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Biomedical subjects

E Kusoffsky

Publications and source records attributed to E Kusoffsky.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Levels of soluble CD30 in cord blood and peripheral blood during childhood are not correlated with the development of atopic disease or a family history of atopy.

BACKGROUND: The CD30 molecule has been linked to Th2 responses. Furthermore, elevated levels of the soluble form of CD30 (sCD30) in blood as well as of the expression of CD30 on the plasma membrane of T cells are associated with atopic disease. OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential usefulness of sCD30 levels as a prognostic indicator of and/or diagnostic marker for the development of atopic disease in children. METHODS: sCD30 levels in cord blood and peripheral blood from 36 2-year-old (10 atopic and 26 non-atopic) and 74 7-year-old (35 atopic and 39 non-atopic) children were determined employing an ELISA procedure. Atopy was diagnosed on the basis of clinical evaluation in combination with a positive skin prick test. RESULTS: No significant correlation between sCD30 levels in cord blood and the development of atopic disease at 2 or 7 years of age was observed. At 7 years of age, the circulating sCD30 levels in children with atopic disease (median 41 U/mL, range 6-503 U/mL) did not differ from the corresponding values for non-atopic subjects (median 41 U/mL, range 8-402 U/mL). The same was true for children at 2 years of age. Furthermore, the sCD30 levels of children who had developed atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome by the age of 7 years (median 49 U/mL, range 14-503 U/mL) were not significantly elevated in comparison with those of the non-atopic children. Finally, neither sCD30 levels in cord blood nor peripheral blood at 2 or 7 years of age could be linked to a family history of atopy. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the sCD30 concentration in cord blood is not a reliable prognostic indicator of, nor a useful diagnostic marker for, atopic disease in children up to 7 years of age. If such correlations do exist, they might be masked by age-dependent variations in the circulating levels of sCD30, which may reflect individual differences in the maturation of children's immunological responses.

Aging↗
PubMed1997

Influence of maternal infections with viral agents or Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy on fetal IgE production.

The importance of maternal infections with Toxoplasma gondii, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Parvovirus B19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza A and B on fetal IgE synthesis was studied in 153 pregnant women. No case of specific IgM activity or viral DNA in cord blood, indicating a congenital infection, was found. From gestational week 15 to delivery, maternal IgG-Ab seroconversion to Parvovirus B19, RSV, influenza A, or influenza B occurred in 47 women. At delivery, serologic signs of past infection with T. gondii were observed in 29 (19%) women, and the corresponding figure for CMV was 117 (77%). The number of women with positive IgG seroconversion during pregnancy or positive IgG-Ab activity toward the studied infectious agents at delivery did not differ significantly among infants with an increased (> or = 1.3 kU/l; n = 51) or with an undetectable (< 0.1 kU/l; n = 102) cord-blood IgE level. These results show that genetic and other environmental factors probably have a greater influence on fetal IgE synthesis than do maternal infections during pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Screening of atopic allergy in 5-year-old children--a comparison of the diagnostic properties of Phadiatop Paediatric and Phadiatop.

The ability of Phadiatop Paediatric (PP), Phadiatop (P), mixed-food RAST (MF), and the combination of P and MF to identify children with atopic allergy was evaluated among 193 children who had a family history of atopic disease, and who had an average age of 5 years. If atopy is defined as the presence of at least one positive skin prick test (> or = 2+) to common food and/or inhalant allergens, P had a sensitivity of 86%, a specificity of 94%, and an efficacy of 92%. These figures were somewhat better than the results with PP. However, when P was combined with MF, the sensitivity increased to 89%, but at the expense of lowered specificity (83%) and efficacy (84%). If the tests were related only to clinical signs/symptoms of atopic disease, the sensitivity and efficacy were, at maximum, 63% and 81%, respectively. There was a discrepancy between the results of P and PP in 9% of the children. One explanation of this discrepancy may be that PP seems to be incapable of detecting children with respiratory allergies induced by pollens from birch and related trees. The results indicate that in 5-6-year-old children P should be preferred to PP and to the combination of P and MF for atopy screening, at least in places where birch pollen is a common allergen.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1995

Neonatal IgA and IgE levels among infants with paternal heredity for atopic disease.

Serum IgA and IgE levels were studied in the postnatal period in 21 infants having a paternal heredity of atopic disease. Three different sampling techniques were used, aspirated cord blood (CB), gravity-collected cord blood, and capillary collected blood at 4-5 days of age. Significant differences among the three sampling techniques were recorded for IgA (P < 0.01), but not for IgE. The IgA levels decreased from birth to 4-5 days of age in 90% (19/21 of infants (P < 0.01). The corresponding decrease in IgE levels was 20%. This postnatal difference in the frequency of decreasing/increasing IgA and IgE levels was significant (P < 0.05). An analysis of CB IgA to detect maternal contamination of CB was found to be of questionable value, since only 50% (2/4) of the cases with an elevated CB-IgA level could be considered contaminated. The results of this study further emphasize that aspiration of CB and capillary collection of blood at 4-5 days of age are the best sampling techniques to avoid contamination. The general finding that paternal heredity had no significant influence on infant IgE contrasts with the strong influence of maternal heredity. Further studies will show whether the explanation lies in genetic or transplacental factors, or in both kinds of factors.

Fetal Blood↗
PubMed1992

Neonatal IgE levels and three different blood sampling techniques.

Comparison was made of IgE and IgA levels in aspirated and gravity-collected cord blood (CB) from the umbilical vein and in capillary blood samples collected on the 4-5th day of life among 21 infants with atopic heredity. The IgA levels, but not the IgE levels, were significantly (p < 0.001) lower at days 4-5 of life than at delivery. Further, there were significantly (p < 0.05) more infants with decreasing IgA levels (20/21; 95%) than IgE levels (9/15; 60% of those with detectable IgE, i.e., > or = 0.125 kU/l). These observations, together with the highly significant correlation observed between IgE in aspirated CB samples and at 4-5 days of age, suggest active IgE synthesis during the prenatal and postnatal periods. Contamination of CB with maternal blood, defined as an increased CBIgA level (> or = 14.1 micrograms/ml), was found in 3 (14%) CB samples, all of which were gravity-collected. Of 4 CB samples (gravity-collected) with elevated IgE (i.e., > or = 0.9 kU/l), 2 had suspected maternal contamination. Therefore, aspiration of CB or capillary collection at 4-5 days of age should be preferred for allergy prediction. If gravity collection is used, contamination should be investigated by determining IgA in all CB samples with IgE concentrations exceeding the cut-off point.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

IgE levels in cord blood and at 4-5 days of age: relation to clinical symptoms of atopic disease up to 18 months of age.

To evaluate the variation in serum IgE levels during the neonatal period and its relation to the development of atopy, 83 infants with a heredity of atopy were studied with regard to the concentration of IgE in cord blood (CB) and capillary blood on the fourth or fifth day of life. During the neonatal period, the average IgE level remained unchanged in the whole group but there were large individual changes. Among 22 infants with CB-IgE levels greater than or equal to 0.9 kU/l the IgE concentrations in 50% decreased below this value on days 4-5. The correlation between maternal IgE and CB-IgE concentrations (rs = 0.41; P less than 0.001) was interpreted as indicating a probable contamination with maternal blood. This view was supported by the presence of an elevated IgA level and of IgE antibodies against inhalant allergens in 16% of the cord blood samples of which 69% had an IgE level exceeding 0.9 kU/l. It therefore seems preferable to collect the blood samples on the fourth or fifth day. However, in the 74 infants available for atopic classification at 18 months of age, the positive predictive value of IgE determinations was low: on days 4-5 25-38% and in CB 42%. A high CB-IgE level may merely be an indication of the mother's atopic state.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effect on renal function of essential fatty acid supplementation in cystic fibrosis.

Changes in renal hemodynamics, sodium homeostasis, renal acidifying capacity, and aldosterone excretion were studied before and after long-term intravenous essential fatty acid supplementation for a period of 3 years in 11 patients with cystic fibrosis. The mean (+/- SD) glomerular filtration rate was high at the start of the study (133 +/- 18 ml/min/1.73 m2 body surface area) and decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) to within normal values after 1 year of essential fatty acid supplementation. The urinary elimination of an oral sodium load initially was very low (3.6 +/- 2.5 mmol/hr/1.73 m2 body surface area vs control subjects' values of 7.9 +/- 2.0; p less than 0.001) and increased during treatment but was not normalized (p less than 0.05 vs control subjects' values). Free water clearance and distal tubular sodium delivery, which were significantly decreased before treatment (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.001 vs control subjects' values, respectively) did not increase significantly. The mean urinary aldosterone excretion did not significantly differ from that in control subjects before and after treatment. The acidifying capacity was disturbed, indicating a low renal bicarbonate threshold, and was changed during treatment in only 2 of 10 patients. These data indicate that essential fatty acid deficiency may contribute to the renal disturbances in cystic fibrosis.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMed1983

Prospective study of fatty acid supplementation over 3 years in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Intravenous fatty acid supplementation (10% Intralipid, 10 ml/kg body weight) was given to 10 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), in intervals for 3 years. One year of intensive treatment with supplementation every fortnight was followed by 1 year of intermission and then 1 year of the same treatment given for 2 days every 2 months. Compared with matched CF patients, the clinical course, evaluated by Shwachmann scoring, showed less deterioration in the treated group, especially during the year of intensive treatment. Single parameters, such as pulmonary function tests, pulmonary X-ray films, clinical infections, bacterial growth of sputa, and sweat electrolyte concentration, showed no differences. It is concluded that if there is any benefit of this kind of treatment in CF, it has to be very intensive. At present, the psychological stress involved in repeated parenteral administrations over long periods prevents its use in clinical routine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Renal function in cystic fibrosis with special reference to the renal sodium handling.

Renal function was studied in 16 patients with cystic fibrosis, aged 5 to 19 years. The mean glomerular filtration rate and filtration fraction were increased compared to those in controls. Basal urinary sodium excretion as well as renal responses to oral and intravenous sodium loads were low, indicating an increased renal sodium reabsorption. Diluting capacity, measured as free water clearance, was decreased because of a low distal sodium delivery which might indicate an increased proximal sodium reabsorption.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Azlocillin and gentamicin in respiratory tract infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Azlocillin, 200 mg/kg bodyweight every 8 h, and gentamicin, 2.5-4 mg/kg bodyweight every 12 h, in combination were given intravenously to 10 patients with cystic fibrosis for at least 10 days. The patients were colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and were hospitalized due to symptoms of lower respiratory tract infections. Using an agar well diffusion method the antibiotic concentrations were followed in serum and sputum. The individual sputum concentration of azlocillin varied during 4 h after administration from less than 1.5 to 38 micrograms/ml. The sputum concentration of gentamicin varied from 0.3 to 1.1 micrograms/ml. P. aeruginosa was apparently eliminated in 3 patients. The concentration of the antibiotics in sputum could not predict the outcome of treatment. All patients improved subjectively. No adverse effect was seen.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

A comparative study of the prophylactic effect of ketotifen and sodium cromoglycate in children with pollen-induced asthma.

Thirty-six children with verified deciduous tree pollen-induced asthma were studied with respect to the prophylactic effect and tolerance of ketotifen, in comparison to disodium cromoglycate. Double-blind technique was used and the study was performed during the deciduous tree pollen season. Daily pollen counts were performed, and allergic symptoms, additional medication and pulmonary expiratory flow were recorded. Both drugs showed a good prophylactic effect on the asthma symptoms. No significant differences were found between the two substances tested and no adverse reactions or side effects were noted.

Asthma↗
PubMed1980

Comparison of the clinical effect of ketotifen and DSCG in pollen-induced childhood asthma.

Thirty-six children with a mean age of 8.9 years were studied with respect to the prophylactic effect and tolerance of ketotifen in comparison with disodium cromoglycate. All had a verified deciduous tree pollen-induced asthma. The children were stratified into two matched groups and the double-blind technique was used. The study was performed during the whole deciduous tree pollen season. Daily pollen counts were performed during the whole observation period as well as daily registrations of allergic symptoms, additional medication and pulmonary expiratory flow. No significant differences were found between the two substances tested. No adverse reactions or side effects were noted.

Adolescent↗