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Cystic fibrosis clinical isolates of aspergillus fumigatus induce similar muco-inflammatory responses in primary airway epithelial cellsAspergillus is increasingly associated with lung inflammation and mucus plugging in early cystic fibrosis disease during which conidia burden is low and strains appear to be highly diverse. It is unknown whether clinical Aspergillus strains vary in their capacity to induce epithelial inflammation and mucus production.
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A cluster randomized trial of interferon ss-1a for the reduction of transmission of SARS-Cov-2: protocol for the Containing Coronavirus Disease 19 trial (ConCorD-19)SARS-CoV-2 infection rapidly spreads in populations due to the high rates of community transmission. Interrupting the shedding of SARS-CoV-2 may reduce the incidence of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19).
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Does machine learning have a role in the prediction of asthma in children?Asthma is the most common chronic lung disease in childhood. There has been a significant worldwide effort to develop tools/methods to identify children's risk for asthma as early as possible for preventative and early management strategies. Unfortunately, most childhood asthma prediction tools using conventional statistical models have modest accuracy, sensitivity, and positive predictive value.
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Pseudomonas aeruginosa Resistance to Bacteriophages and Its Prevention by Strategic Therapeutic Cocktail FormulationAntimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to modern healthcare as it limits treatment options for bacterial infections, particularly impacting those with chronic conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Viscous mucus accumulation in the lungs of individuals genetically predisposed to CF leads to recurrent bacterial infections, necessitating prolonged antimicrobial chemotherapy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are the predominant driver of CF lung disease, and airway isolates are frequently resistant to multiple antimicrobials.
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Biobank funding supports valuable research resourcesFour The Kids Research Institute Australia-based biobanks which underpin a range of cancer, respiratory and early life research have received more than $450,000 in funding.
Research
Suppression of TGF-β/SMAD signaling by an inner nuclear membrane phosphatase complexCytokines of the TGF-β superfamily control essential cell fate decisions via receptor regulated SMAD (R-SMAD) transcription factors. Ligand-induced R-SMAD phosphorylation in the cytosol triggers their activation and nuclear accumulation. We determine how R-SMADs are inactivated by dephosphorylation in the cell nucleus to counteract signaling by TGF-β superfamily ligands.
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Identifying High-Risk Bacteria with Active Nasal Swab Surveillance in Intensive Care Units to Prevent Ventilator-Associated PneumoniaActive nasal surveillance culture (ANSC) is recognized to enable rapid detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the intensive care unit (ICU), which can contribute to the prevention of Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of ANSC in assessing the development of VAP in ICU patients.
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Profiling epithelial viral receptor expression in amniotic membrane and nasal epithelial cells at birthChildren with wheeze and asthma present with airway epithelial vulnerabilities, such as impaired responses to viral infection. It is postulated that the in utero environment may contribute to the development of airway epithelial vulnerabilities.
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Phage cocktail amikacin combination as a potential therapy for bacteremia associated with carbapenemase producing colistin resistant Klebsiella pneumoniaeThe increasing occurrence of hospital-associated infections, particularly bacteremia, caused by extensively drug-resistant (XDR) carbapenemase-producing colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae highlights a critical requirement to discover new therapeutic alternatives. Bacteriophages having host-specific bacteriolytic effects are promising alternatives for combating these pathogens.
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Early moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and maternal diet impact offspring DNA methylation across speciesAlcohol consumption in pregnancy can affect genome regulation in the developing offspring but results have been contradictory. We employed a physiologically relevant murine model of short-term moderate prenatal alcohol exposure resembling common patterns of alcohol consumption in pregnancy in humans.