Interferon-epsilon is a novel regulator of NK cell responses in the uterus.

The uterus is a unique mucosal site where immune responses are balanced to be permissive of a fetus, yet protective against infections. Regulation of natural killer (NK) cell responses in the uterus during infection is critical, yet no studies have identified uterine-specific factors that control NK cell responses in this immune-privileged site. We show that the constitutive expression of IFNε in the uterus plays a crucial role in promoting the accumulation, activation, and IFNγ production of NK cells in uterine tissue during Chlamydia infection. Uterine epithelial IFNε primes NK cell responses indirectly by increasing IL-15 production by local immune cells and directly by promoting the accumulation of a pre-pro-like NK cell progenitor population and activation of NK cells in the uterus. These findings demonstrate the unique features of this uterine-specific type I IFN and the mechanisms that underpin its major role in orchestrating innate immune cell protection against uterine infection.

Chlamydia muridarum infection differentially alters smooth muscle function in mouse uterine horn and cervix.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection is a primary cause of reproductive tract diseases including infertility. Previous studies showed that this infection alters physiological activities in mouse oviducts. Whether this occurs in the uterus and cervix has never been investigated. This study characterized the physiological activities of the uterine horn and the cervix in a Chlamydia muridarum (Cmu)-infected mouse model at three infection time points of 7, 14, and 21 days postinfection (dpi). Cmu infection significantly decreased contractile force of spontaneous contraction in the cervix (7 and 14 dpi; P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively), but this effect was not observed in the uterine horn. The responses of the uterine horn and cervix to oxytocin were significantly altered by Cmu infection at 7 dpi (P < 0.0001), but such responses were attenuated at 14 and 21 dpi. Cmu infection increased contractile force to prostaglandin (PGF2α) by 53-83% in the uterine horn. This corresponded with the increased messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of Ptgfr that encodes for its receptor. However, Cmu infection did not affect contractions of the uterine horn and cervix to PGE2 and histamine. The mRNA expression of Otr and Ptger4 was inversely correlated with the mRNA expression of Il1b, Il6 in the uterine horn of Cmu-inoculated mice (P < 0.01 to P < 0.001), suggesting that the changes in the Otr and Ptger4 mRNA expression might be linked to the changes in inflammatory cytokines. Lastly, this study also showed a novel physiological finding of the differential response to PGE2 in mouse uterine horn and cervix.

Waist circumference centiles for UK South Asian children.

OBJECTIVES: To develop waist circumference (WC) centile curves for UK South Asian children, to make comparisons with published centiles for British, indigenous Indian and Pakistani children, as well as to make anthropometric comparisons with their UK white peers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: School-aged children from London boroughs (main measures: 2004-2007). PARTICIPANTS: 1562 (652 boys, 910 girls) UK South Asian and 1120 (588 boys, 532 girls) UK white children aged 4.0-13.9 years. INTERVENTIONS: WC, height, weight and body mass index (BMI). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measures were smoothed WC centile curves, constructed using the LMS (L = skewness, M = median, S = coefficient of variation) method. SD scores (SDS) were generated using UK90 and British (WC) growth references. RESULTS: WC increased with age for both sexes, rising more steeply at the upper centiles after the age of 6 years. Overall, UK South Asian children, similar to indigenous South Asian populations, had higher WC values than the British WC references. However, compared with their UK white peers, UK South Asian children had significantly (p<0.001) lower mean WC (UK white SDS=0.74 and SDS=0.64 vs UK South Asian SDS=0.32 and SDS=0.21 for boys and girls, respectively). Obesity prevalence was greater using WC than BMI for both ethnicities. At the 90th centile, for UK South Asian children, prevalence was 21.5% vs 24.4% for boys and 17% vs 24.5% for girls based on BMI and WC, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These curves represent the first WC centiles for UK South Asian children up to the age of 14 years. With a continued rise in childhood obesity, they provide a useful historical control for future comparisons.

Interactive effects of adiposity and insulin resistance on the impaired lung function in asthmatic adults: cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is considered a risk factor for both asthma and insulin resistance in adults. Insulin resistance (IR) also influences pulmonary function in the non-obese population. AIM: To investigate the modifying effect of insulin resistance on the predictive role of anthropometric measures in the estimation of impaired lung function among asthmatic adults. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 1276 adults extracted from the NHANES 2009-2012 database was performed. Adjusted multiple linear regression was conducted to analyse the contributory role of obesity and IR in predicting lung function among asthmatic adults. RESULTS: BMI, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) showed significantly negative correlations with FVC (r=-0.24, -0.18, -0.39, respectively; p < 0.001), FEV1(r=-0.24, -0.21, -0.40, respectively; p < 0.001) and FEF 25-75% (r=-0.15, -0.18, -0.27, respectively; p < 0.001). Even after adjustment for the covariates (age, gender, smoking history and standing height), BMI and HOMA-IR had significant relationships with FVC (ß= -10.3; p < 0.01 and ß= -16.0; p < 0.05) and FEV1 (ß= -8.7; p < 0.01 and ß= -11.7; p < 0.05). BMI could significantly predict the decreased FVC (ß= -13.7; p < 0.01) and FEV1 (ß= -10.7; p < 0.01) only in the insulin resistant asthmatics. CONCLUSION: WHtR and IR predict impaired lung function in overweight/obese asthmatic adults independently. IR also modifies the association between excessive adiposity and respiratory function in asthmatic adults.