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UV exposure and protection against allergic airways disease

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the small and large conducting airway mucosa characterised by Th2 cell immunity.

Virus infection and allergy in the development of asthma: What is the connection?

Information is accumulating which implicates airway inflammation resulting from respiratory viral infections, acting against a background of atopy.

Boosting airway T-regulatory cells by gastrointestinal stimulation as a strategy for asthma control

The hallmark of atopic asthma is transient airways hyperresponsiveness (AHR) preceded by aeroallergen-induced Th-cell activation.

Defective aeroallergen surveillance by airway mucosal dendritic cells as a determinant of risk

A hallmark of atopic asthma is development of chronic airways hyper-responsiveness (AHR) that persists in the face of ongoing exposure to perennial...

A subset of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus fails to degrade DNA from multiple clinically relevant sources.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a decreased ability to clear cell remnants and multiple deficiencies in the ability to degrade cellular...

Inert 50-nm Polystyrene Nanoparticles That Modify Pulmonary Dendritic Cell Function and Inhibit Allergic Airway Inflammation

Nanoparticles are being developed for diverse biomedical applications, but there is concern about potential to promote inflammation, particularly in the lungs.

Transplacental immune modulation with a bacterial-derived agent protects against allergic airway inflammation

These data provide proof of concept supporting the rationale for developing transplacental immune reprogramming approaches for primary disease prevention

Protection against maternal infection-associated fetal growth restriction: Proof-of-concept with a microbial-derived immunomodulator

This study suggests that broad-spectrum protection-of-pregnancy against infection-associated inflammatory stress represents an achievable therapeutic goal

Prebiotic Supplementation During Pregnancy Modifies the Gut Microbiota and Increases Metabolites in Amniotic Fluid, Driving a Tolerogenic Environment In Utero

The gut microbiota is influenced by environmental factors such as food. Maternal diet during pregnancy modifies the gut microbiota composition and function, leading to the production of specific compounds that are transferred to the fetus and enhance the ontogeny and maturation of the immune system. Prebiotics are fermented by gut bacteria, leading to the release of short-chain fatty acids that can specifically interact with the immune system, inducing a switch toward tolerogenic populations and therefore conferring health benefits.

IRF7-Associated Immunophenotypes Have Dichotomous Responses to Virus/Allergen Coexposure and OM-85-Induced Reprogramming

High risk for virus-induced asthma exacerbations in children is associated with an IRF7lo immunophenotype, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we applied a Systems Biology approach to an animal model comprising rat strains manifesting high versus low susceptibility to experimental asthma, induced by virus/allergen coexposure, to elucidate the mechanism(s)-of-action of the high-risk asthma immunophenotype.