Access to a dementia-friendly garden on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, falls and psychotropic medication use in residents of an aged care home in Melbourne, Australia.

Objective: Residents of care homes need access to outdoors. This may improve behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and quality of life in residents living with dementia. Barriers including lack of accessibility and increased falls risk, which may be mitigated using dementia-friendly design.

Glucocorticoid Insensitivity in Virally Infected Airway Epithelial Cells Is Dependent on Transforming Growth Factor-β Activity.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are commonly associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus (RV) and influenza A virus (IAV) infection. The ensuing airway inflammation is resistant to the anti-inflammatory actions of glucocorticoids (GCs). Viral infection elicits transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) activity, a growth factor we have previously shown to impair GC action in human airway epithelial cells through the activation of activin-like kinase 5 (ALK5), the type 1 receptor of TGF-β.

Reliability and validity of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for detecting perinatal common mental disorders (PCMDs) among women in low-and lower-middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Background: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), originally developed in Britain, is one of the most widely used screening instruments for assessing symptoms of the Perinatal Common Mental Disorders (PCMDs) of depression and anxiety. However, its potential to detect PCMDs in culturally diverse low- and lower-middle income countries (LALMICs) is unclear. This systematic review aimed to appraise formally validated local language versions of the EPDS from these resource-constrained settings.

The lung inflammation and skeletal muscle wasting induced by subchronic cigarette smoke exposure are not altered by a high-fat diet in mice.

Obesity and cigarette smoking independently constitute major preventable causes of morbidity and mortality and obesity is known to worsen lung inflammation in asthma. Paradoxically, higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with reduced mortality in smoking induced COPD whereas low BMI increases mortality risk. To date, no study has investigated the effect of a dietary-induced obesity and cigarette smoke exposure on the lung inflammation and loss of skeletal muscle mass in mice.

Glutathione peroxidase-1 reduces influenza A virus-induced lung inflammation.

Oxidative stress caused by excessive reactive oxygen species production is implicated in influenza A virus-induced lung disease. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-1 is an antioxidant enzyme that may protect lungs from such damage. The objective of this study was to determine if GPx-1 protects the lung against influenza A virus-induced lung inflammation in vivo.

Glucocorticoid-resistant asthma and novel anti-inflammatory drugs.

Synthetic glucocorticoids are among the most commonly used prescription medicines. Nevertheless, their clinical efficacy is accompanied by dose- and indication-limiting acute and chronic adverse effects. Intrinsic or acquired resistance to glucocorticoid actions may also limit clinical efficacy.

Oseltamivir treatment of mice before or after mild influenza infection reduced cellular and cytokine inflammation in the lung.

Background: Lung inflammation is a critical determinant of influenza infection outcomes but is seldom evaluated in animal studies of oseltamivir (OS), which have focused on viral titre and survival.

Objectives: To study the effects of pre- and post-infection dosing with OS on viral replication and inflammation in a mouse model of non-lethal influenza infection.

Methods: BALB/c mice were infected with a laboratory-adapted H3N1 strain of influenza.

Sexual dimorphism in lung function responses to acute influenza A infection.

Background: Males are generally more susceptible to respiratory infections; however, there are few data on the physiological responses to such infections in males and females.

Objectives: To determine whether sexual dimorphism exists in the physiological/inflammatory responses of weanling and adult BALB/c mice to influenza.

Methods: Weanling and adult mice of both sexes were inoculated with influenza A or appropriate control solution.

Cigarette smoke worsens lung inflammation and impairs resolution of influenza infection in mice.

Background: Cigarette smoke has both pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. Both active and passive cigarette smoke exposure are linked to an increased incidence and severity of respiratory virus infections, but underlying mechanisms are not well defined. We hypothesized, based on prior gene expression profiling studies, that upregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators by short term smoke exposure would be protective against a subsequent influenza infection.

Epidermal growth factor receptor signaling to Erk1/2 and STATs control the intensity of the epithelial inflammatory responses to rhinovirus infection.

Rhinovirus infection is the most common cause of acute exacerbations of inflammatory lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, where it provokes steroid refractory and abnormally intense neutrophilic inflammation that can be life threatening. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression correlates with disease severity and neutrophil infiltration in these conditions. However, the role of EGFR signaling in rhinovirus infection is unknown.

Lack of long-term effects of respiratory syncytial virus infection on airway function in mice.

Epidemiological data suggests lower respiratory infections (LRI) with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are capable of causing long-term abnormalities in airway function. To directly test the effects of RSV LRI, we infected adult and weanling BALB/c mice with RSV (A2) or vehicle. Respiratory system impedance was used to assess baseline airway function and responses to iv methacholine (MCh) at 4, 8, 24 and 34 weeks post infection.

Hyperresponsiveness to inhaled but not intravenous methacholine during acute respiratory syncytial virus infection in mice.

Background: To characterise the acute physiological and inflammatory changes induced by low-dose RSV infection in mice.

Methods: BALB/c mice were infected as adults (8 wk) or weanlings (3 wk) with 1 x 10(5) pfu of RSV A2 or vehicle (intranasal, 30 microl). Inflammation, cytokines and inflammatory markers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and airway and tissue responses to inhaled methacholine (MCh; 0.

What is the contribution of respiratory viruses and lung proteases to airway remodelling in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

It is well known that the lungs of asthmatics show airway wall remodelling and that asthma exacerbations are linked to respiratory infections. There is some evidence that respiratory infections in early childhood may increase the risk of developing asthma later in life. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), by definition, involves structural changes to the airways.

Therapeutic prospects to treat skeletal muscle wasting in COPD (chronic obstructive lung disease).

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an incurable group of lung diseases characterised by progressive airflow limitation and loss of lung function, which lead to profound disability. It is mostly caused by cigarette smoke. Although COPD is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide and its incidence is increasing, current therapies do little to improve the condition.