PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M C Jenmalm

Publications and source records attributed to M C Jenmalm.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Regulation of T-helper cell responses to inhalant allergen during early childhood.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that preschool children manifest patterns of allergen-specific skin prick test (SPT) reactivity and in vitro T-cell cytokine production which are similar to that of either atopic or nonatopic adults. However, published studies on this age group involve small sample sizes and a restricted number of cytokines, usually in response to polyclonal stimuli. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the relationship between in vivo and in vitro immune responses to a major inhalant allergen house dust mite (HDM) in preschoolers. METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from matched groups of HDM-SPT+ and SPT- 6-year-olds (n = 30 and 29, respectively) tested for PBMC responses to HDM, and cytokine production measured at both the protein and mRNA levels. Immunoglobulin (Ig) E and IgG subclass antibody titres were determined in serum. Interrelationships between in vitro and in vivo HDM responses were examined via multivariate analyses. RESULTS: SPT reactivity to HDM was associated with in vitro production by putative T cells of interleukin (IL) -4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13 and low level IFNgamma, and with production in vivo of IgE and (all) IgG subclass antibodies; HDM responses in the SPT- group were restricted mainly to IL-10 and IFNgamma and very low levels of IL-4; IL-6 production from non-T-cell sources was common. The cytokine most associated with positive SPT responses was IL-9; SPT weal diameter correlated positively with IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 and negatively with IL-10. CONCLUSION: Detailed analysis of cytokine responses in this very young age group have the potential to uncover subtle relationships between in vivo and in vitro allergen reactivity which may be less clear in adults, in whom T-cell response patterns are modified via chronic stimulation. The present findings which suggest potentially important roles for IL-9 and IL-10 in the early phase of allergic disease, may be one such example.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1998

Exposure to cow's milk during the first 3 months of life is associated with increased levels of IgG subclass antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin to 8 years.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to allergens early in life influences the development of allergen-specific immune responses. In animal models, the development of tolerance to proteins delivered to the gastrointestinal and the respiratory mucosa is influenced by age and genetic background. Late introduction of cow's milk in infants is associated with slower increase and lower peak IgG antibody responses to milk during early childhood, but the long-term effects have not been investigated, nor is the relation to atopic disease later in life clear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of IgG subclass antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin in relation to early exposure to cow's milk, atopic heredity, and the development of atopic disease. METHODS: IgG subclass antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin were analyzed by ELISA at birth, at 6 and 18 months, and at 8 years in 96 children followed prospectively. RESULTS: The levels of IgG subclass antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin peaked in early childhood and then declined up to 8 years of age. Exposure to cow's milk during the first 3 months of life was associated with high IgG subclass antibody levels to beta-lactoglobulin up to 8 years, particularly in children with maternal atopy. Children with atopic symptoms and sensitivity to allergens often had high levels of IgG4 antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin at 8 years of age, even if they were not exposed to cow's milk during the first 3 months of life. Furthermore, atopic dermatitis was associated with high levels of IgG subclass antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin in early childhood. CONCLUSIONS: IgG subclass antibody levels to milk peak during early infancy, with particularly high levels in children with atopic dermatitis, and decline thereafter. Exposure to cow's milk during early infancy has long-lasting effects on the humoral antigen-specific responses, indicating less effective tolerance-inducing mechanisms in the intestinal mucosa during the first months of life.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Maternal influence on IgG subclass antibodies to Bet v 1 during the first 18 months of life as detected with a sensitive ELISA.

BACKGROUND: The initial encounters with allergens are crucial for sensitisation later in life. The IgG1 responses to house dust mite in infancy are later accompanied by an IgG4 response, with high levels seen particularly in atopic children. Little is known of the development of IgG subclass responses to other inhalant allergens. The aims of this study were to develop a sensitive method for the study of postnatal immune responses to the important seasonal inhalant allergen Bet v 1. METHODS: Antibodies to rBet v 1 were analyzed in 96 children at birth, 6 and 18 months using a sensitive enzyme-amplified ELISA. RESULTS: Immunoglobulin G responses to rBet v 1, mainly of the IgG1 subclass, were common in young children, and could at 6 months be demonstrated in several infants who had not yet experienced a postnatal birch pollen season. Atopic dermatitis was associated with high levels of IgG subclass antibodies to birch at 18 months. Maternal atopy was associated with high levels of all IgG subclass antibodies to rBet v 1 in cord blood. In postnatally birch-pollen-exposed infants with atopic mothers, the levels of IgG antibodies at birth correlated with the levels at 6 months. In contrast, high antibody levels to rBet v 1 at birth were associated with low IgG titres to rBet v 1 at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: IgG1 responses to birch are common during the first 18 months of life. High levels of maternally derived birch-specific IgG antibodies are associated with maternal atopy and may influence the development of the IgG antibody responses to birch in their child.

Allergens↗