Mode of Delivery and Asthma at School Age in 9 European Birth Cohorts

Evidence on the association between mode of delivery and asthma at school age is inconclusive. We assessed the associations between specific modes of delivery and asthma in children from 9 European birth cohorts that enrolled participants between 1996 and 2006. Cohort-specific crude and adjusted risk ratios for asthma at ages 5–9 years were calculated using Poisson regression models and pooled. A sensitivity analysis was carried out in children born at term to reduce confounding due to perinatal factors. The study included 67,613 participants. Cohortspecific rates of cesarean delivery varied from 9.4% to 37.5%. Cesarean delivery, as opposed to vaginal delivery, was associated with an increased risk of asthma (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.46). Compared with spontaneous vaginal delivery, the adjusted risk ratio was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.75) for elective cesarean delivery, 1.07 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.22) for emergency cesarean delivery, and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.84, 1.12) for operative vaginal delivery. In children born at term, the associations were strengthened only for elective cesarean delivery (aRR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.97). The large sample size allowed analysis of the associations between specific modes of delivery and asthma at school age. The increased risk of asthma associated with elective cesarean delivery, especially among children born at term, is relevant in counteracting the increasing use of this procedure, which is often performed without a clear medical indication.This work was supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2009–2013) under a grant agreement (grant 241604) and by the University of Turin and the San Paolo Foundation (Turin, Italy). Data collection was funded and the study teams of all participating birth cohorts were supported by local and/or national research organizations

Meta-analysis of epigenome-wide associations between DNA methylation at birth and childhood cognitive skills

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer Nature via the DOI in this recordData availability: Meta-analysis results files will be deposited in the EWAS Catalog data repository (http://ewascatalog.org/) upon publication. Individual-level data are available upon request to the cohorts involved and according to their procedures.Cognitive skills are a strong predictor of a wide range of later life outcomes. Genetic and epigenetic associations across the genome explain some of the variation in general cognitive abilities in the general population and it is plausible that epigenetic associations might arise from prenatal environmental exposures and/or genetic variation early in life. We investigated the association between cord blood DNA methylation at birth and cognitive skills assessed in children from eight pregnancy cohorts within the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium across overall (total N = 2196), verbal (total N = 2206) and non-verbal cognitive scores (total N = 3300). The associations at single CpG sites were weak for all of the cognitive domains investigated. One region near DUSP22 on chromosome 6 was associated with non-verbal cognition in a model adjusted for maternal IQ. We conclude that there is little evidence to support the idea that variation in cord blood DNA methylation at single CpG sites is associated with cognitive skills and further studies are needed to confirm the association at DUSP22

Cohort Profile: Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium.

Development Psychopathology in context: famil

Serum cytokine levels related to exposure to volatile organic compounds and PM_2.5 in dwellings and workplaces in French farmers – a mechanism to explain nonsmoking COPD

International audienceAlthough French farmers smoke less on average than individuals from the general population, they suffer more from COPD. Exposure to biological and chemical air pollutants in the farm may be the cause of these higher COPD rates. This study investigates the role of biocontaminants, including the relationship of exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fine particulate matter (of diameter of 2.5 µm [PM2.5]) objectively measured in the farm settings (dwellings and workplaces) to serum cytokines involved in COPD, in a sample of 72 farmers from 50 farms in the Auvergne region, France. Mean concentrations of VOCs were highest inside the home, while levels of PM2.5 were highest in workplaces (stables and granaries). After adjusting for confounders, high exposure to PM2.5 was significantly associated with a decreased level of serum cytokines (among others, IL13: β: –0.94, CI: –1.5 to –0.2, P-value =0.004; IL8: β: –0.82, CI: –1.4 to –0.2, P-value =0.005) and high exposure to VOCs according to a VOC global score with a decreased IL13 level (β: –0.5, CI: –0.9 to –0.1, P-value =0.01). Moreover, respiratory symptoms and diseases, including COPD, were associated with a decreased level of serum cytokines significantly in the case of IL5. An alteration of immune response balance in terms of cytokine levels in relation to indoor chemical air pollution exposure may contribute to respiratory health impairment in farmers

Maternal complications in pregnancy and wheezing in early childhood: A pooled analysis of 14 birth cohorts.

Background: Evidence on the effect of maternal complications in pregnancy on wheezing in offspring is still insufficient. Methods: A pooled analysis was performed on individual participant data from fourteen European birth cohorts to assess the relationship between several maternal pregnancy complications and wheezing symptoms in the offspring. Exposures of interest included hypertension and preeclampsia, diabetes, as well as pre-pregnancy overweight (body mass index between 25 and 29.9) and obesity (body mass index ≥30) compared with normal weight (body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9). Outcomes included both ever and recurrent wheezing from birth up to 12–24 months of age. Cohort-specific crude and adjusted risk ratios (RR) were calculated using log-binomial regression models and then pooled using a random effects model. Results: The study included 85 509 subjects. Cohort-specific prevalence of ever wheezing varied from 20.0% to 47.3%, and of recurrent wheezing from 3.0% to 14.3%. Adjusted pooled RR for ever and recurrent wheezing were: 1.02 (95% CI: 0.98–1.06) and 1.20 (95% CI: 0.98–1.47) for hypertensive disorders; 1.09 (95% CI: 1.01–1.18) and 1.23 (95% CI: 1.07–1.43) for preeclampsia; 1.04 (95% CI: 0.97–1.13) and 1.24 (95% CI: 0.86–1.79) for diabetes; 1.08 (95% CI: 1.05–1.11) and 1.19 (95% CI: 1.12–1.26) for overweight; 1.12 (95% CI: 1.08–1.17) and 1.16 (95% CI: 0.97–1.39) for obesity. No heterogeneity was found in RR estimates among the cohorts, except for diabetes and recurrent wheezing (P = 0.027). Conclusions: Preeclampsia, maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity are associated with an increase risk of wheezing in the offspring