 5-year vision for 2010-2015 that was endorsed by all governments (federal and state and territory). We report on the actions targeting Indigenous women, and the progress that has been achieved in three priority areas: The Indigenous maternity workforce; Culturally competent maternity care; and; Developing dedicated programs for "Birthing on Country". The timeframe for the NMSP has expired without notable results in these priority areas. More urgent leadership is required from the Australian government. Funding needs to be allocated to the priority areas, including for scholarships and support to train and retain Indigenous midwives, greater commitment to culturally competent maternity care and the development and evaluation of Birthing on Country sites in urban, rural and particularly in remote and very remote communities. Tools such as the Australian Rural Birth Index and the National Maternity Services Capability Framework can help guide this work.

Foetal immune programming: hormones, cytokines, microbes and regulatory T cells.

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Hsu, Peter; Nanan, Ralph

2014-10-01

In addition to genetic factors, environmental cues play important roles in shaping the immune system. The first environment that the developing foetal immune system encounters is the uterus. Although physically the mother and the foetus are separated by the placental membranes, various factors such as hormones and cytokines may provide "environmental cues" to the foetal immune system. Additionally, increasing evidence suggests that prenatal maternal environmental factors, particularly microbial exposure, might significantly influence the foetal immune system, affecting long-term outcomes, a concept termed foetal immune programming. Here we discuss the potential mediators of foetal immune programming, focusing on the role of pregnancy-related hormones, cytokines and regulatory T cells, which play a critical role in immune tolerance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maternal immune activation leads to selective functional deficits in offspring parvalbumin interneurons.

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Canetta, S; Bolkan, S; Padilla-Coreano, N; Song, L J; Sahn, R; Harrison, N L; Gordon, J A; Brown, A; Kellendonk, C

2016-07-01

Abnormalities in prefrontal gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic transmission, particularly in fast-spiking interneurons that express parvalbumin (PV), are hypothesized to contribute to the pathophysiology of multiple psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and depression. While primarily histological abnormalities have been observed in patients and in animal models of psychiatric disease, evidence for abnormalities in functional neurotransmission at the level of specific interneuron populations has been lacking in animal models and is difficult to establish in human patients. Using an animal model of a psychiatric disease risk factor, prenatal maternal immune activation (MIA), we found reduced functional GABAergic transmission in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adult MIA offspring. Decreased transmission was selective for interneurons expressing PV, resulted from a decrease in release probability and was not observed in calretinin-expressing neurons. This deficit in PV function in MIA offspring was associated with increased anxiety-like behavior and impairments in attentional set shifting, but did not affect working memory. Furthermore, cell-type specific optogenetic inhibition of mPFC PV interneurons was sufficient to impair attentional set shifting and enhance anxiety levels. Finally, we found that in vivo mPFC gamma oscillations, which are supported by PV interneuron function, were linearly correlated with the degree of anxiety displayed in adult mice, and that this correlation was disrupted in MIA offspring. These results demonstrate a selective functional vulnerability of PV interneurons to MIA, leading to affective and cognitive symptoms that have high relevance for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

Future directions in leadership training of MCH professionals: cross-cutting MCH leadership competencies.

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Mouradian, Wendy E; Huebner, Colleen E

2007-05-01

Leadership in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) requires a repertoire of skills that transcend clinical or academic disciplines. This is especially true today as leaders in academic, government and private settings alike must respond to a rapidly changing health environment. To better prepare future MCH leaders we offer a framework of MCH leadership competencies based on the results of a conference held in Seattle in 2004, MCH Working Conference: The Future of Maternal and Child Health Leadership Training. The purpose of the conference was to articulate cross-cutting leadership skills, identify training experiences that foster leadership, and suggest methods to assess leadership training. Following on the work of the Seattle Conference, we sub-divide the 12 cross-cutting leadership competencies into 4 "core" and 8 "applied" competencies, and discuss this distinction. In addition we propose a competency in the knowledge of the history and context of MCH programs in the U.S. We also summarize the conference planning process, agenda, and work group assignments leading to these results. Based on this leadership competency framework we offer a definition of an MCH leader, and recommendations for leadership training, assessment, and faculty development. Taken as a set, these MCH leadership competencies point towards the newly-emerging construct of capability, the ability to adapt to new circumstances and generate new knowledge. "Capstone" projects can provide for both practice and assessment of leadership competencies. The competency-based approach to leadership that has emerged from this process has broad relevance for health, education, and social service sectors beyond the MCH context.

Relationship between maternal immunological response during pregnancy and onset of preeclampsia.

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Martínez-Varea, Alicia; Pellicer, Begoña; Perales-Marín, Alfredo; Pellicer, Antonio

2014-01-01

Maternofetal immune tolerance is essential to maintain pregnancy. The maternal immunological tolerance to the semiallogeneic fetus becomes greater in egg donation pregnancies with unrelated donors as the complete fetal genome is allogeneic to the mother. Instead of being rejected, the allogeneic fetus is tolerated by the pregnant woman in egg donation pregnancies. It has been reported that maternal morbidity during egg donation pregnancies is higher as compared with spontaneous or in vitro fertilization pregnancies. Particularly, egg donation pregnancies are associated with a higher incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension and placental pathology. Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-specific disease characterized by the development of both hypertension and proteinuria, remains the leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. The aim of this review is to characterize and relate the maternofetal immunological tolerance phenomenon during pregnancies with a semiallogenic fetus, which are the spontaneously conceived pregnancies and in vitro fertilization pregnancies, and those with an allogeneic fetus or egg donation pregnancies. Maternofetal immune tolerance in uncomplicated pregnancies and pathological pregnancies, such as those with preeclampsia, has also been assessed. Moreover, whether an inadequate maternal immunological response to the allogenic fetus could lead to a higher prevalence of preeclampsia in egg donation pregnancies has been addressed.

Tetanus and diphtheria immunity among term and preterm infant-mother pairs in Turkey, a country where maternal and neonatal tetanus have recently been eliminated.

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Erener-Ercan, Tugba; Aslan, Mustafa; Vural, Mehmet; Erginoz, Ethem; Kocazeybek, Bekir; Ercan, Gokmen; Turkgeldi, Lale Wetherilt; Perk, Yildiz

2015-03-01

The aim of our study was to investigate the anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria antibody titres and the placental transfer of these antibodies in a group of vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers and their term or preterm offsprings. Anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria toxoid IgG antibodies were measured quantitatively by ELISA in 91 infant-mother pairs. Protective concentrations of anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria were found in 58.3 and 50% of mothers in the unvaccinated group and 94.5 and 85.5% of the mothers in the vaccinated group. Protective concentrations were found in 63.9 and 50% of cord samples, respectively, in the unvaccinated group and in 96.4 and 85.5% of cord samples, respectively, in the vaccinated group (p = 0.0001). There were no differences in the maternal and cord geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) of anti-toxoid antibodies between those who received two doses or one dose of Td. The GMCs of maternal and cord anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria were statistically similar between preterm and term groups. Placental transfer ratios (TR) for anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria were 175 and 150%, respectively, in the preterm group and 213 and 178%, respectively, in the term group. There was a strong correlation between maternal and cord anti-toxoid antibody levels. Maternal vaccination was the only predictor of having protective concentrations of anti-toxoid antibodies in cord blood. Vaccinating pregnant women with at least one dose of Td would confer protection for both the term and preterm infant-mother pairs. Therefore, health personnel caring for pregnant women have the responsibility to emphasize the importance of Td vaccination to avoid missed immunization opportunities.

Maternal Antiviral Immunoglobulin Accumulates in Neural Tissue of Neonates To Prevent HSV Neurological Disease

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Yike Jiang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available While antibody responses to neurovirulent pathogens are critical for clearance, the extent to which antibodies access the nervous system to ameliorate infection is poorly understood. In this study on herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1, we demonstrate that HSV-specific antibodies are present during HSV-1 latency in the nervous systems of both mice and humans. We show that antibody-secreting cells entered the trigeminal ganglion (TG, a key site of HSV infection, and persisted long after the establishment of latent infection. We also demonstrate the ability of passively administered IgG to enter the TG independently of infection, showing that the naive TG is accessible to antibodies. The translational implication of this finding is that human fetal neural tissue could contain HSV-specific maternally derived antibodies. Exploring this possibility, we observed HSV-specific IgG in HSV DNA-negative human fetal TG, suggesting passive transfer of maternal immunity into the prenatal nervous system. To further investigate the role of maternal antibodies in the neonatal nervous system, we established a murine model to demonstrate that maternal IgG can access and persist in neonatal TG. This maternal antibody not only prevented disseminated infection but also completely protected the neonate from neurological disease and death following HSV challenge. Maternal antibodies therefore have a potent protective role in the neonatal nervous system against HSV infection. These findings strongly support the concept that prevention of prenatal and neonatal neurotropic infections can be achieved through maternal immunization.

Neonatal corticosterone administration in rodents as a tool to investigate the maternal programming of emotional and immune domains

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Simone Macrì

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Neonatal experiences exert persistent influences on individual development. These influences encompass numerous domains including emotion, cognition, reactivity to external stressors and immunity. The comprehensive nature of the neonatal programming of individual phenotype is reverberated in the large amount of experimental data collected by many authors in several scientific fields: biomedicine, evolutionary and molecular biology. These data support the view that variations in precocious environmental conditions may calibrate the individual phenotype at many different levels. Environmental influences have been traditionally addressed through experimental paradigms entailing the modification of the neonatal environment and the multifactorial (e.g. behaviour, endocrinology, cellular and molecular biology analysis of the developing individual's phenotype. These protocols suggested that the role of the mother in mediating the offspring's phenotype is often associated with the short-term effects of environmental manipulations on dam's physiology. Specifically, environmental manipulations may induce fluctuations in maternal corticosteroids (corticosterone in rodents which, in turn, are translated to the offspring through lactation. Herein, I propose that this mother-offspring transfer mechanism can be leveraged to devise experimental protocols based on the exogenous administration of corticosterone during lactation. To support this proposition, I refer to a series of studies in which these protocols have been adopted to investigate the neonatal programming of individual phenotype at the level of emotional and immune regulations. While these paradigms cannot replace traditional studies, I suggest that they can be considered a valid complement.

Inaccuracy of perceived competence ratings is associated with problem behaviors in 5-year-old children.

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Klaver, Jacqueline M; Palo, Amanda D; DiLalla, Lisabeth F

2014-01-01

The authors examined problem behaviors in preschool children as a function of perceived competence. Prior research has demonstrated a link between inaccuracy of self-perceptions and teacher-reported externalizing behaviors in preschool aged boys. This study extended past research by adding data collected from observed behaviors in a laboratory setting, as well as parent reports of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Five-year-old children completed the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA) in the lab, participated in a 10-min puzzle interaction task with their cotwin and mother, and completed a short task assessing cognitive abilities. Children were grouped into 3 self-esteem categories (unrealistically low, realistic, and unrealistically high) based on comparisons of self-reported (PSPCSA) versus actual competencies for maternal acceptance, peer acceptance, and cognitive competence. Results showed that children who overreported their maternal acceptance and peer acceptance had significantly more parent-reported externalizing problems as well as internalizing problems. There were no significant differences in accuracy for cognitive competence. The findings from this study underscore the negative impact of unrealistically high self-appraisal on problem behaviors in young children.

Competing risks model in screening for preeclampsia by maternal characteristics and medical history.

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Wright, David; Syngelaki, Argyro; Akolekar, Ranjit; Poon, Leona C; Nicolaides, Kypros H

2015-07-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for preeclampsia based on maternal demographic characteristics and medical history. This was a screening study of 120,492 singleton pregnancies at 11-13 weeks' gestation, including 2704 pregnancies (2.2%) that experienced preeclampsia. A survival-time model for the gestational age at delivery with preeclampsia was developed from variables of maternal characteristics and history. This approach assumes that, if the pregnancy was to continue indefinitely, all women would experience preeclampsia and that whether they do so or not before a specified gestational age depends on competition between delivery before or after development of preeclampsia. A 5-fold cross validation study was conducted to compare the performance of the new model with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. In the new model, increased risk for preeclampsia, with a consequent shift in the Gaussian distribution of the gestational age at delivery with preeclampsia to the left, is provided by advancing maternal age, increasing weight, Afro-Caribbean and South Asian racial origin, medical history of chronic hypertension, diabetes mellitus and systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid syndrome, family history and personal history of preeclampsia, and conception by in vitro fertilization. The risk for preeclampsia decreases with increasing maternal height and in parous women with no previous preeclampsia; in the latter, the protective effect, which is related inversely to the interpregnancy interval, persists beyond 15 years. At a screen-positive rate of 11%, as defined by NICE, the new model predicted 40%, 48%, and 54% of cases of total preeclampsia and preeclampsia requiring delivery at preeclampsia. Such estimation of the a priori risk for preeclampsia is an essential first step in the use of Bayes theorem to combine maternal factors with biomarkers for the continuing development of more effective methods of

Congenital heart disease linked to maternal autoimmunity against cardiac myosin.

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Cole, Charles R; Yutzey, Katherine E; Brar, Anoop K; Goessling, Lisa S; Van Vickle-Chavez, Sarah J; Cunningham, Madeleine W; Eghtesady, Pirooz

2014-05-01

Structural congenital heart disease (CHD) has not previously been linked to autoimmunity. In our study, we developed an autoimmune model of structural CHD that resembles hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a life-threatening CHD primarily affecting the left ventricle. Because cardiac myosin (CM) is a dominant autoantigen in autoimmune heart disease, we hypothesized that immunization with CM might lead to transplacental passage of maternal autoantibodies and a prenatal HLHS phenotype in exposed fetuses. Elevated anti-CM autoantibodies in maternal and fetal sera, as well as IgG reactivity in fetal myocardium, were correlated with structural CHD that included diminished left ventricular cavity dimensions in the affected progeny. Further, fetuses that developed a marked HLHS phenotype had elevated serum titers of anti-β-adrenergic receptor Abs, as well as increased protein kinase A activity, suggesting a potential mechanism for the observed pathological changes. Our maternal-fetal model presents a new concept linking autoimmunity against CM and cardiomyocyte proliferation with cardinal features of HLHS. To our knowledge, this report shows the first evidence in support of a novel immune-mediated mechanism for pathogenesis of structural CHD that may have implications in its future diagnosis and treatment.

Innate Immunity and Saliva in Candida albicans–mediated Oral Diseases

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Salvatori, O.; Puri, S.; Tati, S.; Edgerton, M.

2016-01-01

The oral cavity is a unique niche where Candida albicans infections occur in immunocompetent as well as immunosuppressed individuals. Here we critically review the significance of human innate immune response in preventing oral candidiasis. One important line of defense against oropharyngeal candidiasis is the oral microbiota that prevents infection by competing for space and nutrients as well as by secreting antagonistic molecules and triggering local inflammatory responses. C. albicans is able to induce mucosal defenses through activation of immune cells and production of cytokines. Also, saliva contains various proteins that affect C. albicans growth positively by promoting mucosal adherence and negatively through immune exclusion and direct fungicidal activity. We further discuss the role of saliva in unifying host innate immune defenses against C. albicans as a communicating medium and how C. albicans overgrowth in the oral cavity may be a result of aberrations ranging from microbial dysbiosis and salivary dysfunction to epithelial damage. Last we underscore select oral diseases in which C. albicans is a contributory microorganism in immune-competent individuals. PMID:26747422

Rules Extraction with an Immune Algorithm

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Deqin Yan

2007-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a method of extracting rules with immune algorithms from information systems is proposed. Designing an immune algorithm is based on a sharing mechanism to extract rules. The principle of sharing and competing resources in the sharing mechanism is consistent with the relationship of sharing and rivalry among rules. In order to extract rules efficiently, a new concept of flexible confidence and rule measurement is introduced. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method is effective.

Immune competence in /sup 90/Sr-exposed, adult thymectomized and antilymphocyteglobulin-treated CBA mice. Pt. 1. Allogenic skin graft reaction

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Bierke, P.

1989-01-01

CBA mice subjected to either adult thymectomy, internal exposure to /sup 90/Sr or antilymphocyteglobulin treatment separately, or to combinations of the three were tested for cellular immune competence using their reaction to allogenic skin grafts. Peripheral blood white cell counts did not reveal any obvious correlation between the degree of mononuclear cell depletion and the ability to accept grafts, suggesting that the particular treatments depleted specific fractions of mononuclear cells, differing in their extent of involvement in the rejection process. No single treatment alone induced a significant prolongation in the time elapsed before graft rejection. Adult thymectomy followed by appropriate antilymphocyteglobulin treatment induced severe lymphocytopenia and a profound suppression of the cell-mediate immune system, as evidenced by the acceptance of allogenic skin grafts. When applied to /sup 90/Sr-preexposed mice the same treatment induced lifelong acceptance of grafts, indicating a similar, though weaker immunosuppressive impact of /sup 90/Sr. Hence it was possible to significantly enhance immunosuppression in /sup 90/Sr-exposed mice. This in vivo model should be useful when investigating the role of immunological responsiveness in radiation carcinogenesis. (orig.).

Determinants of default to fully completion of immunization among children aged 12 to 23 months in south Ethiopia: unmatched case-control study.

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Asfaw, Abiyot Getachew; Koye, Digsu Negese; Demssie, Amsalu Feleke; Zeleke, Ejigu Gebeye; Gelaw, Yalemzewod Assefa

2016-01-01

Immunization is a cost effective interventions of vaccine preventable disease. There is still, 2.5 million children die by vaccine preventable disease every year in developing countries. In Ethiopia, default to fully completion of child immunization is high and determinants of default to completions are not explored well in the study setting. The aim of the study was to identify determinants of default to fully completion of immunization among children between ages 12 to 23 months in Sodo Zurea District, Southern Ethiopia. Community based unmatched case-control study was conducted. Census was done to identify cases and controls before the actual data collection. A total of 344 samples (172 cases and 172 controls) were selected by simple random sampling technique. Cases were children in the age group of 12 to 23 months old who missed at least one dose from the recommended schedule. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression was used to identify the determinant factors. Odds ratio, 95%CI and p - value less than 0.05 was used to measure the presence and strength of the association. Mothers of infants who are unable to read and write (AOR=8.9; 95%CI: 2.4, 33.9) and attended primary school (AOR=4.1; 95% CI:1.4-15.8), mothers who had no postnatal care follow up (AOR=0.4; 95%CI: 0.3, 0.7), good maternal knowledge towards immunization (AOR= 0.5; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.8) and maternal favorable perception towards uses of health institution for maternal and child care (AOR= 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.6) were significant determinant factors to default to fully completion of immunization. Working on maternal education, postnatal care follow up, promoting maternal knowledge and perception about child immunization are recommended measures to mitigate defaults to complete immunization.

Competing risks model in screening for preeclampsia by maternal factors and biomarkers at 11-13 weeks gestation.

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O'Gorman, Neil; Wright, David; Syngelaki, Argyro; Akolekar, Ranjit; Wright, Alan; Poon, Leona C; Nicolaides, Kypros H

2016-01-01

Preeclampsia affects approximately 3% of all pregnancies and is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and death. In the last decade, extensive research has been devoted to early screening for preeclampsia with the aim of reducing the prevalence of the disease through pharmacologic intervention in the high-risk group starting from the first trimester of pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to develop a model for preeclampsia based on maternal demographic characteristics and medical history (maternal factors) and biomarkers. The data for this study were derived from prospective screening for adverse obstetric outcomes in women who attended for their routine first hospital visit at 11-13 weeks gestation in 2 maternity hospitals in England. We screened 35,948 singleton pregnancies that included 1058 pregnancies (2.9%) that experienced preeclampsia. Bayes theorem was used to combine the a priori risk from maternal factors with various combinations of uterine artery pulsatility index, mean arterial pressure, serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, and placental growth factor multiple of the median values. Five-fold cross validation was used to assess the performance of screening for preeclampsia that delivered at preeclampsia) and ≥37 weeks gestation (term-preeclampsia) by models that combined maternal factors with individual biomarkers and their combination with screening by maternal factors alone. In pregnancies that experienced preeclampsia, the values of uterine artery pulsatility index and mean arterial pressure were increased, and the values of serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and placental growth factor were decreased. For all biomarkers, the deviation from normal was greater for early than late preeclampsia; therefore, the performance of screening was related inversely to the gestational age at which delivery became necessary for maternal and/or fetal indications. Combined screening by maternal factors, uterine artery pulsatility

Cross-Generational Reproductive Fitness Enforced by Microchimeric Maternal Cells.

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Kinder, Jeremy M; Jiang, Tony T; Ertelt, James M; Xin, Lijun; Strong, Beverly S; Shaaban, Aimen F; Way, Sing Sing

2015-07-30

Exposure to maternal tissue during in utero development imprints tolerance to immunologically foreign non-inherited maternal antigens (NIMA) that persists into adulthood. The biological advantage of this tolerance, conserved across mammalian species, remains unclear. Here, we show maternal cells that establish microchimerism in female offspring during development promote systemic accumulation of immune suppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs) with NIMA specificity. NIMA-specific Tregs expand during pregnancies sired by males expressing alloantigens with overlapping NIMA specificity, thereby averting fetal wastage triggered by prenatal infection and non-infectious disruptions of fetal tolerance. Therefore, exposure to NIMA selectively enhances reproductive success in second-generation females carrying embryos with overlapping paternally inherited antigens. These findings demonstrate that genetic fitness, canonically thought to be restricted to Mendelian inheritance, is enhanced in female placental mammals through vertically transferred maternal cells that promote conservation of NIMA and enforce cross-generational reproductive benefits. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adolescent voluntary exercise attenuated hippocampal innate immunity responses and depressive-like behaviors following maternal separation stress in male rats.

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Sadeghi, Mahsa; Peeri, Maghsoud; Hosseini, Mir-Jamal

2016-09-01

Early life stressful events have detrimental effects on the brain and behavior, which are associated with the development of depression. Immune-inflammatory responses have been reported to contribute in the pathophysiology of depression. Many studies have reported on the beneficial effects of exercise against stress. However, underlying mechanisms through which exercise exerts its effects were poorly studied. Therefore, it applied maternal separation (MS), as a valid animal model of early-life adversity, in rats from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 14 for 180min per day. At PND 28, male Wistar albino rats were subjected to 5 experimental groups; 1) controls 2) MS rats 3) MS rats treated with fluoxetine 5mg/kg to PND 60, 4) MS rats that were subjected to voluntary running wheel (RW) exercise and 5) MS rats that were subjected to mandatory treadmill (TM) exercise until adulthood. At PND 60, depressive-like behaviors were assessed by using forced swimming test (FST), splash test, and sucrose preference test (SPT). Our results revealed that depressive-like behaviors following MS stress were associated with an increase in expression of toll-like receptor 4 (Tlr-4) and its main signaling protein, Myd88, in the hippocampal formation. Also, we found that voluntary (and not mandatory) physical exercise during adolescence is protected against depressant effects of early-life stress at least partly through mitigating the innate immune responses in the hippocampus. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Fathers' Autonomy Support and Social Competence of Sons and Daughters

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Corwyn, Robert F.; Bradley, Robert H.

2016-01-01

Relations between paternal autonomy support and four aspects of adolescent social competence and responsibility at age 16 were examined using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. With controls on maternal autonomy support, significant relations were observed between paternal autonomy support and three of the four…

Social Competence and Temperament in Children with Chronic Orthopaedic Disability

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Yagmurlu, Bilge; Yavuz, H. Melis

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate social competence in children with orthopaedic disability and its concurrent relations to child's temperament, health condition, and maternal warmth. Participants were 68 Turkish children (mean = 5.94 years) with chronic orthopaedic disability and their mothers coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. Mother…

Gender equality as a means to improve maternal and child health in Africa.

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Singh, Kavita; Bloom, Shelah; Brodish, Paul

2015-01-01

In this article we examine whether measures of gender equality, household decision making, and attitudes toward gender-based violence are associated with maternal and child health outcomes in Africa. We pooled Demographic and Health Surveys data from eight African countries and used multilevel logistic regression on two maternal health outcomes (low body mass index and facility delivery) and two child health outcomes (immunization status and treatment for an acute respiratory infection). We found protective associations between the gender equality measures and the outcomes studied, indicating that gender equality is a potential strategy to improve maternal and child health in Africa.

Paid maternity leave and childhood vaccination uptake: Longitudinal evidence from 20 low-and-middle-income countries.

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Hajizadeh, Mohammad; Heymann, Jody; Strumpf, Erin; Harper, Sam; Nandi, Arijit

2015-09-01

The availability of maternity leave might remove barriers to improved vaccination coverage by increasing the likelihood that parents are available to bring a child to the clinic for immunizations. Using information from 20 low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) we estimated the effect of paid maternity leave policies on childhood vaccination uptake. We used birth history data collected via Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) to assemble a multilevel panel of 258,769 live births in 20 countries from 2001 to 2008; these data were merged with longitudinal information on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) weeks of paid maternity leave guaranteed by each country. We used Logistic regression models that included country and year fixed effects to estimate the impact of increases in FTE paid maternity leave policies in the prior year on the receipt of the following vaccines: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) commonly given at birth, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP, 3 doses) commonly given in clinic visits and Polio (3 doses) given in clinic visits or as part of campaigns. We found that extending the duration of paid maternity leave had a positive effect on immunization rates for all three doses of the DTP vaccine; each additional FTE week of paid maternity leave increased DTP1, 2 and 3 coverage by 1.38 (95% CI = 1.18, 1.57), 1.62 (CI = 1.34, 1.91) and 2.17 (CI = 1.76, 2.58) percentage points, respectively. Estimates were robust to adjustment for birth characteristics, household-level covariates, attendance of skilled health personnel at birth and time-varying country-level covariates. We found no evidence for an effect of maternity leave on the probability of receiving vaccinations for BCG or Polio after adjustment for the above-mentioned covariates. Our findings were consistent with the hypothesis that more generous paid leave policies have the potential to improve DTP immunization coverage. Further work is needed to understand the health effects of

Canine distemper virus DNA vaccination of mink can overcome interference by maternal antibodies.

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Jensen, Trine Hammer; Nielsen, Line; Aasted, Bent; Pertoldi, Cino; Blixenkrone-Møller, Merete

2015-03-10

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is highly contagious and can cause severe disease against which conventional live vaccines are ineffective in the presence of maternal antibodies. Vaccination in the presences of maternal antibodies was challenged by vaccination of 5 days old and 3 weeks old mink kits with CDV DNA vaccines. Virus neutralising (VN) antibody responses were induced in mink kits vaccinated with a plasmid encoding the haemaglutinin protein (H) of CDV (n=5, pCDV-H) or a combination of the H, fusion (F) and nucleoprotein (N) of CDV (n=5, pCDV-HFN). These DNA vaccinated kits were protected against virulent experimental infection with field strains of CDV. The pCDV-H was more efficient in inducing protective immunity in the presence of maternal antibodies compared to the pCDV-HFN. The results show that DNA vaccination with the pCDV-H or pCDV-HFN (n=4) only given once at 5 days of age induces virus specific immune response in neonatal mink and protection against virulent CDV exposure later in life. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cis-acting pathways selectively enforce the non-immunogenicity of shed placental antigen for maternal CD8 T cells.

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Chin-Siean Tay

Full Text Available Maternal immune tolerance towards the fetus and placenta is thought to be established in part by pathways that attenuate T cell priming to antigens released from the placenta into maternal blood. These pathways remain largely undefined and their existence, at face value, seems incompatible with a mother's need to maintain a functional immune system during pregnancy. A particular conundrum is evident if we consider that maternal antigen presenting cells, activated in order to prime T cells to pathogen-derived antigens, would also have the capacity to prime T cells to co-ingested placental antigens. Here, we address this paradox using a transgenic system in which placental membranes are tagged with a strong surrogate antigen (ovalbumin. We find that although a remarkably large quantity of acellular ovalbumin-containing placental material is released into maternal blood, splenic CD8 T cells in pregnant mice bearing unmanipulated T cell repertoires are not primed to ovalbumin even if the mice are intravenously injected with adjuvants. This failure was largely independent of regulatory T cells, and instead was linked to the intrinsic characteristics of the released material that rendered it selectively non-immunogenic, potentially by sequestering it from CD8α(+ dendritic cells. The release of ovalbumin-containing placental material into maternal blood thus had no discernable impact on CD8 T cell priming to soluble ovalbumin injected intravenously during pregnancy, nor did it induce long-term tolerance to ovalbumin. Together, these results outline a major pathway governing the maternal immune response to the placenta, and suggest how tolerance to placental antigens can be maintained systemically without being detrimental to host defense.

Cis-Acting Pathways Selectively Enforce the Non-Immunogenicity of Shed Placental Antigen for Maternal CD8 T Cells

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Tay, Chin-Siean; Tagliani, Elisa; Collins, Mary K.; Erlebacher, Adrian

2013-01-01

Maternal immune tolerance towards the fetus and placenta is thought to be established in part by pathways that attenuate T cell priming to antigens released from the placenta into maternal blood. These pathways remain largely undefined and their existence, at face value, seems incompatible with a mother's need to maintain a functional immune system during pregnancy. A particular conundrum is evident if we consider that maternal antigen presenting cells, activated in order to prime T cells to pathogen-derived antigens, would also have the capacity to prime T cells to co-ingested placental antigens. Here, we address this paradox using a transgenic system in which placental membranes are tagged with a strong surrogate antigen (ovalbumin). We find that although a remarkably large quantity of acellular ovalbumin-containing placental material is released into maternal blood, splenic CD8 T cells in pregnant mice bearing unmanipulated T cell repertoires are not primed to ovalbumin even if the mice are intravenously injected with adjuvants. This failure was largely independent of regulatory T cells, and instead was linked to the intrinsic characteristics of the released material that rendered it selectively non-immunogenic, potentially by sequestering it from CD8α+ dendritic cells. The release of ovalbumin-containing placental material into maternal blood thus had no discernable impact on CD8 T cell priming to soluble ovalbumin injected intravenously during pregnancy, nor did it induce long-term tolerance to ovalbumin. Together, these results outline a major pathway governing the maternal immune response to the placenta, and suggest how tolerance to placental antigens can be maintained systemically without being detrimental to host defense. PMID:24391885

Parental Exposure to Dim Light at Night Prior to Mating Alters Offspring Adaptive Immunity.

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Cissé, Yasmine M; Russart, Kathryn L G; Nelson, Randy J

2017-03-31

Exposure to dim light at night (dLAN) disrupts natural light/dark cycles and impairs endogenous circadian rhythms necessary to maintain optimal biological function, including the endocrine and immune systems. We have previously demonstrated that white dLAN compromises innate and cell mediated immune responses in adult Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). We hypothesized that dLAN has transgenerational influences on immune function. Adult male and female Siberian hamsters were exposed to either dark nights (DARK) or dLAN (~5 lux) for 9 weeks, then paired in full factorial design, mated, and thereafter housed under dark nights. Offspring were gestated and reared in dark nights, then tested as adults for cell-mediated and humoral immunity. Maternal exposure to dLAN dampened delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses in male offspring. Maternal and paternal exposure to dLAN reduced DTH responses in female offspring. IgG antibodies to a novel antigen were elevated in offspring of dams exposed to dLAN. Paternal exposure to dLAN decreased splenic endocrine receptor expression and global methylation in a parental sex-specific manner. Together, these data suggest that exposure to dLAN has transgenerational effects on endocrine-immune function that may be mediated by global alterations in the epigenetic landscape of immune tissues.

Maternal cytokine profiles during pregnancy predict asthma in children of nonasthmatic mothers.

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Rothers, Janet; Stern, Debra A; Lohman, I Carla; Spangenberg, Amber; Wright, Anne L; DeVries, Avery; Vercelli, Donata; Halonen, Marilyn

2018-06-04

Little is known about whether maternal immune status during pregnancy influences asthma development in the child. We measured cytokine production in supernatants from mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood immune cells collected during and after pregnancy from the mothers of children enrolled in the Tucson Infant Immune Study, a non-selected birth cohort. Physician-diagnosed active asthma in children through age 9 and a history of asthma in their mothers were assessed through questionnaires. Maternal production of each of the cytokines IL-13, IL-4, IL-5, IFN-γ, IL-10, and IL-17 during pregnancy was unrelated to childhood asthma. However, IFN-γ/IL-13 and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratios during pregnancy were associated with decreased in risk of childhood asthma (N=381; OR=0.33; 95%CI=0.17-0.66, p=0.002 and N=368; OR=0.36; 95%CI=0.18-0.71, p=0.003, respectively). The inverse relations of these two ratios with childhood asthma were only evident in nonasthmatic mothers ( N=309; OR=0.18; 95% CI=0.08-0.42, p=0.00007 and N=299; OR=0.17; 95% CI=0.07-0.39, p=0.00003, respectively) and not in asthmatic mother (N=72 and 69, respectively; p for interaction by maternal asthma=0.036 and 0.002, respectively). Paternal cytokine ratios were unrelated to childhood asthma. Maternal cytokine ratios in nonasthmatic mothers were unrelated to the child's skin test reactivity, total IgE, physician-confirmed allergic rhinitis at age 5, or eczema in infancy. To our knowledge this study provides the first evidence that cytokine profiles in pregnant nonasthmatic mothers relate to risk for childhood asthma but not allergy and suggests a process of asthma development that begins in utero and is independent of allergy.

Effect of Azolla feeding on the growth, feed conversion ratio, blood biochemical attributes and immune competence traits of growing turkeys

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Mayank Shukla

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: In the recent past, few studies have been carried out in chicken to assess the effect of Azolla meal and raw Azolla feeding on the performance of chicken. If turkeys effectively use unconventional feedstuffs like Azolla without reducing the performance, it will increase the profitability of turkey business. Hence, a study was carried out to evaluate the effect of dried Azolla pinnata vis-a-vis raw Azolla as choice feeding on the growth, feed conversion ratio (FCR, blood biochemical attributes, and immune competence traits of growing turkeys under intensive system. Materials and Methods: A total of 72, 8-week-old grower turkey poults of black variety were randomly distributed into three dietary treatments having three replicates each with eight birds. The birds of the control group (T1 were fed a basal diet (CP - 19.71% and ME - 2789.79 Kcal/kg, while the other group (T2 and choice-feeding group (T3 were fed 5% of basal diet replaced by dry Azolla powder on DM basis and ad libitum Azolla along with basal diet, respectively. Results: There was no significant difference among the different groups in the average weekly weight gain during the entire experiment. FCR was significantly better (p<0.05 in the choice-feeding group compared to the other two experimental groups during 8-16 weeks of age. There was no significant difference among the treatment groups in any of the blood biochemical indices except plasma uric acid, which was significantly decreased (p<0.01 in T2 compared to T1 at 16 weeks of age. HA and IgM response to 1% sheep red blood cells (log2 titer were numerically better in T2 and T3 compared to the T1. Conclusion: Thus, it may be inferred that choice feeding with Azolla, and basal diet may improve FCR without any adverse effect on blood biochemical attributes and immune competence traits.

Deliberate acquisition of competence in physiological breech birth: A grounded theory study.

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Walker, Shawn; Scamell, Mandie; Parker, Pam

2018-06-01

Research suggests that the skill and experience of the attendant significantly affect the outcomes of vaginal breech births, yet practitioner experience levels are minimal within many contemporary maternity care systems. Due to minimal experience and cultural resistance, few practitioners offer vaginal breech birth, and many practice guidelines and training programmes recommend delivery techniques requiring supine maternal position. Fewer practitioners have skills to support physiological breech birth, involving active maternal movement and choice of birthing position, including upright postures such as kneeling, standing, squatting, or on a birth stool. How professionals learn complex skills contrary to those taught in their local practice settings is unclear. How do professionals develop competence and expertise in physiological breech birth? Nine midwives and five obstetricians with experience facilitating upright physiological breech births participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed iteratively using constructivist grounded theory methods to develop an empirical theory of physiological breech skill acquisition. Among the participants in this research, the deliberate acquisition of competence in physiological breech birth included stages of affinity with physiological birth, critical awareness, intention, identity and responsibility. Expert practitioners operating across local and national boundaries guided less experienced practitioners. The results depict a specialist learning model which could be formalised in sympathetic training programmes, and evaluated. It may also be relevant to developing competence in other specialist/expert roles and innovative practices. Deliberate development of local communities of practice may support professionals to acquire elusive breech skills in a sustainable way. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transgenerational Social Stress, Immune Factors, Hormones, and Social Behavior

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Christopher Anthony Murgatroyd

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A social signal transduction theory of depression has been proposed that states that exposure to social adversity alters the immune response and these changes mediate symptoms of depression such as anhedonia and impairments in social behavior. The exposure of maternal rats to the chronic social stress (CSS of a male intruder depresses maternal care and impairs social behavior in the F1 and F2 offspring of these dams. The objective of the present study was to characterize basal peripheral levels of several immune factors and related hormone levels in the adult F2 offspring of CSS exposed dams and assess whether changes in these factors are associated with previously reported deficits in allogrooming behavior. CSS decreased acid glycoprotein (α1AGP and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1 in F2 females, and increased granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF in F2 males. There were also sex dependent changes in IL-18, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF. Progesterone was decreased and alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH was increased in F2 males, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF was decreased in F2 females. Changes in α1AGP, GM-CSF, progesterone and α-MSH were correlated with decreased allogrooming in the F2 offspring of stressed dams. These results support the hypothesis that transgenerational social stress affects both the immune system and social behavior, and also support previous studies on the adverse effects of early life stress on immune functioning and stress associated immunological disorders, including the increasing prevalence of asthma. The immune system may represent an important transgenerational etiological factor in disorders which involve social and/or early life stress associated changes in social behavior, such as depression, anxiety, and autism, as well as comorbid immune disorders. Future studies involving immune and

Student midwives' perceptions on the organisation of maternity care and alternative maternity care models in the Netherlands - a qualitative study.

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Warmelink, J Catja; de Cock, T Paul; Combee, Yvonne; Rongen, Marloes; Wiegers, Therese A; Hutton, Eileen K

2017-01-11

A major change in the organisation of maternity care in the Netherlands is under consideration, going from an echelon system where midwives provide primary care in the community and refer to obstetricians for secondary and tertiary care, to a more integrated maternity care system involving midwives and obstetricians at all care levels. Student midwives are the future maternity care providers and they may be entering into a changing maternity care system, so inclusion of their views in the discussion is relevant. This study aimed to explore student midwives' perceptions on the current organisation of maternity care and alternative maternity care models, including integrated care. This qualitative study was based on the interpretivist/constructivist paradigm, using a grounded theory design. Interviews and focus groups with 18 female final year student midwives of the Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen (AVAG) were held on the basis of a topic list, then later transcribed, coded and analysed. Students felt that inevitably there will be a change in the organisation of maternity care, and they were open to change. Participants indicated that good collaboration between professions, including a shared system of maternity notes and guidelines, and mutual trust and respect were important aspects of any alternative model. The students indicated that client-centered care and the safeguarding of the physiological, normalcy approach to pregnancy and birth should be maintained in any alternative model. Students expressed worries that the role of midwives in intrapartum care could become redundant, and thus they are motivated to take on new roles and competencies, so they can ensure their own role in intrapartum care. Final year student midwives recognise that change in the organisation of maternity care is inevitable and have an open attitude towards changes if they include good collaboration, client-centred care and safeguards for normal physiological birth. The graduating

Progesterone promotes maternal-fetal tolerance by reducing human maternal T-cell polyfunctionality and inducing a specific cytokine profile.

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Lissauer, David; Eldershaw, Suzy A; Inman, Charlotte F; Coomarasamy, Aravinthan; Moss, Paul A H; Kilby, Mark D

2015-10-01

Progesterone is a steroid hormone essential for the maintenance of human pregnancy, and its actions are thought to include promoting maternal immune tolerance of the semiallogenic fetus. We report that exposure of maternal T cells to progesterone at physiological doses induced a unique skewing of the cytokine production profile of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, with reductions not only in potentially deleterious IFN-γ and TNF-α production but also in IL-10 and IL-5. Conversely, production of IL-4 was increased. Maternal T cells also became less polyfunctional, focussing cytokine production toward profiles including IL-4. This was accompanied by reduced T-cell proliferation. Using fetal and viral antigen-specific CD8(+) T-cell clones, we confirmed that this as a direct, nonantigen-specific effect. Yet human T cells lacked conventional nuclear progesterone receptors, implicating a membrane progesterone receptor. CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells responded to progesterone in a dose-dependent manner, with subtle effects at concentrations comparable to those in maternal blood, but profound effects at concentrations similar to those at the maternal-fetal interface. This characterization of how progesterone modulates T-cell function is important in understanding the normal biology of pregnancy and informing the rational use of progesterone therapy in pregnancies at risk of fetal loss. © 2015 The Authors. European Journal of Immunology published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Maternal allergic disease does not affect the phenotype of T and B cells or the immune response to allergens in neonates.

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Rindsjö, E; Joerink, M; Johansson, C; Bremme, K; Malmström, V; Scheynius, A

2010-07-01

It is hypothesized that the in utero environment in allergic mothers can affect the neonatal immune responses. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of maternal allergic disease on cord blood mononuclear cell (CBMC) phenotype and proliferative responses upon allergen stimulation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 12 allergic and 14 nonallergic mothers and CBMC from their children were analysed. In the mothers, we determined cell proliferation, production of IL-4 and expression of FOXP3 in response to allergen stimulation. In the children, we evaluated cell proliferation and FOXP3 expression following allergen stimulation. Furthermore, expression of different homing markers on T cells and regulatory T cells and maturity of the T cells and B cell subsets were evaluated directly ex vivo. The timothy- and birch-allergic mothers responded with increased proliferation and/or IL-4 production towards timothy and birch extract, respectively, when compared to nonallergic mothers. This could not be explained by impairment of FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells in the allergic mothers. CBMC proliferation and FOXP3 expression in response to allergens were not affected by the allergic status of the mother. Also, phenotype of T cells, FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells and B cells was not affected by the allergic status of the mother. Our results suggest that maternal allergic disease has no effect on the neonatal response to allergens or the phenotype of neonatal lymphocytes. The factors studied here could, however, still affect later development of allergy.

Cytotoxic potential of decidual NK cells and CD8+ T cells awakened by infections.

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Crespo, Ângela C; van der Zwan, Anita; Ramalho-Santos, João; Strominger, Jack L; Tilburgs, Tamara

2017-02-01

To establish a healthy pregnancy the maternal immune system must tolerate fetal allo-antigens, yet remain competent to respond to infections. The ability of decidual NK cells (dNK) to promote migration of fetal extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) and placental growth as well as the capacity of EVT to promote immune tolerance are topics of high interest and extensive research. However, the problem of how dNK and decidual CD8+ T cells (CD8+ dT) provide immunity to infections of the placenta and the mechanisms that regulate their cytolytic function has thus far largely been ignored. Fetal EVT are the most invasive cells of the placenta and directly interact with maternal decidual immune cells at this maternal-fetal interface. Besides the expression of non-polymorphic HLA-E and HLA-G molecules that are associated with immune tolerance, EVT also express highly polymorphic HLA-C molecules that can serve as targets for maternal dNK and CD8+ dT responses. HLA-C expression by EVT has a dual role as the main molecule to which immune tolerance needs to be established and as the only molecule that can present pathogen-derived peptides and provide protective immunity when EVT are infected. The focus of this review is to address the regulation of cytotoxicity of dNK and CD8+ dT, which is essential for maternal-fetal immune tolerance as well as recent evidence that both cell types can provide immunity to infections at the maternal-fetal interface. A particular emphasis is given to the role of HLA-C expressed by EVT and its capacity to elicit dNK and CD8+ dT responses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence for the essentiality of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid in the postnatal maternal and infant diet for the development of the infant's immune system early in life.

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Richard, Caroline; Lewis, Erin D; Field, Catherine J

2016-05-01

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA), especially the balance between arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids are known to have important immunomodulatory roles during the postnatal period when the immune system is rapidly developing. AA and DHA are required in infant formula in many countries but are optional in North America. The rationale for adding these LCPUFA to full-term formula is based on their presence in breast milk and randomized controlled studies that suggest improved cognitive function in preterm infants, but results are more variable in full-term infants. Recently, the European Food Safety Authority has proposed, based on a lack of functional evidence, that AA is not required in infant formula for full-term infants during the first year of life but DHA should remain mandatory. The purpose of this review is to review the evidence from epidemiological and intervention studies regarding the essentiality of AA and DHA in the postnatal infant and maternal diet (breast-feeding) for the immune system development early in life. Although studies support the essentiality of DHA for the immune system development, more research is needed to rule out the essentiality of AA. Nevertheless, intervention studies have demonstrated improvement in many markers of immune function in infants fed formula supplemented with AA and DHA compared with unsupplemented formula, which appears to consistently result in beneficial health outcomes including reduction in the risk of developing allergic and atopic disease early in life.

Global Immunizations: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Worldwide.

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Macintosh, Janelle L B; Eden, Lacey M; Luthy, Karlen E; Schouten, Aimee E

Immunizations are one of the most important health interventions of the 20th century, yet people in many areas of the world do not receive adequate immunizations. Approximately 3 million people worldwide die every year from vaccine-preventable diseases; about half of these deaths are young children and infants. Global travel is more common; diseases that were once localized now can be found in communities around the world. Multiple barriers to immunizations have been identified. Healthcare access, cost, and perceptions of safety and trust in healthcare are factors that have depressed global immunization rates. Several global organizations have focused on addressing these barriers as part of their efforts to increase immunization rates. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Health Organization, and the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund each have a part of their organization that is concentrated on immunizations. Maternal child nurses worldwide can assist in increasing immunization rates. Nurses can participate in outreach programs to ease the burden of patients and families in accessing immunizations. Nurses can work with local and global organizations to make immunizations more affordable. Nurses can improve trust and knowledge about immunizations in their local communities. Nurses are a powerful influence in the struggle to increase immunization rates, which is a vital aspect of global health promotion and disease prevention.

Girls Who Perceive Themselves as Competent: Some Antecedents and Correlates

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Baruch, Grace K.

1976-01-01

Self-perceptions of competence of white, middle-class fifth- and tenth-grade girls were examined in relation to (a) maternal variables and (b) self-esteem and anticipated role pattern (career aspirations and desired family size). Subjects were 79 fifth-graders and 51 of their mothers, and 49 tenth-graders and 38 of their mothers. Results are…

CMV immune evasion and manipulation of the immune system with aging.

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Jackson, Sarah E; Redeker, Anke; Arens, Ramon; van Baarle, Debbie; van den Berg, Sara P H; Benedict, Chris A; Čičin-Šain, Luka; Hill, Ann B; Wills, Mark R

2017-06-01

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encodes numerous proteins and microRNAs that function to evade the immune response and allow the virus to replicate and disseminate in the face of a competent innate and acquired immune system. The establishment of a latent infection by CMV, which if completely quiescent at the level of viral gene expression would represent an ultimate in immune evasion strategies, is not sufficient for lifelong persistence and dissemination of the virus. CMV needs to reactivate and replicate in a lytic cycle of infection in order to disseminate further, which occurs in the face of a fully primed secondary immune response. Without reactivation, latency itself would be redundant for the virus. It is also becoming clear that latency is not a totally quiescent state, but is characterized by limited viral gene expression. Therefore, the virus also needs immune evasion strategies during latency. An effective immune response to CMV is required or viral replication will cause morbidity and ultimately mortality in the host. There is clearly a complex balance between virus immune evasion and host immune recognition over a lifetime. This poses the important question of whether long-term evasion or manipulation of the immune response driven by CMV is detrimental to health. In this meeting report, three groups used the murine model of CMV (MCMV) to examine if the contribution of the virus to immune senescence is set by the (i) initial viral inoculum, (ii) inflation of T cell responses, (iii) or the balance between functionally distinct effector CD4+ T cells. The work of other groups studying the CMV response in humans is discussed. Their work asks whether the ability to make immune responses to new antigens is compromised by (i) age and HCMV carriage, (ii) long-term exposure to HCMV giving rise to an overall immunosuppressive environment and increased levels of latent virus, or (iii) adapted virus mutants (used as potential vaccines) that have the capacity to

Maternal vitamin A supplementation and immunity to malaria in pregnancy in Ghanaian primigravids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cox, Sharon E; Staalsoe, Trine; Arthur, Paul

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND: Vitamin A supplementation is believed to enhance immune responses to infection but few studies have assessed its effects on anti-malarial immunity, especially during pregnancy when women are at increased risk from both vitamin A deficiency and pregnancy-associated malaria. The patholo......BACKGROUND: Vitamin A supplementation is believed to enhance immune responses to infection but few studies have assessed its effects on anti-malarial immunity, especially during pregnancy when women are at increased risk from both vitamin A deficiency and pregnancy-associated malaria...... in vitro (anti-VSACSA IgG or anti-VSA IgG). Placental malarial infection was determined by placental blood smear and histology. RESULTS: Vitamin A supplementation was non-significantly associated with a decreased risk of active or chronic-active placental malarial infection compared to past, resolved...

Population growth changes targets for immunization.

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Tuljapurkar, S; John, A M

1995-01-01

The faster the rate of population growth in developing countries, the less likely it is that current protocols for immunization against measles, rubella, and mumps will eradicate these childhood diseases. Standard protocols (timing, percentage of children to be immunized) do not take into account the rapid rates of population growth in developing countries (3.0% per year on average in sub-Saharan Africa and 2.0% in the rest of Africa, in Latin America, and in Asia, excluding China). Most public health planning models in this area were created based on static infant populations. The World Health Organization advises vaccinating at least 85% of children aged 6 to 9 months, a 3-month immunization window during which maternal antibodies are low (so the vaccination takes) and herd immunity is high (the probability that a child will encounter the disease is low because most children have been immunized). In practice, the immunization window in developing countries is 1 year or more. More susceptible children are present than assumed by the models. A larger number of susceptible babies are added each year during rapid population growth. As the age range for immunization widens, a higher percentage of children must be vaccinated to eradicate disease (chart). The proportion of each birth cohort that must be immunized rises as the population growth rate increases. At zero population growth, 94% must be vaccinated; at population growth rates greater than 3%, 98% must be vaccinated.

Nutrition, immune function and health of dairy cattle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingvartsen, Klaus Lønne; Moyes, Kasey

2013-01-01

not seem to be improved. Earlier reviews have covered critical periods such as the transition period in the cow and its influence on health and immune function, the interplay between the endocrine system and the immune system and nutrition and immune function. Knowledge on these topics is crucial for our......) on immune function, and to give perspectives for prevention of diseases in the dairy cow through nutrition. To a large extent, the health problems during the periparturient period relate to cows having difficulty in adapting to the nutrient needs for lactation. This may result in PI, a situation where...... the regulatory mechanisms are insufficient for the animals to function optimally leading to a high risk of a complex of digestive, metabolic and infectious problems. The risk of infectious diseases will be increased if the immune competence is reduced. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the immune response...

Association of Childhood Obesity and the Immune System: A Systematic Review of Reviews.

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Kelishadi, Roya; Roufarshbaf, Mohammad; Soheili, Sina; Payghambarzadeh, Farzaneh; Masjedi, Mohsen

2017-08-01

The growing prevalence of childhood obesity has become a serious health problem over the past decades. As the immune system is greatly affected by excess weight, in this review of reviews, we discuss the findings of review articles about the relationship between childhood/maternal obesity and children's immune system. We searched English-language articles in PubMed, Scopus, ISI Thomson Reuters, and Google Scholar databases. All relevant reviews, either systematic or narrative, were retrieved. Then their quality was assessed by using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews and International Narrative Systematic Assessment tools, respectively. In the final step, 26 reviews were included. Our review suggests that childhood obesity is associated with extensive changes in the serum levels of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and proteins, as well as the number of immune cells and their behavior. Therefore, it might cause or exacerbate diseases such as asthma, allergy, atopic dermatitis (AD), and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Moreover, childhood obesity may reduce the immune system responsiveness to vaccines and microorganisms. Furthermore, studies suggest that maternal obesity increases the risk of asthma in offspring. Future studies are needed to determine different associations of childhood obesity with allergy, atophic dermatitis, and autoimmune diseases.

The development of national competency standards for the midwife in Australia.

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Homer, Caroline S E; Passant, Lyn; Kildea, Sue; Pincombe, Jan; Thorogood, Carol; Leap, Nicky; Brodie, Pat M

2007-12-01

to develop and validate national competency standards for midwives in Australia. This study was part of a commissioned national research project to articulate the scope of practice of Australian midwives and to develop national competency standards to assist midwives to deliver safe and competent midwifery care. a multi-method, staged approach was used to collect data through a literature review, workshop consultations, interviews, surveys and written submissions in order to develop national competency standards for Australian midwives. Subsequently, direct observation of practice in a range of settings ensured validation of the competencies. maternity-care settings in each state and territory in Australia. midwives, other health professionals and consumers of midwifery care. The national competency standards for the midwife were developed through research and consultation before being validated in practice. the national competency standards are currently being implemented into education, regulation and practice in Australia. These will be minimum competency standards required of all midwives who seek authority to practise as a midwife in Australia. It is expected that all midwives will demonstrate that they are able to meet the competency standards relevant to the position they hold. the competency standards establish a national standard for midwives and reinforce responsibility and accountability in the provision of quality midwifery care through safe and effective practice. In addition, individual midwives may use the competency standards as the basis of their ongoing professional development plans.

The association of maternal social factors and antenatal care with ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Zinc is a crucial micronutrient in early childhood survival and the development of innate and acquired immunity. The objective is to determine the relationship between of maternal social class and antenatal care to serum zinc level in newborns in a tertiary and a rural hospital. It is prospective study using questionnaires on ...

The maternal serological response to intrauterine Ureaplasma sp. infection and prediction of risk of preterm birth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Demelza Jane Ireland

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Preterm birth (PTB associated with intrauterine infection and inflammation (IUI is the major cause of early PTB less than 32 weeks gestation. Ureaplasma sp. are common commensals of the urogenital tract in pregnancy and are the most commonly identified microorganism in amniotic fluid of preterm pregnancies. While we have an understanding of the causal relationship between intraamniotic infection, inflammation and PTB, we are still unable to explain why vaginal Ureaplasma colonization is tolerated in some women but causes PTB in others. It is now known that placental tissues are frequently colonized by bacteria even in apparently healthy pregnancies delivered at term; usually this occurs in the absence of a significant local inflammatory response. It appears, therefore, that the site, nature and magnitude of the immune response to infiltrating microorganisms is key in determining pregnancy outcome. Some evidence exists that the maternal serological response to Ureaplasma sp. colonization may be predictive of adverse pregnancy outcome, although issues such as the importance of virulence factors (serovars and the timing, magnitude and functional consequences of the immune response await clarification. This mini-review discusses the evidence linking the maternal immune response to risk of PTB and the potential applications of maternal serological analysis for predicting obstetric outcome.

Comparative immune phenotypic analysis of cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Intraepidermal Carcinoma in immune-competent individuals: proportional representation of CD8+ T-cells but not FoxP3+ Regulatory T-cells is associated with disease stage.

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Andrew Freeman

Full Text Available Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC is a type of non-melanoma skin cancer prevalent in immune-suppressed transplant recipients and older individuals with a history of chronic sun-exposure. SCC itself is believed to be a late-stage manifestation that can develop from premalignant lesions including Intraepidermal Carcinoma (IEC. Notably, while SCC regression is rare, IEC typically regresses in response to immune modifying topical treatments, however the underlying immunological reasons for these differential responses remain unclear. This study aimed to define whether IEC and SCC are associated with distinct immune profiles. We investigated the immune cell infiltrate of photo-damaged skin, IEC, and SCC tissue using 10-colour flow cytometry following fresh lesion digest. We found that IEC lesions contain higher percentages of CD3+ T-cells than photo-damaged skin, however, the abundance of CD3-CD56+ Natural Killer (NK cells, CD11c+HLA-DR+ conventional Dendritic Cells (cDC, BDCA-2+HLA-DR+ plasmacytoid DC (pDC, FoxP3+ Regulatory T-cells (T-reg, Vα24+Vβ11+ invariant NKT-cells, and γδ Tcells did not alter with disease stage. Within the total T-cell population, high percentages of CD4+ T-cells were associated with SCC, yet CD8+ T-cells were less abundant in SCC compared with IEC. Our study demonstrates that while IEC lesions contain a higher proportion of T-cells than SCC lesions in general, SCC lesions specifically display a lower abundance of CD8+ T-cells than IEC. We propose that differences in CD8+ T-cell abundance contribute critically to the different capacity of SCC and IEC to regress in response to immune modifying topical treatments. Our study also suggests that a high ratio of CD4+ T-cells to CD8+ T-cells may be a immunological diagnostic indicator of late-stage SCC development in immune-competent patients.

A review of cultural influence on maternal mortality in the developing world.

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Evans, Emily C

2013-05-01

identify research examining the effect of culture on maternal mortality rates. literature review of CINAHL, Cochrane, PsychInfo, OVID Medline and Web of Science databases. developing countries with typically higher rates of maternal mortality. women, birth attendants, family members, nurse midwives, health-care workers, and community members. reviews, qualitative and mixed-methods research have identified components of culture that have a direct impact on maternal mortality. Examples of culture are given in the text and categorised according to the way in which they impact maternal mortality. cultural customs, practices, beliefs and values profoundly influence women's behaviours during the perinatal period and in some cases increase the likelihood of maternal death in childbirth. The four ways in which culture may increase MMR are as follows: directly harmful acts, inaction, use of care and social status. understanding the specifics of how the culture surrounding childbirth contributes to maternal mortality can assist nurses, midwives and other health-care workers in providing culturally competent care and designing effective programs to help decrease MMR, especially in the developing world. Interventions designed without accounting for these cultural factors are likely to be less effective in reducing maternal mortality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The placental barrier in allogenic immune conflict in spontaneous early abortions: immunohistochemical and morphological study.

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Gurevich, Pavel; Elhayany, Asher; Milovanov, Andrey P; Halperin, Reuvit; Kaganovsky, Ella; Zusman, Itzhak; Ben-Hur, Herzel

2007-11-01

Morphologic changes in the placental barrier in spontaneous early abortions under the maternal-embryonic immune conflict, and the role of maternal immunoglobulins (Igs) in these changes. We examined chorionic villi and other tissues obtained from 54 aborts between weeks 3.5 and 8 of pregnancy. Material was divided into two groups. Group 1 (control) contained 15 medically recommended and spontaneous early aborts with no signs of inflammations or pathologic immune processes. Group 2 contained 39 spontaneous early aborts with acute chorionic villitis. Immunohistochemical and morphometric methods were used to study the Igs, different types of immunocompetent cells, and apoptosis-related components of the placental barrier. Acute villitis was found to be characterized by the destruction of all components of the chorionic villi, thrombovasculitis with apoptosis of the endothelium of capillaries and erythroblasts, mucous swelling of the basal membrane, and coagulation of the blood proteins. Due to destruction of the capillaries, the number of avasculate villi increased, and the average number of capillaries per villus decreased. The extremely high number of phagolysosomes with IgG and IgA in the villous monocytes in the group 2 indicates an increase in the phagocytic activity of monocytes against maternal Igs and may reflect the presence of mother-embryo immune conflict. Apoptosis of monocytes and a high number of promonocytes were seen accompanied by a high concentration of p53 protein. A large disturbance in the trophoblast occurred with disappearance of bcl-2 and the appearance of Fas ligand. Massive destruction of maternal Igs in embryonic monocytes and acute villitis in the placental barrier are manifested during the mother-embryo immune conflict, and this may be one of the reasons of spontaneous early abortions.

Training pharmacy technicians to administer immunizations.

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McKeirnan, Kimberly C; Frazier, Kyle R; Nguyen, Maryann; MacLean, Linda Garrelts

To evaluate the effectiveness of an immunization training program for pharmacy technicians on technicians' self-reported confidence, knowledge, and number of vaccines administered. A one-group pre- and posttest study was conducted with certified pharmacy technicians from Albertsons and Safeway community pharmacies in Idaho. Thirty pharmacy technicians were recruited to participate in an immunization administration training program comprising a 2-hour home study and a 2-hour live training. Pharmacy technician scores on a 10-question knowledge assessment, responses on a pre- and posttraining survey, and number of immunizations administered in the 6-month period following the training were collected. Twenty-five pharmacy technicians completed the home study and live portions of the immunization training program. All 29 pharmacy technicians who took the home study assessment passed with greater than 70% competency on the first attempt. Technicians self-reported increased confidence with immunization skills between the pretraining survey and the posttraining survey. From December 2016 to May 2017, the technicians administered 953 immunizations with 0 adverse events reported. For the first time, pharmacy technicians have legally administered immunizations in the United States. Trained pharmacy technicians demonstrated knowledge of vaccination procedures and self-reported improved confidence in immunization skills and administered immunizations after participating in a 4-hour training program. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nutritional modulation of the immune response in poultry

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Economic efficiency demanded by the poultry industry has pushed selection towards high production with improved feed conversion ratios (FCR) and high yield; however, selection based heavily on growth characteristics and other phenotypic traits has adversely affected immune competence. Despite incre...

Interleukin 7 from maternal milk crosses the intestinal barrier and modulates T-cell development in offspring.

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Richard Aspinall

Full Text Available Breastfeeding protects against illnesses and death in hazardous environments, an effect partly mediated by improved immune function. One hypothesis suggests that factors within milk supplement the inadequate immune response of the offspring, but this has not been able to account for a series of observations showing that factors within maternally derived milk may supplement the development of the immune system through a direct effect on the primary lymphoid organs. In a previous human study we reported evidence suggesting a link between IL-7 in breast milk and the thymic output of infants. Here we report evidence in mice of direct action of maternally-derived IL-7 on T cell development in the offspring.We have used recombinant IL-7 labelled with a fluorescent dye to trace the movement in live mice of IL-7 from the stomach across the gut and into the lymphoid tissues. To validate the functional ability of maternally derived IL-7 we cross fostered IL-7 knock-out mice onto normal wild type mothers. Subsets of thymocytes and populations of peripheral T cells were significantly higher than those found in knock-out mice receiving milk from IL-7 knock-out mothers.Our study provides direct evidence that interleukin 7, a factor which is critical in the development of T lymphocytes, when maternally derived can transfer across the intestine of the offspring, increase T cell production in the thymus and support the survival of T cells in the peripheral secondary lymphoid tissue.

Current Parental Depression and Offspring Perceived Self-Competence: A Quasi-Experimental Examination

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Class, Quetzal A.; D’Onofrio, Brian M.; Singh, Amber L.; Ganiban, Jody M.; Spotts, E. L.; Lichtenstein, Paul; Reiss, David; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.

2013-01-01

A genetically-informed, quasi-experimental design was used to examine the genetic and environmental processes underlying associations between current parental depressive symptoms and offspring perceived self-competence. Participants, drawn from a population-based Swedish sample, were 852 twin pairs and their male (52%) and female offspring aged 15.7 ± 2.4 years. Parental depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Offspring perceived self-competence was measured using a modified Harter Perceived Competence Scale. Cousin comparisons and Children of Twins (CoT) designs suggested that associations between maternal depressive symptoms and offspring perceived self-competence were due to shared genetic/environmental liability. The mechanism responsible for father-offspring associations, however, was independent of genetic factors and of extended-family environmental factors, supporting a causal inference. Thus, mothers and fathers may impact offspring perceived self-competence via different mechanisms and unmeasured genetic and environmental selection factors must be considered when studying the intergenerational transmission of cognitive vulnerabilities for depression. PMID:22692226

Current parental depression and offspring perceived self-competence: a quasi-experimental examination.

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Class, Quetzal A; D'Onofrio, Brian M; Singh, Amber L; Ganiban, Jody M; Spotts, E L; Lichtenstein, Paul; Reiss, David; Neiderhiser, Jenae M

2012-09-01

A genetically-informed, quasi-experimental design was used to examine the genetic and environmental processes underlying associations between current parental depressive symptoms and offspring perceived self-competence. Participants, drawn from a population-based Swedish sample, were 852 twin pairs and their male (52 %) and female offspring aged 15.7 ± 2.4 years. Parental depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Offspring perceived self-competence was measured using a modified Harter Perceived Competence Scale. Cousin comparisons and Children of Twins designs suggested that associations between maternal depressive symptoms and offspring perceived self-competence were due to shared genetic/environmental liability. The mechanism responsible for father-offspring associations, however, was independent of genetic factors and of extended family environmental factors, supporting a causal inference. Thus, mothers and fathers may impact offspring perceived self-competence via different mechanisms and unmeasured genetic and environmental selection factors must be considered when studying the intergenerational transmission of cognitive vulnerabilities for depression.

Trans-generational Immune Priming Protects the Eggs Only against Gram-Positive Bacteria in the Mealworm Beetle

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Dubuffet, Aurore; Zanchi, Caroline; Boutet, Gwendoline; Moreau, Jérôme; Teixeira, Maria; Moret, Yannick

2015-01-01

In many vertebrates and invertebrates, offspring whose mothers have been exposed to pathogens can exhibit increased levels of immune activity and/or increased survival to infection. Such phenomena, called “Trans-generational immune priming” (TGIP) are expected to provide immune protection to the offspring. As the offspring and their mother may share the same environment, and consequently similar microbial threats, we expect the immune molecules present in the progeny to be specific to the microbes that immune challenged the mother. We provide evidence in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor that the antimicrobial activity found in the eggs is only active against Gram-positive bacteria, even when females were exposed to Gram-negative bacteria or fungi. Fungi were weak inducers of TGIP while we obtained similar levels of anti-Gram-positive activity using different bacteria for the maternal challenge. Furthermore, we have identified an antibacterial peptide from the defensin family, the tenecin 1, which spectrum of activity is exclusively directed toward Gram-positive bacteria as potential contributor to this antimicrobial activity. We conclude that maternal transfer of antimicrobial activity in the eggs of T. molitor might have evolved from persistent Gram-positive bacterial pathogens between insect generations. PMID:26430786

Trans-generational Immune Priming Protects the Eggs Only against Gram-Positive Bacteria in the Mealworm Beetle.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aurore Dubuffet

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In many vertebrates and invertebrates, offspring whose mothers have been exposed to pathogens can exhibit increased levels of immune activity and/or increased survival to infection. Such phenomena, called "Trans-generational immune priming" (TGIP are expected to provide immune protection to the offspring. As the offspring and their mother may share the same environment, and consequently similar microbial threats, we expect the immune molecules present in the progeny to be specific to the microbes that immune challenged the mother. We provide evidence in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor that the antimicrobial activity found in the eggs is only active against Gram-positive bacteria, even when females were exposed to Gram-negative bacteria or fungi. Fungi were weak inducers of TGIP while we obtained similar levels of anti-Gram-positive activity using different bacteria for the maternal challenge. Furthermore, we have identified an antibacterial peptide from the defensin family, the tenecin 1, which spectrum of activity is exclusively directed toward Gram-positive bacteria as potential contributor to this antimicrobial activity. We conclude that maternal transfer of antimicrobial activity in the eggs of T. molitor might have evolved from persistent Gram-positive bacterial pathogens between insect generations.

Role of PD1/PDL1 pathway, and TH17 and treg cells in maternal tolerance to the fetus

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Sudipta Tripathi

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Tolerance of the fetus by the maternal immune system is regulated through various mechanisms involving the different immune cells, both in the periphery and locally at the feto-maternal interface. The maternal T lymphocytes are aware of the paternal fetal antigens and a state of dynamic T cell homeostasis is maintained in the uterus during gestation, which involves increase in antigen-specific regulatory T cell (Treg proliferation, increase in apoptosis of antigen-specific effector T cells, and inhibition of excessive inflammation post successful implantation to ensure tolerance to the fetus. The Tregs play an important role in the maintenance of tolerance during gestation. Recently, the inflammatory T helper type 17 (Th17 cells are reported to have a role in loss of tolerance to the fetus. The interaction between costimulatory molecule programmed death 1 (PD1 and its ligand PDL1 is known to play a role in regulating both the Tregs and Th17 cells. Here we discuss how the PD1/PDL1 pathway affects these two T cell populations and its role in feto-maternal tolerance.

Coverage And Efficacy Of Measles Immunization In Rural Areas Of Aligarh

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Z Khan

1997-12-01

Full Text Available Research Problem: How effective isthemeasles immu­nization programme in rural areas? Objectives: i To determine the vaccine coverage in eligible children. ii To estimate the seropositivity in immunized children iii To assess the decline in maternal antibody levels in 0 - 9 months old children. iv To study the socio - cultural variables in the study area. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Setting: Registered villages under Rural Health Train­ing Centre (RHTC, Jawan Block, Aligarh. Participants: Children in 0 - 5 yearrs age group, from 2104 house holds by systematic random sampling. Sample size: 456 children in 0 - 5 years age group. Study Variables: Age, sex, immunization status, measles antibody, type of family, overcrowding, literacy status of parents, occupation of parents. Statistical Analysis: By proportions. Result: 0-5 years age group made up 13.7% of the population. Most of the families belonged to lowe socio-economic groups. Measles immunization coveage was 64.5% with sero conversion in 96.5% children while failure rate of ya&tyne was 3.5%. Maternal mealses antibody level showed linear decline with age from 100% at 0 - 3 months to 1 8.4% at 6 - 9 months

A mixed methods study to develop and pilot a competency assessment tool to support midwifery care of women with intellectual disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Beake, Sarah; Clark, Louise L; Turner, Toni; Bick, Debra

2013-08-01

Recent reports have highlighted the poor quality of health care received by people with intellectual disabilities (otherwise known as 'learning disabilities') in the United Kingdom (UK). UK Confidential Enquiries into maternal deaths have highlighted adverse pregnancy outcomes for women with intellectual disabilities and need for timely and appropriate clinical care. To develop and test a competency assessment tool to support midwifery care of women with intellectual disabilities. A mixed methods study. Large inner city maternity unit. Midwives and key experts in intellectual disabilities, maternity policy and midwifery education. Phase one comprised a systematic narrative review of the literature. Evidence identified informed phase two which included focus groups and interviews. Emergent themes informed the development of a competency assessment tool which was piloted in phase three. Phase one: Four primary research papers and two systematic reviews met the review inclusion criteria. Support to develop parenting skills of women with intellectual disabilities was highlighted as was the need to optimise organisation of maternity services. No studies specifically considered midwifery competencies to support women with intellectual disabilities. Phase two: 23 midwives attended three focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with national leaders in intellectual disability (n=6) and midwifery policy and education (n=7). Themes identified included need for individualised care provided by a known midwife, the importance of effective communication skills and need for clear knowledge and understanding of the legislative framework relevant to intellectual disability. Phase three: A convenience sample of 60 midwives was asked to participate in a pilot study to test the tool, 46 (77%) of whom responded. Thirty midwives (65%) felt competent in their ability to recognise intellectual disability and 37 (80%) competent or expert in understanding women have the right

The Maternal Serological Response to Intrauterine Ureaplasma sp. Infection and Prediction of Risk of Pre-Term Birth

Science.gov (United States)

Ireland, Demelza J.; Keelan, Jeffrey A.

2014-01-01

Pre-term birth (PTB) associated with intrauterine infection and inflammation (IUI) is the major cause of early PTB less than 32 weeks of gestation. Ureaplasma spp. are common commensals of the urogenital tract in pregnancy and are the most commonly identified microorganisms in amniotic fluid of pre-term pregnancies. While we have an understanding of the causal relationship between intra-amniotic infection, inflammation and PTB, we are still unable to explain why vaginal Ureaplasma sp. colonization is tolerated in some women but causes PTB in others. It is now known that placental tissues are frequently colonized by bacteria even in apparently healthy pregnancies delivered at term; usually this occurs in the absence of a significant local inflammatory response. It appears, therefore, that the site, nature, and magnitude of the immune response to infiltrating microorganisms are key in determining pregnancy outcome. Some evidence exists that the maternal serological response to Ureaplasma sp. colonization may be predictive of adverse pregnancy outcome, although issues such as the importance of virulence factors (serovars) and the timing, magnitude, and functional consequences of the immune response await clarification. This mini-review discusses the evidence linking the maternal immune response to risk of PTB and the potential applications of maternal serological analysis for predicting obstetric outcome. PMID:25538708

Toddler socioemotional behavior in a northern plains Indian tribe: associations with maternal psychosocial well-being.

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Frankel, Karen A; Croy, Calvin D; Kubicek, Lorraine F; Emde, Robert N; Mitchell, Christina M; Spicer, Paul

2014-01-01

M.C. Sarche, C.D. Croy, C. Big Crow, C. Mitchell, and P. Spicer (2009) provided first-ever information relating the socioemotional development of American Indian toddlers to the immediate context of their mothers' lives. The current study sought to replicate and build on their earlier work by examining the impact of additional maternal risk factors, identified in previous research with non-American Indian populations, on the development of American Indian toddlers: maternal depression, negative social influences, and mother's feelings of isolation. At 27 months, American Indian mothers (N = 110) completed the Parent Demographic Questionnaire, which measured maternal psychosocial characteristics (e.g., depressed affect, social support, drug and alcohol use, isolation) and demographics. Mothers also completed the Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (A.S. Carter & M.J. Briggs-Gowan, 2006) and the Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale of the Parenting Stress Index (R.R. Abidin, 1995, 1997). Some results replicated the original study, but others did not. Reports of a dysfunctional mother-child relationship related to externalizing and internalizing problems, replicating the earlier study. This study also found associations between a dysfunctional mother-child relationship and socioemotional competence as well as dysregulation. The previous finding of a relationship between American Indian identity and socioemotional competence was supported. Adding the effects of maternal depressed affect and isolation significantly increased prediction of toddler behavior problems. © 2013 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Galectin-1 influences trophoblast immune evasion and emerges as a predictive factor for the outcome of pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tirado-González, Irene; Freitag, Nancy; Barrientos, Gabriela; Shaikly, Valerie; Nagaeva, Olga; Strand, Magnus; Kjellberg, Lennart; Klapp, Burghard F; Mincheva-Nilsson, Lucia; Cohen, Marie; Blois, Sandra M

2013-01-01

Galectin-1 (gal-1) is expressed at the feto-maternal interface and plays a role in regulating the maternal immune response against placental alloantigens, contributing to pregnancy maintenance. Both decidua and placenta contribute to gal-1 expression and may be important for the maternal immune regulation. The expression of gal-1 within the placenta is considered relevant to cell-adhesion and invasion of trophoblasts, but the role of gal-1 in the immune evasion machinery exhibited by trophoblast cells remains to be elucidated. In this study, we analyzed gal-1 expression in preimplantation human embryos and first-trimester decidua-placenta specimens and serum gal-1 levels to investigate the physiological role played by this lectin during pregnancy. The effect on human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) expression in response to stimulation or silencing of gal-1 was also determined in the human invasive, proliferative extravillous cytotrophoblast 65 (HIPEC65) cell line. Compared with normal pregnant women, circulating gal-1 levels were significantly decreased in patients who subsequently suffered a miscarriage. Human embryos undergoing preimplantation development expressed gal-1 on the trophectoderm and inner cell mass. Furthermore, our in vitro experiments showed that exogenous gal-1 positively regulated the membrane-bound HLA-G isoforms (HLA-G1 and G2) in HIPEC65 cells, whereas endogenous gal-1 also induced expression of the soluble isoforms (HLA-G5 and -G6). Our results suggest that gal-1 plays a key role in pregnancy maternal immune regulation by modulating HLA-G expression on trophoblast cells. Circulating gal-1 levels could serve as a predictive factor for pregnancy success in early human gestation.

Prenatal stress, immunity and neonatal health in farm animal species.

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Merlot, E; Quesnel, H; Prunier, A

2013-12-01

The high pre-weaning mortality in farm animal species and poor welfare conditions of reproductive females question modern industrial farming acceptability. A growing body of literature has been produced recently, investigating the impact of maternal stress during gestation on maternal and offspring physiology and behavior in farm animals. Until now, the possible impact of prenatal stress on neonatal health, growth and survival could not be consistently demonstrated, probably because experimental studies use small numbers of animals and thus do not allow accurate estimations. However, the data from literature synthesized in the present review show that in ungulates, maternal stress can sometimes alter important maternal parameters of neonatal survival such as colostrum production (ruminants) and maternal care to the newborn (pigs). Furthermore, maternal stress during gestation can affect maternal immune system and impair her health, which can have an impact on the transfer of pathogens from the mother to her fetus or neonate. Finally, prenatal stress can decrease the ability of the neonate to absorb colostral immunoglobulins, and alter its inflammatory response and lymphocyte functions during the first few weeks of life. Cortisol and reproductive hormones in the case of colostrogenesis are pointed out as possible hormonal mediators. Field data and epidemiological studies are needed to quantify the role of maternal welfare problems in neonatal health and survival.

Duration of Maternal Antibodies against Canine Distemper Virus and Hendra Virus in Pteropid Bats

Science.gov (United States)

Zambrana-Torrelio, Carlos; Middleton, Deborah; Barr, Jennifer A.; DuBovi, Edward; Boyd, Victoria; Pope, Brian; Todd, Shawn; Crameri, Gary; Walsh, Allyson; Pelican, Katey; Fielder, Mark D.; Davies, Angela J.; Wang, Lin-Fa; Daszak, Peter

2013-01-01

Old World frugivorous bats have been identified as natural hosts for emerging zoonotic viruses of significant public health concern, including henipaviruses (Nipah and Hendra virus), Ebola virus, and Marburg virus. Epidemiological studies of these viruses in bats often utilize serology to describe viral dynamics, with particular attention paid to juveniles, whose birth increases the overall susceptibility of the population to a viral outbreak once maternal immunity wanes. However, little is understood about bat immunology, including the duration of maternal antibodies in neonates. Understanding duration of maternally derived immunity is critical for characterizing viral dynamics in bat populations, which may help assess the risk of spillover to humans. We conducted two separate studies of pregnant Pteropus bat species and their offspring to measure the half-life and duration of antibodies to 1) canine distemper virus antigen in vaccinated captive Pteropus hypomelanus; and 2) Hendra virus in wild-caught, naturally infected Pteropus alecto. Both of these pteropid bat species are known reservoirs for henipaviruses. We found that in both species, antibodies were transferred from dam to pup. In P. hypomelanus pups, titers against CDV waned over a mean period of 228.6 days (95% CI: 185.4–271.8) and had a mean terminal phase half-life of 96.0 days (CI 95%: 30.7–299.7). In P. alecto pups, antibodies waned over 255.13 days (95% CI: 221.0–289.3) and had a mean terminal phase half-life of 52.24 days (CI 95%: 33.76–80.83). Each species showed a duration of transferred maternal immunity of between 7.5 and 8.5 months, which was longer than has been previously estimated. These data will allow for more accurate interpretation of age-related Henipavirus serological data collected from wild pteropid bats. PMID:23826322

Health. Nevada Competency-Based Adult High School Diploma Project.

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Nevada Univ., Las Vegas. Coll. of Education.

This document is one of ten curriculum guides developed by the Nevada Competency-Based Adult High School Diploma (CBAHSD) Project. This curriculum guide on health is divided into ten topics. The topics included are Nutrition, Reproduction, Menstruation, Contraception, Alcohol Abuse, Tobacco, Immunization, Disease, Accident Prevention, and…

IgG levels in mother-father-cord trios: evidence for a large reduction of maternal IgG at birth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, R C; Gershowitz, H

1979-01-01

Cord plasmas have a higher concentration of IgG than do the mothers, although autologous, fetal immunoglobulin G is only a small fraction of the neonate's complement. Maternal IgG levels are significantly lower than the nonpregnant adult female, a loss of about one third, which cannot be explained completely by maternal immunization of the fetus.

Hepatitis C Virus Sensing by Human Trophoblasts Induces Innate Immune Responses and Recruitment of Maternal NK Cells: Potential Implications for Limiting Vertical Transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Giugliano, Silvia; Petroff, Margaret G; Warren, Bryce D; Jasti, Susmita; Linscheid, Caitlin; Ward, Ashley; Kramer, Anita; Dobrinskikh, Evgenia; Sheiko, Melissa A; Gale, Michael; Golden-Mason, Lucy; Winn, Virginia D; Rosen, Hugo R

2015-10-15

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the world's most common blood-borne viral infection for which there is no vaccine. The rates of vertical transmission range between 3 and 6% with odds 90% higher in the presence of HIV coinfection. Prevention of vertical transmission is not possible because of lack of an approved therapy for use in pregnancy or an effective vaccine. Recently, HCV has been identified as an independent risk factor for preterm delivery, perinatal mortality, and other complications. In this study, we characterized the immune responses that contribute to the control of viral infection at the maternal-fetal interface (MFI) in the early gestational stages. In this study, we show that primary human trophoblast cells and an extravillous trophoblast cell line (HTR8), from first and second trimester of pregnancy, express receptors relevant for HCV binding/entry and are permissive for HCV uptake. We found that HCV-RNA sensing by human trophoblast cells induces robust upregulation of type I/III IFNs and secretion of multiple chemokines that elicit recruitment and activation of decidual NK cells. Furthermore, we observed that HCV-RNA transfection induces a proapoptotic response within HTR8 that could affect the morphology of the placenta. To our knowledge, for the first time, we demonstrate that HCV-RNA sensing by human trophoblast cells elicits a strong antiviral response that alters the recruitment and activation of innate immune cells at the MFI. This work provides a paradigm shift in our understanding of HCV-specific immunity at the MFI as well as novel insights into mechanisms that limit vertical transmission but may paradoxically lead to virus-related pregnancy complications. Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

The role of agri-business incentive on under-five child immunization ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A multinomial logistic regression model used to analyze the determinant of partial or noneimmunized. Maternal health practices and access to a motivating intervention are significant factors that ensure a parent/guardian's compliance to their child immunization. The study recommends sustainability and diversification of ...

Maternal smoking and the retinoid pathway in the developing lung

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Manoli Sara E

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Maternal smoking is a risk factor for pediatric lung disease, including asthma. Animal models suggest that maternal smoking causes defective alveolarization in the offspring. Retinoic acid signaling modulates both lung development and postnatal immune function. Thus, abnormalities in this pathway could mediate maternal smoking effects. We tested whether maternal smoking disrupts retinoic acid pathway expression and functioning in a murine model. Methods Female C57Bl/6 mice with/without mainstream cigarette smoke exposure (3 research cigarettes a day, 5 days a week were mated to nonsmoking males. Cigarette smoke exposure continued throughout the pregnancy and after parturition. Lung tissue from the offspring was examined by mean linear intercept analysis and by quantitative PCR. Cell culture experiments using the type II cell-like cell line, A549, tested whether lipid-soluble cigarette smoke components affected binding and activation of retinoic acid response elements in vitro. Results Compared to tobacco-naïve mice, juvenile mice with tobacco toxin exposure had significantly (P  Conclusions A murine model of maternal cigarette smoking causes abnormal alveolarization in association with altered retinoic acid pathway element expression in the offspring. An in vitro cell culture model shows that lipid-soluble components of cigarette smoke decrease retinoic acid response element activation. It is feasible that disruption of retinoic acid signaling contributes to the pediatric lung dysfunction caused by maternal smoking.

Variant-specific immunity to Plasmodium berghei in pregnant mice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Megnekou, Rosette; Hviid, Lars; Staalsoe, Trine

2009-01-01

for recrudescence-type IEs are related to the protection of pregnant mice from maternal anemia, low birth weight, and decreased litter size. We conclude that the model replicates many of the key parasitological and immunological features of PAM, although the P. berghei genome does not encode proteins homologous...... to the P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 adhesins, which are of key importance in P. falciparum malaria. The study of P. berghei malaria in pregnant, immune mice can be used to gain significant new insights regarding malaria pathogenesis and immunity in general and regarding PAM in particular....

Three cases of neonatal tetanus in Papua New Guinea lead to development of national action plan for maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination.

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Datta, Siddharta Sankar; Barnabas, Roland; Sitther, Adeline; Guarenti, Laura; Toikilik, Steven; Kariwiga, Grace; Sui, Gerard Pai

2013-01-01

Maternal or neonatal tetanus causes deaths primarily in Asia and Africa and is usually the result of poor hygiene during delivery. In 2011, three neonatal tetanus cases were investigated in Papua New Guinea, and all three cases were delivered at home by untrained assistants. The babies were normal at birth but subsequently developed spasms. A neonatal tetanus case must be viewed as a sentinel event indicating a failure of public health services including immunization, antenatal care and delivery care. The confirmation of these cases led to the drafting of the Papua New Guinea National Action Plan for Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination. This included three rounds of a tetanus toxoid supplementary immunization campaign targeting women of childbearing age (WBCA) and strengthening of other clean delivery practices. The first immunization round was conducted in April and May 2012, targeting 1.6 million WBCA and achieved coverage of 77%. The government of Papua New Guinea should ensure detailed investigation of all neonatal tetanus cases reported in the health information system and perform subprovincial analysis of tetanus toxoid coverage following completion of all three immunization rounds. Efforts also should be made to strengthen clean delivery practices to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus in Papua New Guinea.

Three cases of neonatal tetanus in Papua New Guinea lead to development of national action plan for maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination

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Grace Kariwiga

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Maternal or neonatal tetanus causes deaths primarily in Asia and Africa and is usually the result of poor hygiene during delivery. In 2011, three neonatal tetanus cases were investigated in Papua New Guinea, and all three cases were delivered at home by untrained assistants. The babies were normal at birth but subsequently developed spasms. A neonatal tetanus case must be viewed as a sentinel event indicating a failure of public health services including immunization, antenatal care and delivery care. The confirmation of these cases led to the drafting of the Papua New Guinea National Action Plan for Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination. This included three rounds of a tetanus toxoid supplementary immunization campaign targeting women of childbearing age (WBCA and strengthening of other clean delivery practices. The first immunization round was conducted in April and May 2012, targeting 1.6 million WBCA and achieved coverage of 77%. The government of Papua New Guinea should ensure detailed investigation of all neonatal tetanus cases reported in the health information system and perform sub-provincial analysis of tetanus toxoid coverage following completion of all three immunization rounds. Efforts also should be made to strengthen clean delivery practices to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus in Papua New Guinea.

[Trophoblast: conductor of the maternal immune tolerance].

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Mesdag, V; Salzet, M; Vinatier, D

2014-11-01

Pregnancy is a temporary semi-allograft that survives for nine months. The importance of this event for the survival of the species justifies several tolerance mechanisms that are put into place at the beginning of pregnancy, some of which occur even at the time of implantation. The description of these mechanisms underlines the leadership of the trophoblast. The trophoblast is the conductor of the events, protects himself by expressing specific antigens and regulates the environment of the decidua according to the calendar of the events of the pregnancy The trophoblast and the decidual environment attract the effectors of immunity, almost all present in the decidua. The immunological atmosphere of the decidua evolves during the pregnancy modulating the level of activation of the immunological cells and adapting the level of activation to the stage of the pregnancy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Supplemental fish oil does not alter immune competence or the pathophysiological response to an intramammary infusion of endotoxin in peri-partum multiparous Holstein cows.

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Ballou, Michael A; Gomes, Rodrigo C; DePeters, Edward J

2009-05-01

The objective was to determine the effects of supplementing the diet with fish oil during the peri-partum period on the immune competence and the pathophysiological response to a lipopolysaccharide-induced mastitis challenge. Multiparous Holstein cows (n=30) were completely randomized to one of two treatments at 3 weeks pre-partum. Treatments differed only in the source of supplemental lipid and included either Energy Booster or fish oil. Treatment diets were fed from -21 d relative to expected date of parturition until 10 d post partum. Treatments were fed as a bolus prior to the a.m. feeding. The dose of lipid during the pre-partum period was 250 g/d, whereas the amount of lipid supplemented post partum was adjusted to the level of intake, approximately 0.92% of the previous day's dry matter intake. Ex-vivo analyses of immune competence were measured including the antimicrobial activity of whole blood against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Candida albicans as well as the production of interferon-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cultures. At 7 days in milk cows were infused with 100 microg of Esch. coli lipopolysaccharide into one rear quarter. Supplementing fish oil increased plasma concentrations of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, but had no affect on the proportions of arachidonic acid at calving. Fish oil did not influence the production of interferon-gamma or the antimicrobial activity of whole blood against any of the microorganisms. Furthermore, fish oil had no ameliorative effect on either the local or the systemic acute phase response following an intramammary lipopolysaccharide challenge in early lactating Holstein cows. Supplementing fish oil in the diet of peri-partum cows will not protect them from deleterious effects of an excessive acute phase response.

Parental investment matters for maternal and offspring immune defense in the mouthbrooding cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni.

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Keller, Isabel S; Salzburger, Walter; Roth, Olivia

2017-12-20

Parental care, while increasing parental fitness through offspring survival, also bears cost to the care-giving parent. Consequentially, trade offs between parental care and other vitally important traits, such as the immune system seem evident. In co-occurring phases of parental care and immunological challenges negative consequences through a resource allocation trade off on both the parental and the offspring conditions can be predicted. While the immune system reflects parental stress conditions, parental immunological investments also boost offspring survival via the transfer of immunological substances (trans-generational immune priming). We investigated this relationship in the mouthbrooding East African cichlid Astotatilapia burtoni. Prior to mating, females were exposed to an immunological activation, while others remained immunologically naïve. Correspondingly, the immunological status of females was either examined directly after reproduction or after mouthbrooding had ceased. Offspring from both groups were exposed to immunological challenges to assess the extent of trans-generational immune priming. As proxy for immune status, cellular immunological activity and gene expression were determined. Both reproducing and mouthbrooding females allocate their resources towards reproduction. While upon reproduction the innate immune system was impeded, mouthbrooding females showed an attenuation of inflammatory components. Juveniles from immune challenged mouthbrooding females showed downregulation of immune and life history candidate genes, implying a limitation of trans-generational plasticity when parents experience stress during the costly reproductive phase. Our results provide evidence that both parental investment via mouthbrooding and the rise of the immunological activity upon an immune challenge are costly traits. If applied simultaneously, not only mothers seem to be impacted in their performance, but also offspring are impeded in their ability to

Relationship between Maternal Language Parameters and the Child's Language Competency and Developmental Condition.

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Hooshyar, Nahid T.

Maternal language directed to 21 nonhandicapped, 21 Down syndrome, and 19 language impaired preschool children was examined. The three groups (all Caucasian and middle-class) were matched in mean length of utterance (MLU) and in developmental skills as measured on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. Mother-child language interaction was…

The Virtual Maternity Clinic: a teaching and learning innovation for midwifery education.

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Phillips, Diane; Duke, Maxine; Nagle, Cate; Macfarlane, Susie; Karantzas, Gery; Patterson, Denise

2013-10-01

There are challenges for midwifery students in developing skill and competency due to limited placements in antenatal clinics. The Virtual Maternity Clinic, an online resource, was developed to support student learning in professional midwifery practice. Identifying students' perceptions of the Virtual Maternity Clinic; learning about the impact of the Virtual Maternity Clinic on the students' experience of its use and access; and learning about the level of student satisfaction of the Virtual Maternity Clinic. Two interventions were used including pre and post evaluations of the online learning resource with data obtained from questionnaires using open ended and dichotomous responses and rating scales. The pre-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention used a qualitative design and the post-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention applied both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Three campuses of Deakin University, located in Victoria, Australia. Midwifery students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery and Graduate Diploma of Midwifery were recruited across three campuses of Deakin University (n=140). Thematic analysis of the pre-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention (return rate n=119) related to students' expectations of this resource. The data for the post-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention (return rate n=42) including open-ended responses were thematically analysed; dichotomous data examined in the form of frequencies and percentages of agreement and disagreement; and 5-rating scales were analysed using Pearson's correlations (α=.05, two-tailed). Results showed from the pre-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention that students previously had placements in antenatal clinics were optimistic about the online learning resource. The post-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention results indicated that students were satisfied with the Virtual Maternity Clinic as a learning resource despite some technological issues. The Virtual Maternity Clinic

Self-Regulation Mediates the Link between Family Context and Socioemotional Competence in Turkish Preschoolers

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Gündüz, Gizem; Yagmurlu, Bilge; Harma, Mehmet

2015-01-01

Research Findings: In this study, we examined self-regulatory skills, namely, effortful control and executive function, in Turkish preschoolers (N = 217) and their mediating roles in the associations between parenting and children's socioemotional competence. We also investigated the role of family socioeconomic status and maternal psychological…

Infant-Mother Attachment Classification: Risk and Protection in Relation to Changing Maternal Caregiving Quality

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Developmental Psychology, 2006

2006-01-01

The relations between early infant-mother attachment and children's social competence and behavior problems during the preschool and early school-age period were examined in more than 1,000 children under conditions of decreasing, stable, and increasing maternal parenting quality. Infants' Strange Situation attachment classifications predicted…

Peripartum Antibiotics Promote Gut Dysbiosis, Loss of Immune Tolerance, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Genetically Prone Offspring.

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Miyoshi, Jun; Bobe, Alexandria M; Miyoshi, Sawako; Huang, Yong; Hubert, Nathaniel; Delmont, Tom O; Eren, A Murat; Leone, Vanessa; Chang, Eugene B

2017-07-11

Factors affecting the developing neonatal gut microbiome and immune networks may increase the risk of developing complex immune disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In particular, peripartum antibiotics have been suggested as risk factors for human IBD, although direct evidence is lacking. Therefore, we examined the temporal impact of the commonly used antibiotic cefoperazone on both maternal and offspring microbiota when administered to dams during the peripartum period in the IL-10-deficient murine colitis model. By rigorously controlling for cage, gender, generational, and murine pathobiont confounders, we observed that offspring from cefoperazone-exposed dams develop a persistent gut dysbiosis into adulthood associated with skewing of the host immune system and increased susceptibility to spontaneous and chemically dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. Thus, early life exposure to antibiotic-induced maternal dysbiosis during a critical developmental window for gut microbial assemblage and immune programming elicits a lasting impact of increased IBD risk on genetically susceptible offspring. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prenatal Maternal Stress and the Risk of Asthma in Children

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Konstantinos Douros

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Emerging evidence indicate that maternal prenatal stress (MPS can result in a range of long-term adverse effects in the offspring. The underlying mechanism of MPS is not fully understood. However, its complexity is emphasized by the number of purportedly involved pathways namely, placental deregulated metabolism of maternal steroids, impaired maturation of fetal HPA axis, imbalanced efflux of commensal bacteria across the placenta, and skewed immune development toward Th2. Fetal programming probably exerts a pivotal role in the end result of the above pathways through the modulation of gene expression. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge from epidemiological and experimental studies regarding the effects of MPS on asthma development in the offspring.

Alterations in the Vaginal Microbiome by Maternal Stress Are Associated With Metabolic Reprogramming of the Offspring Gut and Brain.

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Jašarević, Eldin; Howerton, Christopher L; Howard, Christopher D; Bale, Tracy L

2015-09-01

The neonate is exposed to the maternal vaginal microbiota during parturition, providing the primary source for normal gut colonization, host immune maturation, and metabolism. These early interactions between the host and microbiota occur during a critical window of neurodevelopment, suggesting early life as an important period of cross talk between the developing gut and brain. Because perturbations in the prenatal environment such as maternal stress increase neurodevelopmental disease risk, disruptions to the vaginal ecosystem could be a contributing factor in significant and long-term consequences for the offspring. Therefore, to examine the hypothesis that changes in the vaginal microbiome are associated with effects on the offspring gut microbiota and on the developing brain, we used genomic, proteomic and metabolomic technologies to examine outcomes in our mouse model of early prenatal stress. Multivariate modeling identified broad proteomic changes to the maternal vaginal environment that influence offspring microbiota composition and metabolic processes essential for normal neurodevelopment. Maternal stress altered proteins related to vaginal immunity and abundance of Lactobacillus, the prominent taxa in the maternal vagina. Loss of maternal vaginal Lactobacillus resulted in decreased transmission of this bacterium to offspring. Further, altered microbiota composition in the neonate gut corresponded with changes in metabolite profiles involved in energy balance, and with region- and sex-specific disruptions of amino acid profiles in the developing brain. Taken together, these results identify the vaginal microbiota as a novel factor by which maternal stress may contribute to reprogramming of the developing brain that may predispose individuals to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Early Microbes Modify Immune System Development and Metabolic Homeostasis-The "Restaurant" Hypothesis Revisited.

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Nash, Michael J; Frank, Daniel N; Friedman, Jacob E

2017-01-01

The developing infant gut microbiome affects metabolism, maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, immune system function, and brain development. Initial seeding of the neonatal microbiota occurs through maternal and environmental contact. Maternal diet, antibiotic use, and cesarean section alter the offspring microbiota composition, at least temporarily. Nutrients are thought to regulate initial perinatal microbial colonization, a paradigm known as the "Restaurant" hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that early nutritional stresses alter both the initial colonizing bacteria and the development of signaling pathways controlled by microbial mediators. These stresses fine-tune the immune system and metabolic homeostasis in early life, potentially setting the stage for long-term metabolic and immune health. Dysbiosis, an imbalance or a maladaptation in the microbiota, can be caused by several factors including dietary alterations and antibiotics. Dysbiosis can alter biological processes in the gut and in tissues and organs throughout the body. Misregulated development and activity of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, driven by early dysbiosis, could have long-lasting pathologic consequences such as increased autoimmunity, increased adiposity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This review will focus on factors during pregnancy and the neonatal period that impact a neonate's gut microbiome, as well as the mechanisms and possible links from early infancy that can drive increased risk for diseases including obesity and NAFLD. The complex pathways that connect diet, the microbiota, immune system development, and metabolism, particularly in early life, present exciting new frontiers for biomedical research.

Birth weight and two possible types of maternal effects on male sexual orientation: a clinical study of children and adolescents referred to a Gender Identity Service.

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VanderLaan, Doug P; Blanchard, Ray; Wood, Hayley; Garzon, Luisa C; Zucker, Kenneth J

2015-01-01

This study tested predictions regarding two hypothesized maternal immune responses influencing sexual orientation: one affecting homosexual males with high fraternal birth order and another affecting firstborn homosexual individuals whose mothers experience repeated miscarriage after the birth of the first child. Low birth weight was treated as a marker of possible exposure to a maternal immune response during gestation. Birth weight was examined relative to sibship characteristics in a clinical sample of youth (N = 1,722) classified as heterosexual or homosexual based on self-reported or probable sexual orientation. No female sexual orientation differences in birth weight were found. Homosexual, compared to heterosexual, males showed lower birth weight if they had one or more older brothers--and especially two or more older brothers--or if they were an only-child. These findings support the existence of two maternal immune responses influencing male sexual orientation and possibly also cross-gender behavior and identity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigating Relationships between Reproduction, Immune Defenses, and Cortisol in Dall Sheep.

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Downs, Cynthia J; Boan, Brianne V; Lohuis, Thomas D; Stewart, Kelley M

2018-01-01

Life-history theory is fundamental to understanding how animals allocate resources among survival, development, and reproduction, and among traits within these categories. Immediate trade-offs occur within a short span of time and, therefore, are more easily detected. Trade-offs, however, can also manifest across stages of the life cycle, a phenomenon known as carryover effects. We investigated trade-offs on both time scales in two populations of Dall sheep ( Ovis dalli dalli ) in Southcentral Alaska. Specifically, we (i) tested for glucocorticoid-mediated carryover effects from the breeding season on reproductive success and immune defenses during parturition and (ii) tested for trade-offs between immune defenses and reproduction within a season. We observed no relationship between cortisol during mating and pregnancy success; however, we found marginal support for a negative relationship between maternal cortisol and neonate birth weights. Low birth weights, resulting from high maternal cortisol, may result in low survival or low fecundity for the neonate later in life, which could result in overall population decline. We observed a negative relationship between pregnancy and bacterial killing ability, although we observed no relationship between pregnancy and haptoglobin. Study site affected bactericidal capacity and the inflammatory response, indicating the influence of external factors on immune responses, although we could not test hypotheses about the cause of those differences. This study helps advance our understanding of the plasticity and complexity of the immune system and provides insights into the how individual differences in physiology may mediate differences in fitness.

Pathways of economic inequalities in maternal and child health in urban India: a decomposition analysis.

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Goli, Srinivas; Doshi, Riddhi; Perianayagam, Arokiasamy

2013-01-01

Children and women comprise vulnerable populations in terms of health and are gravely affected by the impact of economic inequalities through multi-dimensional channels. Urban areas are believed to have better socioeconomic and maternal and child health indicators than rural areas. This perception leads to the implementation of health policies ignorant of intra-urban health inequalities. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explain the pathways of economic inequalities in maternal and child health indicators among the urban population of India. Using data from the third wave of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS, 2005-06), this study calculated relative contribution of socioeconomic factors to inequalities in key maternal and child health indicators such as antenatal check-ups (ANCs), institutional deliveries, proportion of children with complete immunization, proportion of underweight children, and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). Along with regular CI estimates, this study applied widely used regression-based Inequality Decomposition model proposed by Wagstaff and colleagues. The CI estimates show considerable economic inequalities in women with less than 3 ANCs (CI = -0.3501), institutional delivery (CI = -0.3214), children without fully immunization (CI = -0.18340), underweight children (CI = -0.19420), and infant deaths (CI = -0.15596). Results of the decomposition model reveal that illiteracy among women and her partner, poor economic status, and mass media exposure are the critical factors contributing to economic inequalities in maternal and child health indicators. The residuals in all the decomposition models are very less; this implies that the above mentioned factors explained maximum inequalities in maternal and child health of urban population in India. Findings suggest that illiteracy among women and her partner, poor economic status, and mass media exposure are the critical pathways through which economic factors operate on inequalities in

Pathways of economic inequalities in maternal and child health in urban India: a decomposition analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Srinivas Goli

Full Text Available BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Children and women comprise vulnerable populations in terms of health and are gravely affected by the impact of economic inequalities through multi-dimensional channels. Urban areas are believed to have better socioeconomic and maternal and child health indicators than rural areas. This perception leads to the implementation of health policies ignorant of intra-urban health inequalities. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explain the pathways of economic inequalities in maternal and child health indicators among the urban population of India. METHODS: Using data from the third wave of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS, 2005-06, this study calculated relative contribution of socioeconomic factors to inequalities in key maternal and child health indicators such as antenatal check-ups (ANCs, institutional deliveries, proportion of children with complete immunization, proportion of underweight children, and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR. Along with regular CI estimates, this study applied widely used regression-based Inequality Decomposition model proposed by Wagstaff and colleagues. RESULTS: The CI estimates show considerable economic inequalities in women with less than 3 ANCs (CI = -0.3501, institutional delivery (CI = -0.3214, children without fully immunization (CI = -0.18340, underweight children (CI = -0.19420, and infant deaths (CI = -0.15596. Results of the decomposition model reveal that illiteracy among women and her partner, poor economic status, and mass media exposure are the critical factors contributing to economic inequalities in maternal and child health indicators. The residuals in all the decomposition models are very less; this implies that the above mentioned factors explained maximum inequalities in maternal and child health of urban population in India. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that illiteracy among women and her partner, poor economic status, and mass media exposure are the critical

The Insect Microbiome Modulates Vector Competence for Arboviruses

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Natapong Jupatanakul

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Diseases caused by arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses, such as Dengue, West Nile, and Chikungunya, constitute a major global health burden and are increasing in incidence and geographic range. The natural microbiota of insect vectors influences various aspects of host biology, such as nutrition, reproduction, metabolism, and immunity, and recent studies have highlighted the ability of insect-associated bacteria to reduce vector competence for arboviruses and other pathogens. This reduction can occur through mechanisms, such as immune response activation, resource competition, or the production of anti-viral molecules. Studying the interactions between insect vectors and their microbiota is an important step toward developing alternative strategies for arbovirus transmission control.

Maternal Exposure to Occupational Asthmagens During Pregnancy and Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Study to Explore Early Development.

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Singer, Alison B; Windham, Gayle C; Croen, Lisa A; Daniels, Julie L; Lee, Brian K; Qian, Yinge; Schendel, Diana E; Fallin, M Daniele; Burstyn, Igor

2016-11-01

Maternal immune activity has been linked to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined maternal occupational exposure to asthma-causing agents during pregnancy in relation to ASD risk. Our sample included 463 ASD cases and 710 general population controls from the Study to Explore Early Development whose mothers reported at least one job during pregnancy. Asthmagen exposure was estimated from a published job-exposure matrix. The adjusted odds ratio for ASD comparing asthmagen-exposed to unexposed was 1.39 (95 % CI 0.96-2.02). Maternal workplace asthmagen exposure was not associated with ASD risk in this study, but this result does not exclude some involvement of maternal exposure to asthma-causing agents in ASD.

Effect of Chronic Social Stress on Prenatal Transfer of Antitetanus Immunity in Captive Breeding Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta).

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Stammen, Rachelle L; Cohen, Joyce K; Meeker, Tracy L; Crane, Maria M; Amara, Rama R; Hicks, Sakeenah L; Meyer, Jerrold S; Ethun, Kelly F

2018-05-15

Because tetanus can cause significant morbidity and mortality in NHP, colonywide vaccination with tetanus toxoid is recommendedfor outdoor breeding colonies of rhesus macaques, with primary immunizations commonly given to infants at 6 mo of age followed by booster vaccines every 10 y. Maternal antibodies are thought to offer protective immunity to infants younger than 6 mo. However, historical colony data from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center show a higher incidence of tetanus among infants (≤ 6 mo old) born to subordinate dams. Whether this higher incidence of infantile tetanus is due to a higher incidence of trauma among subordinate animals or is a stress-induced impairment of maternal antibody protection is unknown. Studies in other NHP species suggest that chronic exposure to social stressors interferes with the receptor-mediated transplacental transfer of IgG. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to determine whether chronic stress associated with social subordination impairs prenatal transfer of antitetanus immunity in breeding female rhesus macaques. Subjects included 26 high- and 26 low-ranking adult female rhesus macaques that were nearly 5 or 10 y after their initial immunization and their nonimmunized infants. We hypothesized that infants born to subordinate dams that were nearly 10 y after immunization would have the lowest infant-to-dam antibody ratios and thus would be at greatest risk for infection. Results revealed no significant intergroup differences in infant antitetanus IgG levels. However, infant-to-dam IgG ratios against tetanus were significantly lower among subordinate animals compared with dominant macaques, after accounting for the number of years since the dam's initial vaccination. In addition, higher maternal hair cortisol levels predicted lower infant-to-dam tetanus toxoid IgG ratios. Together, these findings suggest that chronic social stress in female rhesus macaques may hamper the prenatal transfer of

Immune cells in term and preterm labor

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Gomez-Lopez, Nardhy; StLouis, Derek; Lehr, Marcus A; Sanchez-Rodriguez, Elly N; Arenas-Hernandez, Marcia

2014-01-01

Labor resembles an inflammatory response that includes secretion of cytokines/chemokines by resident and infiltrating immune cells into reproductive tissues and the maternal/fetal interface. Untimely activation of these inflammatory pathways leads to preterm labor, which can result in preterm birth. Preterm birth is a major determinant of neonatal mortality and morbidity; therefore, the elucidation of the process of labor at a cellular and molecular level is essential for understanding the pathophysiology of preterm labor. Here, we summarize the role of innate and adaptive immune cells in the physiological or pathological activation of labor. We review published literature regarding the role of innate and adaptive immune cells in the cervix, myometrium, fetal membranes, decidua and the fetus in late pregnancy and labor at term and preterm. Accumulating evidence suggests that innate immune cells (neutrophils, macrophages and mast cells) mediate the process of labor by releasing pro-inflammatory factors such as cytokines, chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases. Adaptive immune cells (T-cell subsets and B cells) participate in the maintenance of fetomaternal tolerance during pregnancy, and an alteration in their function or abundance may lead to labor at term or preterm. Also, immune cells that bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems (natural killer T (NKT) cells and dendritic cells (DCs)) seem to participate in the pathophysiology of preterm labor. In conclusion, a balance between innate and adaptive immune cells is required in order to sustain pregnancy; an alteration of this balance will lead to labor at term or preterm. PMID:24954221

Innate immune system and preeclampsia

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Alejandra ePerez-Sepulveda

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Normal pregnancy is considered as a Th2 type immunological state that favors an immune-tolerance environment in order to prevent fetal rejection. PE has been classically described as a Th1/Th2 imbalance; however, the Th1/Th2 paradigm has proven insufficient to fully explain the functional and molecular changes observed during normal/pathological pregnancies. Recent studies have expanded the Th1/Th2 into a Th1⁄Th2⁄Th17 and regulatory T (Treg cells paradigm and where dendritic cells could have a crucial role. Recently, some evidence has emerged supporting the idea that mesenchymal stem cells might be part of the feto-maternal tolerance environment. This review will discuss the involvement of the innate immune system in the establishment of a physiological environment that favors pregnancy and possible alterations related to the development of preeclampsia.

Predictors of mental health competence in a population cohort of Australian children.

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Goldfeld, Sharon; Kvalsvig, Amanda; Incledon, Emily; O'Connor, Meredith; Mensah, Fiona

2014-05-01

The child mental health epidemiology literature focuses almost exclusively on reporting the prevalence and predictors of child mental disorders. However, there is growing recognition of positive mental health or mental health competence as an independent outcome that cannot be inferred from the absence of problems, and requires epidemiological investigation in its own right. We developed a novel measure of child mental health competence within the framework of the Australian Early Development Index, a three-yearly national census of early child development. Predictors of this outcome were investigated by linking these census data at individual level to detailed background information collected by a large longitudinal cohort study. Predictors of competence were consistent with previously described theoretical and empirical models. Overall, boys were significantly less likely than girls to demonstrate a high level of competence (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.91). Other strong predictors of competence were parent education and a relative absence of maternal psychological distress; these factors also appeared to attenuate the negative effect of family hardship on child competence. This measure of mental health competence shows promise as a population-level indicator with the potential benefit of informing and evaluating evidence-based public health intervention strategies that promote positive mental health.

Path to impact: A report from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation convening on maternal immunization in resource-limited settings; Berlin - January 29-30, 2015.

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Sobanjo-Ter Meulen, Ajoke; Abramson, Jon; Mason, Elizabeth; Rees, Helen; Schwalbe, Nina; Bergquist, Sharon; Klugman, Keith P

2015-11-25

Global initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals have led to major improvements in the health of women and children, and significant reductions in childhood mortality. Worldwide, maternal mortality has decreased by 45% and under-five mortality has fallen by over 50% over the past two decades [1]. However, improvements have not been achieved evenly across all ages; since 1990, under-five mortality has declined by ∼5% annually, but the average decrease in neonatal mortality is only ∼3% per year. Against this background, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) convened a meeting in Berlin on January 29-30, 2015 of global health stakeholders, representing funders, academia, regulatory agencies, non-governmental organizations, vaccine manufacturers, and Ministries of Health from Africa and Asia. The topic of discussion was the potential of maternal immunization (MI) to achieve further improvements in under-five morbidity and mortality rates in children, and particularly neonates and young infants, through targeting infectious diseases that are not preventable by other interventions in these age groups. The meeting focused on effective and appropriately priced MI vaccines against influenza, pertussis, and tetanus, as well as against respiratory syncytial virus, and the group B Streptococcus, for which no licensed vaccines currently exist. The primary goals of the BMGF 2015 convening were to bring together the global stakeholders in vaccine development, policy and delivery together with the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) community, to get recognition that MI is a strategy shared between these groups and so encourage increased collaboration, and obtain alignment on the next steps toward achieving a significant health impact through implementation of a MI program. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Maternal autonomy and attitudes towards gender norms: associations with childhood immunization in Nigeria.

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Singh, Kavita; Haney, Erica; Olorunsaiye, Comfort

2013-07-01

Globally 2.5 million children under-five die from vaccine preventable diseases, and in Nigeria only 23 % of children ages 12-23 months are fully immunized. The international community is promoting gender equality as a means to improve the health and well-being of women and their children. This paper looks at whether measures of gender equality, autonomy and individual attitudes towards gender norms, are associated with a child being fully immunized in Nigeria. Data from currently married women with a child 12-23 months from the 2008 Nigeria demographic and health survey were used to study the influence of autonomy and gender attitudes on whether or not a child is fully immunized. Multivariate logistic regression was used and several key socioeconomic variables were controlled for including wealth and education, which are considered key inputs into gender equality. Findings indicated that household decision-making and attitudes towards wife beating were significantly associated with a child being fully immunized after controlling for socioeconomic variables. Ethnicity, wealth and education were also significant factors. Programmatic and policy implications indicate the potential for the promotion of gender equality as a means to improve child health. Gender equality can be seen as a means to enable women to access life-saving services for their children.

Suppression of developmental anomalies by maternal macrophages in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nomura, T.; Hata, S.; Kusafuka, T.

1990-01-01

We tested whether nonspecific tumoricidal immune cells can suppress congenital malformations by killing precursor cells destined to cause such defects. Pretreatment of pregnant ICR mice with synthetic (Pyran copolymer) and biological (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) agents significantly suppressed radiation- and chemical-induced congenital malformations (cleft palate, digit anomalies, tail anomalies, etc.). Such suppressive effects were associated with the activation of maternal macrophages by these agents, but were lost either after the disruption of activated macrophages by supersonic waves or by inhibition of their lysosomal enzyme activity with trypan blue. These results indicate that a live activated macrophage with active lysosomal enzymes can be an effector cell to suppress maldevelopment. A similar reduction by activated macrophages was observed in strain CL/Fr, which has a high spontaneous frequency of cleft lips and palates. Furthermore, Pyran-activated maternal macrophages could pass through the placenta, and enhanced urethane-induced cell killing (but not somatic mutation) in the embryo. It is likely that a maternal immunosurveillance system eliminating preteratogenic cells allows for the replacement with normal totipotent blast cells during the pregnancy to protect abnormal development

Relationship between personal, maternal, and familial factors with mental health problems in school-aged children in Aceh province, Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Saputra, Fauzan; Yunibhand, Jintana; Sukratul, Sunisa

2017-02-01

Recently, mental health problems (MHP) in school-aged children have become a global phenomenon. Yet, the number of children affected remains unclear in Indonesia, and the effects of mental health problems are of concern. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of MHP in school-aged children and its relationship to personal, maternal, and familial factors in Aceh province, Indonesia. Participants were 143 school-aged children with MHP and their mothers. They completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Social Competence Questionnaire, Brief Family Relationship Scale, Parental Stress Scale, Parent's Report Questionnaire, and Indonesian Version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Mainly, children were rated to have emotional symptoms by their mothers (37.8%). Factors such as academic competence, family relationships, and maternal parenting stress are related to MHP. Given the high prevalence of school-aged children that have emotional symptoms, child psychiatric mental health nurses should give special attention to assist them during their school years. Moreover, nurses should aim to improve family relationships and reduce maternal parenting stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dual RNA-seq reveals no plastic transcriptional response of the coccidian parasite Eimeria falciformis to host immune defenses.

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Ehret, Totta; Spork, Simone; Dieterich, Christoph; Lucius, Richard; Heitlinger, Emanuel

2017-09-05

Parasites can either respond to differences in immune defenses that exist between individual hosts plastically or, alternatively, follow a genetically canalized ("hard wired") program of infection. Assuming that large-scale functional plasticity would be discernible in the parasite transcriptome we have performed a dual RNA-seq study of the lifecycle of Eimeria falciformis using infected mice with different immune status as models for coccidian infections. We compared parasite and host transcriptomes (dual transcriptome) between naïve and challenge infected mice, as well as between immune competent and immune deficient ones. Mice with different immune competence show transcriptional differences as well as differences in parasite reproduction (oocyst shedding). Broad gene categories represented by differently abundant host genes indicate enrichments for immune reaction and tissue repair functions. More specifically, TGF-beta, EGF, TNF and IL-1 and IL-6 are examples of functional annotations represented differently depending on host immune status. Much in contrast, parasite transcriptomes were neither different between Coccidia isolated from immune competent and immune deficient mice, nor between those harvested from naïve and challenge infected mice. Instead, parasite transcriptomes have distinct profiles early and late in infection, characterized largely by biosynthesis or motility associated functional gene groups, respectively. Extracellular sporozoite and oocyst stages showed distinct transcriptional profiles and sporozoite transcriptomes were found enriched for species specific genes and likely pathogenicity factors. We propose that the niche and host-specific parasite E. falciformis uses a genetically canalized program of infection. This program is likely fixed in an evolutionary process rather than employing phenotypic plasticity to interact with its host. This in turn might limit the potential of the parasite to adapt to new host species or niches, forcing

Beneficial immune modulatory effects of a specific nutritional combination in a murine model for cancer cachexia

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Faber, J; Vos, P; Kegler, D; van Norren, K; Argilés, J M; Laviano, A; Garssen, J; van Helvoort, A

2008-01-01

The majority of patients with advanced cancer are recognised by impaired immune competence influenced by several factors, including the type and stage of the tumour and the presence of cachexia. Recently, a specific nutritional combination containing fish oil, specific oligosaccharide mixture, high protein content and leucine has been developed aimed to support the immune system of cancer patients in order to reduce the frequency and severity of (infectious) complications. In a recently modified animal model cachexia is induced by inoculation of C26 tumour cells in mice. In a pre-cachectic state, no effect was observed on contact hypersensitivity, a validated in vivo method to measure Th1-mediated immune function, after adding the individual nutritional ingredients to the diet of tumour-bearing mice. However, the complete mixture resulted in significantly improved Th1 immunity. Moreover, in a cachectic state, the complete mixture reduced plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and beneficially affected ex vivo immune function. Accordingly, the combination of the nutritional ingredients is required to obtain a synergistic effect, leading to a reduced inflammatory state and improved immune competence. From this, it can be concluded that the specific nutritional combination has potential as immune-supporting nutritional intervention to reduce the risk of (infectious) complications in cancer patients. PMID:19018259

Maternal hemochromatosis gene H63D single-nucleotide polymorphism and lead levels of placental tissue, maternal and umbilical cord blood

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Kayaalti, Zeliha, E-mail: kayaalti@ankara.edu.tr [Ankara University, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Ankara (Turkey); Kaya-Akyüzlü, Dilek [Ankara University, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Ankara (Turkey); Söylemez, Esma [Ankara University, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Ankara (Turkey); Middle Black Sea Passage Generation of Agricultural Research Station Director, Tokat (Turkey); Söylemezoğlu, Tülin [Ankara University, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Ankara (Turkey)

2015-07-15

Human hemochromatosis protein (HFE), a major histocompatibility complex class I-like integral membrane protein, participates in the down regulation of intestinal iron absorption by binding to transferrin receptor (TR). HFE competes with transferrin-bound iron for the TR and thus reduces uptake of iron into cells. On the other hand, a lack of HFE increases the intestinal absorption of iron similarly to iron deficiency associated with increasing in absorption and deposition of lead. During pregnancy, placenta cannot prevent transfer lead to the fetus; even low-level lead poisoning causes neurodevelopmental toxicity in children. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the maternal HFE H63D single-nucleotide polymorphism and lead levels in placental tissue, maternal blood and umbilical cord bloods. The study population comprised 93 mother–placenta pairs. Venous blood from mother was collected to investigate lead levels and HFE polymorphism that was detected by standard PCR–RFLP technique. Cord bloods and placentas were collected for lead levels which were analyzed by dual atomic absorption spectrometer system. The HFE H63D genotype frequencies of mothers were found as 75.3% homozygote typical (HH), 23.6% heterozygote (HD) and 1.1% homozygote atypical (DD). Our study results showed that the placental tissue, umbilical cord and maternal blood lead levels of mothers with HD+DD genotypes were significantly higher than those with HH genotype (p<0.05). The present study indicated for the first time that mothers with H63D gene variants have higher lead levels of their newborn's placentas and umbilical cord bloods. - Highlights: • Mothers with H63D gene variants have higher lead levels of their newborn's umbilical cord blood. • Unborn child of women with HD+DD genotypes may be at increased risk of internal exposure to lead. • Maternal HFE status may have an effect on increased placenta, maternal and cord blood lead levels. �

Maternal hemochromatosis gene H63D single-nucleotide polymorphism and lead levels of placental tissue, maternal and umbilical cord blood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kayaalti, Zeliha; Kaya-Akyüzlü, Dilek; Söylemez, Esma; Söylemezoğlu, Tülin

2015-01-01

Human hemochromatosis protein (HFE), a major histocompatibility complex class I-like integral membrane protein, participates in the down regulation of intestinal iron absorption by binding to transferrin receptor (TR). HFE competes with transferrin-bound iron for the TR and thus reduces uptake of iron into cells. On the other hand, a lack of HFE increases the intestinal absorption of iron similarly to iron deficiency associated with increasing in absorption and deposition of lead. During pregnancy, placenta cannot prevent transfer lead to the fetus; even low-level lead poisoning causes neurodevelopmental toxicity in children. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the maternal HFE H63D single-nucleotide polymorphism and lead levels in placental tissue, maternal blood and umbilical cord bloods. The study population comprised 93 mother–placenta pairs. Venous blood from mother was collected to investigate lead levels and HFE polymorphism that was detected by standard PCR–RFLP technique. Cord bloods and placentas were collected for lead levels which were analyzed by dual atomic absorption spectrometer system. The HFE H63D genotype frequencies of mothers were found as 75.3% homozygote typical (HH), 23.6% heterozygote (HD) and 1.1% homozygote atypical (DD). Our study results showed that the placental tissue, umbilical cord and maternal blood lead levels of mothers with HD+DD genotypes were significantly higher than those with HH genotype (p<0.05). The present study indicated for the first time that mothers with H63D gene variants have higher lead levels of their newborn's placentas and umbilical cord bloods. - Highlights: • Mothers with H63D gene variants have higher lead levels of their newborn's umbilical cord blood. • Unborn child of women with HD+DD genotypes may be at increased risk of internal exposure to lead. • Maternal HFE status may have an effect on increased placenta, maternal and cord blood lead levels. �

Early Microbes Modify Immune System Development and Metabolic Homeostasis—The “Restaurant” Hypothesis Revisited

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Nash, Michael J.; Frank, Daniel N.; Friedman, Jacob E.

2017-01-01

The developing infant gut microbiome affects metabolism, maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, immune system function, and brain development. Initial seeding of the neonatal microbiota occurs through maternal and environmental contact. Maternal diet, antibiotic use, and cesarean section alter the offspring microbiota composition, at least temporarily. Nutrients are thought to regulate initial perinatal microbial colonization, a paradigm known as the “Restaurant” hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that early nutritional stresses alter both the initial colonizing bacteria and the development of signaling pathways controlled by microbial mediators. These stresses fine-tune the immune system and metabolic homeostasis in early life, potentially setting the stage for long-term metabolic and immune health. Dysbiosis, an imbalance or a maladaptation in the microbiota, can be caused by several factors including dietary alterations and antibiotics. Dysbiosis can alter biological processes in the gut and in tissues and organs throughout the body. Misregulated development and activity of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, driven by early dysbiosis, could have long-lasting pathologic consequences such as increased autoimmunity, increased adiposity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This review will focus on factors during pregnancy and the neonatal period that impact a neonate’s gut microbiome, as well as the mechanisms and possible links from early infancy that can drive increased risk for diseases including obesity and NAFLD. The complex pathways that connect diet, the microbiota, immune system development, and metabolism, particularly in early life, present exciting new frontiers for biomedical research. PMID:29326657

Effects of feeding an immunomodulatory supplement to heat-stressed or actively cooled cows during late gestation on postnatal immunity, health, and growth of calves.

Science.gov (United States)

Skibiel, Amy L; Fabris, Thiago F; Corrá, Fabiana N; Torres, Yazielis M; McLean, Derek J; Chapman, James D; Kirk, David J; Dahl, Geoffrey E; Laporta, Jimena

2017-09-01

Heat stress during late gestation negatively affects the physiology, health, and productivity of dairy cows as well as the calves developing in utero. Providing cows with active cooling devices, such as fans and soakers, and supplementing cows with an immunomodulating feed additive, OmniGen-AF (OG; Phibro Animal Health Corporation), improves immune function and milk yield of cows. It is unknown if maternal supplementation of OG combined with active cooling during late gestation might benefit the developing calf as well. Herein we evaluated markers of innate immune function, including immune cell counts, acute phase proteins, and neutrophil function, of calves born to multiparous dams in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Dams were supplemented with OG or a bentonite control (NO) beginning at 60 d before dry off and exposed to heat stress with cooling (CL) or without active cooling (HT) during the dry period (∼46 d). At birth, calves were separated from their dams and fed 6.6 L of their dams' colostrum in 2 meals. Calf body weight and rectal temperature were recorded, and blood samples were collected at birth (before colostrum feeding) and at 10, 28, and 49 d of age. Calves born to either CL dams or OG dams were heavier at birth than calves born to HT or NO dams, respectively. Concentrations of serum amyloid A were higher in the blood of calves born to OG dams relative to NO and for HT calves relative to CL calves. In addition, calves born to cooled OG dams had greater concentrations of plasma haptoglobin than calves born to cooled control dams. Neutrophil function at 10 d of age was enhanced in calves born to cooled OG dams and lymphocyte counts were higher in calves born to OG dams. Together these results suggest that adding OG to maternal feed in combination with active cooling of cows during late gestation is effective in mitigating the negative effects of in utero heat stress on postnatal calf growth and immune competence. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science

A specific immune tolerance toward offspring cells is to exist after the mother lymphocyte infusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Haizhou; Liu, Shiqin; Chen, Xue; Fang, Fang; Wu, Xueqiang; Zhu, Ping

2017-04-01

To examine immune tolerance between maternal lymphocytes and offspring tissue after a donor lymphocyte infusion. Mouse models were established by mating female BALB/c mice with male C57BL mice. Splenic lymphocytes from donors of different genetic backgrounds were labeled with carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE), and 1×10 7 of the labeled cells were intravenously injected into a recipient. At 6h, 24h, 72h and 120h after the infusion, mononuclear cells in recipient spleen, liver, thymus, lymph nodes, and peripheral blood were collected. CFSE+, CFSE-, CD3+, CD8+, CD4+, CD19+, NK1.1+, CD25+, and CD127+ lymphocytes in those samples were analyzed by flow cytometry. The distribution of donor T cells, B cells, NK cells, helper T cells, cytotoxic T cells, and recipient regulatory T cells in the tissues were then analyzed. Maternal lymphocytes were more likely to survive in offspring. At 120h after infusion, the percentages of maternal cells in the offspring were 0.52±0.11% in lymph nodes, 0.97±0.04% in peripheral blood, and 0.97±0.11% in the spleen. Few donor cells, if any, were detected in these tissues at 120h after aunt to child, father to child, and unrelated allogeneic infusions were performed. The subtype proportion of donor lymphocytes changed significantly in the recipient tissues. Recipient Treg cells increased in the mother to child group, but not in the aunt to child, father to child, and unrelated allogeneic groups, suggesting a decreased cellular immune response to allogeneic cells in the mother to child group. At 120h after the infusion, no donor cells were detected in the recipient livers and thymuses of all groups, implying that donor cells were barely able to colonize in the liver and thymus. Specific immune tolerance to maternal lymphocytes exists in offspring. An infusion of maternal donor lymphocytes may produce a relatively persistent effect of adoptive immunotherapy with reduced side-effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights

ROUTINE IMMUNIZATION IN INDIA: A PERSPECTIVE

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G Taneja

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The Universal Immunization Programme is possibly the longest and one of the biggest public health intervention measures undertaken in India. To improve immunization coverage in the country various initiatives have been undertaken since the inception of the programme in 1985; key inputs being strengthening and expanding the cold chain system, establishing a network of outreach immunization sites, alternate vaccine delivery model, capacity building of health functionaries and medical officers and intensified polio control measures. Introduction of new and underutilized vaccines, drafting of the national vaccine policy, tracking of beneficiaries through the Maternal and Child Tracking system are some of the recent developments. However in spite of more than 25 years since inception the programme is still adversely impacted by challenges across key thematic areas of programme management, cold chain and vaccine management, recording and reporting and injection safety. To further strengthen and improve service delivery 2012-13 has been declared as the “Year of Intensification of Routine Immunization” with the objective of improving immunization coverage rates across poor performing districts and states so as to attain Global Immunization Vision and Strategy goals of 90% coverage at national and more than 80% coverage at district level. Key activities planned during the year include sustained advocacy at all levels, improved communication and social mobilization, robust and regular program reviews, comprehensive microplanning, strengthening cold chain and vaccine logistics system, special catch up rounds through immunization weeks, piloting the teeka express, improved surveillance systems, strengthened partnerships and operational research activities. The current review pertains to the existing scenario of Universal Immunization Program in the country with impetus on the existing challenges, progress achieved till date as a result of various

Multi-disease analysis of maternal antibody decay using non-linear mixed models accounting for censoring.

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Goeyvaerts, Nele; Leuridan, Elke; Faes, Christel; Van Damme, Pierre; Hens, Niel

2015-09-10

Biomedical studies often generate repeated measures of multiple outcomes on a set of subjects. It may be of interest to develop a biologically intuitive model for the joint evolution of these outcomes while assessing inter-subject heterogeneity. Even though it is common for biological processes to entail non-linear relationships, examples of multivariate non-linear mixed models (MNMMs) are still fairly rare. We contribute to this area by jointly analyzing the maternal antibody decay for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, allowing for a different non-linear decay model for each infectious disease. We present a general modeling framework to analyze multivariate non-linear longitudinal profiles subject to censoring, by combining multivariate random effects, non-linear growth and Tobit regression. We explore the hypothesis of a common infant-specific mechanism underlying maternal immunity using a pairwise correlated random-effects approach and evaluating different correlation matrix structures. The implied marginal correlation between maternal antibody levels is estimated using simulations. The mean duration of passive immunity was less than 4 months for all diseases with substantial heterogeneity between infants. The maternal antibody levels against rubella and varicella were found to be positively correlated, while little to no correlation could be inferred for the other disease pairs. For some pairs, computational issues occurred with increasing correlation matrix complexity, which underlines the importance of further developing estimation methods for MNMMs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Competence is Competence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bramming, Pia

2004-01-01

The article will address competence, its' diffusion, application, and the consequence of this application within the field of Human Resource Management (HRM). The concept competence-in-practice will be presented and in conclusion the article will consider implications and possibilities...... of competence-in-practice as an alternative approach to Competence Development within Human Resource Management....

Cheetahs have a stronger constitutive innate immunity than leopards.

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Heinrich, Sonja K; Hofer, Heribert; Courtiol, Alexandre; Melzheimer, Jörg; Dehnhard, Martin; Czirják, Gábor Á; Wachter, Bettina

2017-03-23

As a textbook case for the importance of genetics in conservation, absence of genetic variability at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is thought to endanger species viability, since it is considered crucial for pathogen resistance. An alternative view of the immune system inspired by life history theory posits that a strong response should evolve in other components of the immune system if there is little variation in the MHC. In contrast to the leopard (Panthera pardus), the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has a relatively low genetic variability at the MHC, yet free-ranging cheetahs are healthy. By comparing the functional competence of the humoral immune system of both species in sympatric populations in Namibia, we demonstrate that cheetahs have a higher constitutive innate but lower induced innate and adaptive immunity than leopards. We conclude (1) immunocompetence of cheetahs is higher than previously thought; (2) studying both innate and adaptive components of immune systems will enrich conservation science.

Immune activation by nucleic acids: A role in pregnancy complications.

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Konečná, B; Lauková, L; Vlková, B

2018-04-01

Cell-free self-DNA or RNA may induce an immune response by activating specific sensing receptors. During pregnancy, placental nucleic acids present in the maternal circulation further activate these receptors due to the presence of unmethylated CpG islands. A higher concentration of cell-free foetal DNA is associated with pregnancy complications and a higher risk for foetal rejection. Cell-free foetal DNA originates from placental trophoblasts. It appears in different forms: free, bound to histones in nucleosomes, in neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and in extracellular vesicles (EVs). In several pregnancy complications, cell-free foetal DNA triggers the production of proinflammatory cytokines, and this production results in a cellular and humoral immune response. This review discusses preeclampsia, systemic lupus erythematosus, foetal growth restriction, gestational diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and obesity in pregnancy from an immunological point of view and closely examines the different pathways that result in maternal inflammation. Understanding the role of cell-free nucleic acids, as well as the biogenesis of NETs and EVs, will help us to specify their functions or targets, which seem to be important in pregnancy complications. It is still not clear whether higher concentrations of cell-free nucleic acids in the maternal circulation are the cause or consequence of various complications. Therefore, further clinical studies and, even more importantly, animal experiments that focus on the involved immunological pathways are needed. © 2018 The Foundation for the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology.

Seasonal Redistribution of Immune Function in a Migrant Shorebird : Annual-Cycle Effects Override Adjustments to Thermal Regime

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buehler, Deborah M.; Piersma, Theunis; Matson, Kevin D.; Tieleman, B. Irene; Demas, Greg (associate); Geber, Monica A.

2008-01-01

Throughout the annual cycle, demands on competing physiological systems change, and animals must allocate resources to maximize fitness. Immune function is one such system and is important for survival. Yet detailed empirical data tracking immune function over the entire annual cycle are lacking for

Investigating Relationships between Reproduction, Immune Defenses, and Cortisol in Dall Sheep

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Cynthia J. Downs

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Life-history theory is fundamental to understanding how animals allocate resources among survival, development, and reproduction, and among traits within these categories. Immediate trade-offs occur within a short span of time and, therefore, are more easily detected. Trade-offs, however, can also manifest across stages of the life cycle, a phenomenon known as carryover effects. We investigated trade-offs on both time scales in two populations of Dall sheep (Ovis dalli dalli in Southcentral Alaska. Specifically, we (i tested for glucocorticoid-mediated carryover effects from the breeding season on reproductive success and immune defenses during parturition and (ii tested for trade-offs between immune defenses and reproduction within a season. We observed no relationship between cortisol during mating and pregnancy success; however, we found marginal support for a negative relationship between maternal cortisol and neonate birth weights. Low birth weights, resulting from high maternal cortisol, may result in low survival or low fecundity for the neonate later in life, which could result in overall population decline. We observed a negative relationship between pregnancy and bacterial killing ability, although we observed no relationship between pregnancy and haptoglobin. Study site affected bactericidal capacity and the inflammatory response, indicating the influence of external factors on immune responses, although we could not test hypotheses about the cause of those differences. This study helps advance our understanding of the plasticity and complexity of the immune system and provides insights into the how individual differences in physiology may mediate differences in fitness.

Clinical input of anti-D quantitation by continuous-flow analysis on autoanalyzer in the management of high-titer anti-D maternal alloimmunization.

Science.gov (United States)

Toly-Ndour, Cécile; Mourtada, Haifa; Huguet-Jacquot, Stéphanie; Maisonneuve, Emeline; Friszer, Stéphanie; Pernot, Françoise; Thomas, Pauline; Jouannic, Jean-Marie; Carbonne, Bruno; Cortey, Anne; Mailloux, Agnès

2018-02-01

In addition to titration by indirect antiglobulin test most widely used, anti-D quantitation by continuous-flow analysis (CFA) may be performed to assess severity of maternal immunization. Only five studies have reported its added value in the management of pregnancies complicated by anti-D immunization. A retrospective study of 74 severe anti-D-immunized pregnancies was conducted from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014, in the Trousseau Hospital in Paris (France). Concentration of maternal anti-D was measured by titration and by CFA two-stages method (2SM; total amount of anti-D) and one-stage method (1SM; high-affinity IgG1 anti-D). These biologic data were analyzed according to the severity of the hemolytic disease of the fetus and the newborn. The value of 5 IU anti-D/mL in maternal serum is validated as a threshold to trigger ultrasonographic and Doppler fetal close follow-up. A high 1SM/2SM ratio was associated with a higher risk of intrauterine transfusion (IUT). For pregnancies requiring IUT and without increasing titer, maternal 1SM anti-D concentration tends to correlate with the precocity of fetal anemia. In the "without-IUT" group 1SM and 2SM anti-D concentrations correlate significantly with cord bilirubin levels of the newborn at birth. Altogether our results underline the importance of anti-D quantitation by CFA to optimize the management of anti-D-alloimmunized pregnancies. © 2017 AABB.

Heme oxygenase and the immune system in normal and pathological pregnancies

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Maide eOzen

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Normal pregnancy is an immunotolerant state. Many factors, including environmental, socioeconomic, genetic, and immunologic changes by infection and/or other causes of inflammation, may contribute to inter-individual differences resulting in a normal or pathologic pregnancy. In particular, imbalances in the immune system can cause many pregnancy-related diseases, such as infertility, abortions, pre-eclampsia, and preterm labor, which result in maternal/fetal death, prematurity, or small-for-gestational age newborns. New findings imply that myeloid regulatory cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs may mediate immunotolerance during normal pregnancy. Effector T cells (Teffs have, in contrast, been implicated to cause adverse pregnancy outcomes. Furthermore, feto-maternal tolerance affects the developing fetus. It has been shown that the Treg/Teff balance affects litter size and adoptive transfer of pregnancy-induced Tregs can prevent fetal rejection in the mouse. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1 has a protective role in many conditions through its anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, antioxidative, and anti-proliferative actions. HO-1 is highly expressed in the placenta and plays a role in angiogenesis and placental vascular development and in regulating vascular tone in pregnancy. In addition, HO-1 is a major regulator of immune homeostasis by mediating crosstalk between innate and adaptive immune systems. Moreover, HO-1 can inhibit inflammation-induced phenotypic maturation of immune effector cells and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and promote anti-inflammatory cytokine production. HO-1 may also be associated with T-cell activation and can limit immune-based tissue injury by promoting Treg suppression of effector responses. Thus, HO-1 and its byproducts may protect against pregnancy complications by its immunomodulatory effects, and the regulation of HO-1 or its downstream effects has the potential to prevent or treat pregnancy complications and

Do all roads lead to Rome? The role of neuro-immune interactions before birth in the programming of offspring obesity

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Christine eJasoni

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The functions of the nervous system can be powerfully modulated by the immune system. Although traditionally considered to be quite separate, neuro-immune interactions are increasingly recognized as critical for both normal and pathological nervous system function in the adult. However, a growing body of information supports a critical role for neuro-immune interactions before birth, particularly in the prenatal programming of later-life neurobehavioral disease risk. This review will focus on maternal obesity, as it represents an environment of pathological immune system function during pregnancy that elevates offspring neurobehavioral disease risk. We will first delineate the normal role of the immune system during pregnancy, including the role of the placenta as both a barrier and relayer of inflammatory information between the maternal and fetal environments. This will be followed by the current exciting findings of how immuno-modulatory molecules may elevate offspring risk of neurobehavioral disease by altering brain development and, consequently, later life function. Finally, by drawing parallels with pregnancy complications other than obesity, we will suggest that aberrant immune activation, irrespective of its origin, may lead to neuro-immune interactions that otherwise would not exist in the developing brain. These interactions could conceivably derail normal brain development and/or later life function, and thereby elevate risk for obesity and other neurobehavioral disorders later in the offspring’s life.

Prebiotics modulate immune responses in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue of chickens.

Science.gov (United States)

Janardhana, Vijaya; Broadway, Mary M; Bruce, Matthew P; Lowenthal, John W; Geier, Mark S; Hughes, Robert J; Bean, Andrew G D

2009-07-01

The recent European Union ban on the prophylactic use of in-feed antibiotics has escalated the search for alternatives for use within the poultry industry. When evaluating the efficacy of potential antibiotic alternatives on bird health and productivity, it is important to analyze the competence of the immune cells in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), because it is routinely involved in the surveillance of colonizing microbes as well as in interacting with the ingested feed antigens. Therefore, we studied the effect of the prebiotics mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) and fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) on the phenotypic and functional competence of immune cells in cecal tonsil (CT), which is a major GALT. Day-old Cobb 500 male broilers were randomized to 4 groups. Control chickens were fed the basal diet only. Chickens in experimental groups received 0.05 g/kg zinc bacitracin or 5 g/kg of either FOS or MOS in addition to basal diet. At the end of 25 d, our comparison of the experimental groups with controls revealed that the addition of prebiotics to diet resulted in a significant reduction in the proportion of B cells and in mitogen responsiveness of lymphocytes in CT. Furthermore, FOS treatment significantly enhanced the IgM and IgG antibody titers in plasma. These findings emphasize the need for the analyses of the gut immune function following treatment with novel feed additives. The knowledge obtained from such analyses may aid in understanding the mechanisms underlying the immune competence of the birds, which needs consideration when selecting and optimizing new feed additives instead of antibiotics for poultry production.

父母元情绪理念、情绪表达与儿童社会能力的关系%Relations among Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy, Parental Emotion Expressivity,and Children's Social Competence

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

梁宗保; 张光珍; 陈会昌; 张萍

2012-01-01

对341名学前儿童及其父母进行问卷调查,考察父母元情绪理念、情绪表达与儿童社会能力的直接与间接关系.结果表明:(1)父亲情绪教导对儿童社会能力有促进作用,而情绪紊乱对儿童社会能力有阻碍作用;父亲的积极情绪表达对儿童社会能力有促进作用,消极情绪表达则有负向作用；此外,父亲情绪教导、情绪紊乱除了对儿童社会能力具有直接作用外,还通过其情绪表达对儿童社会能力具有间接影响.(2)母亲情绪教导对儿童社会能力具有积极作用,而情绪紊乱则具有消极影响；母亲积极情绪表达对儿童社会能力有促进作用,而消极情绪表达对儿童社会能力无显著预测关系；母亲情绪教导通过其积极情绪表达对儿童社会能力具有间接促进作用.%Parental meta-emotion philosophy refers to parents' feelings and behaviors toward their own and their children's emotions. It reflects parental beliefs about emotion socialization. Research has indicated that maternal positive meta-emotion philosophy (e.g. Emotion coaching) is associated with children's emotional competence, social competence and that maternal negative meta-emotion philosophy (etc. Emotion dismissing) is related with children's behavior problem. However, little research has been conducted on paternal meta-emotion philosophy. Moreover, there is inadequate research on parental emotion noninvolvement and emotion dysfunction. It has been suggested that children's competence may be a mediator of the relations between parental emotion socialization belief or goal and children's social outcomes. It is also reasonable to argue that parents' beliefs or goals about emotion may also affect their own emotion-related behavior and emotion expressivity. As such, parental emotion expressivity may play a mediated role in relations between parental emotion-related beliefs and children's social competence.The current study explored relations

The effects of zonation of the pen and grouping in intact litters on use of pen, immune competence and health of pigs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, B.M.; Studnitz, M.; Nielsen, Jens

2006-01-01

The effects of pen design and group composition were examined with respect to activity, use of pen, floor conditions, health condition and immune competence for groups of 60 pigs. The experiment was designed with the two factors with zones/without zones and divided litters/intact litters....... The experiment included a total of 1440 pigs from weaning at the age of 4 weeks to the age of 18 weeks after weaning. In pens with zones, the selection of different areas for different activities was improved. Pens with zones were more dirty in the elimination and open areas than pens without zones. In pens...... with zones, the number of lymphocytes was decreased, the ability to respond to an additional challenge by a model infection was decreased and the number of neutrophils was increased in intact litters. In week 9, the health condition was better with a group composition consisting of intact litters compared...

Maternal ability to take care of children exposed to HIV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julyana Gomes Freitas

2013-07-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: to assess the ability of mothers to take care of children exposed to HIV, using the Assessment Scale of Care Skills for Children Exposed to HIV at Birth and to check the association between the scale dimensions and maternal characteristics. METHOD: this cross-sectional study involved 62 HIV+ mothers whose children of up to one year old had been exposed to the virus at birth. The Assessment Scale of Care Skills for Children Exposed to HIV at Birth consists of 52 items and five dimensions, indicating high, moderate or low care ability. RESULTS: 72.7% of the mothers appropriately offered zidovudine syrup; 86.0% were highly skilled to prepare and administer milk formula; 44.4% were moderately able to prepare and administer complementary feeding; 76.5% revealed high ability to administer prophylactic treatment against pneumonia and 95.3% demonstrated high abilities for clinical monitoring and immunization. Significant associations were found between some maternal variables and the scale dimensions. CONCLUSION: the scale permits the assessment of maternal care delivery to these children and the accomplishment of specific child health interventions.

Exercise of essential competencies for midwifery care by nurses in São Paulo, Brazil.

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Narchi, Nadia Zanon

2011-02-01

GENERAL OBJECTIVE: to analyse the exercise of essential competencies for midwifery care by nurses and/or midwives in the public health system of São Paulo (eastern zone), Brazil. to develop a profile of the public health institutions and of the nurses and/or midwives who care for women before, during and following childbirth; to identify the activities performed in providing such care, as well as their frequency; and to specify the possible obstacles or difficulties encountered by them when exercising their competencies. a descriptive and exploratory research design, using a quantitative approach. the study was conducted in all public health services of São Paulo (eastern zone), Brazil, namely 59 basic health-care units and six hospitals, during the period of October 2006-December 2007. the study population consisted of 272 nurses and/or midwives who provide care for pregnant women and newborns at the primary health-care units and maternity hospitals of the public health system. Participants comprised 100% of hospital nurse coordinators (n=6), 61% of hospital maternity nursing and/or midwifery staff (n=62) and 64% (n=204) of nursing and/or midwifery staff working at primary health-care units. the data collection was based on a single form given to the coordinators and two questionnaires, one handed out to antenatal and postnatal nursing and/or midwifery staff and another handed out to labour and birth nursing and/or midwifery staff. The results showed that nurses and/or midwives providing care for women during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period did not put the essential competencies for midwifery care into practice, because they encountered institutional barriers and personal resistance, and lacked protocols based on best practice and on the exercise of essential competencies needed for effective midwifery care. the model of care in the public health services of São Paulo (eastern zone) is based much more on hierarchical positions than on

Translating vaccine policy into action: a report from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Consultation on the prevention of maternal and early infant influenza in resource-limited settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, Justin R; Neuzil, Kathleen M; Ahonkhai, Vincent I; Gellin, Bruce G; Salisbury, David M; Read, Jennifer S; Adegbola, Richard A; Abramson, Jon S

2012-11-26

Immunization of pregnant women against influenza is a promising strategy to protect the mother, fetus, and young infant from influenza-related diseases. The burden of influenza during pregnancy, the vaccine immunogenicity during this period, and the robust influenza vaccine safety database underpin recommendations that all pregnant women receive the vaccine to decrease complications of influenza disease during their pregnancies. Recent data also support maternal immunization for the additional purpose of preventing disease in the infant during the first six months of life. In April 2012, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization recommended revisions to the WHO position paper on influenza vaccines. For the first time, SAGE recommended pregnant women should be made the highest priority for inactivated seasonal influenza vaccination. However, the variable maternal influenza vaccination coverage in countries with pre-existing maternal influenza vaccine recommendations underscores the need to understand and to address the discrepancy between recommendations and implementation success. We present the outcome of a multi-stakeholder expert consultation on inactivated influenza vaccination in pregnancy. The creation and implementation of vaccine policies and regulations require substantial resources and capacity. As with all public health interventions, the existence of perceived and real risks of vaccination will necessitate effective and transparent risk communication. Potential risk allocation and sharing mechanisms should be addressed by governments, vaccine manufacturers, and other stakeholders. In resource-limited settings, vaccine-related issues concerning supply, formulation, regulation, evidence evaluation, distribution, cost-utility, and post-marketing safety surveillance need to be addressed. Lessons can be learned from the Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Initiative as well as efforts to increase vaccine coverage among pregnant

Vertical mother-neonate transfer of maternal gut bacteria via breastfeeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Jost, Ted; Lacroix, Christophe; Braegger, Christian P; Rochat, Florence; Chassard, Christophe

2014-09-01

Breast milk has recently been recognized as source of commensal and potential probiotic bacteria. The present study investigated whether viable strains of gut-associated obligate anaerobes are shared between the maternal and neonatal gut ecosystem via breastfeeding. Maternal faeces, breast milk and corresponding neonatal faeces collected from seven mothers-neonate pairs at three neonatal sampling points were analyzed by culture-independent (pyrosequencing) and culture-dependent methods (16S rRNA gene sequencing, pulsed field gel electrophoresis, random amplified polymorphic DNA and repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction. Pyrosequencing allowed identifying gut-associated obligate anaerobic genera, like Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides and members of the Clostridia (Blautia, Clostridium, Collinsella and Veillonella) shared between maternal faeces, breast milk and neonatal faeces. Using culture, a viable strain of Bifidobacterium breve was shown to be shared between all three ecosystems within one mother-neonate pair. Furthermore, pyrosequencing revealed that several butyrate-producing members of the Clostridia (Coprococcus, Faecalibacterium, Roseburia and Subdoligranulum) were shared between maternal faeces and breast milk. This study shows that (viable) obligate gut-associated anaerobes may be vertically transferred from mother to neonate via breastfeeding. Thus, our data support the recently suggested hypothesis of a novel way of mother-neonate communication, in which maternal gut bacteria reach breast milk via an entero-mammary pathway to influence neonatal gut colonization and maturation of the immune system. © 2013 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Early Microbes Modify Immune System Development and Metabolic Homeostasis—The “Restaurant” Hypothesis Revisited

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Michael J. Nash

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The developing infant gut microbiome affects metabolism, maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, immune system function, and brain development. Initial seeding of the neonatal microbiota occurs through maternal and environmental contact. Maternal diet, antibiotic use, and cesarean section alter the offspring microbiota composition, at least temporarily. Nutrients are thought to regulate initial perinatal microbial colonization, a paradigm known as the “Restaurant” hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that early nutritional stresses alter both the initial colonizing bacteria and the development of signaling pathways controlled by microbial mediators. These stresses fine-tune the immune system and metabolic homeostasis in early life, potentially setting the stage for long-term metabolic and immune health. Dysbiosis, an imbalance or a maladaptation in the microbiota, can be caused by several factors including dietary alterations and antibiotics. Dysbiosis can alter biological processes in the gut and in tissues and organs throughout the body. Misregulated development and activity of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, driven by early dysbiosis, could have long-lasting pathologic consequences such as increased autoimmunity, increased adiposity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. This review will focus on factors during pregnancy and the neonatal period that impact a neonate’s gut microbiome, as well as the mechanisms and possible links from early infancy that can drive increased risk for diseases including obesity and NAFLD. The complex pathways that connect diet, the microbiota, immune system development, and metabolism, particularly in early life, present exciting new frontiers for biomedical research.

Maternal Vaccination With a Monocomponent Pertussis Toxoid Vaccine Is Sufficient to Protect Infants in a Baboon Model of Whooping Cough.

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Kapil, Parul; Papin, James F; Wolf, Roman F; Zimmerman, Lindsey I; Wagner, Leslie D; Merkel, Tod J

2018-03-28

Bordetella pertussis is a human pathogen responsible for serious respiratory illness. The disease is most severe in infants too young to be vaccinated with most hospitalizations and deaths occurring within this age group. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended immunization of pregnant women to protect infants from birth until their first vaccination at 6-8 weeks of age. We previously demonstrated that maternal vaccination with licensed acellular pertussis vaccines protected newborn baboons from disease. We hypothesized that protection was due to toxin-neutralizing, maternal anti-pertussis toxin antibodies and predicted that maternal vaccination with a pertussis toxoid (PTx)-only vaccine would protect newborns from disease. Infant baboons born to unvaccinated mothers or mothers vaccinated with a PTx-only vaccine were challenged with B. pertussis at 5 weeks of age and followed for infection and signs of disease. Although all challenged infants were heavily colonized, the infant baboons born to mothers vaccinated with PTx-only vaccine were free from clinical disease following exposure to B. pertussis. In contrast, disease was observed in infants born to unvaccinated mothers. Our results demonstrated that maternal vaccination with a PTx-only vaccine is sufficient to protect newborn baboons from disease following exposure to pertussis.

A mid-term assessment of progress towards the immunization coverage goal of the Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS

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Karimov Rouslan I

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS (2006-2015 aims to reach and sustain high levels of vaccine coverage, provide immunization services to age groups beyond infancy and to those currently not reached, and to ensure that immunization activities are linked with other health interventions and contribute to the overall development of the health sector. Objective To examine mid-term progress (through 2010 of the immunization coverage goal of the GIVS for 194 countries or territories with special attention to data from 68 countries which account for more than 95% of all maternal and child deaths. Methods We present national immunization coverage estimates for the third dose of diphtheria and tetanus toxoid with pertussis (DTP3 vaccine and the first dose of measles containing vaccine (MCV during 2000, 2005 and 2010 and report the average annual relative percent change during 2000-2005 and 2005-2010. Data are taken from the WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage, which refer to immunizations given during routine immunization services to children less than 12 months of age where immunization services are recorded. Results Globally DTP3 coverage increased from 74% during 2000 to 85% during 2010, and MCV coverage increased from 72% during 2000 to 85% during 2010. A total of 149 countries attained or were on track to achieve the 90% coverage goal for DTP3 (147 countries for MCV coverage. DTP3 coverage ≥ 90% was sustained between 2005 and 2010 by 99 countries (98 countries for MCV. Among 68 priority countries, 28 countries were identified as having made either insufficient or no progress towards reaching the GIVS goal of 90% coverage by 2015 for DTP3 or MCV. DTP3 and MCV coverage remained Conclusion Progress towards GIVS goals highlights improvements in routine immunization coverage, yet it is troubling to observe priority countries with little or no progress during the past five years. These results

[The importance of maternal microbiome in pregnancy].

Science.gov (United States)

Záhumenský, J; Hederlingová, J; Pšenková, P

2017-01-01

To bring the most actual published findings of the influence of maternal microbiome on the development of pregnancy and possibilities of its adjusting. Review. 2nd Department of Gyneacology and Obstetrics of the Faculty of Medicine and the University Hospital, Bratislava. Review of the literature. The appearance of microbes on various body surface areas determines the overall health status of the individual in significant manner. The change in composition of microbioma in pregnant woman is well known. It was believed that the placenta and the body of the newborn is sterile environment. Modern diagnostic methods proved the presence of microorganisms inside the fetoplacentar unit without the signs of inflammation. Mutual interaction between the immune system of the mother, microbioma and immune system of the newborn can decrease the risk of serious obstetrical syndromes as well as define the lifelong health status of the newborn. The risk can be decreased by the administration of probiotics during the pregnancy.

The role of placental MHC class I expression in immune-assisted separation of the fetal membranes in cattle.

Science.gov (United States)

Benedictus, Lindert; Koets, Ad P; Rutten, Victor P M G

2015-11-01

The bovine fetus, like that of other species, is a semi-allograft and the regulation of materno-fetal alloimmunity is critical to prevent its immunological rejection. In cattle, a materno-fetal alloimmune response may be beneficial at parturition. It is hypothesized that upregulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I on the fetal membranes toward the end of gestation induces a maternal alloimmune response that activates innate immune effector mechanisms, aiding in the loss of the adherence between the fetal membranes and the uterus. Loss of fetal-maternal adherence is pivotal for the timely expulsion of the fetal membranes and the absence (or reduction) of the maternal immune response may lead to retained fetal membranes, a common reproductive disorder of cattle. Currently, there is no effective treatment for retained fetal membranes and a better understanding of materno-fetal alloimmune-assisted separation of the fetal membranes may lead to novel targets for the treatment of retained fetal membranes. In this review, the regulation of materno-fetal alloimmunity during pregnancy in cattle, with a focus on placental MHC class I expression, and the importance of maternal alloimmunity for the timely separation of the fetal membranes, are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epigenetics of autism-related impairment: copy number variation and maternal infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazina, Varvara; Gerdts, Jennifer; Trinh, Sandy; Ankenman, Katy; Ward, Tracey; Dennis, Megan Y; Girirajan, Santhosh; Eichler, Evan E; Bernier, Raphael

2015-01-01

Epidemiological data have suggested maternal infection and fever to be associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Animal studies show that gestational infections perturb fetal brain development and result in offspring with the core features of autism and have demonstrated that behavioral effects of maternal immune activation are dependent on genetic susceptibility. The goal of this study was to explore the impact of ASD-associated copy number variants (CNVs) and prenatal maternal infection on clinical severity of ASD within a dataset of prenatal history and complete genetic and phenotypic findings. We analyzed data from the Simons Simplex Collection sample including 1971 children with a diagnosis of ASD aged 4 to 18 years who underwent array comparative genomic hybridization screening. Information on infection and febrile episodes during pregnancy was collected through parent interview. ASD severity was clinically measured through parent-reported interview and questionnaires. We found significant interactive effects between the presence of CNVs and maternal infection during pregnancy on autistic symptomatology, such that individuals with CNVs and history of maternal infection demonstrated increased rates of social communicative impairments and repetitive/restricted behaviors. In contrast, no significant interactions were found between presence of CNVs and prenatal infections on cognitive and adaptive functioning of individuals with ASD. Our findings support a gene-environment interaction model of autism impairment, in that individuals with ASD-associated CNVs are more susceptible to the effects of maternal infection and febrile episodes in pregnancy on behavioral outcomes and suggest that these effects are specific to ASD rather than to global neurodevelopment.

Are stipulated requirements for the quality of maternity care complied with?

Science.gov (United States)

Johansen, Lars T; Pay, Aase Serine Devold; Broen, Lise; Roland, Brit; Øian, Pål

2017-09-19

The Directorate of Health’s national guide Et trygt fødetilbud – kvalitetskrav til fødselsomsorgen [A safe maternity service – requirements regarding the quality of maternity care] was published in December 2010 and was intended to provide a basis for an improved and more predictable maternity service. This article presents data from the maternity institutions on compliance with the quality requirements, including information on selection, fetal monitoring, organisation, staffing and competencies. The information was acquired with the aid of an electronic questionnaire in the period January–May 2015. The form was sent by e-mail to the medical officer in charge at all maternity units in Norway as at 1 January 2015 (n=47). There was a 100 % response to the questionnaire. The criteria for selecting where pregnant women should give birth were stated to be in conformity with the quality requirements. Some maternity institutions failed to describe the areas of responsibilities of doctors and midwives (38.5 % and 15.4 %, respectively). Few institutions recorded whether the midwife was present with the patient during the active phase. Half of the maternity departments (level 2 birth units) reported unfilled doctors’ posts, and a third of the university hospitals/central hospitals (level 1 birth units) reported a severe shortage of locum midwives. Half of the level 2 birth units believed that the quality requirements had resulted in improved training, but reported only a limited degree of interdisciplinary or mandatory instruction. The study reveals that there are several areas in which the health enterprises have procedures that conform to national quality requirements, but where it is still unclear whether they are observed in practice. Areas for improvement relate to routines describing areas of responsibility, availability of personnel resources and staff training.

Parvovirus B19 infection in pregnancy studied by maternal viral load and immune responses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Haan, Timo R.; Beersma, Matthias F. C.; Claas, Eric C. J.; Oepkes, Dick; Kroes, Aloys C. M.; Walther, Frans J.

2007-01-01

Facilitate risk assessment of vital complications in fetuses of pregnancies affected by acute parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection. Study of the natural course of maternal B19V infection in four cases, from early pregnancy on. University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Pregnant mothers attending

Effect of glucocorticoids on melatonin receptor expression under T-cell activated immune response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tauschanova, P.; Georgiev, G.; Manchev, S.; Konakchieva, R.

2007-01-01

The present study was aimed to explore the stress response in rats under conditions of T-cell antigen-activated immune function and to investigate the specific melatonin (MEL) receptor binding in primary and secondary immune tissue of rats employing 2-( 125 I)-iodo melatonin autoradiography and in vitro ligand binding assay. The study revealed that melatonin receptor binding was specifically expressed in discrete areas of the lymphoid sheath of the spleen and in a network of interdigitating cells of the experimental rats. Demonstration of the modulation of MEL receptor binding in the course of a primary immune response under hypercorticalemic conditions indicate that the pineal hormone might interfere in the processes of glucocorticoid-dependent immune competency. (authors)

Rotavirus specific maternal antibodies and immune response to RV3-BB neonatal rotavirus vaccine in New Zealand

OpenAIRE

Chen, Mee-Yew; Kirkwood, Carl D.; Bines, Julie; Cowley, Daniel; Pavlic, Daniel; Lee, Katherine J.; Orsini, Francesca; Watts, Emma; Barnes, Graeme; Danchin, Margaret

2017-01-01

Background: Maternal antibodies, acquired passively via placenta and/or breast milk, may contribute to the reduced efficacy of oral rotavirus vaccines observed in children in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the effect of rotavirus specific maternal antibodies on the serum IgA response or stool excretion of vaccine virus after any dose of an oral rotavirus vaccine, RV3-BB, in parallel to a Phase IIa clinical trial conducted at Dunedin Hospital, New Zealand. At the time o...

Early working memory and maternal communication in toddlers born very low birth weight.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, Jean; Erickson, Sarah J; Maclean, Peggy; Duvall, Susanne W

2009-04-01

Early working memory is emerging as an important indicator of developmental outcome predicting later cognitive, behavioural and academic competencies. The current study compared early working memory in a sample of toddlers (18-22 months) born very low birth weight (VLBW; n = 40) and full term (n = 51) and the relationship between early working memory, mental developmental index (MDI), and maternal communication in both samples. Early working memory, measured by object permanence; Bayley mental developmental index; and maternal communication, coded during mother-toddler play interaction, were examined in 39 toddlers born VLBW and 41 toddlers born full term. Toddlers born VLBW were found to be 6.4 times less likely to demonstrate attainment of object permanence than were toddlers born full term, adjusting for age at testing. MDI and maternal communication were found to be positively associated with attainment of object permanence in the VLBW group only. The difference found in the early working memory performance of toddlers born VLBW, compared with those born full term, emphasizes the importance of assessing early working memory in at-risk populations, while the maternal communication finding highlights potential targets of intervention for improving working memory in toddlers born VLBW.

Do Maternal Knowledge and Attitudes towards Childhood Immunizations in Rural Uganda Correlate with Complete Childhood Vaccination?

Science.gov (United States)

Vonasek, Bryan J; Bajunirwe, Francis; Jacobson, Laura E; Twesigye, Leonidas; Dahm, James; Grant, Monica J; Sethi, Ajay K; Conway, James H

2016-01-01

Improving childhood vaccination coverage and timeliness is a key health policy objective in many developing countries such as Uganda. Of the many factors known to influence uptake of childhood immunizations in under resourced settings, parents' understanding and perception of childhood immunizations has largely been overlooked. The aims of this study were to survey mothers' knowledge and attitudes towards childhood immunizations and then determine if these variables correlate with the timely vaccination coverage of their children. From September to December 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1,000 parous women in rural Sheema district in southwest Uganda. The survey collected socio-demographic data and knowledge and attitudes towards childhood immunizations. For the women with at least one child between the age of one month and five years who also had a vaccination card available for the child (N = 302), the vaccination status of this child was assessed. 88% of these children received age-appropriate, on-time immunizations. 93.5% of the women were able to state that childhood immunizations protect children from diseases. The women not able to point this out were significantly more likely to have an under-vaccinated child (PR 1.354: 95% CI 1.018-1.802). When asked why vaccination rates may be low in their community, the two most common responses were "fearful of side effects" and "ignorance/disinterest/laziness" (44% each). The factors influencing caregivers' demand for childhood immunizations vary widely between, and also within, developing countries. Research that elucidates local knowledge and attitudes, like this study, allows for decisions and policy pertaining to vaccination programs to be more effective at improving child vaccination rates.

Lessons Learned from Protective Immune Responses to Optimize Vaccines against Cryptosporidiosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemieux, Maxime W; Sonzogni-Desautels, Karine; Ndao, Momar

2017-12-24

In developing countries, cryptosporidiosis causes moderate-to-severe diarrhea and kills thousands of infants and toddlers annually. Drinking and recreational water contaminated with Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts has led to waterborne outbreaks in developed countries. A competent immune system is necessary to clear this parasitic infection. A better understanding of the immune responses required to prevent or limit infection by this protozoan parasite is the cornerstone of development of an effective vaccine. In this light, lessons learned from previously developed vaccines against Cryptosporidium spp. are at the foundation for development of better next-generation vaccines. In this review, we summarize the immune responses elicited by naturally and experimentally-induced Cryptosporidium spp. infection and by several experimental vaccines in various animal models. Our aim is to increase awareness about the immune responses that underlie protection against cryptosporidiosis and to encourage promotion of these immune responses as a key strategy for vaccine development. Innate and mucosal immunity will be addressed as well as adaptive immunity, with an emphasis on the balance between T H 1/T H 2 immune responses. Development of more effective vaccines against cryptosporidiosis is needed to prevent Cryptosporidium spp.-related deaths in infants and toddlers in developing countries.

Trypanosome infection establishment in the tsetse fly gut is influenced by microbiome-regulated host immune barriers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian L Weiss

Full Text Available Tsetse flies (Glossina spp. vector pathogenic African trypanosomes, which cause sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in domesticated animals. Additionally, tsetse harbors 3 maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria that modulate their host's physiology. Tsetse is highly resistant to infection with trypanosomes, and this phenotype depends on multiple physiological factors at the time of challenge. These factors include host age, density of maternally-derived trypanolytic effector molecules present in the gut, and symbiont status during development. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms that result in tsetse's resistance to trypanosomes. We found that following parasite challenge, young susceptible tsetse present a highly attenuated immune response. In contrast, mature refractory flies express higher levels of genes associated with humoral (attacin and pgrp-lb and epithelial (inducible nitric oxide synthase and dual oxidase immunity. Additionally, we discovered that tsetse must harbor its endogenous microbiome during intrauterine larval development in order to present a parasite refractory phenotype during adulthood. Interestingly, mature aposymbiotic flies (Gmm(Apo present a strong immune response earlier in the infection process than do WT flies that harbor symbiotic bacteria throughout their entire lifecycle. However, this early response fails to confer significant resistance to trypanosomes. Gmm(Apo adults present a structurally compromised peritrophic matrix (PM, which lines the fly midgut and serves as a physical barrier that separates luminal contents from immune responsive epithelial cells. We propose that the early immune response we observe in Gmm(Apo flies following parasite challenge results from the premature exposure of gut epithelia to parasite-derived immunogens in the absence of a robust PM. Thus, tsetse's PM appears to regulate the timing of host immune induction following parasite challenge. Our results

Immune cells are required for cutaneous ulceration in a swine model of chancroid.

Science.gov (United States)

San Mateo, L R; Toffer, K L; Orndorff, P E; Kawula, T H

1999-09-01

Cutaneous lesions of the human sexually transmitted genital ulcer disease chancroid are characterized by the presence of intraepidermal pustules, keratinocyte cytopathology, and epidermal and dermal erosion. These lesions are replete with neutrophils, macrophages, and CD4(+) T cells and contain very low numbers of cells of Haemophilus ducreyi, the bacterial agent of chancroid. We examined lesion formation by H. ducreyi in a pig model by using cyclophosphamide (CPA)-induced immune cell deficiency to distinguish between host and bacterial contributions to chancroid ulcer formation. Histologic presentation of H. ducreyi-induced lesions in CPA-treated pigs differed from ulcers that developed in immune-competent animals in that pustules did not form and surface epithelia remained intact. However, these lesions had significant suprabasal keratinocyte cytotoxicity. These results demonstrate that the host immune response was required for chancroid ulceration, while bacterial products were at least partially responsible for the keratinocyte cytopathology associated with chancroid lesions in the pig. The low numbers of H. ducreyi present in lesions in humans and immune-competent pigs have prevented localization of these organisms within skin. However, H. ducreyi organisms were readily visualized in lesion biopsies from infected CPA-treated pigs by immunoelectron microscopy. These bacteria were extracellular and associated with necrotic host cells in the epidermis and dermis. The relative abundance of H. ducreyi in inoculated CPA-treated pig skin suggests control of bacterial replication by host immune cells during natural human infection.

Background rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes for assessing the safety of maternal vaccine trials in sub-Saharan Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren A V Orenstein

Full Text Available Maternal immunization has gained traction as a strategy to diminish maternal and young infant mortality attributable to infectious diseases. Background rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes are crucial to interpret results of clinical trials in Sub-Saharan Africa.We developed a mathematical model that calculates a clinical trial's expected number of neonatal and maternal deaths at an interim safety assessment based on the person-time observed during different risk windows. This model was compared to crude multiplication of the maternal mortality ratio and neonatal mortality rate by the number of live births. Systematic reviews of severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM, low birth weight (LBW, prematurity, and major congenital malformations (MCM in Sub-Saharan African countries were also performed.Accounting for the person-time observed during different risk periods yields lower, more conservative estimates of expected maternal and neonatal deaths, particularly at an interim safety evaluation soon after a large number of deliveries. Median incidence of SAMM in 16 reports was 40.7 (IQR: 10.6-73.3 per 1,000 total births, and the most common causes were hemorrhage (34%, dystocia (22%, and severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (22%. Proportions of liveborn infants who were LBW (median 13.3%, IQR: 9.9-16.4 or premature (median 15.4%, IQR: 10.6-19.1 were similar across geographic region, study design, and institutional setting. The median incidence of MCM per 1,000 live births was 14.4 (IQR: 5.5-17.6, with the musculoskeletal system comprising 30%.Some clinical trials assessing whether maternal immunization can improve pregnancy and young infant outcomes in the developing world have made ethics-based decisions not to use a pure placebo control. Consequently, reliable background rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes are necessary to distinguish between vaccine benefits and safety concerns. Local studies that quantify population-based background rates of

Severe acute maternal morbidity and maternal death audit - a rapid ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Severe acute maternal morbidity and maternal death audit - a rapid diagnostic tool for evaluating maternal care. L Cochet, R.C. Pattinson, A.P. Macdonald. Abstract. Objective. To analyse severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) and maternal mortality in the Pretoria region over a 2-year period (2000 - 2001). Setting.

Parental care improves immunity in the seahorse (Hippocampus erectus).

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Lin, Tingting; Zhang, Dong; Liu, Xin; Xiao, Dongxue

2016-11-01

In the present study, the sexual dimorphism in immune response in the seahorse Hippocampus erectus in which males compete for mates and invest heavily in parental care was assessed. Variability in immunocompetence in virginal seahorses with differing levels of sexual maturity (i.e., immaturity, early maturity and maturity) and with different mating statuses (i.e., virginal, experienced mating failure and experienced mating success) were analyzed by evaluating immune parameters in the plasma. Additionally, ultrastructural characteristics of the inner epithelium of the brood pouch were compared between males that had experienced mating failure and those that had succeeded. Generally, immunity in sexually mature virgin males was greater than in females, and mating competition significantly reduced males' immunity. However, parental care gave males stronger immune and metabolic abilities and resulted in their immunity significantly rebounding after a successful mating. The present study quantitatively clarifies, for the first time, how parental care and mating competition jointly affect immunity. Moreover, previous findings that females display more efficient immune defenses than males in conventional species (i.e., males are as competitor and females as care giver) and that males' immunity is higher than females' in the pipefish (i.e., females are as competitor and males as care giver) in combination with the present results indicate that parental care is a key factor for sexual dimorphism in immunity. The care-giving sex has strong immunity regardless of the sex in charge of mating competition or not. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tracing changes in families who participated in Home-Start parenting program: parental sense of competence as mechanism of change

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Deković, M.; Asscher, J.J.; Hermanns, J.; Reitz, E.; Prinzie, P.; van den Akker, A.L.

2010-01-01

The present study aimed to (1) determine the long-term effectiveness of Home-Start, a preventive parenting program, and (2) test the hypothesis that changes in maternal sense of competence mediate the program's effects. Participants were 124 mothers (n = 66 intervention, n = 58 comparison). Four

In vivo immune signatures of healthy human pregnancy: Inherently inflammatory or anti-inflammatory?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Graham

Full Text Available Changes in maternal innate immunity during healthy human pregnancy are not well understood. Whether basal immune status in vivo is largely unaffected by pregnancy, is constitutively biased towards an inflammatory phenotype (transiently enhancing host defense or exhibits anti-inflammatory bias (reducing potential responsiveness to the fetus is unclear. Here, in a longitudinal study of healthy women who gave birth to healthy infants following uncomplicated pregnancies within the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD cohort, we test the hypothesis that a progressively altered bias in resting innate immune status develops. Women were examined during pregnancy and again, one and/or three years postpartum. Most pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, including CCL2, CXCL10, IL-18 and TNFα, was reduced in vivo during pregnancy (20-57%, p<0.0001. Anti-inflammatory biomarkers (sTNF-RI, sTNF-RII, and IL-1Ra were elevated by ~50-100% (p<0.0001. Systemic IL-10 levels were unaltered during vs. post-pregnancy. Kinetic studies demonstrate that while decreased pro-inflammatory biomarker expression (CCL2, CXCL10, IL-18, and TNFα was constant, anti-inflammatory expression increased progressively with increasing gestational age (p<0.0001. We conclude that healthy resting maternal immune status is characterized by an increasingly pronounced bias towards a systemic anti-inflammatory innate phenotype during the last two trimesters of pregnancy. This is resolved by one year postpartum in the absence of repeat pregnancy. The findings provide enhanced understanding of immunological changes that occur in vivo during healthy human pregnancy.

High Maternal HIV-1 Viral Load During Pregnancy Is Associated With Reduced Placental Transfer of Measles IgG Antibody

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Farquhar, Carey; Nduati, Ruth; Haigwood, Nancy; Sutton, William; Mbori-Ngacha, Dorothy; Richardson, Barbra; John-Stewart, Grace

2012-01-01

Background Studies among HIV-1–infected women have demonstrated reduced placental transfer of IgG antibodies against measles and other pathogens. As a result, infants born to women with HIV-1 infection may not acquire adequate passive immunity in utero and this could contribute to high infant morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable population. Methods To determine factors associated with decreased placental transfer of measles IgG, 55 HIV-1–infected pregnant women who were enrolled in a Nairobi perinatal HIV-1 transmission study were followed. Maternal CD4 count, HIV-1 viral load, and HIV-1–specific gp41 antibody concentrations were measured antenatally and at delivery. Measles IgG concentrations were assayed in maternal blood and infant cord blood obtained during delivery to calculate placental antibody transfer. Results Among 40 women (73%) with positive measles titers, 30 (75%) were found to have abnormally low levels of maternofetal IgG transfer (<95%). High maternal HIV-1 viral load at 32 weeks’ gestation and at delivery was associated with reductions in placental transfer (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0056, respectively) and infant measles IgG concentrations in cord blood (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0073, respectively). High maternal HIV-1–specific gp41 antibody titer was also highly correlated with both decreased placental transfer (P = 0.0080) and decreased infant IgG (P < 0.0001). Conclusions This is the first study to evaluate the relationship between maternal HIV-1 viremia, maternal HIV-1 antibody concentrations, and passive immunity among HIV-1–exposed infants. These data support the hypothesis that high HIV-1 viral load during the last trimester may impair maternofetal transfer of IgG and increases risk of measles and other serious infections among HIV-1–exposed infants. PMID:16280707

The Immune System in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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Cremon, Cesare; Carini, Giovanni; Bellacosa, Lara; Zecchi, Lisa; De Giorgio, Roberto; Corinaldesi, Roberto; Stanghellini, Vincenzo

2011-01-01

The potential relevance of systemic and gastrointestinal immune activation in the pathophysiology and symptom generation in the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is supported by a number of observations. Infectious gastroenteritis is the strongest risk factor for the development of IBS and increased rates of IBS-like symptoms have been detected in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in remission or in celiac disease patients on a gluten free diet. The number of T cells and mast cells in the small and large intestine of patients with IBS is increased in a large proportion of patients with IBS over healthy controls. Mediators released by immune cells and likely from other non-immune competent cells impact on the function of enteric and sensory afferent nerves as well as on epithelial tight junctions controlling mucosal barrier of recipient animals, isolated human gut tissues or cell culture systems. Antibodies against microbiota antigens (bacterial flagellin), and increased levels of cytokines have been detected systemically in the peripheral blood advocating the existence of abnormal host-microbial interactions and systemic immune responses. Nonetheless, there is wide overlap of data obtained in healthy controls; in addition, the subsets of patients showing immune activation have yet to be clearly identified. Gender, age, geographic differences, genetic predisposition, diet and differences in the intestinal microbiota likely play a role and further research has to be done to clarify their relevance as potential mechanisms in the described immune system dysregulation. Immune activation has stimulated interest for the potential identification of biomarkers useful for clinical and research purposes and the development of novel therapeutic approaches. PMID:22148103

Parenting stress and external stressors as predictors of maternal ratings of child adjustment.

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Ostberg, Monica; Hagekull, Berit

2013-06-01

This study sought to disentangle the effects of different kinds of stress on maternal ratings of child externalizing and internalizing problems, social inhibition, and social competence, with a primary focus on parenting stress. The relations were explored in a sample consisting of mothers of 436 children (Mage  = 7 years) in Sweden. Half the sample had had early clinical contacts during infancy due to child regulation problems, and the rest were mothers without known such early contacts. Demographic factors, family stressors, and parenting stress were examined in stress - adjustment models. Family stressors were clinical contact during infancy, current child and parent health problems, recent negative life events, and insufficient social support. Parenting stress as a mediator of the effect of other stressors on rated child adjustment was tested as was social support as a moderator of the effect of parenting stress on adjustment. The results showed that a higher parenting stress level was associated with maternal ratings of more externalizing and internalizing behaviors, more social inhibition, and lower social competence. Other family stressors and background variables were also found to be of importance, mainly for externalizing and internalizing problems and to some extent for social competence. Social inhibition had a unique relation to parenting stress only. Parenting stress mediated effects of other stressors in twelve models, whereas social support had no moderating effect on the link between parenting stress and child adjustment. Thus, parenting stress seems to be an important overarching construct. Clinical implications are proposed. © 2013 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2013 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Therapeutic Targets for Neurodevelopmental Disorders Emerging from Animal Models with Perinatal Immune Activation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daisuke Ibi

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Increasing epidemiological evidence indicates that perinatal infection with various viral pathogens enhances the risk for several psychiatric disorders. The pathophysiological significance of astrocyte interactions with neurons and/or gut microbiomes has been reported in neurodevelopmental disorders triggered by pre- and postnatal immune insults. Recent studies with the maternal immune activation or neonatal polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid models of neurodevelopmental disorders have identified various candidate molecules that could be responsible for brain dysfunction. Here, we review the functions of several candidate molecules in neurodevelopment and brain function and discuss their potential as therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders.

Nurturing girls: a key to promoting maternal health.

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1991-01-01

Mothers should invest in women's health and in the health of the next generation by taking good care of their daughters beginning at birth. Indeed girls who develop healthily, confidently, and is strong are more apt to have a safe motherhood and nurture their own children so they can reach their full potential. Nevertheless many obstacles to this occurring exist. Even though both girls and boys live in poverty, girls encounter the additional obstacle of sexual discrimination. For example, female infants have an elevated natural immunity level to fight off diseases than do male infants, female infant mortality exceeds male infant mortality in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. In addition, excessive death rates among small girls occur in some countries of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America. Reduced breast feeding, amount of food, immunization coverage, health care, and school enrollment for females contribute to these excessive death rates among females. In fact, if these deprivations do not result in death, they do cause poor health throughout life and greater risk during pregnancy and childbirth. Motherhood drains the already stunted and anemic bodies. For example, malnourished pregnant women, as evidenced by stunting, often have too small or deformed pelvises making it difficult to delivery a child normally. Anemic mothers cannot easily endure hemorrhaging loss during childbirth and abortion. Finally, deprivation influences a girl's mental ability to manage motherhood. Moreover, it reduces self esteem which in turn renders them reluctant to demand improvements in maternal care which would reduce maternal mortality.

Indications of anti-HY immunity in recurrent placental abruption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Henriette Svarre; Mogensen, Marie; Steffensen, Rudi

2007-01-01

PROBLEM: Placental abruption is a potential life-threatening condition for both the fetus and the mother, being significantly more common in pregnancies with male fetuses. The pathogenesis of placental abruption remains unknown. However, some recent reports point toward a maternal immune response...... the fetus died. Seven patients (88%) had first-born boys, and 15 abruptions (68%) involved male fetuses. All patients with a first-born boy, except one, had HLA-class II alleles known to restrict CD4+ T-cell responses against male-specific minor histocompatibility (HY)-antigens (HLA-DRB1*15, HLA-DRB3...... abruption is exclusively almost preceded by the birth of a boy and the majority of patients have HLA-class II known to restrict CD4 T-cell reactions against HY-antigens. This indicates that maternal immunological responses against HY-antigens play a role in recurrent placental abruption. Udgivelsesdato...

Schizophrenia and the immune system: pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment.

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Richard, Michelle D; Brahm, Nancy C

2012-05-01

Published evidence on established and theoretical connections between immune system dysfunction and schizophrenia is reviewed, with a discussion of developments in the search for immunologically-targeted treatments. A growing body of evidence indicates that immunologic influences may play an important role in the etiology and course of schizophrenia. A literature search identified more than 100 articles pertaining to suspected immunologic influences on schizophrenia published over the past 15 years. Schizophrenia researchers have explored a wide range of potential immune system-related causal or contributory factors, including neurobiological and neuroanatomical disorders, genetic abnormalities, and environmental influences such as maternal perinatal infection. Efforts to establish an immunologic basis for schizophrenia and identify reliable immune markers continue to be hindered by sampling challenges and methodological problems. In aggregate, the available evidence indicates that at least some cases of schizophrenia have an immunologic component, suggesting that immune-focused prevention strategies (e.g., counseling of pregnant women to avoid immune stressors) and close monitoring of at-risk children are appropriate. While antipsychotics remain the standard treatments for schizophrenia, a variety of drugs with immunologic effects have been investigated as adjunctive therapies, with variable and sometimes conflicting results; these include the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib, immune-modulating agents (e.g., azathioprine and various anticytokine agents such as atlizumab, anakinra, and tumor necrosis factor-α blockers), and an investigational anti-interferon-γ agent. The published evidence indicates that immune system dysfunction related to genetic, environmental, and neurobiological influences may play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia in a subset of patients.

Maternal acceptance, attitude and knowledge on human papilloma virus vaccination for their daughters.

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Mairaing, Karicha; Suwannarurk, Komsun; Thaweekul, Yudthadej; Poomtavorn, Yenruedee

2012-01-01

To compare the basic knowledge scores, attitudes and acceptability to HPV immunization before and after acknowledge about HPV, cervical cancer and vaccine to study group. An anonymous survey was applied to women attending the outpatient clinic, Thammasat University Hospital from April 2010 to October 2010. Basic knowledge about cervical cancer, HPV, HPV vaccine, attitudes and acceptability to HPV immunization were collected via a self administered questionnaire. A total of 173 mothers completed the survey responses rate of 86.5% (173/200). There is no difference in characteristic and lifestyles of the responders. The basic knowledge scores was higher in the subjects who had higher education level and regular cervical screening history. Most of subjects (> 85%) recognized that HPV is associated with cervical cancer but more than half of them confused about route of transmission. Basic knowledge scores is increased in all acceptability group (strongly agree to strongly disagree) after be informed about HPV and vaccine was observed. Most subjects (78.6%) agree to their daughters' vaccination indicating the high vaccine acceptances. The leading factors to maternal acceptances were free vaccination, negative attitudes such as sexual behavior of daughters and positive attitudes such as vaccine efficacy. HPV vaccine acceptance seems to be depended on cost and efficacy than maternal knowledge. The vaccine is not widely used. The cost-effectiveness analysis should be provided by government. Education and communication in public media are aimed for increasing coverage of vaccination in the future. Maternal acceptances of vaccine depend on high efficacy and low cost.

Decidual Stromal Cell Response to Paracrine Signals from the Trophoblast: Amplification of Immune and Angiogenic Modulators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hess, AP; Hamilton, AE; Talbi, S

2007-01-01

During the invasive phase of implantation, trophoblasts and maternal decidual stromal cells secrete products that regulate trophoblast differentiation and migration into the maternal endometrium. Paracrine interactions between the extravillous trophoblast and the maternal decidua are important...... a functional genomics approach to investigate these paracrine interactions. Human endometrial stromal cells were decidualized with progesterone and were further treated with conditioned media (CM) from human trophoblasts (TCM) or, as a control, with conditioned media (CCM) from non-decidualized stromal cells...... regulated groups. The data demonstrate a significant induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as angiogenic/static factors in decidualized endometrial stromal cells in response to trophoblast-secreted products. The data suggest that the trophoblast acts to alter the local immune...

Maternal correlates of maternal child feeding practices: a systematic review.

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McPhie, Skye; Skouteris, Helen; Daniels, Lynne; Jansen, Elena

2014-01-01

Establishing healthy eating habits early in life is one important strategy to combat childhood obesity. Given that early maternal child feeding practices have been linked to child food intake and weight, identifying the maternal correlates of maternal child feeding practices is important in order to understand the determinants of childhood obesity; this was the overall aim of the current review. Academic databases were searched for studies examining the relationship between maternal child feeding practices and parenting, personal characteristics and psychopathology of mothers with preschoolers. Papers were limited to those published in English, between January 2000 and June 2012. Only studies with mothers of normally developing children between the ages of 2 and 6 years were included. There were no restrictions regarding the inclusion of maternal nationality or socioeconomic status (SES). Seventeen eligible studies were sourced. Information on the aim, sample, measures and findings of these was summarised into tables. The findings of this review support a relationship between maternal controlling parenting, general and eating psychopathology, and SES and maternal child feeding practices. The main methodological issues of the studies reviewed included inconsistency in measures of maternal variables across studies and cross-sectional designs. We conclude that the maternal correlates associated with maternal child feeding practices are complex, and the pathways by which maternal correlates impact these feeding practices require further investigation. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of early-life adversity on immune function are mediated by prenatal environment: Role of prenatal alcohol exposure.

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Raineki, Charlis; Bodnar, Tamara S; Holman, Parker J; Baglot, Samantha L; Lan, Ni; Weinberg, Joanne

2017-11-01

The contribution of the early postnatal environment to the pervasive effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is poorly understood. Moreover, PAE often carries increased risk of exposure to adversity/stress during early life. Dysregulation of immune function may play a role in how pre- and/or postnatal adversity/stress alters brain development. Here, we combine two animal models to examine whether PAE differentially increases vulnerability to immune dysregulation in response to early-life adversity. PAE and control litters were exposed to either limited bedding (postnatal day [PN] 8-12) to model early-life adversity or normal bedding, and maternal behavior and pup vocalizations were recorded. Peripheral (serum) and central (amygdala) immune (cytokines and C-reactive protein - CRP) responses of PAE animals to early-life adversity were evaluated at PN12. Insufficient bedding increased negative maternal behavior in both groups. Early-life adversity increased vocalization in all animals; however, PAE pups vocalized less than controls. Early-life adversity reduced serum TNF-α, KC/GRO, and IL-10 levels in control but not PAE animals. PAE increased serum CRP, and levels were even higher in pups exposed to adversity. Finally, PAE reduced KC/GRO and increased IL-10 levels in the amygdala. Our results indicate that PAE alters immune system development and both behavioral and immune responses to early-life adversity, which could have subsequent consequences for brain development and later life health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cytomegalovirus in the Neonate: Immune Correlates of Infection and Protection

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Mark R. Schleiss

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Fetal and neonatal infections caused by human cytomegalovirus (CMV are important causes of morbidity and occasional mortality. Development of a vaccine against congenital CMV infection is a major public health priority. Vaccine design is currently focused on strategies that aim to elicit neutralizing antibody and T-cell responses, toward the goal of preventing primary or recurrent infection in women of child-bearing age. However, there has been relatively little attention given to understanding the mechanisms of immune protection against acquisition of CMV infection in the fetus and newborn and how this information might be exploited for vaccine design. There has similarly been an insufficient study of what deficits in the immune response to CMV, both for mother and fetus, may increase susceptibility to congenital infection and disease. Protection of the fetus against vertical transmission can likely be achieved by protection of the placenta, which has its own unique immunological milieu, further complicating the analysis of the correlates of protective immunity. In this review, the current state of knowledge about immune effectors of protection against CMV in the maternal, placental, and fetal compartments is reviewed. A better understanding of immune responses that prevent and/or predispose to infection will help in the development of novel vaccine strategies.

Cytomegalovirus in the Neonate: Immune Correlates of Infection and Protection

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Schleiss, Mark R.

2013-01-01

Fetal and neonatal infections caused by human cytomegalovirus (CMV) are important causes of morbidity and occasional mortality. Development of a vaccine against congenital CMV infection is a major public health priority. Vaccine design is currently focused on strategies that aim to elicit neutralizing antibody and T-cell responses, toward the goal of preventing primary or recurrent infection in women of child-bearing age. However, there has been relatively little attention given to understanding the mechanisms of immune protection against acquisition of CMV infection in the fetus and newborn and how this information might be exploited for vaccine design. There has similarly been an insufficient study of what deficits in the immune response to CMV, both for mother and fetus, may increase susceptibility to congenital infection and disease. Protection of the fetus against vertical transmission can likely be achieved by protection of the placenta, which has its own unique immunological milieu, further complicating the analysis of the correlates of protective immunity. In this review, the current state of knowledge about immune effectors of protection against CMV in the maternal, placental, and fetal compartments is reviewed. A better understanding of immune responses that prevent and/or predispose to infection will help in the development of novel vaccine strategies. PMID:24023565

Taking Care, Bringing Life: A Post-structuralist Feminist Analysis of Maternal Discourses of Mothers and Dais in India.

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Agarwal, Vinita

2018-04-01

My post-structuralist feminist reading of the antenatal and birthing practices of women (N = 25) living in a basti in India makes visible how the meanings of maternal experiences constituted as our ways open discursive spaces for the mothers and dais as procreators to: challenge (i.e., question the authority of), co-opt (i.e., conditionally adopt), and judge (i.e., employ sanctioned criteria to regulate) competing knowledge production forms. In critiquing maternal knowledge as feminist discourse, the women's strategies contribute theoretically to an integrative construction of care by reclaiming displaced knowledge discourses and diversity in meaning production. Pragmatically, consciousness-raising collectives comprising the mothers and dais can cocreate narratives of our ways of maternal experiences articulated in public discourse to sustain equitability of knowledge traditions in migrant urban Third World contexts.

Stability and individual change in depressive symptoms among mothers raising young children with ASD: maternal and child correlates.

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Carter, Alice S; Martínez-Pedraza, Frances de L; Gray, Sarah A O

2009-12-01

Mothers raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) evidence elevated depressive symptoms, but symptom stability has not been examined. Mothers (N=143) of toddlers with ASD (77% boys) were enrolled and assessed when their children were 18 to 33 months old and followed annually for 2 years. Multilevel modeling revealed no significant change in group depressive symptom level, which was in the moderately elevated range (Intercept=13.67; SE=.96). In contrast, there was significant individual variation in change over time. Child problem behaviors and delayed competence, maternal anxiety symptoms and angry/hostile mood, low parenting efficacy and social supports, and coping styles were associated with depression severity. Only maternal anxiety and parenting efficacy predicted individual change. Many mothers do not appear to adapt, supporting the need for early intervention for maternal well-being.

Moving beyond the mother-child dyad: women's education, child immunization, and the importance of context in rural India.

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Parashar, Sangeeta

2005-09-01

The argument that maternal education is critical for child health is commonplace in academic and policy discourse, although significant facets of the relationship remain empirically and theoretically challenged. While individual-level analyses consistently suggest that maternal education enhances child health outcomes, another body of literature argues that the observed causality at the individual-level may, in fact, be spurious. This study contributes to the debate by examining the contextual effects of women's education on children's immunization in rural districts of India. Multilevel analyses of data from the 1994 Human Development Profile Index and the 1991 district-level Indian Census demonstrate that a positive and significant relationship exists between the proportion of literate females in a district and a child's complete immunization status within that district, above and beyond the child's own mother's education as well as district-level socioeconomic development and healthcare amenities. However, results also indicate that the effect of maternal education cannot be downplayed. Thus, increasing women's literacy at the community level, in addition to mother's access to higher education-such as matriculation and beyond-at the individual-level, emerge as effective developmental tools.

Age and long-term protective immunity in dogs and cats.

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Schultz, R D; Thiel, B; Mukhtar, E; Sharp, P; Larson, L J

2010-01-01

Vaccination can provide an immune response that is similar in duration to that following a natural infection. In general, adaptive immunity to viruses develops earliest and is highly effective. Such anti-viral immune responses often result in the development of sterile immunity and the duration of immunity (DOI) is often lifelong. In contrast, adaptive immunity to bacteria, fungi or parasites develops more slowly and the DOI is generally short compared with most systemic viral infections. Sterile immunity to these infectious agents is less commonly engendered. Old dogs and cats rarely die from vaccine-preventable infectious disease, especially when they have been vaccinated and immunized as young adults (i.e. between 16 weeks and 1 year of age). However, young animals do die, often because vaccines were either not given or not given at an appropriate age (e.g. too early in life in the presence of maternally derived antibody [MDA]). More animals need to be vaccinated to increase herd (population) immunity. The present study examines the DOI for core viral vaccines in dogs that had not been revaccinated for as long as 9 years. These animals had serum antibody to canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) and canine adenovirus type-1 (CAV-1) at levels considered protective and when challenged with these viruses, the dogs resisted infection and/or disease. Thus, even a single dose of modified live virus (MLV) canine core vaccines (against CDV, cav-2 and cpv-2) or MLV feline core vaccines (against feline parvovirus [FPV], feline calicivirus [FCV] and feline herpesvirus [FHV]), when administered at 16 weeks or older, could provide long-term immunity in a very high percentage of animals, while also increasing herd immunity. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associations between parental chronic pain and self-esteem, social competence, and family cohesion in adolescent girls and boys--family linkage data from the HUNT study.

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Kaasbøll, Jannike; Ranøyen, Ingunn; Nilsen, Wendy; Lydersen, Stian; Indredavik, Marit S

2015-08-22

Parental chronic pain has been associated with adverse outcomes in offspring. However, knowledge on individual and family resilience factors in adolescent offspring of chronic pain sufferers is scarce. This study thus aimed to investigate the associations between parental chronic pain and self-esteem, social competence, and family cohesion levels reported by adolescent girls and boys. Based on cross-sectional surveys from the Nord Trøndelag Health Study (the HUNT 3 study), the study used independent self-reports from adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (n = 3227) and their parents and conducted separate linear regression analyses for girls and boys. Concurrent maternal and paternal chronic pain was associated with reduced self-esteem, social competence, and family cohesion in girls. Moreover, maternal chronic pain was associated with higher social competence in boys and reduced self-esteem in girls. The majority of the observed associations were significantly different between girls and boys. Paternal chronic pain was not found to be associated with child outcomes. The findings indicate that the presence of both maternal and paternal chronic pain could be a potential risk factor for lower levels of individual and family resilience factors reported by girls. Further research on the relationship between parental pain and sex-specific offspring characteristics, including positive resilience factors, is warranted. The study demonstrates the importance of targeting the entire family in chronic pain care.

Lessons Learned from Protective Immune Responses to Optimize Vaccines against Cryptosporidiosis

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Maxime W. Lemieux

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In developing countries, cryptosporidiosis causes moderate-to-severe diarrhea and kills thousands of infants and toddlers annually. Drinking and recreational water contaminated with Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts has led to waterborne outbreaks in developed countries. A competent immune system is necessary to clear this parasitic infection. A better understanding of the immune responses required to prevent or limit infection by this protozoan parasite is the cornerstone of development of an effective vaccine. In this light, lessons learned from previously developed vaccines against Cryptosporidium spp. are at the foundation for development of better next-generation vaccines. In this review, we summarize the immune responses elicited by naturally and experimentally-induced Cryptosporidium spp. infection and by several experimental vaccines in various animal models. Our aim is to increase awareness about the immune responses that underlie protection against cryptosporidiosis and to encourage promotion of these immune responses as a key strategy for vaccine development. Innate and mucosal immunity will be addressed as well as adaptive immunity, with an emphasis on the balance between TH1/TH2 immune responses. Development of more effective vaccines against cryptosporidiosis is needed to prevent Cryptosporidium spp.-related deaths in infants and toddlers in developing countries.

Impact of maternal mental health on maternal-child interaction in attendees in a community health clinic in Lagos, Nigeria

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Motunrayo A Oyelohunnu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Maternal mental health, in particular depression, has been found to negatively impact mother-child interaction, attachment, stimulation, growth, and many important aspects of development in the young child. These early deficits if sustained and unattended may have negative immediate and long-term consequences on the outcomes in the child. The study aimed to assess psychological distress and postpartum depression in mothers, and their relationship to the mother-child interaction. Methodology: This is a descriptive clinic-based study. Eligible and consenting mothers are attending the child immunization clinic in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria participated. Consecutive mothers completed the interview questionnaires independently while those who were not literate had the questionnaires administered by trained interviewers. Instruments used were a sociodemographic proforma, the General Health Questionnaire-12, Mother and Infant Attachment Scale (MIAS, and the Zung Depression Scale. Results: In total, ninety-eight women were enrolled, 66.3% were aged between 26 and 35 years, and mean age of 30.9 years (±5.1 standard deviation. Most were aged between 26 and 35 years (66.3%. Over 90% had at secondary school education or more. Over a 10 th (13.3% was unemployed and 96% married. The children were aged between 6 weeks and 1 year, males (63.1%, and females (46.9%, and the majority were born by spontaneous vaginal delivery (82.7%. A 10 th (10.2% of the women had probable psychiatric morbidity, 14.3% had scores suggestive of postpartum depression, and 18 (16.3% scored below average attachment in interaction with their children on the MIAS. There was an association found between reduced maternal-child attachment interaction and maternal depression (P ≤ 0.05. Conclusions: Emotional disorders, such as depression, in mothers can be associated reduced maternal-child interaction. It is important that integrated mental health

Maternal Mortality in a Nigerian Maternity Hospital | Olopade ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Despite recent focus on maternal mortality in Nigeria, its rates remain unacceptably high in Nigeria. A retrospective case-control study was carried out at Adeoyo Maternity Hospital, Ibadan between January 2003 and December 2004. This was to determine the maternal mortality ratio in a secondary health facility, to identify ...

[Maternal phenylketonuria].

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Bókay, János; Kiss, Erika; Simon, Erika; Szőnyi, László

2013-05-05

Elevated maternal phenylalanine levels during pregnancy are teratogenic, and may result in embryo-foetopathy, which could lead to stillbirth, significant psychomotor handicaps and birth defects. This foetal damage is known as maternal phenylketonuria. Women of childbearing age with all forms of phenylketonuria, including mild variants such as hyperphenylalaninaemia, should receive detailed counselling regarding their risks for adverse foetal effects, optimally before contemplating pregnancy. The most assured way to prevent maternal phenylketonuria is to maintain the maternal phenylalanine levels within the optimal range already before conception and throughout the whole pregnancy. Authors review the comprehensive programme for prevention of maternal phenylketonuria at the Metabolic Center of Budapest, they survey the practical approach of the continuous maternal metabolic control and delineate the outcome of pregnancies of mothers with phenylketonuria from the introduction of newborn screening until most recently.

Parenting very low birth weight children at school age: maternal stress and coping.

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Singer, Lynn T; Fulton, Sarah; Kirchner, H Lester; Eisengart, Sheri; Lewis, Barbara; Short, Elizabeth; Min, Meeyoung O; Kercsmar, Carolyn; Baley, Jill E

2007-11-01

To compare severity and determinants of stress and coping in mothers of 8-year-old very low birth weight (VLBW) and term children varying in medical and developmental risk. Three groups of mothers/infants were prospectively compared in a longitudinal study from birth to 8 years (110 high-risk VLBW, 80 low-risk VLBW, and 112 term). Maternal psychological distress, coping, parenting/marital stress, child health, and family impact were measured in the children at age 8 years. Mothers of VLBW children differed from term mothers, reporting less consensus with partners, more concern for their children's health, less parent-child conflict, and fewer years of education attained. Mothers of high-risk VLBW children experienced the greatest family and personal strains and used less denial and disengagement coping. The groups exhibited no differences in the sense of parenting competence, divorce rate, parenting/marital satisfaction, family cohesion, and psychological distress symptoms. Multiple birth, low socioeconomic status, and lower child IQ added to maternal stress. VLBW birth has long-term negative and positive impacts on maternal/family outcomes related to the infant's medical risk.

Management of Maternal Cardiac Arrest in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy: A Simulation-Based Pilot Study

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Jacquelyn Adams

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To evaluate confidence, knowledge, and competence after a simulation-based curriculum on maternal cardiac arrest in an Obstetrics & Gynecologic (OBGYN residency program. Methods. Four simulations with structured debriefing focusing on high yield causes and management of maternal cardiac arrest were executed. Pre- and post-individual knowledge tests (KT and confidence surveys (CS were collected along with group scores of critical performance steps evaluated by content experts for the first and final simulations. Results. Significant differences were noted in individual KT scores (pre: 58.9±8.9 versus post: 72.8±6.1, p=0.01 and CS total scores (pre: 22.2±6.4 versus post: 29.9±3.4, p=0.007. Significant differences were noted in airway management, p=0.008; appropriate cycles of drug/shock-CPR, p=0.008; left uterine displacement, p=0.008; and identifying causes of cardiac arrest, p=0.008. Nonsignificant differences were noted for administration of appropriate drugs/doses, p=0.074; chest compressions, p=0.074; bag-mask ventilation before intubation, p=0.074; and return of spontaneous circulation identification, p=0.074. Groups remained noncompetent in team leader tasks and considering therapeutic hypothermia. Conclusion. This study demonstrated improved OBGYN resident knowledge, confidence, and competence in the management of third trimester maternal cardiac arrest. Several skills, however, will likely require more longitudinal curricular exposure and training to develop and maintain proficiency.

The impact of maternal HIV infection on cord blood lymphocyte subsets and cytokine profile in exposed non-infected newborns

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Reis-Alves Suiellen C

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Children born to HIV+ mothers are exposed intra-utero to several drugs and cytokines that can modify the developing immune system, and influence the newborn's immune response to infections and vaccines. We analyzed the relation between the distribution of cord blood lymphocyte subsets and cytokine profile in term newborns of HIV+ mothers using HAART during pregnancy and compared them to normal newborns. Methods In a prospective, controlled study, 36 mother-child pairs from HIV+ mothers and 15 HIV-uninfected mothers were studied. Hematological features and cytokine profiles of mothers at 35 weeks of pregnancy were examined. Maternal and cord lymphocyte subsets as well as B-cell maturation in cord blood were analyzed by flow cytometry. The non-stimulated, as well as BCG- and PHA-stimulated production of IL2, IL4, IL7, IL10, IL12, IFN-γ and TNF-alpha in mononuclear cell cultures from mothers and infants were quantified using ELISA. Results After one year follow-up none of the exposed infants became seropositive for HIV. An increase in B lymphocytes, especially the CD19/CD5+ ones, was observed in cord blood of HIV-exposed newborns. Children of HIV+ hard drug using mothers had also an increase of immature B-cells. Cord blood mononuclear cells of HIV-exposed newborns produced less IL-4 and IL-7 and more IL-10 and IFN-γ in culture than those of uninfected mothers. Cytokine values in supernatants were similar in infants and their mothers except for IFN-γ and TNF-alpha that were higher in HIV+ mothers, especially in drug abusing ones. Cord blood CD19/CD5+ lymphocytes showed a positive correlation with cord IL-7 and IL-10. A higher maternal age and smoking was associated with a decrease of cord blood CD4+ cells. Conclusions in uninfected infants born to HIV+ women, several immunological abnormalities were found, related to the residual maternal immune changes induced by the HIV infection and those associated with antiretroviral

Surface receptor Toso controls B cell-mediated regulation of T cell immunity.

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Yu, Jinbo; Duong, Vu Huy Hoang; Westphal, Katrin; Westphal, Andreas; Suwandi, Abdulhadi; Grassl, Guntram A; Brand, Korbinian; Chan, Andrew C; Föger, Niko; Lee, Kyeong-Hee

2018-05-01

The immune system is tightly controlled by regulatory processes that allow for the elimination of invading pathogens, while limiting immunopathological damage to the host. In the present study, we found that conditional deletion of the cell surface receptor Toso on B cells unexpectedly resulted in impaired proinflammatory T cell responses, which led to impaired immune protection in an acute viral infection model and was associated with reduced immunopathological tissue damage in a chronic inflammatory context. Toso exhibited its B cell-inherent immunoregulatory function by negatively controlling the pool of IL-10-competent B1 and B2 B cells, which were characterized by a high degree of self-reactivity and were shown to mediate immunosuppressive activity on inflammatory T cell responses in vivo. Our results indicate that Toso is involved in the differentiation/maintenance of regulatory B cells by fine-tuning B cell receptor activation thresholds. Furthermore, we showed that during influenza A-induced pulmonary inflammation, the application of Toso-specific antibodies selectively induced IL-10-competent B cells at the site of inflammation and resulted in decreased proinflammatory cytokine production by lung T cells. These findings suggest that Toso may serve as a novel therapeutic target to dampen pathogenic T cell responses via the modulation of IL-10-competent regulatory B cells.

Maternal expression of the histone demethylase Kdm4a is crucial for pre-implantation development

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Sankar, Aditya; Kooistra, Susanne Marije; Gonzalez, Javier Martin

2017-01-01

-methylated lysine 9 and lysine 36 of histone H3 (H3K9me2/me3 and H3K36me2/me3). Here, we report that Kdm4a as a maternal factor plays a key role in embryo survival and is vital for female fertility. Kdm4a−/− female mice ovulate normally with comparable fertilization but poor implantation rates, and cannot support......-deficient oocytes displays a poor intrinsic ability to develop into blastocysts. These embryos cannot compete with healthy embryos for implantation in vivo, highlighting Kdm4a as a maternal effect gene. Thus, our study dissects an important dual role for maternal Kdm4a in determining faithful early embryonic...... healthy transplanted embryos to term. This is due to a role for Kdm4a in uterine function, where its loss causes reduced expression of key genes involved in ion transport, nutrient supply and cytokine signalling, which impact embryo survival. In addition, a significant proportion of Kdm4a...

Anti-diphtheria immunity in Nigerian mothers and their newborns.

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Cummings, Henry; Sadoh, Ayebo Evawere; Oviawe, Osawaru; Sadoh, Wilson Ehidiamen

2014-05-30

Immunity to diphtheria has been noted to wane with age such that previous studies have shown that a significant proportion of females with characteristics comparable to those of Nigerian women of reproductive age have inadequate levels of immunity to diphtheria. Thus, it is envisaged that Nigerian newborns may inherit inadequate levels of immunity to diphtheria from their mothers. Cord blood and peripheral maternal blood samples were collected from 231 mother-infant pairs at delivery. Anti-diphtheria antibody titres were assayed using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Recruited babies were those born at term with normal birth weight. As much as 29.9% of both mothers and their babies had no protection (antibody titrediphtheria. Ninety (39.0% CI 33%,45%) mothers and 107 (46.3% CI 40%,52%) babies were inadequately protected (antibody titrediphtheria. The difference in the geometric mean antibody titres of mothers and babies was statistically significant (pdiphtheria. Vaccination of parturient women with booster doses of diphtheria toxoid vaccine is recommended. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maternal mortality: a global overview.

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Choolani, M; Ratnam, S S

1995-02-01

Reduction of maternal mortality in developing countries is possible through elimination of unsafe abortion, active management of labor, appropriate management of pregnancy complications, and availability of adequate facilities. Prevention and early recognition are key factors in preventing maternal deaths due to ruptured uteri. A well equipped hospital is the appropriate place for delivery of mothers with a history of previous cesarean sections, a grossly contracted pelvis, previous myomectomies, previous multiple births, and previous abnormal births or complications during delivery. Complicated procedures, use of oxytocins, and administration of anesthesia should be performed with experienced, trained medical personnel. Surveillance of and correction for anemia should occur during the course of the pregnancy. Infections can be controlled with tetanus toxoid immunization and use of chest X-rays. The health care system should be tiered with primary health care services located in suburbs and rural districts. Services should be situated to account for population distribution, extent of maternal mortality in the region, transportation facilities, and the nearest secondary hospital. Birthing homes with sanitary facilities are an option for rural districts. A two-way referral system should be established between the primary, secondary, and tertiary level hospitals. Audits should be conducted as a means of checking for needed improvements in the system. Planning that includes proper roads, transportation, and communication facilities is important. Funding can come in the form of money, materials, and manpower. Safe motherhood requires the commitment of local people and local governments. The first step in a safe motherhood program is creating awareness among the political and economic elite. Governments are encouraged to shift resources from the military to housing, transportation, communications, education, and health during peace-times. Local professional associations

Development of CD4 T cell dependent immunity against N. brasiliensis infection

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Marina eHarvie

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Of all the microbial infections relevant to mammals the relationship between parasitic worms and what constitutes and regulates a host protective immune response is perhaps the most complex and evolved. Nippostrongylus brasiliensis is a tissue migrating parasitic roundworm of rodents that exemplifies many of the salient features of parasitic worm infection, including parasite development through sequential larval stages as it migrates through specific tissue sites. Immune competent hosts respond to infection by N. brasiliensis with a rapid and selective development of a profound Th2 immune response that appears able to confer life long protective immunity against reinfection. This review details how the lung can be the site of migrating nematode immune killing and the gut a site of rapid immune mediated clearance of worms. Furthermore it appears that N. brasiliensis induced responses in the lung are sufficient for conferring immunity in lung and gut while infection of the gut only confers immunity in the gut. This review also covers the role of IL-4, STAT6 and the innate cytokines IL-25, IL-33 and TSLP in the generation of CD4-mediated immunity against N. brasiliensis reinfection and discusses what cytokines might be involved in mediated killing or expulsion of helminth parasites.

Immune Vulnerability of Infants to Tuberculosis

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Koen Vanden Driessche

2013-01-01

Full Text Available One of the challenges faced by the infant immune system is learning to distinguish the myriad of foreign but nonthreatening antigens encountered from those expressed by true pathogens. This balance is reflected in the diminished production of proinflammatory cytokines by both innate and adaptive immune cells in the infant. A downside of this bias is that several factors critical for controlling Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection are significantly restricted in infants, including TNF, IL-1, and IL-12. Furthermore, infant T cells are inherently less capable of differentiating into IFN-γ-producing T cells. As a result, infected infants are 5–10 times more likely than adults to develop active tuberculosis (TB and have higher rates of severe disseminated disease, including miliary TB and meningitis. Infant TB is a fundamentally different disease than TB in immune competent adults. Immunotherapeutics, therefore, should be specifically evaluated in infants before they are routinely employed to treat TB in this age group. Modalities aimed at reducing inflammation, which may be beneficial for adjunctive therapy of some forms of TB in older children and adults, may be of no benefit or even harmful in infants who manifest much less inflammatory disease.

Correlation between obesity, adipokines and the immune system

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Marcos Regini Silveira

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Obesity is a worldwide health problem and the increase in its incidence, risks and consequences are a matter of growing concern. Obesity is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the body. Many studies are currently investigating obesity and associated comorbidities in an attempt to clarify the mechanisms involved. Fat tissue is a dynamic organ that secretes several factors, including adipokines. Adipokines are bioactive peptides secreted by fat cells, which are important for energy regulation and inflammatory and immune responses. Leptin, adiponectin and resistin are the most studied adipokines. The aim of this review was to gather information about these adipokines (leptin, adiponectin and resistin and their relationship with the immune response in obese individuals, as well as the susceptibility of these patients to infections. The results of the literature review permit some observations. The circulating levels of these adipokines are directly involved in the degree of obesity of the patient. High or low circulating concentrations of these adipokines may have beneficial or negative effects on immune competence, with obese patients being more susceptible to infection and inflammation than eutrophic individuals.Key words: Obesity; Adipokines; Leptin; Adiponectin; Resistin; Immune system.

Low doses of 17α-ethinyl estradiol alter the maternal brain and induce stereotypies in CD-1 mice exposed during pregnancy and lactation.

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Catanese, Mary C; Vandenberg, Laura N

2017-10-01

Maternal care is critical for the survival, development and long-term success of offspring. Despite our current understanding of the role of endogenous estrogen in both maternal behavior and the maternal brain, the potential effects of exogenous estrogens on these endpoints remain poorly understood. Here, pregnant CD-1 mice were exposed to low doses of 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2), commonly used as a positive control in studies of other xenoestrogens, from day 9 of pregnancy until weaning. Using traditional maternal behavior assays, we document no significant changes in maternal behavior throughout the lactational period. However, EE2 induced increases in repetitive tail retrieval, which may indicate a stereotypy or obsessive compulsive (OCD)-like behavior. We also observed a significant reduction in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a region important for maternal motivation. These results suggest that pregnant adult females are not immune to the effects of this compound. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transplacental rotavirus IgG interferes with immune response to live oral rotavirus vaccine ORV-116E in Indian infants.

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Appaiahgari, Mohan Babu; Glass, Roger; Singh, Shakti; Taneja, Sunita; Rongsen-Chandola, Temsunaro; Bhandari, Nita; Mishra, Sukhdev; Vrati, Sudhanshu

2014-02-03

The lower immune response and efficacy of live oral rotavirus (RV) vaccines tested in developing countries may be due in part to high levels of pre-existing RV antibodies transferred to the infant from mother via the placenta. The candidate RV vaccine strain 116E was isolated from a newborn indicating that it might grow well even in the presence of this transplacental rotavirus antibody. Since the immune response to this vaccine among infants in the Indian subcontinent has been greater than that of the commercially licensed vaccines, we questioned whether this might be due to the ability of RV 116E to grow well in infants despite the presence of maternal RV antibody. To this end, we tested pre-immunization sera from Indian infants enrolled in a phase Ia/IIb trial of candidate RV vaccine ORV-116E for transplacental RV IgG to see whether it affected the immune responses and seroconversion to the vaccine. We found that the high titers of transplacental RV IgG diminished the immune responses of infants to ORV-116E vaccine. However, the vaccine was able to overcome the inhibitory effect of this RV IgG in a dose-dependent manner. This report clearly demonstrates the interference of maternal antibody on RV vaccine immunogenicity in infants in a field study as well as the ability of ORV-116E to overcome this interference when used at a higher dose. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Quantitative assay for the measurement of immune responses directed against the human placenta

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Davies, M; Sutcliffe, R G [Glasgow Univ. (UK)

1982-02-12

A quantitative in vitro immune assay based on the classical chromium release assay has been developed to detect immune responses directed against alien antigens expressed by the developing foetus and present on the maternal-facing surface of the human placenta. A plasma membrane fraction from the surface of the placenta was prepared and the vesicles thus formed were radiolabelled with /sup 51/Cr. The /sup 51/Cr-labelled vesicles, by various criteria, were found to be suitable for use as targets in a release assay. Further, by means of experimentally immunised animals, the target membranes were shown to be capable of detecting both cellular and humoral anti-placental activity.

Motivation or demotivation of health workers providing maternal health services in rural areas in Vietnam: findings from a mixed-methods study.

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Thu, Nguyen Thi Hoai; Wilson, Andrew; McDonald, Fiona

2015-12-02

Motivation is an important driver for health professionals to maintain their professional competencies, continue in the workforce and make a positive contribution to their workplace. While there is some research about the motivation of health workers in low- to middle-income countries, maternal morbidity and mortality remains high and this can be lowered by improving the quality of maternal health services and the training and maintenance of the skills of maternal health workers. This study examines the impact of motivation on maintenance of professional competence among maternal health workers in Vietnam using mixed methods. The study consisted of a survey using a self-administered questionnaire of 240 health workers in five districts across two Vietnamese provinces and in-depth interviews with 43 health workers and health managers at the commune, district and provincial level to explore external factors that influenced motivation. The questionnaire includes a 23-item motivation instrument based on the Kenyan health context, modified for Vietnamese language and culture. The 240 responses represented an estimated 95% of the target sample. Multivariate analysis showed that three factors contributed to the motivation of health workers: access to training (β = -0.14, P = 0.03), ability to perform key tasks (β = 0.22, P = 0.001) and shift schedule (β = -0.13, P = 0.05). Motivation was higher in health workers self-identifying as competent or who were enabled to provide more maternal care services. Motivation was lower in those who worked more frequent night shifts and those who had received training in the last 12 months. The interviews identified that the latter was because they felt the training was irrelevant to them, and in some cases, they do not have the opportunity to practice their learnt skills. The qualitative data also showed other factors relating to service context and organisational management practices contributed to

[Effects of shoutai pills on expression of Th1/Th2 cytokine in maternal-fetal interface and pregnancy outcome].

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Lai, Maohua; You, Zhaoling; Ma, Hongxia; Lei, Lei; Lu, Fangguo; He, Dongmei; Liu, Huiping; Yin, Sheng

2010-11-01

To evaluate its mechanism of inducing the maternal-fetal immune tolerance by studying the effects of Shoutai pills on the expression of Th1/Th2 cytokine and pregnancy in maternal-fetal interface of mice with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The normal pregnancy and RSA model were respectively induced with CBA/J x BALB/c and CBA/J x DBA/2. The mice with RSA were randomly divided into model group and low, middle and high dose groups of Shoutai pills. The mice were killed in 14 days after administration and embryo resorption rate was counted and their decidual and placental tissues were co-cultured to detect the expressions of IL-4, IL-10, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha with ELISA. The embryo resorption rate of the model group was significantly higher than the normal pregnancy, middle and high dose groups of Shoutai pills could decreased the embryo resorption rate of the mice with RSA (P pills could decreased the expression of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha (P pills. Middle and high doses of Shoutai pills could increased the expression of IL-4 and IL-10 (P pills. The mechanism about Shoutai pills can change Th1 /Th2 cytokine towards Th2 bias, which induced the maternal-fetal immune tolerance.

Competency-based education: the essential basis of pre-service education for the professional midwifery workforce.

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Fullerton, Judith T; Thompson, Joyce B; Johnson, Peter

2013-10-01

many articles published in the decade since promulgation of the Millennium Development Goals have acknowledged the distinct advantages to maternal and newborn health outcomes that can be achieved as a result of expanding access to skilled birth attendant (including midwifery) services. However, these advantages are often predicated on the assumption that the midwifery workforce shares a common definition and identity. Regrettably, a clear delineation of midwifery competencies is rarely addressed. A core set of midwifery competencies is essential to providing the high quality services that lead to the desirable health outcomes described in that body of research. Attribution of improved outcomes to access to midwifery cannot be made without a common understanding of a defined set of services provided to standard by the midwifery workforce across the inter-conceptional and childbearing time frame. The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) has developed a clear list of competencies that delineate the domains of practice for the fully qualified, professional midwife. These domains frame the educational outcomes that must be conveyed within competency-based education programmes. this article explores the concept of competency-based education for midwives; first exploring the concept of competency itself, then providing examples of what is already known about competency-based approaches to curriculum design, teacher preparation, teacher support and assessment of student learning. These concepts are linked to the ICM competencies as the unifying construct for education of individuals who share a common definition and identity as midwives. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

IL-35, a hallmark of immune-regulation in cancer progression, chronic infections and inflammatory diseases.

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Teymouri, Manouchehr; Pirro, Matteo; Fallarino, Francesca; Gargaro, Marco; Sahebkar, Amirhosein

2018-03-25

Cytokine members of the IL-12 family have attracted enormous attention in the last few years, with IL-35 being the one of the most attractive-suppressive cytokine. IL-35 is an important mediator of regulatory T cell function. Regulatory T cells play key roles in restoring immune homeostasis after facing challenges such as infection by specific pathogens. Moreover, a crucial role for regulatory T cell populations has been demonstrated in several physiological processes, including establishment of fetal-maternal tolerance, maintenance of self-tolerance and prevention of autoimmune diseases. However, a deleterious involvement of immune regulatory T cells has been documented in specific inhibition of immune responses against tumor cells, promotion of chronic infections and establishment of chronic inflammatory disorders. In this review, we attempt to shed light on the concept of immune-homoeostasis on the aforementioned issues, taking IL-35 as the hallmark of regulatory responses. The dilemma between immune-mediated cancer treatment and inflammation is discussed. Histopathological indications of chronic vs. acute infections are elaborated. Moreover, the evidence that IL-35 requires additional immune-regulatory cytokines, such as IL-10 and TGF-β, to induce effective and maximal anti-inflammatory effects suggest that immune-regulation requires multi-factorial analysis of many immune playmakers rather than a specific immune target. © 2018 UICC.

Reconfiguring Maternity Care?

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Johannsen, Nis

This dissertation constitutes a reflection on two initiatives seeking to reconfigure maternity care. One initiative sought to digitalise maternity records and included a pilot run of an electronic maternity record in a Danish county. The other consisted of a collaboration between a maternity ward...... at a hospital and a group of researchers which included me. Both initiatives involved numerous seemingly different interests that were held together and related to reconfiguring maternity care. None of the initiatives can unequivocally be labelled a success, as neither managed to change maternity care, at least...... experimental designs are constructed. The consequences and the politics of the proposed changes are engaged with in laboratory manner through collaborative development of the designs and through exposing them to members of field of maternity care...

[The relationship between early neo-maternal exposure, and maternal attachment, maternal self-esteem and postpartum depression in the mothers of NICU infants].

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Ahn, Young-Mee; Kim, Mi-Ran

2005-08-01

This study was performed to investigate the quantities of three neo-maternal exposures; visiting frequency, auditory contact and physical contact, and to examine the relationship between the quantities of each exposure and maternal attachment, maternal self-esteem and postpartum depression in 40 mothers of NICU babies during the first week in the NICU. Each neo-maternal exposure was counted at every mother's visit to the newborn and maternal attachment, maternal self-esteem and postpartum depression were measured using the maternal attachment inventory, the maternal self-report inventory and Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) on the first and seventh day in the NICU. The Mean of each neo-maternal exposure was 8.77(2.81) for the visiting frequency, 5.82(3.66) for the auditory contact and 5.60(2.89) for the physical contact during 7 days in the NICU. No significant changes were found in the scores of maternal attachment, maternal self-esteem and postpartum depression between the first and the seventh day in the NICU. The quantities of neo-maternal exposures were positively related to the scores of maternal attachment and maternal self-esteem but not related to postpartum depression. The results of the study suggest the lack of early neo-maternal exposure in cases of NICU hospitalization negate its beneficial effects on maternal psychological well-being in increasing maternal attachment and self-esteem. More efforts are needed for the neo-maternal interaction and the reevaluation of NICU visitation hours in order to promote maternal-infant interaction.

Maternal Diabetes in Pregnancy: Early and Long-Term Outcomes on the Offspring and the Concept of “Metabolic Memory”

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Akadiri Yessoufou

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The adverse outcomes on the offspring from maternal diabetes in pregnancy are substantially documented. In this paper, we report main knowledge on impacts of maternal diabetes on early and long-term health of the offspring, with specific comments on maternal obesity. The main adverse outcome on progenies from pregnancy complicated with maternal diabetes appears to be macrosomia, as it is commonly known that intrauterine exposure to hyperglycemia increases the risk and programs the offspring to develop diabetes and/or obesity at adulthood. This “fetal programming”, due to intrauterine diabetic milieu, is termed as “metabolic memory”. In gestational diabetes as well as in macrosomia, the complications include metabolic abnormalities, degraded antioxidant status, disrupted immune system and potential metabolic syndrome in adult offspring. Furthermore, there is evidence that maternal obesity may also increase the risk of obesity and diabetes in offspring. However, women with GDM possibly exhibit greater macrosomia than obese women. Obesity and diabetes in pregnancy have independent and additive effects on obstetric complications, and both require proper management. Management of gestational diabetes mellitus and maternal obesity is essential for maternal and offspring's good health. Increasing physical activity, preventing gestational weight gain, and having some qualitative nutritional habits may be beneficial during both the pregnancy and offspring's future life.

Words in Maternity Wards: An Aproximation to Perinatal Psychology

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Alicia Oiberman

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The acknowledgment that just born babies interact with human and physical contexts originated changes in behaviors of health teems working in maternity wards settings. Concepts such as initial interactions, attachment, dyads, maternal vulnerability, behavioral competences of the just born babies and their applications to perinatal psychology, marked a transformation in different professionals involved in birth’s approaches. From one side, it can be said that medicalization of the birth act in Western societies had allowed to minimize risk factors. But this progress had been carried out without taking into account emotional expressions. The introduction of psychological interventions in neonatal periods is a new field of knowledge. History shows that in different periods and cultures there were amulets, potions and other elements associated with magic that were used to swear baby or mother’s death risk during childbirth. All these practices were taken the place of words, in a hard emotional moment: parturition. It was necessary to walk a long and difficult road for Perinatal Psycholy to recuperate the ancient place of old good women and incorporate words in maternity wards, knowing that the main scenery is first occupied by the mother’s body and then by the baby. Our daily job in a maternity ward, working together with pediatricians and neonatologists, allowed us to verify that words come out when psychologists themselves “include their body” as well as do mothers, babies and the medical teem. Words contribute to facilitate emotional expressions related to motherhood and place the baby in the family history, making able his or her “psychological birth”. 

Effects of feeding Bt maize to sows during gestation and lactation on maternal and offspring immunity and fate of transgenic material.

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Stefan G Buzoianu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the effect of feeding transgenic maize to sows during gestation and lactation on maternal and offspring immunity and to assess the fate of transgenic material. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: On the day of insemination, sows were assigned to one of two treatments (n = 12/treatment; 1 non-Bt control maize diet or 2 Bt-MON810 maize diet, which were fed for ~143 days throughout gestation and lactation. Immune function was assessed by leukocyte phenotyping, haematology and Cry1Ab-specific antibody presence in blood on days 0, 28 and 110 of gestation and at the end of lactation. Peripheral-blood mononuclear cell cytokine production was investigated on days 28 and 110 of gestation. Haematological analysis was performed on offspring at birth (n = 12/treatment. Presence of the cry1Ab transgene was assessed in sows' blood and faeces on day 110 of gestation and in blood and tissues of offspring at birth. Cry1Ab protein presence was assessed in sows' blood during gestation and lactation and in tissues of offspring at birth. Blood monocyte count and percentage were higher (P<0.05, while granulocyte percentage was lower (P<0.05 in Bt maize-fed sows on day 110 of gestation. Leukocyte count and granulocyte count and percentage were lower (P<0.05, while lymphocyte percentage was higher (P<0.05 in offspring of Bt maize-fed sows. Bt maize-fed sows had a lower percentage of monocytes on day 28 of lactation and of CD4(+CD8(+ lymphocytes on day 110 of gestation, day 28 of lactation and overall (P<0.05. Cytokine production was similar between treatments. Transgenic material or Cry1Ab-specific antibodies were not detected in sows or offspring. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Treatment differences observed following feeding of Bt maize to sows did not indicate inflammation or allergy and are unlikely to be of major importance. These results provide additional data for Bt maize safety assessment.

Mural granulosa cell gene expression associated with oocyte developmental competence

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Jiang Jin-Yi

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Ovarian follicle development is a complex process. Paracrine interactions between somatic and germ cells are critical for normal follicular development and oocyte maturation. Studies have suggested that the health and function of the granulosa and cumulus cells may be reflective of the health status of the enclosed oocyte. The objective of the present study is to assess, using an in vivo immature rat model, gene expression profile in granulosa cells, which may be linked to the developmental competence of the oocyte. We hypothesized that expression of specific genes in granulosa cells may be correlated with the developmental competence of the oocyte. Methods Immature rats were injected with eCG and 24 h thereafter with anti-eCG antibody to induce follicular atresia or with pre-immune serum to stimulate follicle development. A high percentage (30-50%, normal developmental competence, NDC of oocytes from eCG/pre-immune serum group developed to term after embryo transfer compared to those from eCG/anti-eCG (0%, poor developmental competence, PDC. Gene expression profiles of mural granulosa cells from the above oocyte-collected follicles were assessed by Affymetrix rat whole genome array. Results The result showed that twelve genes were up-regulated, while one gene was down-regulated more than 1.5 folds in the NDC group compared with those in the PDC group. Gene ontology classification showed that the up-regulated genes included lysyl oxidase (Lox and nerve growth factor receptor associated protein 1 (Ngfrap1, which are important in the regulation of protein-lysine 6-oxidase activity, and in apoptosis induction, respectively. The down-regulated genes included glycoprotein-4-beta galactosyltransferase 2 (Ggbt2, which is involved in the regulation of extracellular matrix organization and biogenesis. Conclusions The data in the present study demonstrate a close association between specific gene expression in mural granulosa cells and

Maternal retinoids control type 3 innate lymphoid cells and set the offspring immunity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Pavert, Serge A; Ferreira, Manuela; Domingues, Rita G; Ribeiro, Hélder; Molenaar, Rosalie; Moreira-Santos, Lara; Almeida, Francisca F; Ibiza, Sales; Barbosa, Inês; Goverse, Gera; Labão-Almeida, Carlos; Godinho-Silva, Cristina; Konijn, Tanja; Schooneman, Dennis; O'Toole, Tom; Mizee, Mark R; Habani, Yasmin; Haak, Esther; Santori, Fabio R; Littman, Dan R; Schulte-Merker, Stefan; Dzierzak, Elaine; Simas, J Pedro; Mebius, Reina E; Veiga-Fernandes, Henrique

2014-01-01

The impact of nutritional status during fetal life on the overall health of adults has been recognized; however, dietary effects on the developing immune system are largely unknown. Development of secondary lymphoid organs occurs during embryogenesis and is considered to be developmentally

The development of an instrument to measure global dimensions of maternal care in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Science.gov (United States)

McCormack, K; Howell, B R; Guzman, D; Villongco, C; Pears, K; Kim, H; Gunnar, M R; Sanchez, M M

2015-01-01

One of the strongest predictors of healthy child development is the quality of maternal care. Although many measures of observation and self-report exist in humans to assess global aspects of maternal care, such qualitative measures are lacking in nonhuman primates. In this study, we developed an instrument to measure global aspects of maternal care in rhesus monkeys, with the goal of complementing the individual behavioral data collected using a well-established rhesus macaque ethogram during the first months postpartum. The 22 items of the instrument were adapted from human maternal sensitivity assessments and a maternal Q-sort instrument already published for macaques. The 22 items formed four dimensions with high levels of internal reliability that represented major constructs of maternal care: (1) Sensitivity/Responsivity, (2) Protectiveness, (3) Permissiveness, and (4) Irritability. These dimensions yielded high construct validity when correlated with mother-infant frequency and duration behavior that was collected from focal observations across the first 3 postnatal months. In addition, comparisons of two groups of mothers (Maltreating vs. Competent mothers) showed significant differences across the dimensions suggesting that this instrument has strong concurrent validity, even after controlling for focal observation variables that have been previously shown to significantly differentiate these groups. Our findings suggest that this Instrument of Macaque Maternal Care has the potential to capture global aspects of the mother-infant relationship that complement individual behaviors collected through focal observations. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Development of an Instrument to Measure Global Dimensions of Maternal Care in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Science.gov (United States)

McCormack, K.; Howell, B. R.; Guzman, D.; Villongco, C.; Pears, K.; Kim, H.; Gunnar, M.R.; Sanchez, M.M.

2014-01-01

One of the strongest predictors of healthy child development is the quality of maternal care. Although many measures of observation and self-report exist in humans to assess global aspects of maternal care, such qualitative measures are lacking in nonhuman primates. In this study we developed an instrument to measure global aspects of maternal care in rhesus monkeys, with the goal of complementing the individual behavioral data collected using a well-established rhesus macaque ethogram during the first months postpartum. The 22 items of the instrument were adapted from human maternal sensitivity assessments and a maternal Q-sort instrument already published for macaques. The 22 items formed four dimensions with high levels of internal reliability that represented major constructs of maternal care: 1) Sensitivity/Responsivity, 2) Protectiveness, 3) Permissiveness, and 4) Irritability. These dimensions yielded high construct validity when correlated with mother-infant frequency and duration behavior that was collected from focal observations across the first three postnatal months. In addition, comparisons of two groups of mothers (Maltreating versus Competent mothers), showed significant differences across the dimensions suggesting that this instrument has strong concurrent validity, even after controlling for focal observation variables that have been previously shown to significantly differentiate these groups. Our findings suggest that this Instrument of Macaque Maternal Care (IMMC) has the potential to capture global aspects of the mother-infant relationship that complement individual behaviors collected through focal observations. PMID:25066041

Vaccination against Canine Distemper Virus Infection in Infant Ferrets with and without Maternal Antibody Protection, Using Recombinant Attenuated Poxvirus Vaccines

Science.gov (United States)

Welter, Janet; Taylor, Jill; Tartaglia, James; Paoletti, Enzo; Stephensen, Charles B.

2000-01-01

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection of ferrets is clinically and immunologically similar to measles, making this a useful model for the human disease. The model was used to determine if parenteral or mucosal immunization of infant ferrets at 3 and 6 weeks of age with attenuated vaccinia virus (NYVAC) or canarypox virus (ALVAC) vaccine strains expressing the CDV hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) protein genes (NYVAC-HF and ALVAC-HF) would induce serum neutralizing antibody and protect against challenge infection at 12 weeks of age. Ferrets without maternal antibody that were vaccinated parenterally with NYVAC-HF (n = 5) or ALVAC-HF (n = 4) developed significant neutralizing titers (log10 inverse mean titer ± standard deviation of 2.30 ± 0.12 and 2.20 ± 0.34, respectively) by the day of challenge, and all survived with no clinical or virologic evidence of infection. Ferrets without maternal antibody that were vaccinated intranasally (i.n.) developed lower neutralizing titers, with NYVAC-HF producing higher titers at challenge (1.11 ± 0.57 versus 0.40 ± 0.37, P = 0.02) and a better survival rate (6/7 versus 0/5, P = 0.008) than ALVAC-HF. Ferrets with maternal antibody that were vaccinated parenterally with NYVAC-HF (n = 7) and ALVAC-HF (n = 7) developed significantly higher antibody titers (1.64 ± 0.54 and 1.28 ± 0.40, respectively) than did ferrets immunized with an attenuated CDV vaccine (0.46 ± 0.59; n = 7) or the recombinant vectors expressing rabies glycoprotein (RG) (0.19 ± 0.32; n = 8, P = 7 × 10−6). The NYVAC vaccine also protected against weight loss, and both the NYVAC and attenuated CDV vaccines protected against the development of some clinical signs of infection, although survival in each of the three vaccine groups was low (one of seven) and not significantly different from the RG controls (none of eight). Combined i.n.-parenteral immunization of ferrets with maternal antibody using NYVAC-HF (n = 9) produced higher titers (1.63 ± 0

Vaccination against canine distemper virus infection in infant ferrets with and without maternal antibody protection, using recombinant attenuated poxvirus vaccines.

Science.gov (United States)

Welter, J; Taylor, J; Tartaglia, J; Paoletti, E; Stephensen, C B

2000-07-01

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection of ferrets is clinically and immunologically similar to measles, making this a useful model for the human disease. The model was used to determine if parenteral or mucosal immunization of infant ferrets at 3 and 6 weeks of age with attenuated vaccinia virus (NYVAC) or canarypox virus (ALVAC) vaccine strains expressing the CDV hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) protein genes (NYVAC-HF and ALVAC-HF) would induce serum neutralizing antibody and protect against challenge infection at 12 weeks of age. Ferrets without maternal antibody that were vaccinated parenterally with NYVAC-HF (n = 5) or ALVAC-HF (n = 4) developed significant neutralizing titers (log(10) inverse mean titer +/- standard deviation of 2.30 +/- 0.12 and 2.20 +/- 0.34, respectively) by the day of challenge, and all survived with no clinical or virologic evidence of infection. Ferrets without maternal antibody that were vaccinated intranasally (i.n.) developed lower neutralizing titers, with NYVAC-HF producing higher titers at challenge (1.11 +/- 0.57 versus 0.40 +/- 0.37, P = 0.02) and a better survival rate (6/7 versus 0/5, P = 0.008) than ALVAC-HF. Ferrets with maternal antibody that were vaccinated parenterally with NYVAC-HF (n = 7) and ALVAC-HF (n = 7) developed significantly higher antibody titers (1.64 +/- 0. 54 and 1.28 +/- 0.40, respectively) than did ferrets immunized with an attenuated CDV vaccine (0.46 +/- 0.59; n = 7) or the recombinant vectors expressing rabies glycoprotein (RG) (0.19 +/- 0.32; n = 8, P = 7 x 10(-6)). The NYVAC vaccine also protected against weight loss, and both the NYVAC and attenuated CDV vaccines protected against the development of some clinical signs of infection, although survival in each of the three vaccine groups was low (one of seven) and not significantly different from the RG controls (none of eight). Combined i.n.-parenteral immunization of ferrets with maternal antibody using NYVAC-HF (n = 9) produced higher titers (1

Maternal anxiety, maternal sensitivity, and attachment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stevenson-Hinde, Joan; Chicot, Rebecca; Shouldice, Anne; Hinde, Camilla A.

2016-01-01

Previous research has related maternal anxiety to insecurity of attachment. Here we ask whether different aspects of maternal sensitivity mediate this link. From a community sample of intact families with 1-3 children, mothers with 4.5-year-olds were selected for low, medium, or high anxiety

Maternal anxiety, maternal sensitivity, and attachment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stevenson-Hinde, J.; Chicot, R.; Schouldice, A.; Hinde, C.A.

2013-01-01

Previous research has related maternal anxiety to insecurity of attachment. Here we ask whether different aspects of maternal sensitivity mediate this link. From a community sample of intact families with 1-3 children, mothers with 4.5-year-olds were selected for low, medium, or high anxiety levels

Characterisation of immune responses in healthy foals when a multivalent vaccine protocol was initiated at age 90 or 180 days.