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Adipose tissue in the small airways: How much is enough to drive functional changes?Obesity is a contributing factor to asthma severity; while it has long been understood that obesity is related to greater asthma burden, the mechanisms though which this occurs have not been fully elucidated. One common explanation is that obesity mechanically reduces lung volume through accumulation of adipose tissue external to the thoracic cavity.
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Web-Based Self-Compassion Training to Improve the Well-Being of Youth With Chronic Medical Conditions: Randomized Controlled TrialUp to one-third of young people live with chronic physical conditions (eg, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease) that frequently involve recurrent pain, fatigue, activity limitations, stigma, and isolation.
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The mechanism of deep inspiration-induced bronchoprotection: Evidence from a mouse modelIn healthy individuals, deep inspirations (DIs) taken prior to a bronchial challenge reduce the bronchoconstrictor response, which is termed...
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Elucidation of pathways driving asthma pathogenesis: Development of a systems-level analytic strategyWhereas asthma was rare in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the marked increase in its incidence and prevalence since the 1960s points to substantial gene ×...
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Restricted aeroallergen access to airway mucosal dendritic cells in vivo limits allergen-specificChronic innocuous aeroallergen exposure attenuates CD4+ T cell-mediated airways hyperresponsiveness in mice; however, the mechanism(s) remain unclear
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Antibacterial antibody responses associated with the development of asthma in house dust mite-sensitised and non-sensitised childrenWe aimed to measure the antibody development to 2 bacteria in a birth cohort at high risk of allergic disease, and to assess which responses are asthma-linked.
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Bronchial brushings for investigating airway inflammation and remodellingAsthma is the commonest medical cause for hospital admission for children in Australia, affects more than 300 million people worldwide, and is incurable...
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Azithromycin inhibits mucin secretion, mucous metaplasia, airway inflammation, and airways hyperresponsiveness in mice exposed to house dust mite extractExcessive 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.
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The intersect of genetics, environment, and microbiota in asthma-perspectives and challengesIn asthma, a significant portion of the interaction between genetics and environment occurs through microbiota. The proposed mechanisms behind this interaction are complex and at times contradictory. This review covers recent developments in our understanding of this interaction: the "microbial hypothesis" and the "farm effect"; the role of endotoxin and genetic variation in pattern recognition systems; the interaction with allergen exposure; the additional involvement of host gut and airway microbiota; the role of viral respiratory infections in interaction with the 17q21 and CDHR3 genetic loci; and the importance of in utero and early-life timing of exposures.
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Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms are associated with severity of wheezing illnesses and asthma exacerbations in childrenThese findings suggest that genetic variants at the VDR locus may play a role in acute wheeze/asthma severity in children