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Lung transcriptomics studies in asthma have provided valuable information in the whole lung context, however, deciphering the individual contributions of the airway and parenchyma in disease pathogenesis may expedite the development of novel targeted treatment strategies. In this study, we performed transcriptomics on the airway and parenchyma using a house dust mite (HDM)-induced model of experimental asthma that replicates key features of the human disease.
This article provides a contemporary report on the role of adipose tissue in respiratory dysfunction. Adipose tissue is distributed throughout the body, accumulating beneath the skin (subcutaneous), around organs (visceral), and importantly in the context of respiratory disease, has recently been shown to accumulate within the airway wall: "airway-associated adipose tissue." Excessive adipose tissue deposition compromises respiratory function and increases the severity of diseases such as asthma.
Patients with comorbid asthma-obesity experience greater disease severity and are less responsive to therapy. We have previously reported adipose tissue within the airway wall that positively correlated with body mass index. Accumulation of biologically active adipose tissue may result in the local release of adipokines and disrupt large and small airway function depending on its anatomical distribution. This study therefore characterized airway-associated adipose tissue distribution, lipid composition, and adipokine activity in a porcine model.
These findings suggest that genetic variants at the VDR locus may play a role in acute wheeze/asthma severity in children
We demonstrate that NOTCH3 is a regulator of MUC5AC production
Type 1 and 3 interferon response capacity appears strongly developmentally constrained at birth
The expression pattern of FcεRI on DC and basophils differentiates asthmatic from non-asthmatic atopic children
A lung function study carried out by Dr Shannon Simpson provided the most comprehensive follow-up of very pre-term children of any study so far carried out on the lung health of this vulnerable group.
A collaboration between The Kids Research Institute Australia and Joondalup Health Campus is poised to be a game-changer for early childhood development.
Once upon a time it was infectious diseases like polio, measles or tuberculosis that most worried parents. With these threats now largely under control, parents face a new challenge – sky-rocketing rates of non-infectious diseases such as asthma, allergies and autism.