Maternal exposure to particulate matter early in pregnancy and congenital anomalies in offspring: Analysis of concentration-response relationships in a population-based cohort with follow-up throughout childhood.

Studies have suggested an association between particulate matter (PM) air pollution and certain congenital anomalies (CAs). However, most studies assumed a linear concentration-response relation and were based on anomalies that were ascertained at birth or up to 1 year of age. We investigated associations between exposures to PM during the first trimester of pregnancy and CAs in 9 organ systems using birth and childhood follow-up data from a leading health care provider in Israel. We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study among 396,334 births, 2004-2015. Daily PM data at a 1 × 1 km spatial grid were obtained from a satellite-derived prediction models and were linked to the mothers' residential addresses at birth. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated with logistic regression models using exposure levels as either continuous or categorical variables. We captured 57,638 isolated CAs with estimated prevalence of 96 and 136 anomalies per 1000 births in the first year of life and by age 6 years, respectively. Analysis of continuous PM with diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) indicated a supra-linear relation with anomalies in the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, genital and integument systems (79 % of CAs). The slope of the concentration-response function was positive and steepest for PM2.5 lower than the median concentration (21.5 µg/m3) and had a less steep or negative slope at higher levels. Similar trends were observed for PM2.5 quartiles. For example, for cardiac anomalies, the ORs were 1.09 (95 % confidence interval: 1.02, 1.15), 1.04 (0.98, 1.10) and 1.00 (0.94, 1.07) for births in the second, third and fourth quartiles, respectively, when compared to the first quartile. In sum, this study adds new evidence for adverse effects of air pollution on neonatal health even with low-level air pollution. Information on late diagnosis of children with anomalies is important in evaluating the burden of disease.

Corrigendum: Epidemiology of rare hereditary diseases in the European part of Russia: Point and cumulative prevalence.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.678957.].

Epidemiology of Rare Hereditary Diseases in the European Part of Russia: Point and Cumulative Prevalence.

The issue of point prevalence, cumulative prevalence (CP), and burden of rare hereditary diseases (RHD), comprising 72-80% of the group of rare diseases, is discussed in many reports and is an urgent problem, which is associated with the rapid progress of genetic technology, the identification of thousands of genes, and the resulting problems in society. This work provides an epidemiological analysis of the groups of the most common RHDs (autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked) and their point prevalence (PP) and describes the structure of RHD diversity by medical areas in 14 spatially remote populations of the European part of Russia. The total size of the examined population is about 4 million. A total of 554 clinical forms of RHDs in 10,265 patients were diagnosed. The CP for all RHDs per sample examined was 277.21/100,000 (1:361 people). It is worth noting that now is the time for characterizing the accumulated data on the point prevalence of RHDs, which will help to systematize our knowledge and allow us to develop a strategy of care for patients with RHDs. However, it is necessary to address the issues of changing current medical classifications and coding systems for nosological forms of RHDs, which have not kept pace with genetic advances.

Association of the maternal microbiome in Japanese pregnant women with the cumulative prevalence of dermatitis in early infancy: A pilot study from the Chiba study of Mother and Child Health birth cohort.

BACKGROUND: The prenatal maternal microbiome, including the gut microbiota, has been suggested to influence the incidence of allergies in offspring. Moreover, epidermal barrier dysfunction in early infancy has been attributed to the development of subsequent allergies. We hypothesized that the prenatal microbiome may affect the gut microbiota, acting as an initial trigger to alter immune development in the foetus. The maternal microbial composition may be linked to the prevalence of dermatitis in early infancy (DEI) of the offspring, leading to subsequent allergic symptoms. METHODS: This study was conducted as part of the Chiba Study of Mother and Child Health (C-MACH) birth cohort that was initiated in 2013; 434 healthy pregnant women at < 13 weeks of gestation were recruited. DEI was assessed for up to 4 months after birth, and allergic symptoms were determined in 10-month-old infants using questionnaires. Other information related to the maternal microbiome was obtained from questionnaires filled out during pregnancy. Stool samples were collected from pregnant women at 12 (n = 59) and 32 weeks (n = 58) of gestation, which were used for gut microbiota analysis using barcoded 16S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: Symptoms of allergy, especially of inherited allergies, show a higher prevalence at 10 months after birth in the DEI group. DEI occurrence was negatively correlated with family size and cat ownership. The diversity of Proteobacteria at 12 weeks of gestation and the relative abundance of Actinobacteria at 32 weeks of gestation in maternal feces were lower at both time points of gestation in the DEI group. In addition, the diversity of Proteobacteria in prenatal feces was negatively correlated with family size at 12 weeks, and with dog ownership at both gestational time points. CONCLUSIONS: The composition of the maternal microbiome may influence the risk of allergies in offspring, even before birth. Furthermore, the diversity of Proteobacteria and the relative abundance of Actinobacteria in maternal feces were negatively associated with DEI, which may be associated with the risk of allergy development in infancy. This early trigger may be a good predictor of allergy development during infancy and childhood.

Epidemiology of urticaria in infants and young children in Germany--results from the German LISAplus and GINIplus Birth Cohort Studies.

BACKGROUND: Although urticaria is considered one of the most frequent skin diseases, reliable epidemiologic data are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence and cumulative prevalence of urticaria in infants and children up to age of 10, to characterize the relationship of specific IgE levels (food and inhalative allergens) with urticaria, and to monitor the joint occurrence of urticaria with other diseases, such as eczema, asthma, and hay fever. METHODS: The study population consisted of two prospective birth cohort studies: the LISAplus and GINIplus studies. Information on physician-diagnosed urticaria, asthma, eczema, or hay fever was collected using self-administered questionnaires completed by the parents. Blood samples were drawn, and specific immunoglobulin E measured at 2 (only LISAplus), 6 and 10 yr of age. RESULTS: The incidence of urticaria was approximately 1% per year of age. The cumulative prevalence of urticaria in children up to the age of 10 yr was 14.5% for boys and 16.2% for girls. Cumulative prevalence of urticaria at the age of ten was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with allergic sensitization to peanut, soy, and wheat flour, but not with inhalant allergens. Both a parental history of atopy/urticaria and the children's diagnosis of asthma, eczema, and hay fever were strongly related (p < 0.0001) to the occurrence of urticaria. CONCLUSIONS: Urticaria is a frequent event during childhood, with highest incidence in infants and preschool children. Comorbidity with atopic disease is high.