title: Prenatal, perinatal, and heritable influences on cord blood immune responses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal and perinatal environmental exposures, as well as inherited factors, may influence neonatal immune responses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine relations of maternal and perinatal exposures to antigen-specific cord blood lymphoproliferative responses.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 427 newborns from a Boston pregnancy/birth cohort, lymphoproliferative responses in cord blood mononuclear cells to stimulation with cockroach (Bla g 2), house dust mite (Der f 1), ovalbumin, and mitogen phytohemagglutinin were measured as stimulation index (SI). We used the Wilcoxon rank sum and chi2 tests to evaluate predictors of ovalbumin SI as a continuous ranked or dichotomous outcome. We used t test and Spearman correlation for univariate testing and linear regression to evaluate predictors of natural log-transformed Bla g 2, Der f 1, and phytohemagglutinin SI. Logistic multivariate regression was applied to evaluate predictors of Bla g 2, Der f 1, and phytohemagglutinin SI dichotomized at 2 or at the median for phytohemagglutinin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Maternal smoking during pregnancy, inadequate or excessive maternal weight gain during pregnancy, neonate black race/ethnicity (compared with white), and Apgar score less than 8 were each independently associated with increased cord blood mononuclear cell proliferative responses to stimulation with Bla g 2 and/or Der f 1. Maternal history of asthma was associated only with increased lymphoproliferative response to ovalbumin stimulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Distinct fetal and perinatal exposures and black race/ethnicity may be associated with increased cord blood lymphoproliferative responses. The implications of these findings for future development of allergy or asthma are, as yet, unknown.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Ben M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Willwerth
authors.forename: Bianca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schaub
authors.forename: Kelan G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Tantisira
authors.forename: Diane R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: Lyle J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Augusto A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Litonjua
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schroeter
authors.forename: Fiona K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Gillman
authors.forename: Scott T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Patricia W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Finn
mesh_terms: D000941:Antigens / Q000494:pharmacology; D001835:Body Weight; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000276:immunology*; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens