Dataset Information

Maternal Filarial Infection Influences the Development of Regulatory T Cells in Children from Infancy to Early Childhood.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Children born from filarial infected mothers are comparatively more susceptible to filarial infection than the children born to uninfected mothers. But the mechanism of such increased susceptibility to infection in early childhood is not exactly known. Several studies have shown the association of active filarial infection with T cell hypo-responsiveness which is mediated by regulatory T cells (Tregs). Since the Tregs develop in the thymus from CD4+ CD25hi thymocytes at an early stage of the human fetus, it can be hypothesized that the maternal infection during pregnancy affects the development of Tregs in children at birth as well as early childhood. Hence the present study was designed to test the hypothesis by selecting a cohort of pregnant mothers and children born to them subsequently in a filarial endemic area of Odisha, India.

Methodology and principal finding

A total number of 49 pregnant mothers and children born to them subsequently have been followed up (mean duration 4.4 years) in an area where the microfilariae (Mf) rate has come down to <1% after institution of 10 rounds of annual mass drug administration (MDA). The infection status of mother, cord and children were assessed through detection of microfilariae (Mf) and circulating filarial antigen (CFA). Expression of Tregs cells were measured by flow cytometry. The levels of IL-10 were evaluated by using commercially available ELISA kit. A significantly high level of IL-10 and Tregs have been observed in children born to infected mother compared to children of uninfected mother at the time of birth as well as during early childhood. Moreover a positive correlation between Tregs and IL-10 has been observed among the children born to infected mother.

Significance

From these observations we predict that early priming of the fetal immune system by filarial antigens modulate the development of Tregs, which ultimately scale up the production of IL-10 in neonates and creates a milieu for high rate of acquisition of infection in children born to infected mothers. The mechanism of susceptibility and implication of the results in global elimination programme of filariasis has been discussed.

SUBMITTER: Bal M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5115651 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Maternal Filarial Infection Influences the Development of Regulatory T Cells in Children from Infancy to Early Childhood.

Bal Madhusmita M Ranjit Manoranjan M Achary K Gopinath KG Satapathy Ashok K AK

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20161118 11

<h4>Background</h4>Children born from filarial infected mothers are comparatively more susceptible to filarial infection than the children born to uninfected mothers. But the mechanism of such increased susceptibility to infection in early childhood is not exactly known. Several studies have shown the association of active filarial infection with T cell hypo-responsiveness which is mediated by regulatory T cells (Tregs). Since the Tregs develop in the thymus from CD4+ CD25hi thymocytes at an ear ...[more]

PMID: 27861499

Similar Datasets

Project description:The objective of this investigation was to describe maternal psychosocial, behavioral, and acculturation factors associated with early childhood caries in a sample of urban Latino mother-child dyads. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 100 mothers whose children (under the age of 6 y) were patients at the Dental Center at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Colorado. All children participating in the study received an oral examination to measure decayed, missing, filled, surfaces (dmfs). Participating mothers were given the option to sign the consent form and complete the survey in English or Spanish, according to their preferred language. The survey used demographic, behavioral, knowledge, and several psychosocial variables. Bivariate analysis was conducted with dmfs as a dependent variable. The associations between independent variables and dmfs were modeled using negative binomial regression. Mean ± SD dmfs for the entire sample was about 11 ± 16.85. The mothers who spoke Spanish had children with significantly (P = 0.046) higher dmfs scores (15.2) compared to mothers who spoke English (7.56). Preference of Spanish language was significantly associated with self-efficacy (P = 0.0043), oral health knowledge (P = 0.0024), and 3 subscales of the health belief model: perceived severity (P = 0.057), perceived barriers (P = 0.0002), and perceived susceptibility (P = 0.008). Both in the univariate and the multivariate models, oral health behavior and preferential use of Spanish remained significantly associated with higher dmfs scores. Results of this study demonstrate that maternal oral health behaviors and preferred language are significant factors associated with early childhood caries in urban Latino children. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Results of this study indicate that maternal oral health behaviors and the level of acculturation are significantly associated with caries in urban Latino children. Caries prevention efforts in this population could use this information to tailor oral health messaging according to the level of acculturation in mothers.

Project description:Data from the 2016-17 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey from Nigeria are used to study the relationship between child stature, mother's years of education, and indicators of early childhood development (ECD). The relationships are contrasted between two empirical approaches: the conventional approach whereby control variables are selected in an ad-hoc manner, and the double machine-learning (DML) approach that employs data-driven methods to select controls from a much wider set of variables and thus reducing potential omitted variable bias. Overall, the analysis confirms that maternal education and the incidence of chronic malnutrition have a significant direct effect on measures of early childhood development. The point estimates based on the ad-hoc specification tend to be larger in absolute value than those based on the DML specification. Frequently, the point estimates based on the ad-hoc specification fall inside the confidence interval of the DML point estimates, suggesting that in these cases the omitted variable bias is not serious enough to prevent making causal inferences based on the ad-hoc specification. However, there are instances where the omitted variable bias is sufficiently large for the ad hoc specification to yield a statistically significant relationship when in fact the more robust DML specification suggests there is none. The DML approach also reveals a more complex picture that highlights the role of context. In rural areas, mother's education affects early childhood development both directly and indirectly through its impact on the nutritional status of both older and younger children. In contrast, in urban areas, where the average level of maternal education is much higher, increases in a mother's education have only a direct effect on child ECD measures but no indirect effect through child nutrition. Thus, DML provides a practical and feasible approach to reducing threats to internal validity for robust inferences and policy design based on observational data.

Project description:Given the importance of diet in early life, assessing children's diet is crucial to guide interventions. Using data from a nationally generalizable New Zealand (NZ) birth cohort we examined children's dietary patterns at 9- (n = 6259), 24- (n = 6292), and 54-months (n = 6131), and their association with maternal sociodemographic and health behaviours. At each time-point, children's dietary patterns were identified using principal components analysis. We then used multivariate linear regression to examine associations between each pattern and maternal variables. At 9-, 24- and 54-months, two dietary patterns were identified, explaining 36.4%, 35.3% and 33.6% of children's intake variability, respectively. Refined high in sugar, salt and fat dietary pattern, at all time-points, was characterized by high positive loadings in white/refined breads and cereals, and items with high sugar, sodium, and fat content. At 24-months, Refined high in sugar, salt and fat also included a high positive loading with protein food groups. Fruit and vegetables dietary pattern, at all time-points, had high positive loadings for fruits and vegetables (with type varying across time-points). Fruit and vegetables also included high loading in whole grain options of breads and cereals at 24-months and the protein food group was part of this dietary pattern at 9- and 54-months. Children's scores on the Refined high in sugar, salt and fat pattern had strong associations with maternal smoking habits, education level, ethnicity, and maternal scores in the "Junk" and "Traditional/White bread" dietary patterns (constructed from an antenatal interview). Children's scores on the Fruit and vegetables pattern had strong associations with the maternal scores in the dietary pattern "Health Conscious". Interventions to improve diet in early life in NZ need to be responsive to ethnicity and suitable for people of all education levels. Interventions that improve maternal health behaviours may also improve children's diet.

Dataset Information

Maternal Filarial Infection Influences the Development of Regulatory T Cells in Children from Infancy to Early Childhood.

Background

Methodology and principal finding

Significance

Publications

Maternal Filarial Infection Influences the Development of Regulatory T Cells in Children from Infancy to Early Childhood.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets