| 1. |
- Hesselmar, Bill, 1955, et al.
(författare)
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Allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, eczema, and sensitization in two areas with differing climates.
- 2001
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Ingår i: Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0905-6157. ; 12:4, s. 208-15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this 5-year follow-up study we compared the prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, eczema, and sensitization, in relation to several background factors, in two Swedish regions (Göteborg and Kiruna). In Göteborg, a city on the southwest coast, the climate is mild and humid. Kiruna is a town north of the Arctic Circle. Questionnaire replies and results of interviews were collected from all 412 7-8-year-old children of a population-based sample (203 in Göteborg and 209 in Kiruna); in addition, 192 children from Göteborg and 205 from Kiruna were skin-prick tested for sensitization to common aero-allergens. After 5 years, at 12-13 years of age, almost all of the initial study cohort were re-investigated. At follow-up the prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis was 17%, eczema 23%, and sensitization 32%. Allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema were as common in Göteborg as in Kiruna, whereas sensitization was far more common in Kiruna. Children born during the pollen season had allergic rhinoconjunctivitis less often -- and were sensitized to pollen and animal protein less often -- than those born during the rest of the year. Sensitization to birch pollen, cat protein, and horse protein was less common in children living in Göteborg, the region with the highest frequency of cat ownership and horseback riding, and with the longest birch-pollen season. The girls were more commonly horseback riders but the boys were more often sensitized to horses. The results reinforce our previous findings: indoor climate may affect the development of sensitization and allergic diseases, to some extent independently; and if exposure to antigen is unavoidable, high doses might be better than low doses.
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| 2. |
- Hesselmar, Bill, 1955, et al.
(författare)
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High-dose exposure to cat is associated with clinical tolerance--a modified Th2 immune response?
- 2003
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Ingår i: Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0954-7894. ; 33:12, s. 1681-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Allergen-specific IgG4 antibodies, it is suggested, may be protecting against allergy development by blocking responses. Levels are proposed as a marker of modified Th2 response.To assess the levels of IgE, IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies to cat in relation to cat exposure, asthma and allergic diseases.We studied a population-based sample of 412 schoolchildren of 12-13 years of age. Parents of 402 children completed a questionnaire covering their child's medical history, the keeping of cats and other background data. Skin prick tests (SPTs) to common aeroallergens were performed in 371 of the children. Blood samples for the analyses of IgE, IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies were obtained from 309 of them.All children had an immune response to cat, predominantly of the IgG1 subclass. The levels of cat-specific IgG1 and IgG4, but not IgE, were high in children currently keeping a cat. Children with asthma had increased levels of cat-specific IgE and IgG1, and children with a positive SPT to cat also had increased IgG4. The presence of IgG4 was not associated with asthma or sensitization, unless there was a simultaneous production of IgE. Twenty-five percent of the children had an immune response with only IgG4, and no IgE antibodies to cat. This group of children had the highest frequency of cat-keeping, but a similar prevalence of asthma and allergy as those with neither IgE nor IgG4 antibodies to cat.Cat-keeping was associated with a modified Th2 response, producing IgG4 but not IgE antibodies. This immune response was not associated with an increased risk of asthma or allergy. However, the IgG4 antibodies did not directly mediate any protective effect.
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| 3. |
- Kim, Jeong-Lim, et al.
(författare)
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Fish consumption and school grades in Swedish adolescents: a study of the large general population.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Acta Paediatrica. - 1651-2227. ; 99, s. 72-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: To study the associations between fish intake and academic achievement as cognitive parameter among Swedish adolescents. METHODS: In 2000, a questionnaire including respiratory items, socioeconomic conditions and dietary information was mailed to all schoolchildren (n = 18 158), aged 15 and living in Västra Götaland region of Sweden. The questionnaire was returned by 10 837 subjects. One year later, the total school grades for each subject who had completed the questionnaire and who included their full personal identification number were obtained from the national registers. Multiple linear regression models were applied to evaluate the association between fish intake and academic grades among 9448 schoolchildren, while adjusting for potential confounders, e.g. parents' education. RESULTS: Grades were higher in subjects with fish consumption once a week compared with subjects with fish consumption of less than once a week (reference group) [increment in estimate 14.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 11.8-17.1]. Grades were even higher in subjects with fish consumption of more than once a week compared with the reference group (increment in estimate 19.9, 95% CI 16.5-23.3). In the model stratified for parents' education, there were still higher grades among subjects with frequent fish intake in all educational strata (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Frequent fish intake among schoolchildren may provide benefits in terms of academic achievement.
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| 4. |
- Åberg, Maria A I, 1972, et al.
(författare)
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Fish intake of Swedish male adolescents is a predictor of cognitive performance.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). - : Wiley. - 1651-2227 .- 0803-5253. ; 98:3, s. 555-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: Fish intake is reported to positively influence cognitive performance in infants and the elderly. In a longitudinal cohort study, we evaluated how fish consumption related to later cognitive performance in healthy young male adolescents. METHODS: In 2000, all 15-year-olds (n = 18 158; 9260 males) in the western region of Sweden were requested to complete an extensive questionnaire with items on diseases, fish consumption and socioeconomic status. Questionnaire data from the male responders (n = 4792, response rate 52%) were linked with records on subsequent intelligence test performance at age 18 from the Swedish Military Conscription Register (n = 3972). Multivariate linear models were used to estimate associations between fish intake and cognitive performance, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: There was a positive association between the number of times having fish meals per week at age 15 and cognitive performance measured 3 years later. Fish consumption of more than once per week compared to less than once per week was associated with higher stanine scores in combined intelligence (0.58 units; 95% confidence interval 0.39, 0.76), in verbal performance (0.45; 0.27, 0.63) and in visuospatial performance (0.50; 0.31, 0.69). The association between fish consumption and the 3 intelligence scores was the same in lowly and highly educated groups. This indicates that education did not influence the association between the frequency of fish meals consumed and cognitive performance. CONCLUSION: Frequent fish intake at age 15 was associated with significantly higher cognitive performance 3 years later.
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| 5. |
- Adlerberth, Ingegerd, 1959, et al.
(författare)
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Gut microbiota and development of atopic eczema in 3 European birth cohorts.
- 2007
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Ingår i: The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0091-6749 .- 1097-6825. ; 120:2, s. 343-50
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Stimulation of the immune system by gut microbes might prevent allergy development. OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the hypothesis that sensitization to food allergens and atopic eczema are influenced by the infantile intestinal colonization pattern. METHODS: Infants were recruited perinatally in Göteborg (n = 116), London (n = 108), and Rome (n = 100). Commensal bacteria were identified to the genus or species level in rectal (3 days) and quantitative stool cultures (7, 14, and 28 days and 2, 6, and 12 months of age). At 18 months of age, atopic eczema and total and food-specific IgE levels were assessed. These outcomes were modeled in relation to time to colonization with 11 bacterial groups and to ratios of strict anaerobic to facultative anaerobic bacteria and gram-positive to gram-negative bacteria at certain time points. Study center, mode of delivery, parity, and infant diet were included as covariates. RESULTS: Neither atopic eczema nor food-specific IgE by 18 months of age were associated with time of acquisition of any particular bacterial group. Cesarean section delayed colonization by Escherichia coli and Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium species, giving way to, for example, Clostridium species. Lack of older siblings was associated with earlier colonization by Clostridium species and lower strict anaerobic/facultative anaerobic ratio at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support the hypothesis that sensitization to foods or atopic eczema in European infants in early life is associated with lack of any particular culturable intestinal commensal bacteria. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The nature of the microbial stimulus required for protection from allergy remains to be identified.
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| 6. |
- Adlerberth, Ingegerd, 1959, et al.
(författare)
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Reduced enterobacterial and increased staphylococcal colonization of the infantile bowel: an effect of hygienic lifestyle?
- 2006
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Ingår i: Pediatric research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0031-3998 .- 1530-0447. ; 59:1, s. 96-101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The modern Western lifestyle may have altered the composition of the commensal microflora. Here, we investigated the first year's intestinal colonization pattern in 99 vaginally delivered Swedish infants and 17 delivered by cesarean section. Rectal swabs obtained at 3 d of age were cultured for aerobic bacteria and fecal samples obtained at 1, 2, 4, and 8 wk and at 6 and 12 mo of age were cultivated quantitatively for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Vaginally delivered infants more often had Escherichia coli compared with cesarean section-delivered infants, whereas the latter more frequently carried other enterobacteria, such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter. Independent of delivery mode, it took 2 mo until most infants were colonized by enterobacteria, traditionally the first colonizers. In contrast, coagulase-negative staphylococci colonized 99% of the infants from d 3 onwards. The poor adaptation of staphylococci to the gut was shown by declining population sizes after some weeks. Dominating anaerobes were initially bifidobacteria and clostridia, whereas Bacteroides initially colonized only 30% of vaginally delivered infants and increased very slowly in prevalence. Bacteroides colonization was delayed up to 1 y in cesarean section-delivered compared with vaginally delivered infants. Our results show that some "traditional" fecal bacteria are acquired late today especially in cesarean section-delivered infants, probably due to limited environmental circulation. In their absence, skin bacteria like staphylococci have become the first gut colonizers.
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| 7. |
- Adlerberth, Ingegerd, 1959, et al.
(författare)
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Toxin-producing Clostridium difficile strains as long-term gut colonizers of healthy infants.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of clinical microbiology. - 1098-660X. ; 52:1, s. 173-179
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Clostridium difficile is a colonizer of the human gut, and toxin-producing strains may cause diarrhea if infectious burden is heavy. Infants are more frequently colonized than adults, but rarely develop C. difficile disease. It is not known whether strains of C. difficile differ in capacity to colonize and persist in the human gut microbiota. Here, we strain-typed isolates of C. difficile colonizing 42 healthy infants followed from birth to ≥12 months of age, using PCR ribotyping of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region. The isolates were also characterized regarding carriage of the toxin genes tcdA, tcdB and cdtA/B, and capacity to produce toxin B in vitro. Most strains (71%) were toxin-producers, and 51% belonged to the 001 or 014 ribotypes, that often cause disease in adults. These ribotypes were significantly more likely than other ones to persist for ≥6 months in the infant micobiota, and were isolated from 13/15 children carrying such long-term colonizing strains. Ribotype 001 strains were often acquired in the first week of life and attained higher population counts than other C. difficile ribotypes in newborn infants' faeces. Several toxin-negative ribotypes were identified, two of which (GI and GIII) were long-term colonizers, each in one infant. Our results suggest that the toxin-producing C. difficile ribotypes 001 and 014 have special fitness in the infantile gut microbiota. Toxin-producing strains colonizing young children for long time periods may represent a reservoir for strains causing disease in adults.
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| 8. |
- Agardh, Carl-David, et al.
(författare)
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Glucose levels and insulin secretion during a 75 g glucose challenge test in normal pregnancy
- 1996
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Ingår i: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 1365-2796 .- 0954-6820. ; 240:5, s. 303-309
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate glucose levels and insulin secretion early in pregnancy and at a time when gestational diabetes mellitus frequently occurs in order to define reference values for glucose tolerance during pregnancy. The results were also related to maternal factors that might identify subjects at risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus as well as foetal factors that might be a result of impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy. DESIGN: A prospective study. SETTING: All Caucasian women attending one antenatal out-patient care unit were offered a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test at the 17th and 32nd week of gestation. SUBJECTS: A total of 586 consecutive pregnant women were included in the study. All 586 women were examined by repeated blood glucose measurements and 298 agreed to perform oral glucose tolerance tests as well. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Venous whole blood glucose values were measured in the fasting state and in samples obtained 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 and 120 min after oral intake of 75 g glucose. Serum insulin and C-peptide were also measured at these times. In all subjects, a random blood glucose sample was taken at the first visit, and thereafter at the 20th, 30th and 36th week of gestation. Information was also obtained from all subjects regarding body mass index, weight gain during pregnancy, smoking habits, family history of diabetes and hypertension, hypertension during pregnancy, past obstetric history, parity, and fetal outcome. RESULTS: The glucose tolerance was significantly impaired at the 32nd week of gestation compared with the 17th week of gestation. The mean +2SD 2 h glucose value during the oral glucose tolerance test at the 32nd week of gestation was 8.0 mmol L-1. Impaired glucose tolerance was characterised by increased insulin resistance, with a significant rise in serum insulin and C-peptide concentrations and in the insulin/glucose index during the oral glucose tolerance test at the 32nd week of gestation. Maternal factors associated with an impaired glucose tolerance were a family history of diabetes mellitus, smoking, a weight gain more than 18 kg during pregnancy, and glucosuria, while a family history of hypertension and hypertension present during pregnancy were not. Foetal factors that might be a result of impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy, e.g. macrosomia and prematurity as well as complicated deliveries such as vacuum extraction/forceps or Caesarean section, all tended to be associated with higher blood glucose values. The same pattern was seen when the Apgar score was < 7. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study show that the present cut-off values for diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus should be revised. Even if some maternal factors might indicate an increased risk for impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy, they are probably not enough to detect women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Therefore, a screening programme for gestational diabetes should be considered.
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| 9. |
- Ahrné, Siv, et al.
(författare)
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Lactobacilli in the intestinal microbiota of Swedish infants
- 2005
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Ingår i: Microbes and Infection. - : Elsevier BV. - 1286-4579 .- 1769-714X. ; 7:11-12, s. 1256-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lactobacillus colonisation was examined in 112 Swedish infants. Faecal samples obtained at 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks and at 6, 12 and 18 months of age were cultivated quantitatively on Rogosa agar. Lactobacilli were speciated by PCR and typed to the strain level by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Lactobacilli reached a peak at 6 months when 45% of the infants were colonised. L. rhamnosus and L. gasseri were the most common species in this period. Colonisation by lactobacilli in general (P < 0.01) and L. rhamnosus in particular (P < 0.05) was more common in breast-fed than in weaned infants at 6 months of age. Lactobacillus isolation reached a nadir of 17% by 12 months (P < 0.0001), but increased to 31% by 18 months of age P < 0.05). The food-related species L. paracasei, L. plantarum, L. acidophilus and L. delbrueckii dominated in this second phase. A single strain persisted for at least 3 weeks in 17% of the infants during the first 6 months, most commonly L. rhamnosus. Lactobacillus population counts in colonised infants increased from 10(6.4) cfu/g at 1 week to 10(8.8) cfu/g at 6 months, and then dropped to 10(5.4) cfu/g faeces at 12 months of age. Lactobacillus colonisation was not significantly related to delivery mode, or to presence of siblings or pets in the household. Our results suggest that certain Lactobacillus species, especially L. rhamnosus, thrive in the intestinal flora of breast-fed infants. After weaning they are replaced by other Lactobacillus species of types found in food.
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| 10. |
- Alm, Bernt, 1951, et al.
(författare)
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Antibiotics in the first week of life is a risk factor for allergic rhinitis at school age.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. - : Wiley. - 1399-3038. ; 25:5, s. 468-472
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Heredity as well as external factors influences the development of allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to analyse early risk factors and protective factors for allergic rhinitis at school age.
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