Frequent recurrent lung infections result in irreversible lung damage in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). This study aimed to determine if toothbrushes contain biofilms of pathogens, and act as potential reservoirs for lung re-infection following antibiotic treatment of acute exacerbations. Toothbrushes were collected from children with CF of lung infection before, during and after antibiotic treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn asthma, it is unclear if the airway smooth muscle cells proliferate more or are increased at the onset of asthma and remain stable. This study aimed to compare smooth muscle cell proliferation in individuals with and without asthma and correlate proliferation rates with cell size and number and with granulocytic airway inflammation. Postmortem airway sections were labeled with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and percent positive muscle cells calculated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: The pathology of asthma is characterized by airway inflammation (granulocytic (GA) or paucigranulocytic (PGA)) and remodelling of airway structures. However, the relationship between inflammatory phenotypes and remodelling is unclear. We hypothesized that some features of airway remodelling are dependent on granulocytic airway inflammation while others are not.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSnatch farrowed, colostrum deprived piglets were inoculated with different combinations of porcine circovirus 2, porcine parvovirus and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae candidate vaccines. 10 piglets were mock-vaccinated. Following virus challenge with a combined porcine circovirus 2/porcine parvovirus inoculum, all animals were monitored and samples taken for serology, immunohistochemistry and qPCR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Pathological phenotypes of asthma have been based predominantly on inflammation, rather than airway wall remodelling. Differences in the distribution of airway smooth muscle (ASM) remodelling between large and small airways may affect clinical outcomes in asthma. The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of ASM remodelling and its relation to airway inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Use of inhaled tobramycin therapy for treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in young children with cystic fibrosis (CF) is increasing. Safety data for pre-school children are sparse.
Methods: The aim of this study was to assess the safety of tobramycin solution for inhalation (TOBI®-TSI) administered twice daily for 2 months/course concurrently to intravenous (IV) tobramycin during P.
The presence of viral respiratory infections is associated closely with exacerbations in patients with cystic fibrosis. Viral and bacterial multiplex PCRs were developed and applied to nasal swab samples from children with cystic fibrosis. This showed a large number of individuals with cystic fibrosis were infected with rhinoviruses, and more were infected with viral than bacterial pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: Increased thickness of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) layer in asthma may result from hyperplasia or hypertrophy of muscle cells or increased extracellular matrix (ECM).
Objectives: To relate ASM hypertrophy, ASM hyperplasia, and deposition of ECM to the severity and duration of asthma.
Methods: Airways from control subjects (n = 51) and from cases of nonfatal (n = 49) and fatal (n = 55) asthma were examined postmortem.
Background: Newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with improved early nutritional outcomes and improved spirometry in children. The aim of this study was to determine whether early diagnosis and treatment of CF with NBS in New South Wales in 1981 led to better clinical outcomes and survival into early adulthood.
Methods: Retrospective observational study comprising two original cohorts born in the 3 years before ('non-screened cohort', n=57) and after ('screened'; n=60) the introduction of NBS.
Objectives: To describe the demographics, clinical features and outcomes among people with cystic fibrosis (CF) in Australia and to estimate incidence of the disease.
Design And Setting: Cross-sectional analysis using data from the Australian Cystic Fibrosis Data Registry for 2009.
Main Outcome Measures: Numbers of diagnoses, pulmonary and anthropometric measurements, microbiological culture results, rates of hospitalisation and transplantation, and numbers of medical complications and deaths.
Aim: Infants born very prematurely often received corticosteroids to minimise the risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) but their long term impact on lung function at school age is unclear.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 105 children [mean gestation of 27 weeks] was undertaken. Lung function assessments were conducted at a mean age of 10 years according to standard criteria.
We report the isolation in cell cultures of two novel bocavirus species in pigs from farms in Northern Ireland with clinical postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). We have designated the isolates as porcine bocavirus-3 (PBoV3) and porcine bocavirus-4 (PBoV4). To date 5082 and 4125 bps of PBoV3 and PBoV4 have been sequenced, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Observational studies report inverse associations between the use of feather upper bedding (pillow and/or quilt) and asthma symptoms but there is no randomised controlled trial (RCT) evidence assessing the role of feather upper bedding as a secondary prevention measure.
Objective: To determine whether, among children not using feather upper bedding, a new feather pillow and feather quilt reduces asthma severity among house dust mite (HDM) sensitised children with asthma over a 1-year period compared with standard dust mite avoidance advice, and giving children a new mite-occlusive mattress cover.
Design: RCT.
Cardiopulm Phys Ther J
March 2011
Background: The bronchial epithelium and underlying reticular basement membrane (RBM) have a close spatial and functional inter-relationship and are considered an epithelial-mesenchymal trophic unit (EMTU). An understanding of RBM development is critical to understanding the extent and time of appearance of its abnormal thickening that is characteristic of asthma.
Methods: RBM thickness and epithelial height were determined in histological sections of cartilaginous bronchi obtained postmortem from 47 preterm babies and infants (median age 40 weeks gestation (22 weeks gestation-8 months)), 40 children (2 years (1 month-17 years)) and 23 adults (44 (17-90) years) who had died from non-respiratory causes, and had no history of asthma.
The following review focuses on the normal development of the lung from conception to birth. The defined periods of lung development-Embryonic, Pseudoglandular, Canalicular, Saccular and Alveolar-will be explored in detail in relation to gestational age. Cellular differentiation, formation of the conducting airways and respiratory zone and development of the alveoli will be reviewed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Data from the Wisconsin newborn screening (NBS) study show that neonatally diagnosed infants are at risk of early Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA) acquisition. We have had NBS since 1981 and in 2003, introduced PsA-free 'segregation' from older patients for children < or =5. This study investigated the effect of simple 'segregation' on acquisition of respiratory pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCystic fibrosis (CF) is a monogenic disease due to mutations in the CFTR gene. Yet, variability in CF disease presentation is presumed to be affected by modifier genes, such as those recently demonstrated for the pulmonary aspect. Here, we conduct a modifier gene study for meconium ileus (MI), an intestinal obstruction that occurs in 16-20% of CF newborns, providing linkage and association results from large family and case-control samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComprehensive newborn screening for cystic fibrosis has occurred for more than 25 years in some regions and the results of randomised controlled trials reporting the outcomes have been published. Testing protocols for CF have recently been reviewed and the sensitivity and specificity of these protocols are high. In spite of this, many remain sceptical in respect of the advantages conferred by newborn screening for CF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: In the past 20 years, there has been an increase in survivors of very preterm birth, but little is known regarding their long-term respiratory and fitness outcomes. We aimed to assess the 10-year lung function and fitness outcomes for children who were born weighing <1000 g and before 32 weeks' gestation in 1992-1994.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 126 children (mean age: 10 years) who were born at a mean gestation of 27 weeks and 34 term-born control subjects.
The perimeter of the basement membrane (Pbm) of an airway viewed in cross section is used as a marker of airway size because in normal lungs it is relatively constant, despite variations in airway smooth muscle (ASM) shortening and airway collapse. In vitro studies (McParland BE, Pare PD, Johnson PR, Armour CL, Black JL. J Appl Physiol 97: 556-563, 2004; Noble PB, Sharma A, McFawn PK, Mitchell HW.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The airways in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are characterized by the accumulation of tenacious, dehydrated mucus that is a precursor for chronic infection, inflammation, and tissue destruction. The clearance of mucus is an integral component of daily therapy. Inhaled mannitol is an osmotic agent that increases the water content of the airway surface liquid, and improves the clearance of mucus with the potential to improve lung function and respiratory health.
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