Chemical Analysis and Flavour Distribution of Electronic Cigarettes in Australian Schools.

Introduction: Adolescent usage of electronic cigarettes has increased globally. Inconsistent, or absent, labelling of nicotine and other ingredients requires chemical analysis to accurately determine the chemical composition of these products.

Methods: Electronic cigarettes confiscated from public and private high school students (N=598) were provided for analysis from three regions in New South Wales, Australia.

A longitudinal single-cell atlas of anti-tumour necrosis factor treatment in inflammatory bowel disease.

Precision medicine in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) requires a cellular understanding of treatment response. We describe a therapeutic atlas for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) following adalimumab, an anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment. We generated ~1 million single-cell transcriptomes, organised into 109 cell states, from 216 gut biopsies (41 subjects), revealing disease-specific differences.

Elevated type-17 cytokines are present in axial spondyloarthritis stool.

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is characterized by type-17 immune-driven joint inflammation, and intestinal inflammation is present in around 70% of patients. In this study, we asked whether axSpA stool contained Th17-associated cytokines and whether this related to systemic Th17 activation. We measured stool cytokine and calprotectin levels by ELISA and found that patients with axSpA have increased stool IL-17A, IL-23, GM-CSF, and calprotectin.

Labelling and composition of contraband electronic cigarettes: Analysis of products from Australia.

Background: The sale of nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is prescription only in Australia, regulated under the Standard for Nicotine Vaping Products (TGO110). Australian e-cigarette users, however, are purchasing e-cigarette products outside of the intended pathways.

Methods: The labelling of e-cigarette packaging (N = 388 boxes) and the chemical composition of disposable e-cigarettes and pods (N = 428) were analysed for adherence to the current Australian regulations.

Blimp-1 and c-Maf regulate immune gene networks to protect against distinct pathways of pathobiont-induced colitis.

Intestinal immune responses to microbes are controlled by the cytokine IL-10 to avoid immune pathology. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing of colon lamina propria leukocytes (LPLs) along with RNA-seq and ATAC-seq of purified CD4 T cells to show that the transcription factors Blimp-1 (encoded by Prdm1) and c-Maf co-dominantly regulate Il10 while negatively regulating proinflammatory cytokines in effector T cells. Double-deficient Prdm1MafCd4 mice infected with Helicobacter hepaticus developed severe colitis with an increase in T1/NK/ILC1 effector genes in LPLs, while Prdm1Cd4 and MafCd4 mice exhibited moderate pathology and a less-marked type 1 effector response.