Browsing by Author "Costa, Ana"
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- earlyMYCO: A Pilot Mother-Child Cohort Study to Assess Early-Life Exposure to Mycotoxins - Challenges and Lessons LearnedPublication . Martins, Carla; Assunção, Ricardo; Costa, Ana; Serrano, Débora; Visintin, Lia; De Boevre, Marthe; Lachat, Carl; Vidal, Arnau; De Saeger, Sarah; Namorado, Sónia; Vidigal, Cristina; Almeida, Elisabete; Alvito, Paula; Nunes, CarlaEarly-life exposure occurs during gestation through transfer to the fetus and later, during lactation. Recent monitoring data revealed that the Portuguese population is exposed to mycotoxins, including young children. This study aimed to develop a pilot study to assess the early-life exposure to mycotoxins through a mother-child cohort, and to identify the associated challenges. Participants were recruited during pregnancy (1st trimester) and followed-up in three moments of observation: 2nd trimester of pregnancy (mother), and 1st and 6th month of the child's life (mother and child), with the collection of biological samples and sociodemographic and food consumption data. The earlyMYCO pilot study enrolled 19 mother-child pairs. The analysis of biological samples from participants revealed the presence of 4 out of 15 and 5 out of 18 mycotoxins' biomarkers of exposure in urine and breast milk samples, respectively. The main aspects identified as contributors for the successful development of the cohort were the multidisciplinary and dedicated team members in healthcare units, reduced burden of participation, and the availability of healthcare units for the implementation of the fieldwork. Challenges faced, lessons learned, and suggestions were discussed as a contribution for the development of further studies in this area.
- Mycotoxins: contributors for the establishment of an allergenic response?Publication . Assunção, Ricardo; Antunes, Célia; Costa, Ana; Alvito, PaulaAllergic disorders, including atopic dermatitis, food allergy, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, affect more than 1 billion persons across the globe, and their prevalence is expected to quadruple by the 2050s1. Food allergy (FA) is defined as an adverse immune response to ingested food proteins, mediated by food-specific IgE and degranulation of mast cells. FA’s symptoms could range from urticaria to life-threatening anaphylaxis2. In the last 20 years, the rates of IgE-mediated FA have increased globally, particularly in developed countries, which is far faster than could be accountable solely by genomic changes. Thus, the pathophysiology of FA development has been associated to a complex interplay of prenatal and postnatal environmental factors related to lifestyle, diet, and other exposures, in the context of a genetically susceptible background3. The specific mechanisms by which lifestyle and environmental factors modify disease risk remain unclear, although their effects appear to be most potent during early immune development. It is recognized that intestinal epithelial stress or damage may contribute to allergic sensitization against certain food antigens. Considering this, it could be hypothesised that compounds that could affect intestinal homeostasis, as food contaminants, could contribute to allergic sensitization. Mycotoxins, chemical food contaminants produced by fungi, could affect intestinal integrity, through reduction of intestinal barrier function (mainly by perturbation of tight junctions and transmembrane proteins) and/or interference on immune cells of the intestinal mucosa4. A recent study reported that a known mycotoxin deoxynivalenol, facilitates allergic sensitization to food proteins and can be induced by different molecular mechanisms and local immune responses5. This presentation will discuss results that highlight the potential contribution of food contaminants to elicit or aggravate allergenic sensitization to certain food allergens in susceptible individuals, trying to shed light on the question: are mycotoxins contributors for the establishment of an allergenic response?