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Treatment with inhaled aerosolised ethanol reduces viral load and potentiates macrophage responses in an established influenza mouse model

Treatment options for viral lung infections are currently limited. We aimed to explore the safety and efficacy of inhaled ethanol in an influenza-infection mouse model.

The respiratory health effects of heated tobacco product aerosols in a primary human airway epithelial cell model

Heated-tobacco-products (HTPs) are electronic devices that "heat" a processed tobacco/chemical mixture to produce an inhalable emission. They are advertised as a reduced-risk alternative to cigarette smoking. The aim of our research was to assess their potential health impacts using a 3D human airway model.

A rapid semi-quantitative screening method to assess chemicals present in heated e-liquids and e-cigarette aerosols

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) lack regulatory status as therapeutic products in all jurisdictions worldwide. They are potentially unsafe consumer products, with significant evidence they pose a risk to human health. Therefore, developing rapid, economical test methods to assess the chemical composition of e-liquids in heated and unheated forms and the aerosols produced by e-cigarettes is crucial.

Airway-associated adipose tissue accumulation is increased in a kisspeptin receptor knockout mouse model

Airway-associated adipose tissue increases with body mass index and is a local source of pro-inflammatory adipokines that may contribute to airway pathology in asthma co-existing with obesity. Genetic susceptibility to airway adiposity was considered in the present study through kisspeptin/kisspeptin receptor signalling, known to modulate systemic adiposity and potentially drive airway remodelling. 

The airway smooth muscle layer is structurally abnormal in low birth weight infants: implications for obstructive disease

Citation: Wang KCW, Elliot JG, Saglani S, et al. The airway smooth muscle layer is structurally abnormal in low birth weight infants: implications

Exposure to biodiesel exhaust is less harmful than exposure to mineral diesel exhaust on blood-brain barrier integrity in a murine model

Emerging data suggest that air pollution is a persistent source of neuroinflammation, reactive oxygen species, and neuropathology that contributes to central nervous system disorders. Previous research using animal models has shown that exposure to diesel exhaust causes considerable disruption of the blood-brain barrier, leading to marked neuroinflammation. 

The Safety of Alcohol Pharmacotherapies in Pregnancy: A Scoping Review of Human and Animal Research

Alcohol pharmacotherapies pose unknown teratogenic risks in pregnancy and are therefore recommended to be avoided. This limits treatment options for pregnant individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUD). The information on the safety of these medications during pregnancy is uncertain, prompting a scoping review. The objective of this review was to investigate available information on the safety of alcohol pharmacotherapies in pregnancy.

Feto-placental vascular structure and in silico haemodynamics: Of mice, rats, and human

The complex arborization of the feto-placental vasculature is crucial for optimal fetal nutrition, waste exchange and ultimately, development. Ethical and experimental limitations constrain research into the human placenta, hence experimental animal models such as mice and rats, are crucial to understand placental function. It is unclear how well the mouse and rat feto-placental vascular structure emulates human. Moreover, the implications of differences in vascular structure, especially in arborization, for placental function remain unclear. 

Hidden in plain sight: how vaping manufacturers exploit legislative loopholes

Alexander Larcombe BScEnv (Hons) PhD Honorary Research Fellow Honorary Research Fellow Associate Professor Alexander Larcombe began work at The Kids

Prenatal Origins of Obstructive Airway Disease: Starting on the Wrong Trajectory?

From the results of well-performed population health studies, we now have excellent data demonstrating that deficits in adult lung function may be present early in life, possibly as a result of developmental disorders, incurring a lifelong risk of obstructive airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.