Breastfeeding is an important determinant of early infant immune function and potentially future health. Although numerous studies have reported rising breastfeeding initiation rates and duration, few longitudinally investigated the impact of shifting societal and lifestyle factors on breastfeeding patterns in developed nations.

The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) is a multi-center, international prospective study (n = 8,677) designed to identify environmental triggers of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in genetically at-risk children from age 3 months until 15 years. The study is conducted through six primary clinical centers located in four countries. As of May 2012, over three million biological samples and 250 million total data points have been collected which will be analyzed to assess autoimmunity status, presence of inflammatory biomarkers, genetic factors, exposure to infectious agents, dietary biomarkers, and other potentially important environmental exposures in relation to autoimmunity and progression to T1D. The vast array and quantity of longitudinal samples collected in the TEDDY study present a series of challenges in terms of quality control procedures and data validity. To address this, pilot studies have been conducted to standardize and enhance both biospecimen collection and sample obtainment in terms of autoantibody collection, stool sample preservation, RNA, biomarker stability, metabolic biomarkers, and T-cell viability. This paper details the procedures utilized to standardize both data harmonization and management when handling a large quantity of longitudinal samples obtained from multiple locations. In addition, we provide a description of the available specimens that serve as an invaluable repository for the elucidation of determinants in T1D focusing on autoantibody concordance and harmonization, transglutaminase autoantibody (tGA), inflammatory biomarkers (T-cells), genetic proficiency testing, RNA lab internal quality control testing, infectious agents (monitoring cross contamination, virus preservation, and nasal swab collection validity), and HbA1c testing.

BackgroundNumerous studies have reported associations between delivery mode and health outcomes in infancy and later life. Previous smaller studies indicated a relationship between delivery mode and newborn inflammation potentially constituting a mediating factor. We aimed to determine the influence of delivery mode and duration of labor on cord blood concentrations of adiponectin, leptin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).MethodsIn the Ulm SPATZ Health Study, 934 singleton newborns and their mothers were recruited during their hospital stay in the University Medical Center Ulm, Southern Germany, from 04/2012-05/2013. Inflammatory biomarkers were measured by ELISAs (n = 836). Delivery mode was analyzed categorically (elective cesarean (reference), active labor delivery: emergency cesarean, assisted vaginal, and spontaneous vaginal); duration of labor continuously. Following log-transformation, linear regression was used to estimate geometric means ratios (GMR) adjusted for potential confounders for the effects of delivery mode and duration of labor on each biomarker separately. Independent replication was sought in the similarly conducted Ulm Birth Cohort Study recruited from 11/2000-11/2001.ResultsIndividually, active labor delivery modes as well as increasing duration of labor were associated with higher leptin and hs-CRP concentrations. After mutual adjustment, the associations with delivery modes were attenuated but those for duration of labor remained statistically significant (GMR (95%CI) 1.10 (1.00; 1.21) and 1.15 (1.04; 1.27) for leptin and hs-CRP per hour of labor, respectively). No significant adjusted associations were observed between delivery modes and adiponectin concentrations. These findings were replicated in an independent birth cohort study.ConclusionsCord blood leptin and hs-CRP concentrations were associated with duration of labor rather than delivery mode. Further research is warranted to investigate these associations with additional cytokines involved in inflammatory response to delineate the inflammatory profile. Subsequently, research on determinants of these associations and their role in development of chronic disease is needed.