{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,9]],"date-time":"2026-08-09T04:41:52Z","timestamp":1786250512152,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786060800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004329","name":"Slovenian Research Agency","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["J3-1756"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["J3-1756"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004329","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["J3-1756"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["J3-1756"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/059bp8k51","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001823","name":"Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["LM2023069 RECETOX RI"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["LM2023069 RECETOX RI"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001823","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Mol. Sci.","IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit gut mucosal immune alterations, but the co-regulatory architecture linking stool immune proteins and cytokines within the same cohort remains unstudied. In 115 children (74 ASD, 41 controls; age 5\u201318 years), seven stool immune proteins (IgA subclasses, \u03b11-antitrypsin and calprotectin subunits) were quantified by UHPLC-MS\/MS and ten by Luminex\u2014chemokines eotaxin\/CCL11 and IL-8\/CXCL8 plus eight cytokines\u2014each normalised to total protein. Age-adjusted partial Spearman correlations were computed for all 70 protein\u2013cytokine pairs per stratum, using Benjamini\u2013Hochberg correction, bootstrap confidence intervals and Fisher r-to-z tests. No pair survived FDR correction in any stratum. IgA1 and IL-1\u03b2\/TP correlated positively across all strata (full cohort \u03c1 = 0.409, 95% CI 0.131\u20130.634, n = 62; controls 0.583; ASD 0.210), with no significant between-group difference (Fisher z = 1.70, p = 0.090). Multiple imputation attenuated this to \u03c1 = 0.265 (95% CI 0.055\u20130.452). An inverse trend between IL-1\u03b2\/TP and CARS score (\u03c1 = \u22120.336, n = 41) did not survive correction (p-FDR = 0.576). This power-limited, hypothesis-generating study identifies an exploratory IgA1\u2013IL-1\u03b2 mucosal axis present across groups, with no confirmed between-group difference. Adequately powered multi-centre studies are required.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27167097","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T16:00:43Z","timestamp":1786118443000},"page":"7097","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Stool Mucosal Immune Protein\u2013Cytokine Interconnections in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Age-Adjusted Partial Correlation Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1839-2415","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u0161ko","family":"Osredkar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zalo\u0161ka cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia"},{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, A\u0161ker\u010deva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4447-3435","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Uro\u0161","family":"Godnov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Ljubljana, Glagolja\u0161ka ulica 8, 6000 Koper, Slovenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maja Jekovec","family":"Vrhov\u0161ek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Autism, Unit of Child Psychiatry, University Children\u2019s Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zalo\u0161ka cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2188-420X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Damjan","family":"Osredkar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child, Adolescent and Developmental Neurology, Division of Pediatrics, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zalo\u0161ka cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8111-0460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gorazd","family":"Avgu\u0161tin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Groblje 3, 1230 Dom\u017eale, Slovenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7647-8882","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Teja","family":"Fabjan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zalo\u0161ka cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0358-4470","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kristina","family":"Kumer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zalo\u0161ka cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.ss7202a1","article-title":"Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years\u2014Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2020","volume":"72","author":"Maenner","year":"2023","journal-title":"MMWR Surveill. 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