Association of IL-10 gene promoter polymorphisms with food allergy susceptibility and serum IL-10 level in a pediatric Caucasian population

Multi-omics profiling approach in food allergy

The prevalence of food allergy (FA) among children is increasing, affecting nearly 8% of children, and FA is the most common cause of anaphylaxis and anaphylaxis-related emergency department visits in children. Importantly, FA is a complex, multi-system, multifactorial disease mediated by food-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and type 2 immune responses and involving environmental and genetic factors and gene-environment interactions. Early exposure to external and internal environmental factors largely influences the development of immune responses to allergens. Genetic factors and gene-environment interactions have established roles in the FA pathophysiology. To improve diagnosis and identification of FA therapeutic targets, high-throughput omics approaches have emerged and been applied over the past decades to screen for potential FA biomarkers, such as genes, transcripts, proteins, and metabolites. In this article, we provide an overview of the current status of FA omics studies, namely genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, proteomic, exposomic, and metabolomic. The current development of multi-omics integration of FA studies is also briefly discussed. As individual omics technologies only provide limited information on the multi-system biological processes of FA, integration of population-based multi-omics data and clinical data may lead to robust biomarker discovery that could translate into advances in disease management and clinical care and ultimately lead to precision medicine approaches.

Effect of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy on infantile food allergy: A retrospective longitudinal study cohort in Southwest China

INTRODUCTION

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy has been consistently associated with a higher incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Previous studies mainly focused on the effects of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy on pregnant mothers and fetuses, and few studies reported the postpartum growth and development of fetuses in pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to investigate impact of maternal serum total bile acid levels on maternal and neonatal outcomes as well as child growth and food allergy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective longitudinal cohort investigation was carried out among 751 pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy at 30-32 weeks of gestation from the Longitudinal Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy Study (LoICPS). Data on the characteristics of the mothers and neonates were collected. Infant growth data and food sensitivities were also collected.

RESULTS

In our cohort, the average maternal serum total bile acid level was 35.09±30.02 μmol/L, with 58.8% of mothers suffering from mild intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and 29.2% suffering from severe intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Positive correlations were found between maternal serum total bile acid levels and twin pregnancy (beta-value: 11.55, 95% CI: 2.89 - 20.20. P = 0.009) and meconium stained amniotic fluid (beta-value: 14.64, 95% CI: 9.41 - 19.87. P < 0.001). In addition, the infants of mothers with severe intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy were more likely to be allergic to foods at 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggested that despite pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy taking ursodeoxycholic acid tablets and cesarean section before expected date of childbirth, the perinatal outcome of newborns partially improving, the incidence of infantile food allergy was still increased.