Publications by authors named "J Konkel"

Fungal spores are abundant in the environment and a major cause of asthma. Originally characterised as a type 2 inflammatory disease, allergic airway inflammation that underpins asthma can also involve type 17 inflammation, which can exacerbate disease causing failure of treatments tailored to inhibit type 2 factors. However, the mechanisms that determine the host response to fungi, which can trigger both type 2 and type 17 inflammation in allergic airway disease, remain unclear.

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Unlabelled: Andean highland soils contain significant quantities of soil organic carbon (SOC); however, more efforts still need to be made to understand the processes behind the accumulation and persistence of SOC and its fractions. This study modeled SOC variables-SOC, refractory SOC (RSOC), and the C isotope composition of SOC (δC)-using machine learning (ML) algorithms in the Central Andean Highlands of Peru, where grasslands and wetlands ("bofedales") dominate the landscape surrounded by Junin National Reserve. A total of 198 soil samples (0.

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  • The oral microbiome's composition is affected by environmental factors in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and after kidney transplantation, particularly influenced by urea levels in saliva.
  • The study modeled the effects of varying urea concentrations in saliva across different phases: healthy, CKD, and post-transplant, using artificial saliva and observing microbial changes over time.
  • Findings revealed stability in microbial communities despite urea fluctuations, with notable increases in certain bacteria (like TG5) in late stages, highlighting the complex relationship between salivary urea and oral health in kidney conditions.
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  • Chronic high cholesterol levels lead to systemic immune responses that accelerate atherosclerosis, but the impact of alternating high-fat diets (HFD) had not been well studied.
  • Researchers used a mouse model to compare the effects of an alternating HFD versus a continuous HFD on atherosclerosis progression, finding that the alternating diet significantly worsened the condition.
  • The study revealed that this worsening was linked to IL-1β production, which triggered inflammatory responses and increased neutrophil levels that contributed to plaque formation and exacerbated atherosclerosis, suggesting that targeting these pathways could reverse the effects.
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Immune cells residing at the gingiva experience diverse and unique signals, tailoring their functions to enable them to appropriately respond to immunological challenges and maintain tissue integrity. The gingiva, defined as the mucosal barrier that surrounds and supports the teeth, is the only barrier site completely transected by a hard structure, the tooth. The tissue is damaged in early life during tooth eruption and chronically throughout life by the process of mastication.

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