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Evidence from Australian cohort studies about asthma trajectories and transitions across the life course: a narrative review

Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide and is frequently associated with other medical conditions in adults, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease, and stroke. Despite the huge burden, there has been little progress toward prevention and cure, possibly related to a one-size-fits-all approach.

Normative values for lung, bronchial sizes, and bronchus-artery ratios in chest CT scans: from infancy into young adulthood

To estimate the developmental trends of quantitative parameters obtained from chest computed tomography (CT) and to provide normative values on dimensions of bronchi and arteries, as well as bronchus-artery (BA) ratios from preschool age to young adulthood.

Profiling epithelial viral receptor expression in amniotic membrane and nasal epithelial cells at birth

Children 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.  

tesG expression as a potential clinical biomarker for chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary biofilm infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in the lungs affect millions of children and adults worldwide. To our knowledge, no clinically validated prognostic biomarkers for chronic pulmonary P. aeruginosa infections exist. Therefore, this study aims to identify potential prognostic markers for chronic P. aeruginosa biofilm lung infections.

Oscillometry: clinical significance and applications

Respiratory oscillometry (or the forced oscillation technique) is a highly practical lung function test that can be applied in a wide range of clinical scenarios in children and adults, including the clinic, intensive care unit, patient home monitoring and emergency departments. Oscillometry measurements complement spirometry in detecting abnormal lung function, measuring effects of treatment such as inhaled corticosteroids or bronchodilators, and changes due to disease activity.

An infant nasal microbial gene atlas uncovers intervention-driven microbiome shifts and salt-resistant pathogen expansion

Functional studies of how early-life interventions shape the airway microbiome remain scarce. Here, we performed metagenomic sequencing of 704 longitudinal nasal swabs from infants with and without cystic fibrosis (CF) to construct and characterize a non-redundant gene atlas of the infant nasal microbiome. We aimed to determine how the nasal microbiome is perturbed by early therapies, as CF is commonly treated with inhaled hypertonic saline to improve mucociliary clearance.

Company behind device that improves drug delivery to lungs awarded prestigious innovation award

A The Kids Research Institute Australia spin-off company, Inspiring Holdings Pty Ltd (Inspiring), has been announced as winner of the Wesfarmers Wellbeing Platinum Award in the prestigious WA Innovator of the Year awards for their novel Universal Spacer System – a device which improves the delivery of inhaled dru

Epigenome-Wide Association Studies of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Function: A Systematic Review

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results from gene-environment interactions over the lifetime. These interactions are captured by epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation.  

Erdosteine in children and adults with bronchiectasis (BETTER trial): study protocol for a multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial

Bronchiectasis is a worldwide chronic lung disorder where exacerbations are common. It affects people of all ages, but especially Indigenous populations in high-income nations. Despite being a major contributor to chronic lung disease, there are no licensed therapies for bronchiectasis and there remain relatively few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in children and adults.

Neonatal high-frequency oscillatory ventilation: where are we now?

High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is an established mode of respiratory support in the neonatal intensive care unit. Large clinical trial data is based on first intention use in preterm infants with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Clinical practice has evolved from this narrow population. HFOV is most often reserved for term and preterm infants with severe, and often complex, respiratory failure not responding to conventional modalities of respiratory support.