Prenatal exposure to nickel and atopic dermatitis at age 3 years: a birth cohort study with cytokine profiles.

BACKGROUND: Nickel, the fifth most common element on Earth, is the leading inducer of contact allergies in humans, with potent immunological effects. Nickel-induced contact allergies predominantly affect females. Maternal exposure to nickel has been associated with several developmental abnormalities. However, how a maternal nickel exposure affects the development of atopic diathesis and immune abnormalities in children has never been addressed. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine whether maternal nickel exposure affects the development of atopic dermatitis and immune abnormalities in their children. METHODS: Using a birth cohort study, we analysed 140 mother-child pairs recruited in 2012-2015 from central Taiwan. Maternal exposure to nickel was estimated using urinary nickel levels measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The serum levels of 65 analytes and IgE in 3-year-old children were profiled with a multiplex ELISA. The correlation between the maternal urinary nickel concentration and serum analyte levels was assessed using Spearmen's correlation. Multivariant regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between maternal urinary nickel levels and serum analyte concentrations in their children. RESULTS: The geometric means of the maternal urinary nickel and the children's serum IgE levels were 2.27 µg/L and 69.71 IU/mL, respectively. The maternal nickel exposure was associated with increased serum levels of IL-1ß, IL-2, TNF-α, and leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) but with decreased serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), IL-2R, and eotaxin-1 in the children. In addition, the development of childhood atopic dermatitis at 3 years old was significantly associated with the child's serum levels of IgE and IL-2R, but it was negatively associated with the maternal nickel exposure. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study showing the potential immunological effects of maternal nickel exposure in their children at an early developmental stage.

[Characteristics of non-marital and non-commercial heterosexual transmission of HIV infection in Miao-Dong Autonomous prefecture of Qiandongnan].

Objective: The goal of this research was to understand the demographic distribution and related factors of non-marital and non-commercial heterosexual transmission (non-commercial transmission) for HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Methods: Data related to HIV/AIDS infected by non-marital heterosexual transmission and whose present address was in Qian Dongnan, were collected from Information System on the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control. Information included demographic characteristics, the members of non-marital sex partners, transmission path, detection source, CD4(+)T lymphocyte level, et al. cases belong to homosexual history, injective drug use or non-classified non-marital heterosexuality transmission were excluded, totally collect HIV/AIDS 919 cases. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze potential factors associated with non-marital and non-commercial heterosexual transmission. In addition, in March and June 2017, using a convenience sampling, we conducted one-to-one interviews among 10 HIV/AIDS who were infected by non-marital heterosexuality and had non-marital and non-commercial heterosexual experience in Kaili Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The content of the interview included basic information, sexual orientation, the main place of making friends and sexual behavior, attitude to commercial heterosexuality and non-martial and non-commercial heterosexuality and so on. Results: Out of the 919 cases, 645 (70.2%) were male, the proportion of non-commercial transmission was 55.06% (506). The proportion of female HIV/AIDS with non-commercial transmission was 84.7% (232), which was higher than male (42.5%(274)) (χ(2)=138.35, P<0.001). The proportion of Han HIV/AIDS with non-commercial transmission was 61.5% (275), which was higher than other religion (52.2%(412)) (χ(2)=6.32, P=0.012). The proportion of HIV/AIDS with non-commercial transmission who had 0-5 non-marital sexual partners was 58.8% (498), which was higher than who had>5 non-marital sexual partners (11.1%(8)) (χ(2)=61.10, P<0.001). The proportion of HIV/AIDS with non-commercial transmission who lived mobile was 72.9% (94), which was higher than who lived fixedly (52.2%(412)) (χ(2)=19.34, P<0.001). Qualitative interviews results revealed that the age of the respondents were 22-69. Respondents whose ages are in 22-34 were more likely to use mobile phone (4/10) and respondents whose ages are in 35-69 were less likely to look partners through party and the context of working. Conclusion: The proportion of cases being infected by non-marital and non-commercial heterosexual transmission in Qian dongnan was higher than general national levels. The characteristics of sex, marriage status, migration, vocation, the members of non-marital sex partners were significant differed between commercial heterosexual transmission and non-marital and non-commercial heterosexual transmission.

Effects of short-term step aerobics exercise on bone metabolism and functional fitness in postmenopausal women with low bone mass.

Measurement of bone turnover markers is an alternative way to determine the effects of exercise on bone health. A 10-week group-based step aerobics exercise significantly improved functional fitness in postmenopausal women with low bone mass, and showed a positive trend in reducing resorption activity via bone turnover markers. INTRODUCTION: The major goal of this study was to determine the effects of short-term group-based step aerobics (GBSA) exercise on the bone metabolism, bone mineral density (BMD), and functional fitness of postmenopausal women (PMW) with low bone mass. METHODS: Forty-eight PMW (aged 58.2 ± 3.5 years) with low bone mass (lumbar spine BMD T-score of -2.00 ± 0.67) were recruited and randomly assigned to an exercise group (EG) or to a control group (CG). Participants from the EG attended a progressive 10-week GBSA exercise at an intensity of 75-85 % of heart rate reserve, 90 min per session, and three sessions per week. Serum bone metabolic markers (C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen [CTX] and osteocalcin), BMD, and functional fitness components were measured before and after the training program. Mixed-models repeated measures method was used to compare differences between the groups (α = 0.05). RESULTS: After the 10-week intervention period, there was no significant exercise program by time interaction for CTX; however, the percent change for CTX was significantly different between the groups (EG = -13.1 ± 24.4 % vs. CG = 11.0 ± 51.5 %, P < 0.05). While there was no significant change of osteocalcin in both groups. As expected, there was no significant change of BMD in both groups. In addition, the functional fitness components in the EG were significantly improved, as demonstrated by substantial enhancement in both lower- and upper-limb muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The current short-term GBSA exercise benefited to bone metabolism and general health by significantly reduced bone resorption activity and improved functional fitness in PMW with low bone mass. This suggested GBSA could be adopted as a form of group-based exercise for senior community.

[Research on the"Association of Han medicine of State of Manchuria"].

The"Association of Han medicine of State of Manchuria"was a puppet TCM academic society founded by the Puppet Manchukuo government, with well-organization system and widespread scope. During its period, though some efforts were made to promoting the TCM academic progress, improving the quality of TCM doctors, developing TCM clinic, education, academic research and administration, its essence was still a tool for the puppet government to controlling, transforming and utilizing TCM.

Maternal psychologic problems increased the risk of childhood atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effect of postnatal maternal psychologic problems on the development of childhood atopic disorders. OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between early life maternal psychologic problems and atopic dermatitis (AD) in children in a national birth cohort. METHODS: We used multistage, stratified systematic sampling to recruit 24,200 mother-newborn pairs from the Taiwan national birth registration. Maternal psychologic problems and potential confounders were gathered by the standard questionnaire at 6 months old. At 3 years of age, information about the development of AD was assessed by International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood via home interviews. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association of postnatal maternal psychologic problems (postpartum depression (PPD) and maternal mental health index) and AD. RESULTS: The prevalence of physician-diagnosed AD was 10.5%. PPD increased the risk of subsequent physician-diagnosed AD in children after adjusting for potential confounders and other maternal mental health index (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.21-1.66). We observed that the risk of AD associated with PPD was not confounded by other social demographic factors such as maternal AD, maternal education, family income, breastfeeding, day care, and number of siblings. CONCLUSIONS: Postpartum depression increased the risk of childhood AD even when other maternal mental health index and social demographic factors are considered. Early intervention of PPD might be helpful for AD prevention.

Prenatal air pollutant exposure and occurrence of atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary and environmental factors have been related to the occurrence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in early childhood. However, the role of prenatal and early postnatal exposure to air pollutants has not been totally elucidated. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between prenatal air pollutant exposure and occurrence of AD. METHODS: In total 24 200 infant-mother pairs were recruited to participate in the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study in 2005 using multistage stratified sampling. Medical history, including physician-diagnosed AD, was inquired by questionnaire at the infant's age of 6 months. Monthly averages of five criteria air pollutants - NO2 , CO, O3 , SO2 and PM10 - were retrieved from 66 air-quality-monitoring stations, and interpolated to all administrative districts using the kriging method. Exposure data during each of the three gestational trimesters and three months after birth were calculated for each study subject, and odds ratios (ORs) of AD occurrence were calculated by logistic regression. RESULTS: Among the participants, 16 686 mother-infant pairs were qualified for and included in the analysis. Among them, 1206 infants (7·2%) had been diagnosed as having AD before the age of 6 months, and the prevalence was higher in boys (8·3%) than in girls (6·1%). The occurrence of AD was significantly associated with CO exposure during the whole gestational period [adjusted OR (aOR) 1·37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·06-1·78] and the first trimester (aOR 1·51, 95% CI 1·16-1·97). We did not observe any significant association among the other air pollutants during either the whole gestational period or any period of the three trimesters and 3 months after birth. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found a relationship between AD occurrence and gestational exposure to CO, where exposure during the first trimester seemed to be the most important.

Aerobic exercise affects T-wave alternans and heart rate variability in postmenopausal women.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 10-week high-intermediate exercise intervention on heart rate variability/microscopic T-wave alternans (HRV/MTWA) in healthy postmenopausal women (PMW). 62 healthy PMW were recruited and randomly divided into an exercise group (EG, n=32) or a control group (CG, n=30). The EG attended a progressively high-intermediate intensity (75-85% heart rate reserve, HRR) group-based step aerobic exercise program for 10 weeks, whereas the CG did not receive any intervention. HRV/MTWA, blood chemistry and physical function-related indices were measured before and within 24 h following the 10-week exercise program. Following a 10-week exercise intervention, the EG had significant mean decreases in SDNN (22.4%), CV (21.4%), NN50 (72.6%), LF (ms2; 55.8%), HF (ms2; 39.9%), LF (n.u.; 11.2%), and LF/HF (34.5%). The EG showed a significant increase in HF (n.u.; 40.0%) and CAV (44.4%), whereas there was no significant finding in the CG. The coupling effect of MTWA and HRV after intervention suggests that exercise intervention potentially affects regulation changes of the autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular condition synchronically in PMW. The rebound effect of biomarkers has proven to be a considerable factor on HRV/MTWA measurements.

Maternal employment and atopic dermatitis in children: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Considering the early onset of atopic dermatitis (AD), which most often arises in the first year of life, risk factors occurring very early in life must be considered. Little is known about the effects of maternal occupational exposure on the development of atopic disorders in children. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between maternal employment and childhood AD. METHODS: We used multistage stratified systematic sampling to recruit 24,200 mother-newborn pairs from the Taiwan national birth register. Information on maternal occupation categories, work stress, working time, shift work and potential confounders during pregnancy was gathered by questionnaires after birth. At 3 years of age, information on the development of AD was assessed by home interviews. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association of maternal employment and AD. RESULTS: Overall, 11,962 out of 19,381 mothers (61·7%) worked during pregnancy. The children of mothers who worked during pregnancy had an increased risk of AD compared with those whose mothers did not work [odds ratio (OR) 1·38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·25-1·53]. The children of mothers with a professional or technical occupation had a higher risk of AD (OR 1·64, 95% CI 1·44-1·87). The risk of AD was found to increase with maternal work stress during pregnancy in a dose-response manner (P(trend)<0·01). The mothers of children with AD had a longer working time than those without AD (P<0·0001). However, no significant association between AD and maternal shift work was found. CONCLUSIONS: Working in professional or technical occupations increased the risk of childhood AD in addition to work stress during pregnancy.

Prenatal and postnatal risk factors for infantile pneumonia in a representative birth cohort.

Pneumonia is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in infants. However, information of risk factors for pneumonia in children aged <6 months is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors and their contribution to infantile pneumonia in a large population-based survey. Of 24,200 randomly sampled main caregivers invited, 21,248 (87.8%) participated in this study. A structured questionnaire was used to interview the main caregivers. Information regarding whether hospitalization was required, family environment, and medical history were obtained. The prevalence of pneumonia was 0.62% in our study cohort. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preterm birth, congenital cardiopulmonary disease, antibiotic use during pregnancy, maternal overweight, daily prenatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and visible mould on walls at home are risk factors associated with infantile pneumonia. Further study is warranted to investigate the causality and mechanisms of these novel factors.

Predicting risk for early infantile atopic dermatitis by hereditary and environmental factors.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary and environmental factors contribute to the occurrence of atopic dermatitis (AD). However, the interaction of these two factors is not totally understood. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the early risk factors for infantile AD at the age of 6 months and to develop a predictive model for the development of AD. METHODS: In 2005, a representative sample of mother and newborn pairs was obtained by multistage, stratified systematic sampling from the Taiwan national birth register. Information on hereditary and environmental risk factors was collected by home interview when babies were 6 months old. Multivariate regression analysis was applied to determine the risk factors for AD in the infants. RESULTS: A total of 20 687 pairs completed the study satisfactorily. AD was diagnosed in 7.0% of 6-month-old infants by physicians. Parental asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis, and maternal education levels were risk factors for AD in infants. Among environmental factors, fungus on walls at home and renovation/painting in the house during pregnancy were significantly associated with early infantile AD. Using these factors, the probability of having infantile AD was estimated and grouped into low, high and very high. With five runs of tests in mutually exclusive subsets of this population, the likelihood of AD for 6-month-old infants was consistent in all the groups with the predictive model. The highest predicted probability of AD was 70.1%, among boys with maternal education levels > 12 years, both parents with AD, renovation and painting of the house during pregnancy and fungus on walls at home. The lowest probability was 3.1%, among girls with none of the above factors. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation provides a technique for predicting the risk of infantile AD based on hereditary and environmental factors, which could be used for developing a preventive strategy against AD, especially among those children with a family history of atopy.

Are maternal psychosocial factors associated with cord immunoglobulin E in addition to family atopic history and mother immunoglobulin E?

BACKGROUND: Atopy in maternal and family histories is known to be a risk factor for elevated umbilical cord immunoglobulin E (cIgE). However, the association between cIgE and psychosocial factors remains under investigation. OBJECTIVE: To explore whether psychosocial factors in addition to atopy contribute to elevated cIgE. METHODS: Four private maternity hospitals fitting the quantile levels of SO(2) in 2000 cooperated with us by recruiting participants for this study: pairs of mothers and neonates living within 3-km catchment areas of air-monitoring stations. We used a questionnaire to collect exposure data, and the Pharmacia UniCap IgE assay test system to determine the levels of IgE in gravidas and cord blood. RESULTS: Between July 2001 and March 2003, 334 mother and neonate pairs participated in this study. The frequencies of sensitization, serum IgE (sIgE)>100 IU/mL, or cIgE> or =0.35 IU/mL were not different between the four different hospitals. By multi-variate logistic regression analysis adjusted for environmental factors, genetic factors, and psychosocial factors, the risk factors for elevated cIgE were being a male neonate (odds ratio (OR)=3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI)=[1.5, 8.5]), carpets at home (OR=3.0, 95% CI=[1.02, 8.4]), maternal allergy to dog dander (OR=9.7, 95% CI=[1.2, 98.8], maternal total serum IgE>100 IU/mL (OR=5.1, 95% CI=[2.2, 12.8]), maternal regularly/mostly/often self-reported nervousness (OR=4.0, 95% CI=[1.3, 12.8]), family income 11,574-17 361 US dollars/year (OR=3.7, 95% CI=[1.3, 11.5]), incense burning (OR=4.0, 95% CI=[1.4, 13.3]), and atopy in maternal grandparents (OR=4.8, 95% CI=[1.7, 14.0]). By principle component analysis and logistic regression, psychosocial stress (beta +/- standard error=0.26+/-0.13, P=0.04) was associated with increased cIgE. CONCLUSION: Psychosocial factors are potentially important risk factors for elevated cIgE.

Ultrastructure of the monkey thoracic duct and the cisterna chyli.

The ultrastructure of the thoracic duct and cisterna chyli was studied in the Formosan rock monkey. This duct is approximately 40% of the crown-rump length. Bicuspid valves ensure one-way drainage of the lymph and prevent reflux of lymph. Ultrastructural variations between the 2 sides of the valves and the functional significance of the different types of valve are discussed. The muscular organisation in the tunica media is similar to that of the human thoracic duct. The abdominal and thoracic parts of the duct contain smooth muscle and probably exhibit active peristalsis, while the cervical part is less muscular and functions like a vein.