Biology subjects

Sjoqvist, H.

Publications and source records attributed to Sjoqvist, H..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Neonatal levels of acute phase proteins and risk of autism spectrum disorders

BackgroundImmune signaling pathways influence neurodevelopment and are hypothesized to contribute to the etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We aimed to assess risk of ASD in relation to levels of neonatal acute phase proteins, key components of innate immune function, measured in neonatal dried blood spots. MethodWe included 924 ASD cases, 1092 unaffected population-based controls, and 203 unaffected siblings to ASD cases in this case-control study nested within the register-based Stockholm Youth Cohort. Concentrations of nine different acute phase proteins were measured in eluates from neonatal dried blood spots from cases, controls, and siblings using a bead-based multiplex assay. ResultsC reactive protein was consistently associated with odds of ASD in case-control comparisons, with higher odds associated with the highest quintile compared to the middle quintile (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.10 - 2.04) in adjusted analyses. In contrast, the lowest quintiles of alpha-2-macroglobulin (3.71, 1.21 - 11.33), ferritin (4.20, 1.40 - 12.65), and Serum Amyloid P (3.05, 1.16 - 8.01) were associated with odds of ASD in the matched sibling comparison. Neonatal acute phase proteins varied with perinatal environmental factors and maternal/fetal phenotypes. Significant interactions in terms of risk for ASD were observed between neonatal acute phase proteins and maternal infection in late pregnancy, maternal anemia, and maternal psychiatric history. ConclusionsIndicators of the neonatal innate immune response are associated with risk for ASD, though the nature of these associations varies considerably with factors in the perinatal environment and the genetic background of the comparison group.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Maternal antibodies to gliadin and autism spectrum disorders in offspring - A population-based case-control study in Sweden

ObjectiveIndividuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are reported to have higher levels of antibodies directed towards gliadin, a component of wheat gluten. However, no study has examined such antibodies in etiologically-relevant periods before diagnosis. The objective of this study is to investigate if maternal levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies directed at gliadin, during pregnancy and at the time of birth, are associated with ASD in offspring. MethodsIn this population-based study set in Sweden with 921 ASD cases and 1090 controls, we analyzed levels of anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) in archived neonatal dried blood spots (NDBS, as maternal IgG is transferred to the fetus) and in paired maternal sera collected earlier in pregnancy for a subset of 547 cases and 428 controls. We examined associations to any ASD diagnosis and considering common comorbidities (i.e. intellectual disability [ID] and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]). We compared 206 ASD cases to their unaffected siblings to examine the potential for confounding by shared familial factors. ResultsHigh levels ([≥]90th percentile) of maternal AGA were associated with decreased odds of ASD, particularly ASD with comorbid ID, when measured in NDBS (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.30-0.87) with a similar trend in maternal sera (0.55, 0.24-1.29). High levels of maternal AGA were similarly associated with lower odds of ASD with ID in the sibling comparison. ConclusionsThis first study of exposure to AGA in the pre- and perinatal periods suggests that high levels of maternal AGA are associated with lower odds of ASD with ID.

molecular biology↗