Search

Directing immune development to curb sky-rocketing disease

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.

Dr Katherine Landwehr

Research Officer & PhD

Mechanical Abnormalities of the Airway Wall in Adult Mice After Intrauterine Growth Restriction

We propose that mechanical abnormalities of the airway wall acquired through disrupted fetal growth impact susceptibility to disease

Confounding effects of gavage in mice: Impaired respiratory structure and function

It is therefore clear that gavage can have significant impacts on experimental animals in terms of their stress response and overall morbidity and mortality

Long-term exposure of mice to 890 ppm atmospheric CO2 alters growth trajectories and elicits hyperactive behaviours in young adulthood

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are currently at 418 parts per million (ppm), and by 2100 may exceed 900 ppm. The biological effects of lifetime exposure to CO2 at these levels is unknown. Previously we have shown that mouse lung function is altered by long-term exposure to 890 ppm CO2. Here, we assess the broader systemic physiological responses to this exposure.

Exacerbation of chronic cigarette-smoke induced lung disease by rhinovirus in mice

A significant proportion of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations are strongly associated with rhinovirus infection (HRV). In this study, we combined long-term cigarette smoke exposure with HRV infection in a mouse model.

Effects of human rhinovirus on epithelial barrier integrity and function in children with asthma

This study demonstrates novel intrinsic differences in tight junctions gene and protein expression between airway epithelial cells of children with and without asthma

Growth of the airway smooth muscle layer from late gestation to childhood is mediated initially by hypertrophy and subsequently hyperplasia

The airway smooth muscle (ASM) layer thickens during development. Identifying the mechanism(s) for normal structural maturation of the ASM reveals pathways susceptible to disease processes. This study characterized thickening of the ASM layer from foetal life to childhood and elucidated the underlying mechanism in terms of hypertrophy, hyperplasia and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition.

Fuel feedstock determines biodiesel exhaust toxicity in a human airway epithelial cell exposure model

Biodiesel is promoted as a sustainable replacement for commercial diesel. Biodiesel fuel and exhaust properties change depending on the base feedstock oil/fat used during creation. The aims of this study were, for the first time, to compare the exhaust exposure health impacts of a wide range of biodiesels made from different feedstocks and relate these effects with the corresponding exhaust characteristics.

Azithromycin inhibits mucin secretion, mucous metaplasia, airway inflammation, and airways hyperresponsiveness in mice exposed to house dust mite extract

Excessive production, secretion, and retention of abnormal mucus is a pathological feature of many obstructive airways diseases including asthma. Azithromycin is an antibiotic that also possesses immunomodulatory and mucoregulatory activities, which may contribute to the clinical effectiveness of azithromycin in asthma.