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Research
In utero cigarette smoke exposure impairs somatic and lung growth in BALB/c miceThe aim of this study was to assess whether in utero tobacco smoke exposure alone affects early-life lung growth and development. Pregnant BALB/c mice...

The Respiratory Environmental Health team conducts research in early life determinants of lung growth and development, respiratory environmental health, and mechanisms of airway dysfunction in asthma and other respiratory disease.
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Persistent and compartmentalised disruption of dendritic cell subpopulations in the lung following influenza A virus infectionImmunological homeostasis in the respiratory tract is thought to require balanced interactions between networks of dendritic cell (DC) subsets in lung...
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Fetal alcohol exposure, nutritional status and epigenetic disruption – exploring the linksAlexander David Martyn Larcombe Martino Symons BScEnv (Hons) PhD BSc PhD B.A. (Hons) PhD. Honorary Research Fellow Head, Chronic Diseases Research
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The health effects of electronic cigarettesAlexander Larcombe BScEnv (Hons) PhD Honorary Research Fellow Honorary Research Fellow Associate Professor Alexander Larcombe began work at The Kids
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Partial amelioration of a chronic cigarette-smoke-induced phenotype in mice by switching to electronic cigarettesElectronic cigarettes ("e-cigarettes") are often marketed as smoking cessation tools and are used by smokers to reduce/quit cigarette smoking. The objective of this study was to assess the health effects of switching to e-cigarettes after long-term smoking in a mouse model and compare these effects with continued smoking, or quitting entirely.
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Alcohol pharmacotherapy dispensing trends in Australia between 2006 and 2023This study aimed to investigate acamprosate and naltrexone dispensing patterns in Australia.
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The effects of acamprosate on maternal and neonatal outcomes in a mouse model of alcohol use disordersDespite the teratogenic effects of alcohol, little is known about the safety of pharmacotherapies such as acamprosate for the treatment of alcohol use disorders in pregnancy. The aims of this study were to investigate, in a mouse model, the effects of maternally administered acamprosate on maternal and neonatal health, offspring neurodevelopment and behaviour, as well as examine whether acamprosate reduces the neurological harm associated with alcohol consumption in pregnancy.
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Stiffness Mediated-Mechanosensation of Airway Smooth Muscle Cells on Linear Stiffness Gradient HydrogelsIn obstructive airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein amount and composition of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) is often remodelled, likely altering tissue stiffness. The underlying mechanism of how human ASM cell (hASMC) mechanosenses the aberrant microenvironment is not well understood.
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Pharmacological ablation of the airway smooth muscle layer—Mathematical predictions of functional improvement in asthmaFindings provide further proof of concept that pharmacological targeting of airway smooth muscle thickness will be beneficial and may be facilitated by azithromycin