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Research

Personalized transcriptomics reveals heterogeneous immunophenotypes in children with viral bronchiolitis

Dysregulated expression of IFN-dependent pathways after respiratory viral infections is a defining immunophenotypic feature of AVB-susceptible infants

Research

Early Life Ovalbumin Sensitization and Aerosol Challenge for the Induction of Allergic Airway Inflammation in a BALB/c Murine Model

This protocol adapted an experimental animal model of disease for sensitization to ovalbumin during the immediate post-weaning period beginning at 21 days of age

Research

Beneficial health effects of ultraviolet radiation: expert review and conference report

Carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) with reference to skin cancer are the basis of widely implemented recommendations to avoid sun exposure. Whether the benefits of "restrictive sun policies" outweigh their potential harms due to diminished beneficial effects of sunlight exposure remain a matter of controversy.  

Research

Atopy-related immune profiles are subject to genetic influence as evaluated using school-aged twin pairs

The interaction of genetic and environmental contributions to immunological traits and their association with atopic disease remain unclear. Flow cytometry and in vitro cytokine responses were used to characterize immune profiles from 93 school-aged twin pairs. Using an established twin pair analytical strategy, the genetic and environmental influences on immunological traits were evaluated, along with their association with atopy. Our findings suggest strong genetic influence on several traits, particularly B cell abundance. In contrast, cytokine responses from in vitro stimulations appeared mainly shaped by environmental exposures.

Research

Reduced Type-I Interferon by Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells and Asthma in School-Aged Children

Allergic sensitization and reduced ability to respond to viral infections may contribute to virus-induced wheeze and asthma development in young children. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are rare immune cells that produce type I interferons (IFN-I) and play a key role in orchestrating immune responses against viruses. 

Research

Persistent and compartmentalised disruption of dendritic cell subpopulations in the lung following influenza A virus infection

Immunological homeostasis in the respiratory tract is thought to require balanced interactions between networks of dendritic cell (DC) subsets in lung...

Research

Nasal Delivery of Haemophilus haemolyticus Is Safe, Reduces Influenza Severity, and Prevents Development of Otitis Media in Mice

Despite vaccination, influenza and otitis media (OM) remain leading causes of illness. We previously found that the human respiratory commensal Haemophilus haemolyticus prevents bacterial infection in vitro and that the related murine commensal Muribacter muris delays OM development in mice. The observation that M muris pretreatment reduced lung influenza titer and inflammation suggests that these bacteria could be exploited for protection against influenza/OM.

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Immunoinflammatory responses to febrile lower respiratory infections in infants display uniquely complex/intense transcriptomic profiles

the association between infant LRTI and risk for persistent wheeze/asthma in this cohort is generally stronger for fLRTIs than for other infection categories

Research

OMIP 076: High-dimensional immunophenotyping of murine T-cell, B-cell, and antibody secreting cell subsets

There is now considerable evidence demonstrating that both prenatal and postnatal exposure to particular classes of microbial stimuli can provide beneficial signals during early life immune development, resulting in the protection against future inflammatory disease.

Research

Sex-Specific Environmental Impacts on Initiation and Progression of Multiple Sclerosis

The immunological mechanisms that contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) differ between males and females. Females are 2-3 times more likely to develop MS compared to males, however the reason for this discrepancy is unknown. Once MS is established, there is a more inflammatory yet milder form of disease in females whereas males generally suffer from more severe disease and faster progression, neural degradation, and disability.