The development of childhood asthma: lessons from the German Multicentre Allergy Study (MAS)

Epidemiological surveys have indicated that there has been a notable increase in the prevalence of both asthma and other allergic symptoms in children and young adults. Since it seems unlikely that genetic factors would contribute to the rising trend, environmental factors might play a major part in the development of childhood asthma. In a prospective birth-cohort study, we assessed the relevance of different exposures such as mite and cat allergen exposure, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure, early infectious diseases and vaccinations for the development of childhood asthma up to the age of 10 years. Data up to 7 years of age have been evaluated. Of 1314 newborn infants enrolled in five German cities in 1990, follow-up data at age 7 years were available for 939 children (72%). Assessments included repeated measurements of specific IgE to food and inhalant allergens, measurement of indoor allergen exposure at 6 months, 18 months and 3 years of age and yearly interviews by a paediatrician. At age 7 years, pulmonary function was tested and bronchial responsiveness was determined in 645 children. At age 7, the prevalence of wheezing in the past 12 months was 10% (94 out of 938), and 6.1% (57 out of 939) parents reported a doctor's diagnosis of asthma in their children. Sensitisation to indoor allergens was associated with asthma, wheeze and increased bronchial responsiveness. However, no relationship between early indoor allergen exposure and the prevalence of asthma, wheeze and bronchial responsiveness was seen. During the first 3 years of life, intra-uterine tobacco and consistent ETS exposure have an adjuvant effect on allergic sensitisation that is transient and restricted to children with a genetic predisposition for allergy. Children sensitised to any allergen early in life and sensitised to inhalant allergens by the age of 7 years were at a significantly increased risk of being asthmatic at this age (odds ratio (OR) = 10.12; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.81-26.88). Children with repeated episodes (> or =2) of runny nose before the age of 1 year were less likely to develop asthma by the age of 7 years (OR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.29-0.92). Our data do not support the hypothesis that exposure to environmental allergens directly causes asthma in childhood but that induction of specific IgE responses and the development of childhood asthma are determined by independent factors. Indoor allergen avoidance is recommended as first line treatment in secondary and tertiary prevention; however, conclusions should be drawn with caution about the possible effect of primary preventative measures. Since allergic asthma seems to be a Th2-disease, immunomodulating factors such as early childhood infections, LPS-exposure or other factors influencing gene-environment interaction and individual susceptibility seem to be relevant for the development of childhood asthm

Prediction and prevention of allergic rhinitis: A birth cohort study of 20 years

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common chronic diseases, usually starting in the first 2 decades of life. Information on predictors, risk, and protective factors is missing because of a lack of long-term prospective studies. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to examine early-life environmental and lifestyle determinants for AR up to age 20 years. METHODS: In 1990, the Multicenter Allergy Study included 1314 newborns in 5 German cities. Children were evaluated at 19 time points. A Cox regression model examined the associations between 41 independent early-life factors and onset of AR (as the primary outcome), including sensitization against aeroallergens and the secondary outcomes of nonallergic rhinitis and AR plus asthma. RESULTS: Two hundred ninety subjects had AR within 13,179 person years observed. The risk of AR was higher with a parental history of AR (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.49; 95% CI, 1.93-3.21), urticaria (aHR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.00-1.74), or asthma (aHR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.95-1.75). Early allergic sensitization (aHR, 4.53; 95% CI, 3.25-6.32), eczema within the first 3 years of life (aHR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.38-2.42), male sex (aHR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02-1.61), and birthday in summer or autumn (aHR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.00-1.58) were independent predictors of AR up to age 20 years. None of the other socioeconomic, environmental, lifestyle, pregnancy, and birth-related factors were associated with AR. CONCLUSION: Only nonmodifiable factors, particularly early allergic sensitization or eczema and parental AR, predicted AR up to age 20 years. No modifiable aspects of early-life environment or lifestyle were identified as targets for primary prevention

Allergic multimorbidity of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema over 20 years in the German birth cohort MAS

Background: The occurrence of allergic multimorbidity (coexistence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema) has not been evaluated longitudinally from early childhood up to adulthood in a population-based study sample. We aimed to determine the prevalence of allergic multimorbidity up to age 20 stratified by parental allergies and sex/gender using extensive prospective follow-up data from two decades of a birth cohort study. Methods: In 1990, we recruited 1314 healthy newborns from 6 maternity wards across Germany for the population-based MAS birth cohort study. The sample was purposely risk-enriched by increasing the proportion of children at high allergy-risk (i.e. at least 2 allergic family members among parents and siblings) from 19% in the source population to 38% in the final sample. The remaining 62% of all MAS children had a low or no allergy risk. Symptoms, medication and doctor's diagnoses of allergic diseases have been assessed using standardised questionnaires including validated ISAAC questions in 19 follow-up assessments up to age 20. Allergic multimorbidity at each time point was defined as the coexistence of at least 2 of the following diseases in one participant: asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema. Results: Response at age 20 was 72% (n=942) of all recruited participants. At age 20, 18.5% (95%-CI 15.0-22.5%) of all participants with allergic parents had 2 or 3 concurrent allergies as compared to only 6.3% (95%-CI 4.3-9.0%) of those with non-allergic parents. At this age, allergic multimorbidity was similar in females and males (12.7% (95%-CI 9.7-16.2%) vs. 11.6% (95%-CI 8.9-14.8%)); whereas single allergic diseases were more common in women than men (24.2% (95%-CI 20.2-28.5%) vs. 20.1% (95%-CI 16.6-24.0%)). Asthma occurred more frequently with coexisting allergic rhinitis and/or eczema than as a single entity from pre-puberty to adulthood. Conclusion: Having parents with allergies is not only a strong predictor to develop any allergy but it strongly increases the risk of developing allergic multimorbidity. In males and females alike, co-existing allergies were increasingly common throughout adolescence up to adulthood. Particularly asthma occurred in both sexes more frequently with co-existing allergies than as a single entity

Late Holocene changes in ultraviolet radiation penetration recorded in an East Antarctic lake

Late Holocene changes in the ultraviolet radiation (UVR) penetration in a lake in the Larsemann Hills (East Antarctica) were reconstructed using sediment core proxies based on fossil pigments (scytonemins and its derivatives) and siliceous microfossils. The influence of changes in lake depth on the UVR proxy was excluded by applying a correction, based on the non-linear relation between modern scytonemin concentrations and lake depth in a regional reference data set, and the record of past lake depths inferred using a diatom based transfer function in the sediment core. Results showed four well-defined maxima in the UVR proxy during the last 1600–1800 years, centred around 1820–1780, 1580–1490, 790–580 and 680–440 AD. Several mechanisms may account for these observed changes in UVR penetration, including past variability in cloud cover, atmospheric turbidity, ozone column depth, snow cover on the lake ice, DOM concentrations and lake-ice thickness and transparency resulting from temperature fluctuations. Although some gaps remain in our knowledge of scytonemin production in relation to the limnology of Antarctic lakes, the results highlight the importance and potential of the sediments in these highly transparent water bodies as archives of changes in past UVR receipt at the Earth’s surface

Analysis of proton bunch parameters in the AWAKE experiment

Abstract A precise characterization of the incoming proton bunch parameters is required to accurately simulate the self-modulation process in the Advanced Wakefield Experiment (AWAKE). This paper presents an analysis of the parameters of the incoming proton bunches used in the later stages of the AWAKE Run 1 data-taking period. The transverse structure of the bunch is observed at multiple positions along the beamline using scintillating or optical transition radiation screens. The parameters of a model that describes the bunch transverse dimensions and divergence are fitted to represent the observed data using Bayesian inference. The analysis is tested on simulated data and then applied to the experimental data.</jats:p

Proton beam defocusing in AWAKE: comparison of simulations and measurements

In 2017, AWAKE demonstrated the seeded self-modulation (SSM) of a 400 GeV proton beam from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN. The angular distribution of the protons deflected due to SSM is a quantitative measure of the process, which agrees with simulations by the two-dimensional (axisymmetric) particle-in-cell code LCODE. Agreement is achieved for beam populations between $10^{11}$ and $3 \times 10^{11}$ particles, various plasma density gradients ($-20 \div 20\%$) and two plasma densities ($2\times 10^{14} \text{cm}^{-3}$ and $7 \times 10^{14} \text{cm}^{-3}$). The agreement is reached only in the case of a wide enough simulation box (at least five plasma wavelengths)

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least 4 m. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the 6.5 m James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 yr, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit. © 2023. The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd on behalf of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP). All rights reserved.Open access articleThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]