The serum concentrations of IgAp and IgMr associated secretory component (SIgA and SIgM) of 98 patients with neoplasms of the breast were measured. Of the 56 patients with carcinomas, 11 had increased concentrations of circulating SIgM, which was almost twice as sensitive as SIgA as a marker for carcinoma. Concentrations of circulating SIgA and SIgM were independent of expression of secretory c...

Secretory IgA (SIgA) is essential in protecting mucosal surfaces by ensuring immune exclusion. In addition, SIgA binds selectively to M cells in Peyer's patches (PP), resulting in transport across the epithelium and targeting of dendritic cells (DC) in the dome region. The immunological consequences of such an interaction are unknown. In this study, we find that oral delivery of SIgA comprising...

In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, we investigated the effect of an infant milk formula with 6 g/L short-chain galacto- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides [(scGOS/lcFOS) ratio 9:1] on the development of the fecal secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) response and on the composition of the intestinal microbiota in 215 healthy infants during the first 26 wk of life. The i...

Breast-feeding plays a potentially significant role in mother to child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The additional transmission risk attributable to breast-feeding and the factors that enhance or inhibit transmission are presently unknown. One mechanism by which breast milk might inhibit HIV-1 transmission is the presence of specific antibodies directed against H...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study aims to better understand the relationship between immune compounds in human milk and infant health. We hypothesized that the concentration of immune compounds in milk would relate to infant illness symptoms according to two possible theoretical paradigms. In the 'protective' paradigm, high concentrations of immune compounds prevent infant illness. The conve...

BACKGROUND The green alga Chlorella contains high levels of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. We previously reported that a chlorella-derived multicomponent supplement increased the secretion rate of salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in humans. Here, we investigated whether intake of this chlorella-derived supplement attenuated the reduced salivary SIgA secretion rate during a kendo tr...