Different allelic frequencies of several cytokine genes in Hong Kong Chinese and Swedish Caucasians

It has been shown that cytokine gene polymorphisms are important in the regulation of the level of cytokine production that may affect the development and extent of inflammatory diseases and transplant rejections. The frequency of the -308 TNFA, -383 TNFR1, -1087 IL10 and codon 25 TGFB1 alleles were analysed in two different ethnic groups: Chinese from Hong Kong and Caucasians from western Sweden. Significant differences in the occurrence of the analysed alleles were shown between the two populations. The most profound difference was found in the frequency of the A/A genotype at the -1087 position of IL10 gene (18% in Caucasians and 89% in Chinese, P < 0.0001, both for the genotype and allele frequencies) and less although statistically significant for other investigated genes. The noted differences in the frequency of functionally important alleles of cytokine genes may have consequences for the mode of appearance and outcome of certain diseases in individuals of different ethnicity.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Serum and breast milk antibodies to food antigens in African mothers and relation to their diet.

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Allergen sensitization of asthmatic and nonasthmatic schoolchildren in Costa Rica

The prevalence of asthma among schoolchildren in Costa Rica is very high at the level of 20-30% - and the reason is still unknown. A group of children from our previous epidemiologic study was randomly selected in order to establish the relation between asthma symptoms and allergy sensitization to common allergens. Serum samples from children with and without asthma were analyzed for the presence of IgE antibodies to 36 different allergens, for the presence of IgE antibodies to a pool of 10 common allergens, and for total serum IgE. The most prevalent IgE antibodies were those to mite, cockroach, dog, and house-dust allergens with MAST pipettes for the serologic measurements. Positive reactions to house dust, mite, cat, and the two molds (Alternaria and Cladosporium), and food allergens such as egg white, peanut, and shellfish were significantly more prevalent among the asthmatics than the nonasthmatics. Sensitization was equally prevalent at different ages, but the house-dust, mite, cat, dog, cockroach, Alternaria, and egg-white allergens had sensitized boys more often than girls (P<0.01). The result of the analysis of IgE antibodies to a pool of 10 common allergens by Phadiatop supported the MAST pipette results, showing allergen sensitization in 57.7% of the asthmatic children and 42.3% in the nonasthmatic group. The concentration of IgE was significantly higher among the asthmatic children (372.2 kU/1) than among the nonasthmatic children (249.1 kU/l) (P < 0.00001). Parasitic infestations were not examined in this study, but in most of Costa Rica these have largely been eliminated and could not explain the high total IgE levels. Our data indicate that the very high prevalence of bronchial asthma in Costa Rican schoolchildren can be related to sensitization, especially to airborne indoor allergens such as those of mites, cockroaches, and dogs.link_to_subscribed_fulltex