Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020 May 18. Epub 2020 May 18.

Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America. Electronic address:

Background: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on pregnant women is incompletely understood, but early data from case series suggest a variable course of illness from asymptomatic or mild disease to maternal death. It is unclear whether pregnant women manifest enhanced disease similar to influenza viral infection or whether specific risk factors might predispose to severe disease.

Objective: To describe maternal disease and obstetrical outcomes associated with Covid-19 disease in pregnancy to rapidly inform clinical care. Read More

Allergol Immunopathol (Madr) 2020 May 18. Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan; Epidemiology and Medical Statistics Unit, Translational Research Center, Ehime University Hospital, Ehime, Japan.

Background: There is limited evidence on the association between prenatal smoking exposure and the risk of asthma in children. The aim of this prebirth cohort study was to investigate the association between prenatal and postnatal tobacco smoke exposure and the risk of asthma in Japanese children.

Methods: Study subjects were 1304 mother-child pairs. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.

With the accelerated pace of economic development and modernization, air pollution has become one of the most focused public health problems. However, the impact of particulate matter exposure during pregnancy on childhood asthma and wheezing remains controversial. We performed this meta-analysis to explore the relationship between prenatal exposure to PM and childhood asthma and wheezing. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020 May 20;20(1):314. Epub 2020 May 20.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mobini Hospital, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran.

Background: It is known that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has adverse effects on pregnancy and birth outcomes. We aimed to assess the impact of ETS in pregnant women with and without asthma.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted from August 2014 to June 2015 enrolling 1603 pregnant women during their 2nd trimester. Read More

Pediatr Pulmonol 2020 May 19. Epub 2020 May 19.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Background: While the etiology in many cases of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is unclear, recent evidence suggests possible immunological dysfunction, which is also implicated in the pathophysiology of many pediatric respiratory diseases.

Objective: We sought to investigate whether maternal history of RPL is associated with long-term respiratory morbidity of the offspring.

Study Design: A population based cohort analysis was performed comparing the risk of long-term respiratory morbidity (up to the age of 18 years) of children born to mothers with and without a history of RPL (defined as two or more losses). Read More

J Asthma Allergy 2020 24;13:145-152. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark.

Background: Asthma has been linked with prolonged time to pregnancy compared to healthy controls, also asthma has been linked to a higher need for fertility treatment. However, knowledge of the possible association between allergy and need for fertility treatment is limited. Our aim was to explore a possible difference in having had fertility treatment in women with asthma and live births in those with perennial allergy (animals, fungi and dust mites) compared to no allergy/seasonal allergy. Read More

Br J Haematol 2020 May 18. Epub 2020 May 18.

Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, B9 5SS, United Kingdom.

We report the first maternal death of a 29-year woman of Pakistani origin at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital (BHH), UK on the 8 April 2020. She had a body mass index (BMI) of 35, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on metformin and insulin, renal tubular acidosis, asthma and vitamin D deficiency. In her first pregnancy, she had a stillborn baby. Read More

Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am 2020 Jun 16;49(2):251-263. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street Southwest, Rochester, MN 59505, USA.

Overweight and obesity in pregnancy confer a wide range of risks on mother, fetus, and offspring throughout their lives. In addition to compounding many common pregnancy complications, including both iatrogenic preterm delivery and cesarean delivery, obesity is associated with multiple fetal anomalies, metabolic sequelae including diabetes and obesity, allergy and asthma, attention-deficit disorder, and likely many other challenges for the offspring. As targeted interventions are being developed, encouraging solid nutrition and exercise in women of childbearing age may stave off risks and mitigate obesity in the next generation. Read More

Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol 2020 May 17. Epub 2020 May 17.

Department of Pediatrics, Childhood Asthma Atopy Center, Environmental Health Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Background: Maternal anxiety during pregnancy has been previously reported to be associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) in offspring. The potential mechanism is not yet proven but epigenetic change may be suggested.

Objective: We examined whether maternal anxiety during pregnancy may alter placental DNA methylation, then develop AD in the offspring. Read More

J Clin Med 2020 May 13;9(5). Epub 2020 May 13.

Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain.

The intrauterine environment may be related to the future development of chronic diseases in the offspring. The St. Carlos gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) prevention study, is a randomized controlled trial that evaluated the influence of the early (before 12th gestational week) Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on the onset of GDM and adverse gestational outcomes. Read More

J Clin Psychiatry 2020 May 12;81(3). Epub 2020 May 12.

Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

Objective: Reviews on child outcomes following in utero antidepressant exposure have focused on short-term outcomes. However, several recent individual studies reported on adverse physical, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric outcomes beyond infancy and early childhood. The objective of this systematic review was to establish the long-term effects of prenatal antidepressant exposure on physical, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric outcomes in individuals aged 4 years and older. Read More

J Clin Invest 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, National Jewish Health, Denver, United States of America.

Mothers living near high-traffic roads before or during pregnancy have increased odds of having children with asthma. Mechanisms are unknown. Using a mouse model, here we showed that maternal exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) predisposed offspring to allergic airway disease/AAD (murine counterpart of human asthma) through programming of their NK cells; predisposition to AAD did not develop in 'DEP' pups that lacked NK cells and was induced in normal pups receiving NK cells from wild type 'DEP' pups. Read More

Children (Basel) 2020 May 11;7(5). Epub 2020 May 11.

COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Ledreborg Alle 34, 2820 Gentofte, Denmark.

: Pathogenic airway bacteria colonizing the neonatal airway increase the risk of childhood asthma, but little is known about the determinants of the establishment and dynamics of the airway microbiota in early life. We studied associations between perinatal risk factors and bacterial richness of the commensal milieu in the neonatal respiratory tract. : Three hundred and twenty-eight children from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in the Childhood2000 (COPSAC2000) at-risk birth cohort were included in this study. Read More

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 6. Epub 2020 May 6.

School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV.

Background: Cesarean delivery (C-section) may influence the infant microbiome and affect immune system development and subsequent risk for allergic rhinitis (AR).

Objective: Investigate the association between C-section and AR at ages 6, 8 and 10 years.

Methods: Data were collected prospectively through Kaiser Permanente Northern California's (KPNC) integrated healthcare system. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 May 5;17(9). Epub 2020 May 5.

Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, D-60590 Frankfurt, Germany.

Children are commonly exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in the domestic environment or inside vehicles of smokers. Unfortunately, prenatal tobacco smoke (PTS) exposure is still common, too. SHS is hazardous to the health of smokers and non-smokers, but especially to that of children. Read More

Ann Am Thorac Soc 2020 May 5. Epub 2020 May 5.

University of Nebraska Medical Center, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy Section, Omaha, Nebraska, United States;

Rationale: High intake of dietary fiber may have anti-inflammatory properties and be protective against respiratory morbidity.

Objectives: We examined the relationship between dietary fiber intake and asthma, respiratory symptoms and inflammation among adults who participated in the 2007-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Methods: We analyzed data from adults 20-79 years of age (n=13,147) with complete information on fiber intake, total calorie intake, body mass index (BMI), smoking status and poverty level. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2020 Apr 29:1-6. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Department of Women's Health, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA, USA.

: There is a trend in reproductive-aged women to live with more chronic conditions, likely resulting in pregnancies complicated by one or more pre-gestational diagnoses. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of women with pre-gestational diagnoses and pregnancy-related complications, and assess the trends of pre-gestational diagnoses between two time-points, ten-years apart from 2006 to 2016.: We abstracted pregnant patients from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's National Inpatient Sample by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2006 and 2016. Read More

Eur Respir J 2020 Apr 27. Epub 2020 Apr 27.

Environment Health Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland.

Rationale: Environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETS) increases asthma risk in children. There is limited knowledge of prenatal ETS for adult onset asthma.

Objectives: To determine the association between prenatal ETS and adult onset asthma. Read More

Allergy 2020 Apr 26. Epub 2020 Apr 26.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pediatrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK.

Obstet Gynecol 2020 May;135(5):e221-e229

Pregnant women should be advised of the significant perinatal risks associated with tobacco use, including orofacial clefts, fetal growth restriction, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, preterm prelabor rupture of membranes, low birth weight, increased perinatal mortality, ectopic pregnancy, and decreased maternal thyroid function. Children born to women who smoke during pregnancy are at an increased risk of respiratory infections, asthma, infantile colic, bone fractures, and childhood obesity. Pregnancy influences many women to stop smoking, and approximately 54% of women who smoke before pregnancy quit smoking directly before or during pregnancy. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2020 May;135(5):1244-1246

Pregnant women should be advised of the significant perinatal risks associated with tobacco use, including orofacial clefts, fetal growth restriction, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, preterm prelabor rupture of membranes, low birth weight, increased perinatal mortality, ectopic pregnancy, and decreased maternal thyroid function. Children born to women who smoke during pregnancy are at an increased risk of respiratory infections, asthma, infantile colic, bone fractures, and childhood obesity. Pregnancy influences many women to stop smoking, and approximately 54% of women who smoke before pregnancy quit smoking directly before or during pregnancy. Read More

Microcirculation 2020 Apr 24. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

Mater Medical Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Asthma is a common chronic disease in pregnancy that affects placental function and fetal growth and associated with cardio-metabolic disorders in the offspring but the mechanisms are unknown. This study explored whether maternal asthma in pregnancy is associated with the development of offspring microvascular structure and whether it was related to biomarkers of angiogenesis in utero. Children aged 4 to 6 years, born to either asthmatic mothers (n = 38) or healthy controls (n = 25), had their retinal microvascular structure examined. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Apr 17;17(8). Epub 2020 Apr 17.

Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan.

Obesity during pregnancy increases the risk of cardiovascular problems, diabetes, asthma, and cognitive impairments, affecting the offspring. It is important to reduce the negative effects of obesity and high-fat (HF) diet during pregnancy. We employed a rat model of maternal HF diet to evaluate the possible de-programming effects of resveratrol in rodent male offspring with maternal HF diet/obesity. Read More

J Dev Orig Health Dis 2020 Apr 21:1-7. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

Department of Biophotonics Applied to Health Sciences, University Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), São Paulo, Brazil.

Clinical and experimental studies show an association between maternal periodontitis and adverse outcomes during gestation. On the other hand, there were no studies evaluating the impact of maternal periodontitis on the offspring. Thus, our objective was to investigate the repercussion of maternal periodontitis on the development of asthma in the offspring. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Apr;99(16):e19607

Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Studies of maternal oral contraceptive pill (OCP) exposure and the offspring's risk of atopic diseases are of current interest due to concerns about widespread use of OCP before or during pregnancy.We evaluated whether maternal OCP exposure is associated with an increased risk of atopic diseases by reviewing the literature and performing a meta-analysis. The PubMed and Embase databases were searched to identify potential studies for inclusion. Read More

Pediatr Res 2020 Apr 20. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.

Background: For the second aim of the Kellogg Foundation grant, this double-blind RCT investigated the impact of plasma vitamin D metabolite 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) on plasma immune-mediators during pregnancy. We hypothesized that higher 25(OH)D concentrations would associate with reduced pro-inflammatory and increased tolerogenic immune-mediator concentrations.

Methods: Pregnant women enrolled at 10-14 weeks gestation were randomized to 400 or 4400 IU vitamin D/day. Read More

Front Pediatr 2020 3;8:134. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.

Mounting evidence suggests that childhood asthma is closely associated with maternal weight before pregnancy and gestational weight gain (GWG), yet the results are not often reproducible. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis, aiming to evaluate the association of pre-pregnancy maternal obesity or overweight and high GWG with the risk for childhood asthma and wheeze. Literature search, quality assessment, and data extraction were completed independently and in duplicate. Read More

COPD 2020 Apr 20:1-7. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (A1AD) is a hereditary condition characterized by low levels of circulating alpha-antitrypsin (AAT) in plasma. It is the best understood genetic risk factor for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The diagnosis of A1AD is under-recognized. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 Apr 3;725:138418. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (CERCH), School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 1995 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Chemicals found in personal care products and plastics have been associated with asthma, allergies, and lung function, but methods to address real life exposure to mixtures of these chemicals have not been applied to these associations.

Methods: We quantified urinary concentrations of eleven phthalate metabolites, four parabens, and five other phenols in mothers twice during pregnancy and assessed probable asthma, aeroallergies, and lung function in their age seven children. We implemented Bayesian Profile Regression (BPR) to cluster women by their exposures to these chemicals and tested the clusters for differences in outcome measurements. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 Apr 13. Epub 2020 Apr 13.

Dermatological Allergology, Allergie-Centrum-Charité, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address:

Chronic urticaria (CU) and angioedema can occur at any age. Although most CU with or without angioedema occurs in adults, it can also present in children or the elderly and can complicate pregnancy and breast-feeding. The presentations of CU and angioedema are different in children, middle-aged adults, and older patients as are the differential diagnoses. Read More

PLoS One 2020 16;15(4):e0231784. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Background: Night shift work surrounding pregnancy may contribute to the risk of developing atopic diseases in offspring due to alterations in the prenatal environment, from stress.

Objective: To examine the association of maternal night shift work surrounding pregnancy and offspring risk of developing atopic diseases from childhood to adolescence.

Methods: We examined the association between night shift work before and during pregnancy among 4,044 mothers in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII) and atopic dermatitis, asthma and hay fever risk in 4,813 of their offspring enrolled in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS). Read More

J Pak Med Assoc 2020 Apr;70(4):577-582

Sakarya University, Turkey.

Objective: To find prevalence of preterm birth in Pakistan and to explore its related risk factors.

Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017, at Hajvery University, Lahore, Pakistan, and data was collected from Obstetrics and Gynaecology departments of various hospitals in four provinces of the country. To find risk factors of preterm birth, data was divided into two groups: Group-1 consisted cases with preterm birth defined as gestational age <37 weeks on ultrasonography; and Group-2 consisted controls with full-term birth defined as gestational age 37-41 weeks. Read More

Allergol Immunopathol (Madr) 2020 May - Jun;48(3):270-280. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

Department of Internal Medicine and Allergy Clinic of Professor Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago University Hospital, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis, SC, Brazil. Electronic address:

Introduction: The first thousand days of life are a critical stage for the development of respiratory and immune systems. Many events in this period may be associated with wheezing in childhood.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between early life determinants and wheezing in children aged 6-7 years. Read More

BMJ Open 2020 Apr 9;10(4):e035145. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

Introduction: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), one of the most common obstetrical complications, has been reported to have a controversial relationship with the increased risk of asthma in offspring. No systematic review of this topic has been performed. The aim of this systematic review will be to summarise the available evidence examining the association between HDP and the risk of asthma in offspring. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Apr 10. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

Aim: We aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with maternal use of nicotine products in relation to breastfeeding.

Methods: Nicotine use 3 months postpartum was determined in the Scandinavian PreventADALL mother-child birth cohort study recruiting 1837 women from 2014 to 2016. Electronic questionnaires at 18 weeks pregnancy and 3 months postpartum provided information on snus use, smoking or other nicotine use, infant feeding and socio-economic factors. Read More

Endocrinology 2020 Apr 9. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.

Vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy is widespread. The effects of active vitamin D on the human placenta in vivo are unknown. We test the hypotheses that 25(OH) D sufficiency (arbitrarily defined as 25(OH)D ≥ 32 ng/mL) modulates placental structure and function in vivo in a population of women whose offspring are at risk for childhood asthma, and that placental pathology is more common in offspring that evolve asthma at age three. Read More

Int Immunopharmacol 2020 Apr 3;83:106453. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000, PR China. Electronic address:

Background: Although it is widely accepted that the "hygiene hypothesis" explains the increased incidence of asthma, the lack of suitable animal models hinders further in-depth studies of the underlying molecular immune mechanisms. Therefore, we aimed to develop a robust mouse asthma model to investigate the role of bacteria in preventing asthma.

Methods: BALB/c female mice were fed a mixture of eight common bacterial lysates (BL; Broncho-Vaxom®) and a commercial probiotic (Bifidobacterium tetravaccine tablets) at different concentrations before and during pregnancy to simulate different microbial load levels. Read More

Environ Res 2020 Jun 19;185:109404. Epub 2020 Mar 19.

Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.

Objective: Increasing evidence indicates aggravation of immune-mediated diseases due to physiological and psychological stress. Noise is a stressor, however, little is known about its effects on children's respiratory health. This study investigates the association between pre- or postnatal road traffic or occupational noise exposure and asthma as well as related symptoms from infancy to adolescence. Read More

Gynecol Obstet Fertil Senol 2020 Apr 1. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

Service de pneumologie, allergologie et CRCM pédiatrique, hôpital Robert-Debré, 48, boulevard Sérurier, 75019 Paris, France; Inserm UMR S 976, immunologie humaine, physiologie et immunothérapie, faculté Paris Diderot, 75018 Paris, France.

Introduction: Smoking during pregnancy leads to fetal passive smoking. It is associated with several obstetrical complications and is a major modifiable factor of maternal and fetal morbidity. Long-term consequences also exist but are less well known to health professionals and in the general population. Read More

Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol 2019 Nov 5;18(6):701-706. Epub 2019 Nov 5.

Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Studies have shown that toll-like receptors (TLRs) play some important roles in reproductive processes such as ovulation, spermatogenesis, sperm capacitation, fertilization, and pregnancy to the best of our knowledge, no study has evaluated the expression and role of these molecules and their impairment in spermatozoa; accompanied by pregnancy complications such as recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Therefore, this study investigates the alteration of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression in spermatozoa in men whose spouse have unexplained RSA. Fifteen fertile couples and fifteen couples with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) were included in this study. Read More

Nutrients 2020 Mar 21;12(3). Epub 2020 Mar 21.

Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bisbebjerg og Frederiksberg Hospital, Nordre Fasanvej 57, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark.

Background: low vitamin D status in pregnancy can influence the offspring's lung function and contribute to childhood asthma development. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of neonatal vitamin D status on the development of asthma among children age 3-9 years in a large population sample.

Method: in a case-cohort study utilizing a Danish biobank and register data we examined the association between neonatal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and incidence of asthma among children aged 3-9 years. Read More

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 Mar 31. Epub 2020 Mar 31.

Department of Pediatrics and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Copernicus Memorial Hospital, Lodz, Poland. Electronic address:

Background: Environmental chemicals, such as phthalates, phenols, and parabens, may affect children's immune development and contribute to the risk of atopic diseases and asthma.

Objective: To evaluate the associations between prenatal and childhood phthalate exposure and atopic diseases in children at the age of 9 years.

Methods: This analysis is restricted to 145 mother-child pairs from the prospective Polish Mother and Child Cohort Study. Read More

Am J Epidemiol 2020 Mar 27. Epub 2020 Mar 27.

Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California.

Firearm violence may indirectly affect health among pregnant women living in neighborhoods where it is endemic. We used birth, death, emergency department, and hospitalization data from California from 2007-2011 to estimate the association between living in a neighborhood with high firearm violence and preterm delivery, and assessed whether there was mediation by diagnoses of pregnancy complications and health behaviors during pregnancy. We used an ensemble machine learning algorithm to predict the propensity for neighborhoods to be classified as high firearm violence. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2020 Mar 2;3(3):e201417. Epub 2020 Mar 2.

Division of Research, Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, California.

Importance: An association between maternal exposure to magnetic field (MF) nonionizing radiation during pregnancy and the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been reported in both animal and human studies.

Objectives: To determine whether maternal exposure to high levels of MF nonionizing radiation is associated with an increased risk of ADHD in offspring by using more accurate measurements of MF nonionizing radiation levels and physician-diagnosed ADHD, rather than self-reports, and to determine whether the association differs for the subtypes of ADHD with or without immune-related comorbidities.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A longitudinal birth cohort study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northern California among 1482 mother-child pairs whose mothers were participants of an existing birth cohort and whose level of exposure to MF nonionizing radiation was captured during pregnancy in 2 studies conducted from October 1, 1996, to October 31, 1998, and from May 1, 2006, to February 29, 2012. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2020 27;2020:8030972. Epub 2020 Feb 27.

Department of Pediatrics, Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90502, USA.

. Environmental exposure of the developing offspring to cigarette smoke or nicotine is an important predisposing factor for many chronic respiratory conditions, such as asthma, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, and so forth, in the exposed offspring. Studies showed that electroacupuncture (EA) applied to maternal "Zusanli" (ST36) acupoints during pregnancy and lactation protects against perinatal nicotine exposure- (PNE-) induced lung damage. Read More

Allergy 2020 Mar 18. Epub 2020 Mar 18.

Division of Immunology and Allergy, Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Departments of Paediatrics and Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Biologicals have transformed the management of severe disease phenotypes in asthma, atopic dermatitis, and chronic spontaneous urticaria. As a result, the number of approved biologicals for the treatment of atopic diseases is continuously increasing. Although atopic diseases are among the most common diseases in the reproductive age, investigations, and information on half-life, pharmacokinetics defining the neonatal Fc receptors (FcRn) and most important safety of biologicals in pregnancy are lacking. Read More

Can Respir J 2020 22;2020:9046842. Epub 2020 Feb 22.

Department of Respiration and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310000, China.

Asthma in pregnancy is a health issue of great concern. Physiological changes and drug compliance during pregnancy can affect asthma control in varying degrees, and the control level of asthma and the side effects of asthma medications are closely related to the adverse perinatal outcomes of mother and fetus. This article provides an update on the available literature regarding the alleviating or aggravating mechanism of asthma in pregnancy, diagnosis, disease assessment, and systematic management, to provide a new guidance for physician, obstetric joint doctor, and health care practitioner. Read More

Chest 2020 Mar 12. Epub 2020 Mar 12.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Electronic address:

Background: ▪▪▪ RESEARCH QUESTION: ▪▪▪ STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Using data from a provincial newborn screen and health-care database for 12,587 children born in 2004, maternal distress was defined as prenatal, self-limiting, recurrent, or late-onset postpartum. Atopic dermatitis (AD) and asthma at ages 5 years and 7 years of age were diagnosed by using hospitalization, physician visit, or prescription records. Associations between maternal distress and childhood asthma and AD were determined by using multiple logistic regression. Read More

Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2020 Mar 9. Epub 2020 Mar 9.

Division of Inflammation and Infection, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Background: Perinatal childhood exposures, including probiotic supplementation, may affect epigenetic modifications and impact on immune maturation and allergy development. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of pre- and postnatal Lactobacillus reuteri supplementation on DNA methylation in relation to immune maturation and allergy development.

Methods: DNA methylation patterns were investigated for allergy-related T helper subsets using a locus-specific method and at a genome-wide scale using the Illumina 450K array. Read More