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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.

T regulatory cells in childhood asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways, most commonly driven by immuno-inflammatory responses to ubiquitous airborne antigens.

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.

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.

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).

Innate Immune Training for Prevention of Recurrent Wheeze in Early Childhood

Pat Deborah Holt Strickland PhD, DSc, FRCPath, FRCPI, FAA PhD Emeritus Honorary Researcher Head, Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Patrick.Holt@

Allergen shedding in human milk: Could it be key for immune system education and allergy prevention?

In addition to being a source of nutrients for the developing newborn, human milk contains thousands of bioactive compounds, which influence infant health in the short-term as exemplified by its major benefits on infectious disease prevention. Many of the human milk compounds also have the required characteristics to instruct immune development and guide long-term health.

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.

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.

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.