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Do early-life viral infections cause asthma?

Epidemiologic associations between viral lower respiratory infections (LRIs) and asthma in later childhood are well known

Dahlem Conference

There is increasing evidence that the functional state of the immune system at birth is predictive of the kinetics of immune maturation in early infancy.

Toward improved prediction of risk for atopy and asthma among preschoolers: A prospective cohort study

Atopy and asthma are commonly initiated during early life, and there is increasing interest in the development of preventive treatments for at-risk children.

Identification and Isolation of Rodent Respiratory Tract Dendritic Cells

This chapter describes the preparation of respiratory tract tissue from both mice and rats for the isolation of respiratory tract dendritic cells (RTDC).

Toll-like receptor 7 function is reduced in adolescents with asthma

Anti-viral innate immune responses may be impaired in asthma, although the mechanisms are not well understood.

Assessment of the potency and potential immunomodulatory effects of the Measles Mumps Rubella-Varicella vaccine in infants

This study compared the potency and immunomodulatory effects of measles mumps rubella (MMR) vaccine given to infants alone or in combination with varicella...

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.

Protection against neonatal respiratory viral infection via maternal treatment during pregnancy with the benign immune training agent OM-85

Incomplete maturation of immune regulatory functions at birth is antecedent to the heightened risk for severe respiratory infections during infancy. Our forerunner animal model studies demonstrated that maternal treatment with the microbial-derived immune training agent OM-85 during pregnancy promotes accelerated postnatal maturation of mechanisms that regulate inflammatory processes in the offspring airways.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced interferon response networks at birth are predictive of severe viral lower respiratory infections in the first year of life

Appropriate innate immune function is essential to limit pathogenesis and severity of severe lower respiratory infections (sLRI) during infancy, a leading cause of hospitalization and risk factor for subsequent asthma in this age group.

Rare variant analysis in eczema identifies exonic variants in DUSP1, NOTCH4 and SLC9A4

Previous genome-wide association studies revealed multiple common variants involved in eczema but the role of rare variants remains to be elucidated. Here, we investigate the role of rare variants in eczema susceptibility. We meta-analyze 21 study populations including 20,016 eczema cases and 380,433 controls. Rare variants are imputed with high accuracy using large population-based reference panels.