Publications by authors named "Alexa K Pham"
Background: Genetic association studies have demonstrated that the SNP rs12603332 located on chromosome 17q21 is highly associated with the risk of the development of asthma.
Methods: To determine whether SNP rs1260332 is functional in regulating levels of ORMDL3 expression, we used a Cytosine Base Editor (CBE) plasmid DNA or a CBE mRNA to edit the rs12603332 C risk allele to the T non-risk allele in a human lymphocyte cell line (i.e.
Article Synopsis
- ORMDL3 is genetically linked to childhood asthma and its selective expression in airway smooth muscle cells may impact asthma development.
- Cre-loxP techniques were utilized to create transgenic mice to study the effects of ORMDL3, revealing increased cell growth (hypertrophy and hyperplasia) and heightened contractility in smooth muscle.
- The findings suggest that ORMDL3 influences airway hyperreactivity (AHR) through various cellular changes, which could help explain its role in the onset of childhood asthma.
Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide and has been associated with periods of intense lung inflammation. The objective of this study was to characterize whether similar rat strains, possessing different genetic predispositions, might play a role in exacerbating the pathophysiology of COPD-like cellular and structural changes with progressive 12-week exposure to tobacco smoke (TS). Normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats were compared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAirborne particulate matter (PM) is associated with adverse cardiorespiratory effects. To better understand source-orientated PM toxicity, a comparative study of the biological effects of fine PM (diameter≤2.5μm, PM) collected during the winter season from Shanxi Province, China, and the Central Valley, California, United States, was conducted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Approximately four million people die every year from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with more than 80% of the cases attributed to smoking.
Object: The purpose of this study was to examine the rat strain and sex-related differences and the extended tobacco smoke exposure to induce lung injury and inflammation with the goal of finding a suitable rodent model to study COPD.
Methods: Male and female spontaneously hypertensive (SH) and male Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were exposed to filtered air (FA) or to tobacco smoke (TS: 90 mg/m particulate concentration) for 6 h/day, three days/week for 4 or 12 weeks.