Publications by authors named "J E Gillan"

Article Synopsis
  • Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by heightened neutrophil presence in the airways and inefficient apoptosis, prompting the investigation of whether NETosis (a form of neutrophil clearance) plays a significant role in CF lung disease.
  • In a study involving 45 CF and 15 healthy participants, researchers found higher neutrophil counts and abnormal morphology in CF sputum, alongside elevated levels of inflammatory mediators and NETs, indicating a strong link between NETs and airway inflammation.
  • Treatment with DNase reduced sputum NET levels and mitigated the pro-inflammatory effects of NETs in co-culture experiments, highlighting its potential as an anti-inflammatory therapy in CF management.
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Article Synopsis
  • Serious end-stage disease manifestations can arise from complications in organs different from the original site of injury or infection, particularly in heart-lung diseases due to their close anatomical relationship.
  • Immune cells and their signaling molecules play a dual role in interorgan communication, effectively relaying messages but also potentially spreading disease.
  • Understanding the interaction between the heart and lung in both healthy and diseased states could lead to new diagnostic methods and improved prevention and treatment options for related health conditions.
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Respiratory syncytial virus is the major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in young children, causing extensive mortality and morbidity globally, with limited therapeutic or preventative options. Cathelicidins are innate immune antimicrobial host defence peptides and have antiviral activity against RSV. However, upper respiratory tract cathelicidin expression and the relationship with host and environment factors in early life, are unknown.

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CyVerse, the largest publicly-funded open-source research cyberinfrastructure for life sciences, has played a crucial role in advancing data-driven research since the 2010s. As the technology landscape evolved with the emergence of cloud computing platforms, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) applications, CyVerse has enabled access by providing interfaces, Software as a Service (SaaS), and cloud-native Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to leverage new technologies. CyVerse services enable researchers to integrate institutional and private computational resources, custom software, perform analyses, and publish data in accordance with open science principles.

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An intense, nonresolving airway inflammatory response leads to destructive lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Dysregulation of macrophage immune function may be a key facet governing the progression of CF lung disease, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We used 5' end centered transcriptome sequencing to profile LPS-activated human CF macrophages, showing that CF and non-CF macrophages deploy substantially distinct transcriptional programs at baseline and following activation.

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