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Vitamin D and SunlightIn a sunny country such as Australia, it’s important to identify how to achieve the right amount of sun exposure for good health. We need to be able to harness the benefits of vitamin D and sunlight while remaining protected from the proven dangers of too much UV radiation.
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Relationship between group B Streptococcal rectovaginal colonization and Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant womenVitamin D has been recognized to have a significant impact on modulating immune response in the host body. The relationship between deficiency of Vitamin D and rectovaginal colonization with Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in pregnant women is still not well understood.
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Beneficial health effects of ultraviolet radiation: expert review and conference reportCarcinogenic effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) with reference to skin cancer are the basis of widely implemented recommendations to avoid sun exposure. Whether the benefits of "restrictive sun policies" outweigh their potential harms due to diminished beneficial effects of sunlight exposure remain a matter of controversy.
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Maternal diet during breastfeeding: Could it influence food allergy risk in children?Human milk is rich in immuno-modulatory factors that have the potential to shape immune development and influence allergy risk in children. In this article, we describe how breast milk may contribute to making the infant less prone to developing allergies.
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Mapping the citation network on vitamin D research in Australia: a data-driven approachVitamin D research can vary geographically, as vitamin D status is influenced by latitude, season, dietary intake, body mass index, ethnicity, and public health initiatives. Over the last two decades, research on vitamin D has increased in Australia, where the potential for sun exposure (a major source of vitamin D) is high. We aimed to identify key topics and gaps in vitamin D research in Australia using a data-driven approach.
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A Gender Lens on User Quality Ratings From Young Teenagers Assessing the Sun Safe App: Comparing Responses From Co-researchers and Participants of Pilot Intervention StudiesWe developed the iOS smartphone app Sun Safe to support healthy sun practices in young teenagers (aged 12-13 years). The production involved co-design with young co-researchers (ie, aged 12-13 years) with a health message of using sun protection when the UV index is ≥3. Important features include real-time and location-specific weather data on the UV index and gamified educational content.
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A longitudinal examination of perinatal testosterone, estradiol and vitamin D as predictors of handedness outcomes in childhood and adolescenceThe developmental origins of handedness remain elusive, though very early emergence suggests individual differences manifesting in utero could play an important role. Prenatal testosterone and Vitamin D exposure are considered, yet findings and interpretations remain equivocal.
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Pre-and Postnatal Vitamin D Status and Allergy Outcomes in Early ChildhoodThe dramatic increase in the prevalence of allergic disease in recent decades reflects environmental and behavioural changes that have altered patterns of early immune development. The very early onset of allergic diseases points to the specific vulnerability of the developing immune system to environmental changes and the development of primary intervention strategies is crucial to address this unparalleled burden.
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Characterization of regulatory dendritic cells differentiated from the bone marrow of UV-irradiated miceIn summary, UV-BMDCs do not express the classical phenotypic or gene expression properties of DCs reported by others as 'regulatory' or 'tolerogenic'.