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A population of neutrophils recruited into cystic fibrosis (CF) airways is associated with proteolytic lung damage, exhibiting high expression of primary granule exocytosis marker CD63 and reduced phagocytic receptor CD16. Causative factors for this population are unknown, limiting intervention. Here we present a laboratory model to characterize responses of differentiated airway epithelium and neutrophils following respiratory infection.

Research

Language is significant for communicating knowledge across cultures and generations and has the power to attribute meanings and alter our worldviews.

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Microbiome science has been one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving research fields in the past two decades. Breakthroughs in technologies including DNA sequencing have meant that the trillions of microbes (particularly bacteria) inhabiting human biological niches (particularly the gut) can be profiled and analysed in exquisite detail.

Research

Emerging data suggest that air pollution is a persistent source of neuroinflammation, reactive oxygen species, and neuropathology that contributes to central nervous system disorders. Previous research using animal models has shown that exposure to diesel exhaust causes considerable disruption of the blood-brain barrier, leading to marked neuroinflammation. 

Research

Many survivors of preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) have lifelong respiratory deficits, the drivers of which remain unknown. Influencers of pathophysiological outcomes are often detectable at the gene level and pinpointing these differences can help guide targeted research and interventions. This study provides the first transcriptomic analysis of primary nasal airway epithelial cells in survivors of preterm birth at approximately 1 year of age.

Research

Data on static compliance of the chest wall (Ccw) in preterm infants are scarce. We characterized the static compliance of the lung and Ccw to determine their relative contribution to static compliance of the respiratory system in very preterm infants at 36 wk postmenstrual age. We also aimed to investigate how these compliances were influenced by the presence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and impacted breathing variables.

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Dr Katherine Alexander Landwehr Larcombe BSc(Hons) BScEnv (Hons) PhD Senior Research Officer Honorary Research Fellow Katherine.landwehr@

Research

Burkholderia cepacia complex is a cause of serious lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis, exhibiting extremely high levels of antimicrobial resistance. These infections are difficult to treat and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. 

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Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major otitis media (OM) pathogen, with colonization a prerequisite for disease development. Most acute OM is in children <5 years old, with recurrent and chronic OM impacting hearing and learning. Therapies to prevent NTHi colonization and/or disease are needed, especially for young children. Respiratory viruses are implicated in driving the development of bacterial OM in children.

Research

Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of long-term metabolic disease in the offspring, potentially mediated by in utero epigenetic variation. Previously, we identified multiple differentially methylated single CpG sites in offspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus, but whether stretches of differentially methylated regions can also be identified in adolescent GDM offspring is unknown.