Effects Of Upper Versus Lower Respiratory Infections On The Induction Of Atopic Asthma.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,483.00
Summary
Asthma is more common now in developed countries than it was 20-30 years ago. Many fewer children have asthma in developing countries and there does not appear to have been the same increase in asthma in recent years. Children in developed countries tend to have fewer respiratory infections and recent studies suggest that this may be partly responsible for the increase in asthma. An understanding of why asthma has increased in developed countries may lead to strategies to prevent asthma. In orde ....Asthma is more common now in developed countries than it was 20-30 years ago. Many fewer children have asthma in developing countries and there does not appear to have been the same increase in asthma in recent years. Children in developed countries tend to have fewer respiratory infections and recent studies suggest that this may be partly responsible for the increase in asthma. An understanding of why asthma has increased in developed countries may lead to strategies to prevent asthma. In order to understand the role that respiratory infections may play in the induction of asthma, it is necessary to study babies from birth, documenting each respiratory inflection and monitoring their diet. In a recent large study we have shown that parental reports of common colds and chest infections do influence how many children have asthma at age 6. Also in this study, breast feeding for at least 4 months seemed to be protective against developing asthma. However, we were not able to verify how many infections the children in that study actually had. We are currently studying a population of 236 infants, all of whom are at high risk of developing asthma and allergies. At the end on November 1998, 163 of these infants had reached one year of age. During the first year of life, these infants had a total of 669 respiratory infections, with individual babies having between 0 and 11 infections. We now plan to monitor these children until they turn 5, when we will determine how many have asthma and allergies. In this way we will be able to determine whether children who have more respiratory infections early in life are more or less likely to have asthma and allergies at 5 years of age. We will also be able to tell whether breast-feeding is able to decrease the chance of developing asthma and allergies.Read moreRead less
Characterisation Of The Cellular Changes Induced By Ultraviolet A Radiation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$448,500.00
Summary
Sunlight is an important environmental health hazard as it causes immunosuppression and cancer. It suppresses our ability to destroy developing cancers. Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, 66% of Australians develop skin cancer during their lifetime. The relationship between UV dose, wavelength and cancer in humans is unknown. As this cannot be directly experimentally determined in humans, surrogate biological endpoints such as immunosuppression will help determine t ....Sunlight is an important environmental health hazard as it causes immunosuppression and cancer. It suppresses our ability to destroy developing cancers. Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, 66% of Australians develop skin cancer during their lifetime. The relationship between UV dose, wavelength and cancer in humans is unknown. As this cannot be directly experimentally determined in humans, surrogate biological endpoints such as immunosuppression will help determine the damaging wavebands within sunlight. There has been little work on the effect of UVA on health or the mechanisms of action of UVA compared to UVB. A recent consensus UVA working group of 80 international participants convened by the American Academy of Dermatology out of concern about the lack of knowledge of UVA on human health concluded that the action spectrum for photocarcinogenesis and photoageing, particularly the efficacy of UVA in humans remains to be elucidated, and that more funding should be provided for radiation biology research to help elucidate UVA mechanisms of injury. Similarly a recent expert meeting (including Prof. Halliday) convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) on sunscreen protection from skin cancer recommended that studies should be conducted on the effects of exposure to UVA in causing both photoageing and skin cancer which followed from their major recommendation that it is important to understand the nature of the dose-response relationship on risk and the action spectrum for each effect . The studies described in this project will contribute to these recommendations.Read moreRead less
Mast Cell Proteases Suppress Respiratory Viral Infections And Alleric Inflammation Of The Airways
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$665,532.00
Summary
Severe RSV infection and asthma accounts for poor quality of life in our community and current treatments have limited effects. Although the factors regulating these disorders are poorly understood, mast cells (MCs) may play important roles. We have shown MC protease-6 protects against viral infection. Here we will identify how MC and their factors are involved in the control of severe respiratory infections and allergic disease of the lung, and identify potential new ways to treat these conditi ....Severe RSV infection and asthma accounts for poor quality of life in our community and current treatments have limited effects. Although the factors regulating these disorders are poorly understood, mast cells (MCs) may play important roles. We have shown MC protease-6 protects against viral infection. Here we will identify how MC and their factors are involved in the control of severe respiratory infections and allergic disease of the lung, and identify potential new ways to treat these conditions.Read moreRead less
Predictors And Consequences Of Allergies That Impact On Children Getting A Healthy Start To Life:a Prospective Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$893,559.00
Summary
Allergic diseases prevent Australian children getting a healthy start to life by causing long term illnesses. This group of diseases includes asthma, hay fever, eczema and food allergies. Half of all Australian children are born into families with a history of these conditions and these children are at increased risk. Some of these children develop allergies while the others do not. It is also known that allergic conditions change over time, but we have no information on causes of these changes. ....Allergic diseases prevent Australian children getting a healthy start to life by causing long term illnesses. This group of diseases includes asthma, hay fever, eczema and food allergies. Half of all Australian children are born into families with a history of these conditions and these children are at increased risk. Some of these children develop allergies while the others do not. It is also known that allergic conditions change over time, but we have no information on causes of these changes. For example some infants with eczema continue to have eczema or develop hay fever and asthma, while others do not. The aim of this study is to determine what factors cause allergies and what factors influence these changes. This will provide evidence to guide health policy and clinical practice. Looking at the different conditions in family members over time is a good way to answer these types of questions, because parents and siblings share similar exposures, but not all the same genes. This helps to disentangle the effects of the environment and genes. The Melbourne Atopic Cohort Study (MACS) is amongst the world�s major studies on the development of allergies. MACS commenced in 1991-94 by recruiting 620 babies prior to birth. Only infants born into families with a history of allergic disease were included. MACS is unique because all family members and the home environment were assessed at the time of birth of the child. These children have been followed regularly over the first ten years of their life. The MACS now provides a unique opportunity to conduct a family study that can examine genes, childhood environment and individual risk factors for allergies. This will also allow exploration of the impact of allergies on families and the health care system, and how we can reduce that impact. Such information will provide evidence to guide health care policy and clinical practice. Also, the current study will provide a platform for future studies to investigate the progression of allergies in this family cohort. This will be the world's only longitudinal family follow-up of allergies that spans all of childhood. It will assist in reducing the impact of these common conditions, and the findings will be original and significant not only in Australia but also internationally.Read moreRead less
AusPollen: Implementation Of A Standardized National Pollen Alert System For Better Management Of Allergic Respiratory Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$626,442.00
Summary
In Australia, grass pollen is the main outdoor trigger for hay fever and allergic asthma. This AusPollen project will build and evaluate our first standardised pollen monitoring network. Pollen alerts and healthcare information will be delivered to patients and doctors via websites and Apps. The AusPollen program was initiated with The Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Asthma Australia, Stallergenes, the Bureau of Meteorology CSIRO and MeteoSwiss.
Targeting MicroRNA (miRNA) As A Unified Therapeutic Approach To The Treatment Of Asthma And Allergic Inflammation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$675,030.00
Summary
Approximately 30% of our community suffers from allergic inflammation (asthma/rhinitis/dermatitis) that results in poor quality of life. The factors regulating these disorders are poorly understood and current treatments only target the symptoms and not the cause of disease. MicroRNA control gene expression and are emerging as potential regulators of inflammation. This project will identify the role of microRNA in the regulation of allergic diseases and their potential as new therapeutic targets ....Approximately 30% of our community suffers from allergic inflammation (asthma/rhinitis/dermatitis) that results in poor quality of life. The factors regulating these disorders are poorly understood and current treatments only target the symptoms and not the cause of disease. MicroRNA control gene expression and are emerging as potential regulators of inflammation. This project will identify the role of microRNA in the regulation of allergic diseases and their potential as new therapeutic targets.Read moreRead less
Determining The Role Of Vitamin D In The Development Of Asthma And Allergic Diseases In High Risk Families
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$351,127.00
Summary
Allergic diseases like asthma, eczema and hay-fever, prevent our children from getting a healthy start to life, and we don’t know how to prevent these conditions. Vitamin D levels may be critical in the development of childhood asthma and allergies, and they can be easily modified! Using a group of 620 children who we have followed for 20 years, we will identify the role of vitamin D levels in the development of allergic conditions, and factors that modify these relationships.
A Population-based Family Study Of Filaggrin Mutations And Allergic Disease Risk In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$308,584.00
Summary
It is biologically plausible that the association of known environmental risk factors for asthma may be different for genetically susceptible individuals. Few studies have examined the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. that have not considered genetic susceptibility are estimating an average risk of asthma across all genotypes in the population which may not be relevant for a particular sub-group.