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An infant mouse model of influenza-driven nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae colonization and acute otitis media suitable for preclinical testing of novel therapies

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major otitis media (OM) pathogen, with colonization a prerequisite for disease development. Most acute OM is in children <5 years old, with recurrent and chronic OM impacting hearing and learning. Therapies to prevent NTHi colonization and/or disease are needed, especially for young children. Respiratory viruses are implicated in driving the development of bacterial OM in children.

Targeting the mucosal immune system in a mouse model to prevent pregnancy complications following maternal bacterial infection

This work is the first step to develop safe treatments for pregnant mums to protect against preterm delivery and low birth weight caused by maternal infections.

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

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...

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling identifies a folate-sensitive region of differential methylation upstream of ZFP57-imprinting regulator in humans

This study identified that expsoure to folate has effects on the regulation of DNA methylation during fetal development.

The complement system in systemic lupus erythematosus: An update

The complement system plays a major role in the autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This review highlights the many roles of complement for

Neonatal antigen-presenting cells are functionally more quiescent in children born under traditional compared with modern environmental conditions

One explanation for the high burden of allergic and autoimmune diseases in industrialized countries is inappropriate immune development under modern...

Transplacental Innate Immune Training via Maternal Microbial Exposure: Role of XBP1-ERN1 Axis in Dendritic Cell Precursor Programming

We recently reported that offspring of mice treated during pregnancy with the microbial-derived immunomodulator OM-85 manifest striking resistance to allergic airways inflammation, and localized the potential treatment target to fetal conventional dendritic cell (cDC) progenitors. Here, we profile maternal OM-85 treatment-associated transcriptomic signatures in fetal bone marrow, and identify a series of immunometabolic pathways which provide essential metabolites for accelerated myelopoiesis.

Oestrogen amplifies pre-existing atopy-associated Th2 bias in an experimental asthma model

The role of oestrogen in experimental atopic asthma, and guide future research on sex-related variations in atopic asthma susceptibility/intensity

A method for the generation of large numbers of dendritic cells from CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells from cord blood

Neonatal dendritic cells generated form CD34+ cord blood progenitors have a higher inflammatory potential when exposed to viral than bacterial related stimuli