Dataset Information

Adaptive immunity to rhinoviruses: sex and age matter.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Rhinoviruses (RV) are key triggers in acute asthma exacerbations. Previous studies suggest that men suffer from infectious diseases more frequently and with greater severity than women. Additionally, the immune response to most infections and vaccinations decreases with age. Most immune function studies do not account for such differences, therefore the aim of this study was to determine if the immune response to rhinovirus varies with sex or age.

Methods

Blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 63 healthy individuals and grouped by sex and age (?50 years old and ?52 years old). Cells were cultured with rhinovirus 16 at a multiplicity of infection of 1. The chemokine IP-10 was measured at 24 h as an index of innate immunity while IFN? and IL-13 were measured at 5 days as an index of adaptive immunity.

Results

Rhinovirus induced IFN? and IL-13 was significantly higher in ?50 year old women than in age matched men (p < 0.02 and p < 0.05) and ?52 year old women (p < 0.02 and p > 0.005). There was no sex or age based difference in rhinovirus induced IP-10 expression. Both IFN? and IL-13 were negatively correlated with age in women but not in men.

Conclusions

This study suggests that pre-menopausal women have a stronger adaptive immune response to rhinovirus infection than men and older people, though the mechanisms responsible for these differences remain to be determined. Our findings highlight the importance of gender and age balance in clinical studies and in the development of new treatments and vaccines.

SUBMITTER: Carroll ML

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3024249 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Adaptive immunity to rhinoviruses: sex and age matter.

Carroll Melanie L ML Yerkovich Stephanie T ST Pritchard Antonia L AL Davies Janet M JM Upham John W JW

Respiratory research 20101231

<h4>Background</h4>Rhinoviruses (RV) are key triggers in acute asthma exacerbations. Previous studies suggest that men suffer from infectious diseases more frequently and with greater severity than women. Additionally, the immune response to most infections and vaccinations decreases with age. Most immune function studies do not account for such differences, therefore the aim of this study was to determine if the immune response to rhinovirus varies with sex or age.<h4>Methods</h4>Blood mononucl ...[more]

PMID: 21194432

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Worldwide several studies have examined the associations of fetal sex, paternal age and maternal age with pregnancy outcomes, with the evidence regarding paternal age being less consistent. Although in Taiwan we keep good records on birth certificates, these issues have been seldom researched. Our objective was to assess the association of fetal sex and parental age with gestational hypertension/preeclampsia, eclampsia and preterm delivery in the Taiwanese population. METHODS:We conducted a nationwide study and included 1,347,672 live births born between 2004 and 2011 in Taiwan. Gestational hypertension/preeclampsia and eclampsia were ascertained based on the International Classification of Diseases codes; preterm delivery (<?37?weeks) was defined according to the gestational age documented by healthcare providers. We implemented logistic regression models with covariates adjusted to assess the association of fetal sex and parental age with pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS:The prevalence was 2.27% for gestational hypertension/preeclampsia, 0.07% for eclampsia and 6.88% for preterm delivery. After considering other parent's age and covariates, we observed a significantly stepped increase in the risk of both gestational hypertension/preeclampsia and preterm delivery as paternal and maternal age increased. For example, fathers aged ?50?years were associated with a significantly higher risk of gestational hypertension/preeclampsia (odds ratio [OR]: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.39, 1.84) and preterm delivery (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.27, 1.51) than fathers aged 25-29?years. Analysis on fetal sex showed that relatively more female births were linked to gestational hypertension/preeclampsia and more male births linked to preterm delivery, compared to the whole population. CONCLUSIONS:We found both paternal and maternal age, as well as fetal sex, were associated with the risk of pregnancy outcomes. Some findings on fetal sex contradicted with previous research using non-Asian samples, suggesting that ethnicity may play a role in the association of fetal sex and pregnancy outcomes. Besides, there is a need to counsel couples who are planning their family to be aware of the influence of both advanced maternal and paternal age on their pregnancy outcomes.

Dataset Information

Adaptive immunity to rhinoviruses: sex and age matter.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Adaptive immunity to rhinoviruses: sex and age matter.

Similar Datasets

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