Background: Fucosylated glycotopes of milk immunoglobulin G (IgG) are ligands in reactions of biological recognition protecting newborns against infection and ensuring proper development. Materials and methods: Relative amounts of IgG fucosyl-glycovariants in milk of mothers giving birth to term and premature newborns (term and preterm milk groups) were analysed by lectin-IgG-ELISA using a1,2-, a1,3-, and a1,6-fucose specific biotinylated Ulex europaeus (UEA), Tetragonolobus purpureus (LTA), and Lens culinaris (LCA) lectins, respectively. Results: The term and preterm milk IgG glycovariants were highly reactive with UEA, LTA, and LCA, whereas maternal plasma IgG poorly or at all. During milk maturation the IgG of very preterm and preterm milk compared to term milk differed by lower relative amounts of UEA-, higher of LTA-, and nearly stable expression of LCA-reactive glycotopes. Moreover, lower a1,2and higher [ 5 8 _ T D $ D I F F ] a1,3relative amounts of lectin-dependent milk IgG-fucosylated glycovariants were found to be associated with an infectious disease of lactating mothers. Conclusion:The highly fucosylated glycovariants of human IgG given with mothers' milk to immunologically immature newborn seem to be bifunctional molecules with potential therapeutic properties. The analysis of fucosylation status of milk IgG by simple lectin-IgG-ELISA may be helpful to control the immunological quality of milk for milk banking.

Latest forecasts predict that half of the European population will be allergic within the coming 15 years, with food allergies contributing substantially to the total burden; preventive measures are urgently needed. Unfortunately, all attempted alimentary strategies for primary prevention of allergic diseases through allergen avoidance so far have failed. This also holds true for the prevention of food allergies in breastfed infants by the common practice of excluding certain foods with allergenic potential from the maternal diet. As a preventive measure, therefore, exclusion diets should be discouraged. They can exhaust nursing mothers and negatively impact both their nutritional status as well as their motivation to breastfeed. A prolonged exclusion diet may be indicated solely in cases of doctor-diagnosed food allergy following rigid medical tests (e.g. double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges). Indicated cases usually involve exclusion of only a few food items. Continued breastfeeding is generally important for many aspects of the infant's health, including the training of the infant's immune responses to foreign compounds and avoidance of overshooting inflammatory responses. Recent studies suggest that the presence of maternal dietary proteins in amniotic fluid, cord blood, and human milk might support the induction of tolerance towards solid foods in infants. These are exactly the same species of proteins or remnants thereof that, in comparatively few cases, trigger allergic responses. However, the insight that the proteins of maternal dietary origin in human milk are more likely to be cure (or, more precise, directing prevention) than curse has still largely evaded the attention of health care professionals consulted by worried breastfeeding mothers. In this paper, we summarize recent literature on the importance of exposure to dietary proteins in the establishment of immunological tolerance and hence prevention of allergic disease. Multiple organizations have used the scientific knowledge to build (local) guidelines (e.g. AAAAI, EAACI, BSACI) that can support health care professionals to provide the best strategy to prevent the onset of allergic diseases. We thus hope to clarify existing confusion about the allergenic propensities of dietary proteins during early life, which has contributed to exaggerated fears around the diet of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

Objectives: A novel coronavirus -SARS-CoV-2 -outbreak has, for sure, been the greatest medical challenge in recent years. The maternal and neonatal consequences of the infection are still largely unknown. Material and methods:This prospective study aims to describe the perinatal care and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women and their newborn infants during the third wave of the pandemic, in a large tertiary university center in Wroclaw/Poland from 15 February to 1 May 2021. Results:The paper describes a group of 83 women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during delivery, as well as their newborn infants (n = 84). The course of COVID-19 disease in pregnant patients was mostly asymptomatic (54.2%) but 31% women manifested mild to moderate symptoms and 14% had severe infection. The median gestational age at the delivery was 39 weeks. On average, 16.7% of mothers were separated from their newborns at birth, 83.3% practiced skin-to-skin, and roomed in with their babies, and 84.5% of the infants received any mother's milk. Preterm infants were more often born by mothers with symptomatic course of COVID-19 infection. Need for neonatal treatment was only due to prematurity. Neonates with acquired infection (after 14 th day of life) had to be treated symptomatically with fever and loose stools, only 28.5% had symptoms of respiratory failure.Conclusions: Despite the confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, the majority of mother-infant dyads were in a good health condition. The data on perinatal care reported in the paper could be helpful contribution supporting childbirth physiology protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.