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Urinary Ferritin as a Noninvasive Means of Assessing Iron Status in Young Children

Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common nutritional deficiency affecting young children. Serum ferritin concentration is the preferred biomarker for measuring iron status because it reflects iron stores; however, blood collection can be distressing for young children and can be logistically difficult. A noninvasive means to measure iron status would be attractive to either diagnose or screen for ID in young children.

Impaired calcium influx underlies skewed T helper cell differentiation in children with IgE-mediated food allergies

Reasons for Th2 skewing in IgE-mediated food allergies remains unclear. Clinical observations suggest impaired T cell activation may drive Th2 responses evidenced by increased atopic manifestations in liver transplant patients on tacrolimus (a calcineurin inhibitor). We aimed to assess differentiation potential, T cell activation and calcium influx of naïve CD4+ T cells in children with IgE-mediated food allergies.

Circulating Epithelial Cell Cytokines Are Associated With Early-Onset Atopic Dermatitis

Debbie Susan Palmer Prescott BSc BND PhD MBBS BMedSci PhD FRACP Head, Nutrition in Early Life Honorary Research Fellow debbie.palmer@uwa.edu.au

Lower Cord Blood IL-17 and IL-25, but Not Other Epithelial Cell-Derived Cytokines Are Associated with Atopic Dermatitis in Infancy

There is a growing need for early biomarkers that may predict the development of atopic dermatitis (AD). As alterations in skin barrier may be a primary event in disease pathogenesis, epithelial cell (EC) cytokines expression patterns may be a potential biomarker in early life to target allergy preventive strategies towards "at-risk" infants. The aim of this longitudinal investigation was to examine from birth over the course of infancy levels of the EC cytokines: thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), interleukin (IL)-33, IL-25, and IL-17 in infants at high-risk of AD due to maternal atopy.

Pediatric Burn Survivors Have Long-Term Immune Dysfunction With Diminished Vaccine Response

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that survivors of acute burn trauma are at long-term increased risk of developing a range of morbidities. The mechanisms underlying this increased risk remain unknown. This study aimed to determine whether burn injury leads to sustained immune dysfunction that may underpin long-term morbidity. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 36 pediatric burn survivors >3 years after a non-severe burn injury (<10% total body surface area) and from age/sex-matched non-injured controls.

In “high-risk” infants with sufficient vitamin d status at birth, infant vitamin D supplementation had no effect on allergy outcomes: A randomized controlled trial

Early infancy oral vitamin D supplementation does not appear to reduce the development of early childhood allergic disease

Analytical bias in the measurement of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in infants

To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that the reported 25(OH)D concentration may be influenced by both age and assay type

Maternal dietary intake in pregnancy and lactation and allergic disease outcomes in offspring

As the prevalence of allergic disease dramatically rises worldwide, prevention strategies are increasingly being considered.

Effects of maternal dietary egg intake during early lactation on human milk ovalbumin concentration: A randomized controlled trial

Increased maternal egg ingestion is associated with increased breastmilk ovalbumin, and markers of immune tolerance in infants

Early life nutrition and the opportunity to influence long-term health: an Australasian perspective

There is significant data to support the hypothesis that early life nutrition in the fetus, infant and young child can have profound effects on long-term health