Febrile and gynaecological infections in pregnancy increase the risk of childhood respiratory disorders in the offspring

Emerging evidence suggests that foetal and early life environmental factors are critical for determining the susceptibility to allergic and respiratory diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether maternal febrile infections (FI) or gynaecological infections (GI) during pregnancy are associated with allergic respiratory diseases in the offspring, and whether specific pregnancy trimesters are involved.We enrolled 4,577 children, aged 3-14yr. Their parents filled in a standardized questionnaire about children’s respiratory health and the events occurred during pregnancy and at birth. We evaluated the incidence of wheezing, asthma and rhinitis, and the occurrence of five respiratory symptoms in the last 12 months.Children born to mothers who reported FI and GI had more respiratory symptoms in the last 12 months (IRR:1.40, 95%CI:1.12-1.74 and IRR:1.60, 95%CI:1.24-2.06, respectively). This association was stronger when FI occurred in the 1st trimester of pregnancy (IRR:2.12, 95%CI:1.37-3.28).The incidence of asthma was significantly higher in the children whose mothers reported FI or GI in the 1st trimester of pregnancy (HR:2.61, 95%CI:1.01-6.76 and HR:3.50, 95%CI:1.24-9.91, respectively). GI in the 3rd trimester were associated with higher risk of wheezing (HR:1.55, 95%CI:1.11-2.17) and rhinitis (HR:1.82; 95%CI:1.02-3.26).FI and GI might increase the risk of developing respiratory symptoms and diseases, especially when occurring in specific trimesters of pregnancy. These findings suggest that FI and GI might interfere with foetal programming of respiratory and immune system through different mechanisms

Febrile and gynecological infections during pregnancy are associated with a greater risk of childhood eczema

Background:Mounting evidence suggests that fetal exposures may exert long-termeffects on the function of the skin and of the immune system. This study aimed atassessing whether maternal complications during pregnancy are associated with anincreased risk of eczema during childhood.Methods:The associations between hypertension/preeclampsia, febrile infections, orgynecological infections during pregnancy and the occurrence of childhood eczema werestudied in a population (n=3907) of children, aged 3–14 yrs, living in Italy. Theirparents filled in a standardized questionnaire about the presence of children’s eczemaand the events that occurred during pregnancy, birth, and the first year of the child’s life.Results:7.7%, 3.8%, and 6.1% of the pregnancies were complicated by hypertension/preeclampsia, febrile infections, and gynecological infections, respectively. The preva-lence of eczema was significantly higher in children born to mothers who had experiencedfebrile (35.5% vs. 22.0%; p<0.001) or gynecological infections (35.3% vs. 21.6%;p<0.001) compared with those born to mothers who had not suffered from that specificpregnancy complication, while hypertension/preeclampsia was not significantly associ-ated with childhood eczema. After adjusting for potential confounders, the risk ofeczema was significantly higher in children born to mothers who reported febrileinfections during the 1st trimester (OR: 2.32; 95%CI: 1.11–4.82) and gynecologicalinfections during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy (OR: 2.73; 95%CI:1.73–4.31).Conclusions:Fetal exposure to febrile and gynecological infections might enhance therisk of eczema in the offspring, especially when occurring in specific trimesters ofpregnancy. These findings suggest that febrile and gynecological infections mightinterfere with fetal and perinatal programming of the immune function and skinthrough different mechanisms

Foetal exposure to maternal stressful events increases the risk of having asthma and atopic diseases in childhood

Background:The natural history of asthma and atopic diseases beginsin utero.Studies investigating the influence of foetal exposure to maternal stressful life eventsduring pregnancy (SLEP) on asthma and atopic diseases are lacking.Aim:To test whether the children of mothers who had experienced SLEP are at anincreased risk for asthma, atopic eczema and allergic rhinitis.Methods:The association between maternal SLEP (at least one among: divorce,mourning or loss of the job) and the occurrence of asthma and atopic diseases inchildhood was studied in a population (n = 3854) of children, aged 3–14 yrs, livingin Northern Italy. The parents filled in a standardized questionnaire about the chil-dren’s health and the events occurred to their mothers during pregnancy.Results:Three hundred and thirty-three (9%) of the mothers experienced SLEP.Their children had a statistically significantly higher lifetime prevalence of wheezing(31.6% vs. 23.1%), asthma (8.9% vs. 5.6%), allergic rhinitis (10.9% vs. 7.3%) andatopic eczema (29.7% vs. 21.1%) than those of mothers without SLEP. Afteradjusting for potential confounders, the foetal exposure to SLEP was positivelyassociated with wheezing (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.03–1.94), asthma (OR: 1.71, 95%CI: 1.02–2.89), allergic rhinitis (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.08–2.84) and atopic eczema(OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.11–2.10).Conclusion:The children of mothers who had experienced SLEP were at a moder-ately increased risk of having wheezing, asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis duringtheir childhood. Maternal stress during pregnancy might enhance the expression ofasthma and atopic phenotypes in children.Pediatric Allergy and Immunology724Pediatric Allergy and Immunology23(2012) 724–729ª2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Lt

Capacitive Displacement Sensor for a Self-Sensing Shock-Absorber Piston-Cylinder Mechanism

Measurement of piston displacement is a common problem for any pneumatic or hydraulic device, like shock-absorber. Direct measurements are not always feasible because of mechanical constraints; most recent techniques rely on magnetic phenomena, introducing considerable complexity. In an attempt to achieve an economical and feasible solution, an intrinsic capacitive sensor is developed. Such sensors measure the capacitance between piston and cylinder, which is directly proportional to displacement. It is developed an oscillator stage to measure the unknown capacitance. The oscillator’s output is acquired by a microcontroller, conditioned and transformed into the estimated displacement. This paper focuses on the design methodology of the measurement stage, highlighting tradeoffs and optimizations. The sensor was developed for an automotive application in a commercial shock absorber: however, it can be extended to other devices where proper electrical isolation between cylinder and piston is provided. Mathematical models and experimental results are reported compared to a commercial position sensor

ASRS Questionnaire and Tobacco Use: Not Just a Cigarette. A Screening Study in an Italian Young Adult Sample

Young adults exhibit greater sensitivity than adults to nicotine reinforcement, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) increases the risk for early-onset smoking. We investigated the correlation between ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) scores and smoking, evaluated the prevalence of ADHD symptomatology (not diagnoses) in smokers and non-smokers and its comorbidity with benzodiazepine and gambling addictions. A total of 389 young adults from 14 schools in Northern Italy fill out a survey and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). A total of 15.2% of subjects tested positive at the ASRS, which correlated with smoking; moreover, smokers had twice the probability of testing positive at the ASRS. ADHD symptomatology, especially when comorbid with tobacco abuse, is an important condition to monitor because early nicotine exposure could be a gateway for other addictive behaviors

The influence of type of delivery, skin-to-skin contact and maternal nationality on breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge in a baby-friendly hospital in Italy

The aim of this epidemiological study is to evaluate how type of delivery, skin-to-skin contact and maternal nationality influence breastfeeding practices of newborns at discharge in a large population of babies born in the Baby-Friendly Hospital of San Bonifacio, Verona, Italy. Data were collected for all healthy newborns consecutively born over a period of three years, regarding type of delivery, feeding at hospital discharge, skin-to-skin procedure, and for a smaller group maternal nationality was recorded as well. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding in a group of 6017 newborns was 82.1%, higher among babies born by vaginal delivery than in those born by cesarean section (84.9% vs 65%; P<0.001). It was higher in those who had skin-to-skin contact than in those who did not, in both vaginal delivery (85.3% vs 69.2%; P<0.001) and cesarean section (67.7% vs 55.1%; P=0.009). Also, it was found to be higher in babies born to immigrant mothers than in those born to Italian mothers (89.9% vs 79.5%). Vaginal delivery, skin-to-skin contact and maternal foreign nationality have a positive association with breastfeeding at hospital discharge

Outdoor exposure to formaldehyde (CH2O) is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for respiratory diseases in children

Background and aims: Children living near wood industries have an increased risk of developing respiratory diseases. We aimed at assessing if residential outdoor exposure to NO2 and CH2O was associated with the risk of hospitalization for respiratory diseases in children. Methods: In 2006, all the children (3-14 years) living in the Viadana district (the largest wood manufacturing areas in Northern Italy) were surveyed through a parental questionnaire (n=3854) and their home addresses were geocoded. Their history of hospitalization for respiratory diseases (ICD-IX: 460-519) was assessed from January 2007 to December 2009, using discharge records obtained from the local Health Unit. To assess the outdoor exposure to NO2 and CH2O, 63 passive samplers were installed in the area using a Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) algorithm. Pollutants were monitored twice, both in winter and in summer 2010. Kriging interpolation was used to attribute the average annual concentration of pollutants to each child. Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between the hospitalization rates (HR) and the average concentration of pollutants. Results: By December 2010, 3798 (98.5%) children had been traced. During the 3 years of follow-up, 121 hospital admissions, caused by respiratory diseases, occurred (annual HR = 10.8/1000/year). The HR for respiratory diseases slightly increased with increasing outdoor exposure to NO2 (µg/m3 ) (RR:1.02; 95%CI: 0.95-1.10), while they were strongly associated to CH2O outdoor concentration (µg/m3 ) (RR:2.41; 95%CI: 1.07-5.43). Conclusions: Emissions from wood industries apparently have a serious impact on children's healt

Latitude variation in the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Italy: results from the GEIRD study

BACKGROUND: Earlier studies have pointed out a great variability in the prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in different geo-climatic areas. AIM: To test the association between latitude and prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Italian young adults. METHODS: In the frame of Gene-Environment Interaction in Respiratory Diseases study, a postal screening questionnaire on respiratory health and exposure to environmental factors was administered to 18,357 randomly selected subjects aged 20-44 years in 7 centres: 3 in Northern (Torino, Pavia, Verona), 2 in Central (Ancona, Perugia) and 2 in Southern Italy (Salerno, Sassari). RESULTS: 10,494 (57.2%) subjects responded to the questionnaire. The prevalence of self-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma and allergic rhinitis in the lifespan was 10.2% and 26.9%, respectively, and was significantly different across the centres (p&lt;0.05). After adjusting for sex, age, potential risk factors for respiratory diseases and design confounders, the prevalence of asthma (OR: 1.07 per 1°latitude decrease, p&lt;0.001), asthma-like symptoms (wheezing, chest tightness, asthma attacks: OR ranging from 1.04 to 1.06, p&lt;0.05) and allergic rhinitis (OR: 1.03, p=0.04) showed a significant north-to-south trend. Similarly, a 1°C increment in temperature was significantly associated with asthma (OR: 1.10, p&lt;0.001) and asthma-like symptoms (OR from 1.07 to 1.10, p&lt;0.05), but not with allergic rhinitis (OR=1.02, p=0.190). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis increased moving southwards in Italy, suggesting that prolonged exposure to different geo-climatic conditions may affect the onset of asthma and allergic respiratory diseases

Spatial variability of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde and residential exposure of children in the industrial area of Viadana, Northern Italy

Chipboard production is a source of ambient air pollution. We assessed the spatial variability of outdoor pollutants and residential exposure of children living in proximity to the largest chipboard industry in Italy, and evaluated the reliability of exposure estimates obtained from a number of available models. We obtained passive sampling data on NO2 and formaldehyde collected by the environmental protection agency of Lombardia region at 25 sites in the municipality of Viadana during 10 weeks (2017-18), and compared NO2 measurements with average weekly concentrations from continuous monitors. We compared interpolated NO2 and formaldehyde surfaces with previous maps for 2010. We assessed the relationship between residential proximity to the industry and pollutant exposures assigned using these maps, as well as other available countrywide/continental models based on routine data on NO2, PM10, and PM2.5. The correlation between NO2 concentrations from continuous and passive sampling was high (Pearson\u2019s r=0.89), although passive sampling underestimated NO2 especially during winter. For both 2010 and 2017-18, we observed higher NO2 and formaldehyde concentrations in the south of Viadana, with hot-spots in proximity to the industry. PM10 and PM2.5 exposures were higher for children at &lt;1km compared to the children living at &gt;3.5 km to the industry, whereas NO2 exposure was higher at 1-1.7 km to the industry. Road and population densities were also higher close to the industry. Findings from a variety of exposure models suggest that children living in proximity to the chipboard industry in Viadana are more exposed to air pollution, and that exposure gradients are relatively stable over time