Face Coverings, Aerosol Dispersion and Mitigation of Virus Transmission Risk.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is primarily transmitted through virus-laden fluid particles ejected from the mouth of infected people. Face covers can mitigate the risk of virus transmission but their outward effectiveness is not fully ascertained. by using a background oriented schlieren technique, we aim to investigate the air flow ejected by a person while quietly and heavily breathing, while coughing, and with different face covers.

Airway epithelial cytokine responses in childhood wheeze are independent of atopic status.

Background: Airway epithelial cells (AEC) are key contributors to immune function in the lungs but little is known about their role and function in children.

Objectives: Having previously established that nasal AEC mediator release correlates with that of bronchial AEC, we assessed AEC responses in children with and without a history of wheeze.

Methods: Nasal AEC cultures were established from children (0.

Long-term ventilation in children: longitudinal trends and outcomes.

Background: Cross-sectional studies have suggested a rapid expansion in paediatric long-term ventilation (LTV) over the last 20 years but information on longitudinal trends is limited.

Methods: Data were collected prospectively on all patients receiving LTV over a 15-year period (1.1.

Superior herniation of the mediastinum presenting as an anterior neck mass on straining.

We report an infant with an anterior neck mass present only on straining. Airway fluoroscopy revealed this to be due to superior mediastinal herniation. Neck masses apparent only during Valsalva maneuver are rare and awareness of the differential diagnosis is important to avoid unnecessary investigation or surgery.

Nasal epithelial cells as surrogates for bronchial epithelial cells in airway inflammation studies.

The nose is an attractive source of airway epithelial cells, particularly in populations in which bronchoscopy may not be possible. However, substituting nasal cells for bronchial epithelial cells in the study of airway inflammation depends upon comparability of responses, and evidence for this is lacking. Our objective was to determine whether nasal epithelial cell inflammatory mediator release and receptor expression reflect those of bronchial epithelial cells.

Decreasing prevalence of obesity in primary schoolchildren.

The prevalence of obesity in a cohort of Scottish primary schoolchildren was assessed and compared with previous cohorts taken from the same geographical area. The prevalence of obesity has declined over the three time periods studied, from 14.7% to 10.