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Low maternal serum vitamin D during pregnancy and the risk for postpartum depression symptomsPregnancy is a time of vulnerability for vitamin D insufficiency, and there is an emerging literature associating low levels of 25(OH)-vitamin D with...
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Vitamin D 3 deficiency enhances allergen-induced lymphocyte responses in a mouse model of allergic airway diseaseIn this study, using a mouse model, we determined whether vitamin D deficiency in utero and during early life modulated the severity of asthma.
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The current state of play of rodent models to study the role of vitamin D in UV-induced immunomodulationUltraviolet radiation (UVR) from sunlight is immunomodulatory and the main source of vitamin D for humans.
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The Sun Safe app: a new online tool to promote safe sun behaviours by teenagersGail Prue Shelley Alvares Hart Gorman GA PH S PhD BSc (Hons) MSc PhD BSc (Hons) PhD Senior Research Fellow Head, Inflammation Honorary Research
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Sun-health behaviours and attitudes towards sun safety amongst Australian teenagers: a qualitative updateThis study aimed to explore current attitudes towards sun protection, and sun-seeking behaviour among young Australian adolescents. It was done as part of a larger project aiming to develop a digital resource to support young people in making informed sun-health decisions.
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Characterising nitric oxide-mediated metabolic benefits of low-dose ultraviolet radiation in the mouse: a focus on brown adipose tissueNon-burning (low-dose) UVR suppresses the BAT 'whitening', steatotic and pro-diabetic effects of consuming a high-fat diet through skin release of nitric oxide
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SGLT2 Inhibitor-Induced Sympathoexcitation in White Adipose Tissue: A Novel Mechanism for BeigingRecent preclinical data show that sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are able to reduce weight gain and induce beiging in white adipose tissue (WAT). We have previously shown that in neurogenic hypertensive Schlager (BPH/2J) mice, treatment with the SGLT2 inhibitor, Dapagliflozin, reduced blood pressure and prevented weight gain. Here we show that chemical sympathetic denervation achieved by systemic administration of 6-hydroxy-dopamine (6-OHDA) reduces body weight and the heightened sympathetic nervous system (SNS) innervation in WAT.
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The challenges of developing and optimising an assay to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D in salivaWe have developed an LC-MS/MS assay that accurately measures saliva 25(OH)D3 levels, which correlated with serum levels
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Developing an Online Tool to Promote Safe Sun Behaviors With Young Teenagers as Co-researchersDespite education about the risks of excessive sun exposure, teenagers in Australia are sun-seeking, with sunburn common in summer. Conversely, some regular (time-limited) exposure to sunlight (that avoids sunburn) is necessary for vitamin D and healthy bones and other molecules important for immune and metabolic health. New interventions are thus required to better support teenagers to make healthy and balanced decisions about their sun behaviors.
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Quantifying the effectiveness of betaherpesvirus-vectored transmissible vaccinesTransmissible vaccines have the potential to revolutionize how zoonotic pathogens are controlled within wildlife reservoirs. A key challenge that must be overcome is identifying viral vectors that can rapidly spread immunity through a reservoir population.