title: Amniotic fluid inflammatory cytokines: potential markers of immunologic dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to analyze cytokine profiles in amniotic fluid (AF) samples of children developing autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and controls, adjusting for maternal autoimmune disorders and maternal infections during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  AF samples of 331 ASD cases and 698 controls were analyzed for inflammatory cytokines using Luminex xMAP technology utilizing a historic birth cohort. Clinical data were retrieved from nationwide registers, and case-control differences in AF cytokine levels were assessed using chi-square tests, logistic and tobit regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, individuals with ASD had significantly elevated AF levels of TNF-α and TNF-β compared to controls. Analyzing individuals diagnosed only with ICD-10 codes yielded significantly elevated levels of IL-4, IL-10, TNF-α and TNF-β in ASD patients. Restricting analysis to infantile autism cases showed significantly elevated levels of IL-4, TNF-α and TNF-β compared to controls with no psychiatric comorbidities. Elevated levels of IL-6 and IL-5 were found in individuals with other childhood psychiatric disorders (OCPD) when compared to controls with no psychiatric comorbidities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AF samples of individuals with ASD or OCPD showed differential cytokine profiles compared to frequency-matched controls. Further studies to examine the specificity of the reported cytokine profiles in ASD and OCPD are required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Aarhus University Faculty of Health Sciences , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Morsi W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Abdallah
authors.forename: Nanna
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grove
authors.forename: Bent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nørgaard-Pedersen
authors.forename: Poul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thorsen
authors.forename: Erik L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Hougaard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003193:Compulsive Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators