Human milk oligosaccharides, representing the third largest fraction of human milk, have been assigned important protective functions for newborns acting as bifidogenic substrates or as inhibitory agents towards pathogens. Using high-pH anion-exchange chromatography and an enzyme test kit, twenty oligosaccharides and lactose were determined in milk samples of German women from days 3 to 90 post...

ABO blood groups and secretor status are important in clinical and forensic medicine and in relation to some diseases. There are geographic and racial differences in their frequencies, but the frequency of secretor status in different ABO blood group systems has not been determined yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was mainly to determine this point. Blood and saliva from 762 randomly selec...

OBJECTIVE ABO blood group and secretor status is valuable in relation to some diseases in clinical and forensic medicine. Across the globe there are geographic and racial differences in the frequency of secretors and non-secretors. Aim of this study was to evaluate the status of ABH blood group secretors and non-secretors in Karachi (Pakistan). METHODS Blood and saliva samples were randomly c...

BACKGROUND Although norovirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis, there are few data on the community incidence of infection/disease or the patterns of acquired immunity or innate resistance to norovirus. METHODS We followed a community-based birth cohort of 194 children in Ecuador with the aim to estimate (1) the incidence of norovirus gastroenteritis from birth to age 3 years, (2) ...

BACKGROUND The ABO blood group antigens are carbohydrate moieties expressed on human red blood cells however; these antigens can also be expressed on some other cells particularly the surface of epithelial cells and may be found in mucosal secretions. In many human populations 80% secrete ABO antigens (termed 'secretors') while 20% do not (termed 'non-secretors'). Furthermore, there are disease...

Celiac disease is a prevalent autoimmune disorder with rising incidence of 7.5% annually during the second half 20<sup>th</sup> century and 21<sup>st</sup> century. Not all genetically susceptible individuals that carry risk alleles HLA DQ2 DQ8 go on to develop celiac disease, suggesting there may be other environmental triggers contribute development in individuals. Gas...

ABO blood group and secretor state was determined in 319 women with recurrent urinary tract infection and compared with those of a control group of 334 women of similar age ranges. Women of blood groups B and AB who are non-secretors of blood group substances showed a significant relative risk of recurrent urinary tract infection of 3.12 (95% confidence limits, 1.49 and 6.52) in comparison with...

Certain individuals secrete ABO blood group antigens in body fluids and secretions while others do not. In this study, the presence of water soluble agglutinogens in body fluids such as blood, saliva and urine of 64 sickle cell disease patients and 75 AA genotype subjects who served as control were taken and tested by hem-agglutination inhibition method. Data obtained was expressed in percentag...

A positive association has recently been reported in adult subjects between O/nonSecretor phenotype and asthma. To confirm this association, this study investigated the joint ABO/Secretor phenotype in a cohort of 165 asthmatic children. Three-hundred and sixty-two consecutive newborn infants from the same population were also studied as controls. The proportion of O/nonSecretor in asthmatic chi...

BACKGROUND Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is an important component of innate immunity and activator of the lectin complement pathway. Within the MBL2 gene are seven 5' "secretor" haplotypes that code for altered serum MBL levels and complement activation. However, recent evidence suggests that 3' MBL2 haplotypes may also modify MBL function and circulating levels. Because MBL and the lectin comp...