Atopic Disease Prevention — A Research Schema for Evaluating Skin Barrier Protection and Phthalate Exposure Reduction

Rationale Globally, the prevalence of atopic diseases continues to rise. Up to 20% of the population is thought to be affected, exerting enormous health, social and financial burdens. Emerging data suggests atopic dermatitis precedes allergic sensitization and may increase the predisposition to food allergy, allergic rhinitis and asthma later in life. Pilot testing has suggested infant skin barrier protection may reduce the risk of atopic dermatitis. Parallel research has suggested exposure to phthalates may be driving the inflammatory process at the dermal level.   Methods The altered skin barrier and hapten-atopy hypotheses are summarized. A schema for a pragmatically designed, randomized controlled trial is developed to address: 1.Does skin barrier protection using an occlusive moisturizer and measures to reduce phthalate exposure among infants reduce the incidence of atopic dermatitis and the prevalence of atopic diseases, and 2.If so, do these interventions reduce risk in an additive or synergistic manner?   Results Population based recruitment of newborn infants to one of three interventions or a control arm is proposed. The first arm would involve the application of an occlusive skin moisturizer to protect skin barrier integrity; the second, measures to reduce dietary and environmental phthalate exposures and the third would add skin barrier protection to the phthalate exposure reduction protocol. The protocol phase would ideally continue for three years, while the observation phase for the detection of disease incidence and prevalence would span 18 years. Recommendations for data interpretation include regression analysis for modeling the intervention effects on other environmental and dietary exposures thought to increase the risk of atopic diseases.   Conclusions Pragmatic design would optimize the generalizability of the results. Study findings would clarify public health approaches for atopic disease prevention by broadening the current understanding of the effects of phthalates on child health and by informing best practices for infant skin care

Increasing Environmental Complexity by Providing Different Types of Litter and Perches during Early Rearing Boosts Coping Abilities in Domestic Fowl Chicks

Early experience of a complex environment can improve biologically relevant traits related to coping abilities. However, the mechanisms underlying these positive effects have not been well explored. We hypothesized that giving chicks possibilities to express choices within relevant resources could be an important part of the mechanism, as well as a novel way to increase environmental complexity. In a balanced design, laying hen hatchlings of the white hybrid Bovans Robust were reared in a “single-choice” environment (single litter and perch type) or a “multi-choice” environment (four different litter and perch types). Immunological and behavioral indicators of chicks’ coping abilities were explored in this experimental study at three weeks of age. Chicks from “multi-choice” environments had shorter durations of tonic immobility, lower heterophil/lymphocyte ratios, higher natural antibody concentrations, and were more successful in gaining novel food rewards in a repeated opportunity test. These results imply that chicks having access to variation within resource types were less fearful, experienced less chronic stress, would be more able to cope with pathogenic challenges, and potentially had an improved learning ability. To conclude, the more complex environment, achieved by increasing chicks’ possibilities to choose, seemed to make chicks better prepared for potential challenges, boosting their adaptive capacities and their ability to make the most of opportunities

Dietary exposures and allergy prevention in high-risk infants

Allergic conditions in children are a prevalent health concern in Canada. The burden of disease and the societal costs of proper diagnosis and management are considerable, making the primary prevention of allergic conditions a desirable health care objective. This position statement reviews current evidence on dietary exposures and allergy prevention in infants at high risk for developing allergic conditions. It revisits previous dietary recommendations for pregnancy, breastfeeding and formula feeding, and provides an approach for introducing solid foods to high-risk infants. While there is no evidence that delaying the introduction of any specific food beyond six months of age helps to prevent allergy, the protective effect of early introduction of potentially allergenic foods (at four to six months of age) remains under investigation. Recent research appears to suggest that regularly ingesting a new, potentially allergenic food may be as important as when that food is first introduced. © Canadian Paediatric Society 2013

Increasing Environmental Complexity by Providing Different Types of Litter and Perches during Early Rearing Boosts Coping Abilities in Domestic Fowl Chicks

Early experience of a complex environment can improve biologically relevant traits related to coping abilities. However, the mechanisms underlying these positive effects have not been well explored. We hypothesized that giving chicks possibilities to express choices within relevant resources could be an important part of the mechanism, as well as a novel way to increase environmental complexity. In a balanced design, laying hen hatchlings of the white hybrid Bovans Robust were reared in a “single-choice” environment (single litter and perch type) or a “multi-choice” environment (four different litter and perch types). Immunological and behavioral indicators of chicks’ coping abilities were explored in this experimental study at three weeks of age. Chicks from “multi-choice” environments had shorter durations of tonic immobility, lower heterophil/lymphocyte ratios, higher natural antibody concentrations, and were more successful in gaining novel food rewards in a repeated opportunity test. These results imply that chicks having access to variation within resource types were less fearful, experienced less chronic stress, would be more able to cope with pathogenic challenges, and potentially had an improved learning ability. To conclude, the more complex environment, achieved by increasing chicks’ possibilities to choose, seemed to make chicks better prepared for potential challenges, boosting their adaptive capacities and their ability to make the most of opportunities

CO2 storage in a depleted gas field: An overview of the CO2CRC Otway Project and initial results

The Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) Otway Project in Australia is the first heavily monitored pilot site for CO2 storage in a depleted natural gas reservoir. With the site characterisation and risk analysis complete, the new CRC-1 injection well was drilled in April 2007. An updated static and dynamic model forecast an injected gas transit time of between 4 and 8months between CRC-1 injection and Naylor-1 observation wells. Injection began on March 18th 2008 and was halted on August 29th 2009 with 65,445 tonnes of CO2 mixed gas stored. Two pulses of tracer compounds were added to help identify the injected CO2 from other naturally occurring CO2 and to track dispersion and diffusion. Assurance monitoring included surveillance of the atmosphere, soil gas and shallow groundwater. To date, no tracer compounds have been detected above background levels in samples taken as part of the assurance monitoring system. Monitoring of the reservoir has been accomplished with a combined geophysical and geochemical approach. Formation fluids are sampled at pressure with the multilevel U-Tube system. The transient geochemistry at the observation well has: (1) recorded injected gas arrival at the Naylor-1 observation well; (2) recorded tracer compound arrival at Naylor-1; (3) shown a mixing trend between the isotopic signature of the Naylor indigenous CO2 and that of the injection supply gas; and (4) provided an estimate for the dynamic storage capacity for a portion of the Naylor reservoir. The data collected are compared with the pre-injection dynamic model forecasts and provide a means of calibration. The CO2CRC Otway Project has successfully demonstrated the storage of CO2 in a depleted gas field. Geochemical assurance monitoring and reservoir surveillance will continue post injection. Continued analysis of the data will serve to reduce uncertainty in forecasting long term fate of the injected CO2 mixed gas

Primum non nocere—first do no harm. And then feed peanut

The Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States—Report of the NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel were developed to build on previous food allergy guidelines after several key studies demonstrated the benefit of early introduction of allergenic foods. These landmark studies including the Learning Early about Peanut (LEAP), LEAP-On and Enquiring about Tolerance trials created a paradigm shift in food allergy prevention. The “take home” messages of this guideline include that peanut should be introduced early in the first year of life, and for the majority of infants, peanut can be introduced at home. The only group of infants for which medical assessment is recommended is those with severe eczema, egg allergy or both. Here we summarize the Guideline recommendations, endorsed by the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and highlight important aspects relevant to Canadian practitioners.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCPediatrics, Department ofReviewedFacult

Dietary exposures and allergy prevention in high-risk infants: a joint position statement of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the Canadian Paediatric Society

Abstract Allergic conditions in children are a prevalent health concern in Canada. The burden of disease and the societal costs of proper diagnosis and management are considerable, making the primary prevention of allergic conditions a desirable health care objective. This position statement reviews current evidence on dietary exposures and allergy prevention in infants at high risk of developing allergic conditions. It revisits previous dietary recommendations for pregnancy, breastfeeding and formula-feeding, and provides an approach for introducing solid foods to high-risk infants. While there is no evidence that delaying the introduction of any specific food beyond six months of age helps to prevent allergy, the protective effect of early introduction of potentially allergenic foods (at four to six months) remains under investigation. Recent research appears to suggest that regularly ingesting a new, potentially allergenic food may be as important as when that food is first introduced. This article has already been published (Paediatr Child Health. 2013 Dec;18(10):545–54), and is being re-published with permission from the original publisher, the Canadian Paediatric Society

Monitoring of CO2 storage in a depleted natural gas reservoir: Gas geochemistry from the CO2CRC Otway Project, Australia

The CO2CRC Otway Project in southwestern Victoria, Australia has injected over 17 months 65,445 tonnes of a mixed CO2-CH4 fluid into the water leg of a depleted natural gas reservoir at a depth of ∼2km. Pressurized sub-surface fluids were collected from the Naylor-1 observation well using a tri-level U-tube sampling system located near the crest of the fault-bounded anticlinal trap, 300m up-dip of the CRC-1 gas injection well. Relative to the pre-injection gas-water contact (GWC), only the shallowest U-tube initially accessed the residual methane gas cap. The pre-injection gas cap at Naylor-1 contains CO2 at 1.5mol% compared to 75.4mol% for the injected gas from the Buttress-1 supply well and its CO2 is depleted in 13C by 4.5‰ VPDB compared to the injected supercritical CO2. Additional assurance of the arrival of injected gas at the observation well is provided by the use of the added tracer compounds, CD4, Kr and SF6 in the injected gas stream. The initial breakthrough of the migrating dissolved CO2 front occurs between 100 and 121 days after CO2 injection began, as evidenced by positive responses of both the natural and artificial tracers at the middle U-tube, located an average 2.3m below the pre-injection GWC. The major CO2 increase to ∼60mol% and transition from sampling formation water with dissolved gas to sampling free gas occurred several weeks after the initial breakthrough. After another ∼3 months the CO2 content in the lowest U-tube, a further average 4.5m deeper, increased to ∼60mol%, similarly accompanied by a transition to sampling predominantly gases. Around this time, the CO2 content of the upper U-tube, located in the gas cap and an average 10.4m above the pre-injection GWC, increased to ∼20mol%. Subsequently, the CO2 content in the upper U-tube approaches 30mol% while the lower two U-tubes show a gradual decrease in CO2 to ∼48mol%, resulting from mixing of injected and indigenous fluids and partitioning between dissolved and free gas phases. Lessons learnt from the CO2CRC Otway Project have enabled us to better anticipate the challenges for rapid deployment of carbon storage in a commercial environment at much larger scales