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Shannon Elizabeth Simpson Smith BMedSci (hons), PhD PhD, MSc, BSc Head, Strong Beginnings Research, Co-head Foundations of Lung Disease Program
Bronchiectasis is a worldwide chronic lung disorder where exacerbations are common. It affects people of all ages, but especially Indigenous populations in high-income nations. Despite being a major contributor to chronic lung disease, there are no licensed therapies for bronchiectasis and there remain relatively few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in children and adults.
Children with wheeze and asthma present with airway epithelial vulnerabilities, such as impaired responses to viral infection. It is postulated that the in utero environment may contribute to the development of airway epithelial vulnerabilities.
Persistent bacterial lung infections in children lead to significant morbidity and mortality due to antibiotic resistance. In this paper, we describe how phage therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in preclinical and clinical studies, demonstrating significant therapeutic benefits through various administration routes.
Belaynew Christopher Peter Hannah Minda Huong Taye Blyth Richmond Moore Sarna Le MD, MPH, PhD MBBS (Hons) DCH FRACP FRCPA PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP OAM
High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is an established mode of respiratory support in the neonatal intensive care unit. Large clinical trial data is based on first intention use in preterm infants with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Clinical practice has evolved from this narrow population. HFOV is most often reserved for term and preterm infants with severe, and often complex, respiratory failure not responding to conventional modalities of respiratory support.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results from gene-environment interactions over the lifetime. These interactions are captured by epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation.
The increasing occurrence of hospital-associated infections, particularly bacteremia, caused by extensively drug-resistant (XDR) carbapenemase-producing colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae highlights a critical requirement to discover new therapeutic alternatives. Bacteriophages having host-specific bacteriolytic effects are promising alternatives for combating these pathogens.
Globally, more than 1.2 billion inhalers are purchased for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) annually. In Australia and New Zealand, pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) are the leading delivery device prescribed and pMDI salbutamol can be purchased over the counter in Australia. These inhalers are a major contributor to healthcare related greenhouse gases.
Lung function testing and lung imaging are commonly used techniques to monitor respiratory diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF). The nitrogen (N2) multiple-breath washout technique (MBW) has been shown to detect ventilation inhomogeneity in CF, but the underlying pathophysiological processes that are altered are often unclear.