title: Cord blood versus age 5 mononuclear cell proliferation on IgE and asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fetal immune responses following exposure of mothers to allergens during pregnancy may influence the subsequent risk of childhood asthma. However, the association of allergen-induced cord blood mononuclear cell (CBMC) proliferation and cytokine production with later allergic immune responses and asthma has been controversial. Our objective was to compare indoor allergen-induced CBMC with age 5 peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation and determine which may be associated with age 5 allergic immune responses and asthma in an inner city cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of an ongoing cohort study of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH), CBMCs and age 5 PBMCs were cultured with cockroach, mouse, and dust mite protein extracts. CBMC proliferation and cytokine (IL-5 and IFN-gamma) responses, and age 5 PBMC proliferation responses, were compared to anti-cockroach, anti-mouse, and anti-dust mite IgE levels, wheeze, cough, eczema and asthma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Correlations between CBMC and age 5 PBMC proliferation in response to cockroach, mouse, and dust mite antigens were nonsignificant. Cockroach-, mouse-, and dust mite-induced CBMC proliferation and cytokine responses were not associated with allergen-specific IgE at ages 2, 3, and 5, or with asthma and eczema at age 5. However, after adjusting for potential confounders, age 5 cockroach-induced PBMC proliferation was associated with anti-cockroach IgE, total IgE, and asthma (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to allergen-induced CBMC proliferation, age 5 cockroach-induced PBMC proliferation was associated with age 5 specific and total IgE, and asthma, in an inner-city cohort where cockroach allergens are prevalent and exposure can be high.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY, USA. rlm14@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gauvey-Kern
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Kelvin
authors.forename: Ginger L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.forename: Frederica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Miller