Te-Yao Hsu

Adverse pregnancy outcome in a petrochemical polluted area in Taiwan.

The petrochemical industry is the main source of industrial air pollution in Taiwan. Reported here are the results from an ongoing study of outdoor air pollution and the health of individuals living in a community in close proximity to petrochemical industrial complexes. The prevalences of term low birth weight (LBW) in the petrochemical municipality and control municipality were 3.22% and 1.84%, respectively. After controlling for several possible confounders (including maternal age, season, marital status, maternal education, and infant sex), the adjusted odds ratio was 1.767 (1.002-3.116) for term LBW in the petrochemical municipality. Data provide further support for the hypothesis that air pollution can affect the outcome of pregnancy.

miRNA-125b regulates TNF-α production in CD14+ neonatal monocytes via post-transcriptional regulation

Neonates, although deficient in cell immunity, frequently reveal sepsis with augmented proinflammatory reactions. Here, we found that neonatal monocytes produced significantly higher TNF‐α mRNA and protein than adult monocytes. Assessment of the transcriptional factor found no significant difference of NF‐κB p65 level between neonatal and adult monocytes. Addition of Act D to access the half‐life of TNF‐α mRNA revealed no significant difference of the LPS‐induced TNF‐α mRNA half‐life between them, whereas CHX increased neonatal TNF‐α mRNA significantly. This suggests that a post‐transcriptional mechanism involves the augmentation of TNF‐α production by neonatal monocytes. To examine whether miRNA was involved in the post‐transcriptional regulation, differential displays of miRNA array between neonatal and adult MNCs were performed, along with the discovery of hsa‐miR‐103, hsa‐miR‐125b, hsa‐miR‐130a, hsa‐miR‐454‐3p, and hsa‐miR‐542‐3p, which were greater than a twofold decrease or increase after LPS treatment for 4 h. The functional validation identified that miR‐125b decreased significantly in association with higher TNF‐α expression by neonatal monocytes after LPS stimulation. Transfection of the miR‐125b precursor into neonatal monocytes significantly repressed the TNF‐α mRNA and protein expression, suggesting that miR‐125b negatively regulates TNF‐α expression in neonatal monocytes. Modulation of miRNA expression may be used to regulate TNF‐α production in newborns with altered proinflammatory reactions.

Prenatal and postnatal probiotics reduces maternal but not childhood allergic diseases: a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial

The prevalence of atopic diseases has increased rapidly in recent decades globally. The administration of probiotics to reduce gastrointestinal inflammation has been popular, but its role in the prevention or treatment of allergic disease remains controversial. This study evaluated the effectiveness of prenatal and postnatal probiotics in the prevention of early childhood and maternal allergic diseases.

Shockwave stimulates oxygen radical-mediated osteogenesis of the mesenchymal cells from human umbilical cord blood.

Human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) mesenchymal progenitor cells expressed stro‐1 or CD44 or CD29, and subsequently, differentiated toward osteogenic lineage. Physical shockwave treatment increased osteogenic activity of HUCB mesenchymal progenitor cells through superoxide‐mediated TGF‐β1 induction. Transplantation of shockwave‐treated HUCB mesenchymal progenitor cells enhanced healing of segmental femoral defect in severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) mice.

Calcium and magnesium in drinking water and the risk of death from breast cancer.

The relationship between mortality from breast cancer and the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water was examined using an ecological design. The study area consisted of 252 municipalities in Taiwan. Data on the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water were collected from the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The age-standardized mortality rate (ASR) for breast cancer (1982?1991) was compared among municipalities with different levels of magnesium and calcium in drinking water. Weighted multivariate regression analysis was used, and after adjusting for fertility rates and urbanization, there was a significant inverse relationship between the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from breast cancer.The relationship between mortality from breast cancer and the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water was examined using an ecological design. The study area consisted of 2.52 municipalities in Taiwan. Data on the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water were collected from the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The age-standardized mortality rate (ASR) for breast cancer ( 1982-1991) was compared among municipalities with different levels of magnesium and calcium in drinking water. Weighted multivariate regression analysis was used, and after adjusting for fertility rates and urbanization, there was a significant inverse relationship between the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from breast cancer.The relationship between mortality from breast cancer and the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water was examined using an ecological design. The study area consisted of 252 municipalities in Taiwan. Data on the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water were collected from the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The age-standardized mortality rate (ASR) for breast cancer (1982?1991) was compared among municipalities with different levels of magnesium and calcium in drinking water. Weighted multivariate regression analysis was used, and after adjusting for fertility rates and urbanization, there was a significant inverse relationship between the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from breast cancer.

Gene–gene and gene–environment interactions on IgE production in prenatal stage

To cite this article: Yang KD, Chang J‐C, Chuang H, Liang H‐M, Kuo H‐C, Lee Y‐S, Hsu T‐Y, Ou C‐Y. Gene–gene and gene–environment interactions on IgE production in prenatal stage. Allergy 2010; 65: 731–739.

Interaction of maternal atopy, CTLA‐4 gene polymorphism and gender on antenatal immunoglobulin E production

Background Genetic heritability and maternal atopy have been correlated to antenatal IgE production, but very few studies have studied gene–maternal atopy interaction on antenatal IgE production. This study investigated the interaction of CTLA‐4 polymorphism with prenatal factors on the elevation of cord blood IgE (CBIgE).

IFN-α production by human mononuclear cells infected with varicella-zoster virus through TLR9-dependent and -independent pathways

Understanding the defense mechanisms of the host of an organism is important for infection control. In previous studies, we demonstrated that interferon-α (IFN-α), but not IL-12, was produced by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells infected with varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Here, we investigated what kind of cell(s) and which signal molecule(s) are involved in IFN-α production. Using cell isolation and ELISA, we found that plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) were responsible for IFN-α production during VZV infection. We also found that Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) was involved in VZV-induced IFN-α production because inhibitory CpG oligodeoxynucleotide inhibited IFN-α production. UV-inactivated VZV-induced IFN-α production was lower than that of active VZV, indicating another TLR9-independent pathway. Further studies demonstrated that double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase, but not DNA-dependent protein kinase was involved in VZV-induced IFN-α production. Together, these results suggest that pDCs play an important role in IFN-α production during VZV infection through TLR9-dependent and -independent pathways.

Association between petrochemical air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Taiwan.

Abstract The petrochemical industry is the main source of industrial air pollution in Taiwan. To date, little is known about the possible effects of such pollution on the human fetus. In this study, the authors investigated the relationship between term low birthweight and preterm delivery and residence in a petrochemical industrial municipality (PIM). The study areas included 16 PIMs (which were defined as municipalities in which the number of workers in the petroleum and petrochemical industry made up at least 2% of the municipalitys total population) and 16 matched reference municipalities (RFMs). Among 39,750 1st-parity singleton live births, the prevalences of preterm delivery in the PIMs and RFMs were 4.72% and 4.58%, respectively, and the prevalences of term low birthweight were 2.51% and 2.35%, respectively. When PIMs were compared with RFMs, and after controlling for possible confounders (including maternal age, marital status, maternal education, and gender of the baby), the adjusted odds ratios were 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.95, 1.22) for term low birthweight and 1.03 (95% CI = 0.94, 1.13) for preterm delivery, respectively.

Partial Protein-Hydrolyzed Infant Formula Decreased Food Sensitization but Not Allergic Diseases in a Prospective Birth Cohort Study

Background: Exposure to cow’s milk protein in early infancy could lead to increased rates of allergic diseases later in life. We investigated whether feeding a protein-hydrolyzed formula (HF) in the first 6 months of life decreased allergic diseases up to 36 months later. Methods: Newborns who had at least 1 first-degree family member with a history of atopy and could not breast-feed were enrolled. They were fed with HF or cow’s milk infant formula (CM) for at least 6 months via an open-label protocol and were monitored prospectively at 6, 18 and 36 months of age to assess allergy sensitization and allergic diseases. Results: A total of 1,002 infants were enrolled and 679 infants were consistently fed the same formula for the first 6 months of life (345 HF and 334 CM). The percentage of food sensitization (especially to milk protein) was significantly lower in the HF group than in the CM group at 36 months (12.7 vs. 23.4%, p = 0.048). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of aeroallergen sensitization between the groups. Occurrence of allergic diseases during the first 3 years of life was significantly correlated with aeroallergen sensitization, but not to food allergen sensitization, parental atopy or feeding types. Conclusions: Infants fed with HF during the first 6 months of life had a significantly lower percentage of sensitization to milk protein allergens, but not allergic diseases during the first 3 years of life. Avoidance of cow’s milk protein alone in infancy is not enough to decrease rates of allergic diseases.