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Research

The identification of a COPD etiotype associated with preterm birth (COPD-developmental) has expedited calls for intervention strategies that may improve health outcomes for survivors of preterm birth (<37 weeks' gestation). Pulmonary-rehabilitation style training interventions achieve physiological and symptom improvement in older people with COPD, but whether similar training interventions are suitable for young people is unclear. We sought to understand the perceived need and requirements of an exercise training intervention for children, adolescents and adults born preterm.

Research

Multiple breath washout is a lung function test based on tidal breathing that assesses lung volume and ventilation distribution. The aim of this analysis was to use the Global Lung Function Initiative methodology to develop all-age reference equations for the multiple breath washout indices lung clearance index and functional residual capacity.

Research

Long-standing health inequalities in Australian society that were exposed by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic were described as "fault lines" in a recent call to action by a consortium of philanthropic organizations. With asthma a major contributor to childhood disease burden, studies of its spatial epidemiology can provide valuable insights into the emergence of health inequalities early in life.

Research

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) drive lung function decline in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). While the respiratory microbiota is clearly associated with RTI pathogenesis in infants without CF, data on infants with CF is scarce. We compared nasal microbiota development between infants with CF and controls and assessed associations between early-life nasal microbiota, RTIs, and antibiotic treatment in infants with CF. 

Research

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disorder with a high degree of interindividual variability. Gastrointestinal dysfunction is common in patients with COPD and has been proposed to influence the clinical progression of the disease. Using the presence of bile acid(s) (BA) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid as a marker of gastric aspiration, we evaluated the relationships between BAs, clinical outcomes and bacterial lung colonisation.

Research

Understand how bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and antenatal and postnatal factors influence diaphragmatic functional effectiveness in very preterm infants.

Research

Nasal epithelial cells from young adults with a history of very preterm birth show delayed closure following scratch-wounding. Repair correlated with lung function, suggesting epithelial barrier integrity may play a role in preterm-associated lung disease.

Research

Antisense oligonucleotides are an emerging therapeutic option to treat diseases with known genetic origin. In the age of personalised medicines, antisense oligonucleotides can sometimes be designed to target and bypass or overcome a patient's genetic mutation, in particular those lesions that compromise normal pre-mRNA processing. Antisense oligonucleotides can alter gene expression through a variety of mechanisms as determined by the chemistry and antisense oligomer design.

News & Events

Congratulations to respiratory health researcher and clinician Dr Pam Laird, who was last night named joint winner of Early Career Scientist of the Year at the 2024 Premier’s Science Awards.

Research

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in young children globally and is prevalent in the Papua New Guinea highlands. We investigated clinical predictors of hypoxic pneumonia to inform local treatment guidelines in this resource-limited setting.