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Research
Basophil counts in PBMC populations during childhood acute wheeze/asthma are associated with future exacerbationsOur findings suggest that the proportion of degranulated basophils can also be associated with recurrent exacerbations
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Developmental regulation of type 1 and type 3 interferon production and risk for infant infections and asthma developmentType 1 and 3 interferon response capacity appears strongly developmentally constrained at birth
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Identifying pediatric lung disease: A comparison of forced oscillation technique outcomesThese findings suggest the utility of specific FOT outcomes is dependent on the respiratory disease being assessed
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Childhood vaccination and allergy: A systematic review and meta-analysisAs the rise in prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide corresponds in time with increasing infant vaccination, it has been hypothesized that childhood vaccination may increase the risk of allergic disease. We aimed to synthesize the literature on the association between childhood vaccination and allergy.
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ACE2 expression is elevated in airway epithelial cells from older and male healthy individuals but reduced in asthmaCOVID-19 is complicated by acute lung injury, and death in some individuals. It is caused by SARS-CoV-2 that requires the ACE2 receptor and serine proteases to enter AEC. We determined what factors are associated with ACE2 expression particularly in patients with asthma and COPD. We obtained lower AEC from 145 people from two independent cohorts, aged 2-89 years, Newcastle (n = 115) and Perth (n = 30), Australia. The Newcastle cohort was enriched with people with asthma (n = 37) and COPD (n = 38). Gene expression for ACE2 and other genes potentially associated with SARS-CoV-2 cell entry was assessed by qPCR, and protein expression was confirmed with immunohistochemistry on endobronchial biopsies and cultured AEC.

The Respiratory Environmental Health team conducts research in early life determinants of lung growth and development, respiratory environmental health, and mechanisms of airway dysfunction in asthma and other respiratory disease.
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Toll-like receptor 7 function is reduced in adolescents with asthmaAnti-viral innate immune responses may be impaired in asthma, although the mechanisms are not well understood.
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The importance of environment on respiratory genotype/phenotype relationships in the InuitThis study aimed to investigate the effects of different macro-environments on asthma genotype-phenotype associations in 2 geographically separated populations
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DNA Methylation Profiles of Airway Epithelial Cells and PBMCs from Healthy, Atopic and Asthmatic ChildrenAllergic inflammation is commonly observed in a number of conditions that are associated with atopy including asthma, eczema and rhinitis.
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Vitamin D deficiency and the lung: Disease initiator or disease modifier?Vitamin D deficiency is a global public health problem and has been associated with an increased incidence and severity of many diseases including diseases...