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ACE2 expression is elevated in airway epithelial cells from older and male healthy individuals but reduced in asthmaCOVID-19 is complicated by acute lung injury, and death in some individuals. It is caused by SARS-CoV-2 that requires the ACE2 receptor and serine proteases to enter AEC. We determined what factors are associated with ACE2 expression particularly in patients with asthma and COPD. We obtained lower AEC from 145 people from two independent cohorts, aged 2-89 years, Newcastle (n = 115) and Perth (n = 30), Australia. The Newcastle cohort was enriched with people with asthma (n = 37) and COPD (n = 38). Gene expression for ACE2 and other genes potentially associated with SARS-CoV-2 cell entry was assessed by qPCR, and protein expression was confirmed with immunohistochemistry on endobronchial biopsies and cultured AEC.
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Impaired interferon response in plasmacytoid dendritic cells from children with persistent wheezeImpaired interferon response and allergic sensitization may contribute to virus-induced wheeze and asthma development in young children. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells play a key role in antiviral immunity as critical producers of type I interferons.
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Lung problems continue into childhood for premmie babiesNew research from Perth’s The Kids Research Institute Australia shows that babies born premature continue to have lung problems well into childhood.
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Vitamin D deficiency linked to childhood asthmaResearchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia have found children with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to develop asthma.
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Video: Asthma, how serious is it?Australia has one of the highest burdens of asthma in the world. In this video, two Perth families share their story of raising children with the respiratory co
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Vitamin D and atopy and asthma phenotypes in children: a longitudinal cohort studyVitamin D has been linked in some studies with atopy- and asthma-associated phenotypes in children with established disease,but its role in disease inception...
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Defective function at the epithelial junction: A novel therapeutic frontier in asthma?The airway epithelium forms a highly regulated physical barrier that normally prevents invasion of inhaled pathogens and allergens from the airway lumen.
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Global allergy forum and second davos declaration 2013 allergy: Barriers to cure - Challenges and actions to be takenThe epidemic increase in the prevalence of allergic disease, which first started in the industrialized countries in the 1960s, may have reached a peak in the...
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Boosting airway T-regulatory cells by gastrointestinal stimulation as a strategy for asthma controlThe hallmark of atopic asthma is transient airways hyperresponsiveness (AHR) preceded by aeroallergen-induced Th-cell activation.
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Th2-associated immunity to bacteria in asthma in teenagers and susceptibility to asthmaBacterial colonisation of the airways is associated with increased risk of childhood asthma