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Biomedical subjects

Ardythe L Morrow

Publications and source records attributed to Ardythe L Morrow.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Determination of coenzyme Q10 in human breast milk by high-performance liquid chromatography.

An isocratic HPLC method was developed for the determination of coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) in human breast milk. After a single-step liquid-liquid extraction, the milk extract was injected directly into the HPLC system. The analytical method is based on pre-column inline treatment of CoQ(10). Chromatographic separation of CoQ(10) and coenzyme Q(9) (CoQ(9)) internal standard was achieved using a reversed-phase Microsorb-MV C(18) analytical column. CoQ(10) and CoQ(9) were monitored by an electrochemical detector (ECD). An excellent linearity (r = 0.999) was observed for CoQ(10) in the concentration range 0.06-2.5 micromol L(-1) in breast milk. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 60 nmol L(-1). Coefficients of variations (CVs) for intra-day and inter-day assay precisions were less than 5%. A total of 194 breast milk samples were analyzed for the CoQ(10) concentration; the mean value was 0.32 +/- 0.21 micromol L(-1).

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed2006

Familial autoimmune thyroid disease as a risk factor for regression in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a CPEA Study.

A multicenter study of 308 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was conducted through the Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism (CPEA), sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to compare the family history of autoimmune disorders in children with ASD with and without a history of regression. A history of regression was determined from the results of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Family history of autoimmune disorders was obtained by telephone interview. Regression was significantly associated with a family history of autoimmune disorders (adjusted OR=1.89; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.10). The only specific autoimmune disorder found to be associated with regression was autoimmune thyroid disease (adjusted OR=2.09; 95% CI: 1.28, 3.41).

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed2006

Adiponectin is present in human milk and is associated with maternal factors.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that human milk has a role in the gastrointestinal, neural, and immune development of neonates. If present in milk, adiponectin would be a promising candidate for influencing infant development, given its metabolic functions. OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to determine whether adiponectin is present in human milk and to characterize maternal factors associated with potential variation in milk adiponectin concentrations. DESIGN: We quantified adiponectin concentrations in human milk samples from donors to the Cincinnati Children's Research Human Milk Bank and randomly selected participants in a cohort study in Mexico City funded by the National Institutes of Health. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data, we examined milk adiponectin concentrations in relation to lactation duration, maternal body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)), and ethnicity. RESULTS: Adiponectin was detected in human skim milk (range: 4.2-87.9 ng/mL). In cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, duration of lactation was negatively associated with milk adiponectin concentrations (beta = -0.059 +/- 0.024 and -0.059 +/- 0.007, respectively; P < 0.02 for both). Maternal postpregnancy BMI was positively associated with milk adiponectin concentrations (beta = 0.08 +/- 0.02, P < 0.0001; longitudinal analysis). Mexican mothers had lower median milk adiponectin concentrations at 1 mo than did the non-Hispanic white subjects from Cincinnati (11.5 and 19.8 ng/mL; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Adiponectin is present in human milk and its concentrations are associated with duration of lactation, maternal adiposity, and ethnicity. Given the importance of adiponectin in inflammation, insulin sensitivity, and fatty acid metabolism, future studies should examine milk adiponectin's role in infant metabolic development.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2006

Risk of infant anemia is associated with exclusive breast-feeding and maternal anemia in a Mexican cohort.

The WHO recommends exclusive breast-feeding (EBF) for the first 6 mo of life to decrease the burden of infectious disease. However, some are concerned about the effect of EBF >6 mo on iron status of children in developing countries in which anemia is prevalent. This study examines the risk of anemia in relation to the duration of EBF and maternal anemia in a birth cohort studied between March 1998 and April 2003. All infant birth weights were >or=2.2 kg. All mothers received home-based peer counseling to promote EBF. Infant feeding data were collected weekly. Nurses measured hemoglobin (Hb) values every 3 mo. Hb was measured in 183 infants at 9 mo of age. Anemia at 9 mo was defined as a Hb value <100 g/L. EBF was defined by WHO criteria and ranged in duration from 0 to 31 wk. At 9 mo, Hb (mean +/- SEM) was 114 +/- 0.9 g/L; 23 children (12.5%) had Hb levels <100 g/L. EBF >6 mo, but not EBF 4-6 mo, was associated with increased risk of infant anemia compared with EBF <4 mo (odds ratio=18.4, 95% CI=1.9, 174.0). Maternal anemia was independently (P=0.03) associated with a 3-fold increased risk of infant anemia. These associations were not explained by confounding with other maternal or infant factors. By linear regression, a lower infant Hb at 9 mo was associated with increased EBF duration among mothers who had a history of anemia (beta=-0.07, P=0.003), but not among mothers with no history of anemia. Infants who are exclusively breast-fed for >6 mo in developing countries may be at increased risk of anemia, especially among mothers with a poor iron status; greater attention to this issue is warranted.

Anemia↗
PubMed2006

Varicella-related hospitalization and emergency department visit rates, before and after introduction of varicella vaccine, among white and black children in Hamilton County, Ohio.

OBJECTIVE: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended routine use of varicella vaccine in pediatric practice in 1995. We examined the impact of varicella immunization on population-based rates of pediatric varicella-related hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits in the years before and after introduction of varicella vaccine. STUDY DESIGN: Discharge data for hospitalizations and ED encounters from 1990 through 2003 were queried for patients <20 years of age with varicella International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes (052.0-052.9) in any diagnostic position. Addresses were geocoded for identification of Hamilton County, Ohio, residents. Rates were calculated according to year, age, and race, with census estimates. RESULTS: During the 14-year study period, there were 3983 incident varicella cases; 335 patients were hospitalized and 3833 were treated only in the ED. The rate of varicella-related hospitalizations decreased from 15.7 cases per 100,000 population to 5.5 cases per 100,000 population between the prevaccine period (1990-1995) and the postvaccine period (1996-2003); varicella-related ED use decreased from 178.2 cases per 100,000 population to 61.2 cases per 100,000 population. In the prevaccine period, hospitalization and ED visit rates were significantly higher for black children than for white children. In the postvaccine period, hospitalization rates did not differ according to race but ED visit rates remained significantly higher for black children, compared with white children. CONCLUSIONS: Varicella-related hospitalization and ED visit rates decreased significantly for both white and black children in Hamilton County, Ohio, after the introduction of varicella vaccine, and the racial disparity found before licensure decreased after licensure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Elevated cytokine levels in children with autism spectrum disorder.

UNLABELLED: This study compared production of IL-2, IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-13, IL-5 and IL-10 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 20 children with autism spectrum disorder to those from matched controls. Levels of all Th2 cytokines were significantly higher in cases after incubation in media alone, but the IFN-gamma/IL-13 ratio was not significantly different between cases and controls. Cases had significantly higher IL-13/IL-10 and IFN-gamma/IL-10 than controls. CONCLUSION: Children with ASD had increased activation of both Th2 and Th1 arms of the adaptive immune response, with a Th2 predominance, and without the compensatory increase in the regulatory cytokine IL-10.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed2005

Human-milk glycans that inhibit pathogen binding protect breast-feeding infants against infectious diarrhea.

Breast-feeding is a highly effective strategy for preventing morbidity and mortality in infancy. The human-milk glycans, which include oligosaccharides in their free and conjugated forms, constitute a major and an innate immunologic mechanism by which human milk protects breast-fed infants against infections. The glycans found in human milk function as soluble receptors that inhibit pathogens from adhering to their target receptors on the mucosal surface of the host gastrointestinal tract. The alpha1,2-linked fucosylated glycans, which require the secretor gene for expression in human milk, are the dominant glycan structure found in the milk of secretor mothers, who constitute the majority ( approximately 80%) of mothers worldwide. In vitro and in vivo binding studies have demonstrated that alpha1,2-linked fucosylated glycans inhibit binding by campylobacter, stable toxin of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, and major strains of caliciviruses to their target host cell receptors. Consistent with these findings, recently published epidemiologic data demonstrate that higher relative concentrations of alpha1,2-linked fucosylated glycans in human milk are associated with protection of breast-fed infants against diarrhea caused by campylobacter, caliciviruses, and stable toxin of enterotoxigenic E. coli, and moderate-to-severe diarrhea of all causes. These novel data open the potential for translational research to develop the human-milk glycans as a new class of antimicrobial agents that prevent infection by acting as pathogen anti-adhesion agents.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed2005

Norovirus and histo-blood group antigens: demonstration of a wide spectrum of strain specificities and classification of two major binding groups among multiple binding patterns.

Noroviruses, an important cause of acute gastroenteritis, have been found to recognize human histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) as receptors. Four strain-specific binding patterns to HBGAs have been described in our previous report. In this study, we have extended the binding patterns to seven based on 14 noroviruses examined. The oligosaccharide-based assays revealed additional epitopes that were not detected by the saliva-based assays. The seven patterns have been classified into two groups according to their interactions with three major epitopes (A/B, H, and Lewis) of human HBGAs: the A/B-binding group and the Lewis-binding group. Strains in the A/B binding group recognize the A and/or B and H antigens, but not the Lewis antigens, while strains in the Lewis-binding group react only to the Lewis and/or H antigens. This classification also resulted in a model of the norovirus/HBGA interaction. Phylogenetic analyses showed that strains with identical or closely related binding patterns tend to be clustered, but strains in both binding group can be found in both genogroups I and II. Our results suggest that noroviruses have a wide spectrum of host range and that human HBGAs play an important role in norovirus evolution. The high polymorphism of the human HBGA system, the involvement of multiple epitopes, and the typical protein/carbohydrate interaction between norovirus VLPs and HBGAs provide an explanation for the virus-ligand binding diversities.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed2005

Human milk glycans protect infants against enteric pathogens.

Breastfed infants have lower morbidity and mortality due to diarrhea than those fed artificially. This had been attributed primarily to the secretory antibodies and prebiotic factors in human milk. Oligosaccharides are the third largest component of human milk. They were initially considered to be functionless by-products of glycoprotein and glycolipid synthesis during milk production. However, in the past few decades it has become apparent that the human milk oligosaccharides are composed of thousands of components, at least some of which protect against pathogens. Oligosaccharide protection against infectious agents may result in part from their prebiotic characteristics, but is thought to be primarily due to their inhibition of pathogen binding to host cell ligands. Most human milk oligosaccharides are fucosylated, and their production depends on enzymes encoded by the genes associated with expression of the Lewis blood group system. The expression of specific fucosylated oligosaccharides in milk thus varies in relation to maternal Lewis blood group type, and is significantly associated with the risk of infectious disease in breastfed infants. Specific fucosylated moieties of oligosaccharides and related glycoconjugates (glycans) are able to inhibit binding and disease by specific pathogens. This review presents the argument that specific glycans, especially the oligosaccharides, are the major constituent of an innate immune system of human milk whereby the mother protects her infant from enteric and other pathogens through breastfeeding. The large input of energy expended by the mother in the synthesis of milk oligosaccharides is consistent with the human reproductive strategy of large parental input into rearing relatively few offspring through a prolonged period of maturation. These protective glycans may prove useful as a basis for the development of novel prophylactic and therapeutic agents that inhibit diseases caused by mucosal pathogens.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed2005

The development of a research human milk bank.

Although there are well-established clinical human milk banks in the United States, there are no milk banks specifically intended to foster research on human milk. The authors' goal was to establish a milk bank with a core data set to support exploratory and hypothesis-driven studies on human milk. Donations to the Cincinnati Children's Research Human Milk Bank are accepted within the context of ongoing, hypothesis-driven research or on an ad hoc basis. Donors must give informed consent, and scientists wishing to use the samples must have Institutional review board approval for their use. Development of more research human milk banks can potentially provide resources for multidisciplinary collaboration and advance the study of human milk and lactation.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Human milk contains elements that block binding of noroviruses to human histo-blood group antigens in saliva.

Noroviruses (NVs) recognize human histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) as receptors. We characterized the interaction of human milk samples with recombinant virus-like particles representing VA387, Norwalk, VA207, and MOH. Milk samples from 60 healthy women were tested for human HBGAs and for their ability to block the binding of NVs. Fifty-four women were secretors (Se+), and 6 were nonsecretors (Se-). No women had detectable A or B antigens in their milk samples. All 54 Se+ milk samples, but 0 of 6 Se- milk samples, blocked VA387 and Norwalk virus (Se+ binders) from binding to saliva samples. All 6 Lewis-positive Se- milk samples blocked binding to VA207, and variable blocking activities were exhibited by the Se+ milk samples. No milk samples blocked the binding of MOH to A and B antigens. Secretor and Lewis, but not A or B antigens, were present in human milk and were responsible for blocking NV binding to receptors and therefore are likely to be decoy receptors that protect breast-fed infants from NV infection.

Blood Group Antigens↗
PubMed2004

Protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding among women in the labor force.

The need to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding among women in the labor force is an important global issue that requires greater attention. An increasing proportion of women of child-bearing age are employed outside the home. Women who resume full-time work outside the home when their infants are young tend to have shorter durations of breastfeeding and less exclusive breastfeeding. However, evidence indicates that appropriate breastfeeding policy and support programs can help sustain breastfeeding among employed women. Effective strategies include delayed return to work, working part-time, improved conditions at work for breastfeeding, breastfeeding breaks during work hours, milk expression and storage, and access to breastfeeding counseling. In this chapter, we consider the special needs of women working outside the home; provide a brief overview of the literature; and address international policy regarding the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding among women who work outside the home.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Understanding the origin of asthma and its relationship to breastfeeding.

Asthma is a chronic disease of the lung that has been increasing at an alarming rate in industrialized countries around the world over the last few decades. Although considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the underlying pathogenesis of the disease, the exact causes of the increasing prevalence are unknown. Studies suggest that most asthma develops in early childhood and that environmental factors present early in life may be crucial in the development of disease. One potential explanation for the recent epidemic referred to as the "hygiene hypothesis" postulates that factors that have resulted in a reduction in exposure to microbial products and/or infections in the western world may be contributing to this rise in disease prevalence. As early life influences are known to play an important role in establishment of asthma, studies have focused on the interface between mother and child that occurs during gestation and through breastfeeding. In this regard, the body of evidence regarding the relationship between breastfeeding and asthma indicates benefit but with the potential for risk. While providing population-level protection from infections and atopy in infancy and early childhood, breastfeeding might also pose an increased risk of atopic asthma among children with asthmatic mothers. In order to put this controversy in context, we discuss our current understanding of asthma pathogenesis, current theories on the factors driving the rising prevalence of asthma, and then discuss the potential influence of breastfeeding on asthma pathogenesis.

Allergens↗
PubMed2004

Human milk oligosaccharides are associated with protection against diarrhea in breast-fed infants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between maternal milk levels of 2-linked fucosylated oligosaccharide and prevention of diarrhea as a result of Campylobacter, caliciviruses, and diarrhea of all causes in breast-fed infants. STUDY DESIGN: Data and banked samples were analyzed from 93 breast-feeding mother-infant pairs who were prospectively studied during 1988-1991 from birth to 2 years with infant feeding and diarrhea data collected weekly; diarrhea was diagnosed by a study physician. Milk samples obtained 1 to 5 weeks postpartum were analyzed for oligosaccharide content. Data were analyzed by Poisson regression. RESULTS: Total 2-linked fucosyloligosaccharide in maternal milk ranged from 0.8 to 20.8 mmol/L (50%-92% of milk oligosaccharide). Moderate-to-severe diarrhea of all causes (n=77 cases) occurred less often (P=.001) in infants whose milk contained high levels of total 2-linked fucosyloligosaccharide as a percent of milk oligosaccharide. Campylobacter diarrhea (n=31 cases) occurred less often (P=.004) in infants whose mother's milk contained high levels of 2'-FL, a specific 2-linked fucosyloligosaccharide, and calicivirus diarrhea (n=16 cases) occurred less often (P=.012) in infants whose mother's milk contained high levels of lacto-N-difucohexaose (LDFH-I), another 2-linked fucosyloligosaccharide. CONCLUSION: This study provides novel evidence suggesting that human milk oligosaccharides are clinically relevant to protection against infant diarrhea.

Adolescent↗