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The definition of asthma remission in children: A scoping review by the WAO Paediatric Asthma Committee

Asthma remission has emerged as a potential therapeutic goal. However, definitions of remission have primarily focused on adult populations, with limited consensus on how remission should be defined in children.

Draft genome sequences of the pathogenic fungi Scedosporium aurantiacum and Scedosporium apiospermum from clinical isolates

Scedosporium species are filamentous fungi with inherent broad antifungal resistance that pose opportunistic infection threats. We present draft genome assemblies of S. aurantiacum (11 contigs) and S. apiospermum (9 contigs), derived from Oxford Nanopore sequencing of one Australian clinical isolate each.

A primary cell model of the very preterm epithelium reveals barrier defects at 1 year of age

Limited evidence suggests that airway epithelial structure and function is disrupted in very preterm infants; however, the epithelial morphology and physiology has not been well characterised following discharge from neonatal intensive care. This study aimed to characterise the nasal airway epithelium from 1-year-old survivors of very preterm birth.

Conservation of gene expression patterns between the amniotic and nasal epithelium at birth

Amniotic epithelial cells are fetal-derived stem cells, capable of differentiating into all three germ layers, including mature epithelial cell populations. Here, we hypothesised that the amniotic epithelium might serve as a surrogate tissue source for investigating transcriptional profiles in the respiratory epithelium of newborns.

Who gets asthma, and why?

Citation: Evans DJ, D Sly PD, Foster P, Donovan C. Who gets asthma, and why? Med J Aust. 2025;223(S10):S19-S23. Keywords: Asthma; Lung diseases;

Tapeworm infection incidence in rural Japan points to a common environmental source of infection

Dibothriocephalus nihonkaiensis is a zoonotic tapeworm transmitted to humans through consumption of raw or undercooked fish or wild meat. Between 2022 and 2023, Yamagata Prefecture reported an increase in cases compared with 2017-2021, when none were observed. We conducted a clinical and environmental investigation to clarify infection sources.

Respiratory oscillometry in infants: present challenges and future opportunities

Despite a high burden of respiratory disease among infants globally, limited options exist for lung function testing in this age group. Tidal breathing techniques such as oscillometry allow for understanding the pathophysiology of diseases that originate early in life, thus providing the opportunity to develop timely prevention and treatment strategies.

The effects of e-cigarette use on asthma severity in adult BALB/c mice

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are often perceived to be a less harmful alternative to tobacco cigarettes. Potentially due to this perception, they are used by people with pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma, who otherwise would not smoke. Despite this, there are few studies exploring the health effects of e-cigarette use on pre-existing asthma.

Finding the optimal regimen for Mycobacteroides abscessus treatment (FORMaT) in people with Mycobacteroides abscessus pulmonary disease

Mycobacteroides abscessus (MABS) is within the non-tuberculous mycobacteria family. It inhabits soil and water, exhibits multi-antibiotic resistance and causes opportunistic lung infections, which may progress to symptomatic MABS-pulmonary disease (MABS-PD) associated with substantial morbidity, increased healthcare utilisation, impaired quality of life and increased mortality. 

Intrauterine growth restriction promotes hypothalamic circadian dysregulation in adult mouse offspring

Adverse prenatal conditions can induce intrauterine growth restriction and increase the risk of adulthood metabolic disease. Mechanisms underlying developmentally programmed metabolic disease remain unclear but may involve disrupted postnatal circadian rhythms and kisspeptin signalling.