concanavalin-a and Birth-Weight

During the baseline period of a clinical trial comparing different dosage schedules of inhaled steroids, asthmatic children (aged 6-10 years) were expected to meet the inclusion criterion of airways hyper-responsiveness (PD(20) methacholine < 80 micro g) after withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids for 2-8 weeks. However, many children failed to do so.. It has been shown that young wheezing children may outgrow their symptoms. We investigated if differences between children with and without airways hyper-responsiveness after withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids were compatible with differences between transient and persistent wheezers found in other studies.. Seventy-eight children entered the study, of which 41 developed airways hyper- responsiveness after withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids, and 37 did not. These two groups of children were compared with respect to differences in demographic, clinical, and immunological features (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IFN-gamma produced by Con A stimulated peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum IL-4, IL-5 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1)).. Hyper-responsive children had more atopic features (positive RAST, high IgE, eczema), lower levels of FEV1 and lower concentrations of sICAM-1 than non-hyper-responsive children. Apart from a borderline significantly higher IL-4 production in the hyper-responsive group, other immunologic parameters were comparable. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high serum IgE, low FEV1, and low sICAM-1 levels were independently associated with the presence of airways hyper-responsiveness after stopping inhaled corticosteroids. Atopy was associated with higher concentrations of IL-4 in the hyper-responsive group.. After withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids many children previously diagnosed with asthma did not develop airways hyper-responsiveness. We conclude that hyper-responsive children share features with persistent wheezers as found in previous studies, whereas the non-hyper- responsive children may represent transient wheezers.

Topics: Animals; Animals, Domestic; Asthma; Birth Weight; Breast Feeding; Breath Tests; Bronchial Hyperreactivity; Bronchoconstrictor Agents; Cell Adhesion Molecules; Child; Concanavalin A; Female; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-10; Interleukin-4; Interleukin-5; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Logistic Models; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Methacholine Chloride; Nitric Oxide; Respiratory Function Tests; Smoking; Unnecessary Procedures

Cellular immune responses were evaluated in 35 infant rhesus monkeys generated from two types of pregnancy conditions. Pregnant females were administered either saline or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) for 2 weeks between Days 120 and 133 postconception, approximately 1 month before parturition. After birth, lymphocytes obtained from infants in the ACTH condition failed to respond as readily to allogeneic cells in mixed lymphocyte cultures, proliferated less to Con A, exhibited lower suppressor function following stimulation with Con A, and showed lower cytolytic activity against target cells. For some measures, the prenatal effect was observed more consistently in male infants. Differences were evident with these in vitro immune assays through 6 months of age, indicating that acute disturbance during the prenatal period can have lingering effects on postnatal immunity.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Birth Weight; Cell Division; Concanavalin A; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Female; Gestational Age; Hydrocortisone; Immunity, Cellular; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; Lymphocyte Subsets; Macaca mulatta; Male; Mitogens; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Progesterone

Topics: Birth Weight; Concanavalin A; Dexamethasone; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Leukocyte Count; Lymphocyte Activation; Phytohemagglutinins; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn; T-Lymphocytes