Assessment of revised recruitment standards for asthma in the Australian defence force.

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Assessment of revised recruitment standards for asthma in the Australian defence force.

Mil Med. 2014 Nov;179(11):1384-90

Authors: Ireland R, Waller M, MacKenzie A, Peake J, Nasveld P

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of relaxed asthma recruitment standards adopted by the Australian Defence Force in 2007.
METHODS: A retrospective audit was conducted on clinical and administrative data for recruits, with and without mild asthma, in their first year of service.
RESULTS: There was no evidence that mild asthmatics experienced worse outcomes than nonasthmatic recruits. Mild asthmatics had fewer illnesses and restricted duty days and were less costly compared to other recruits. There was no difference in the rate of discharge (attrition) between those with and without mild asthma.
CONCLUSIONS: The revised recruitment standards for asthma in the Australian Defence Force have not resulted in unanticipated medical or administrative costs to the organization. Health and administrative outcomes differed little between mild asthmatics and nonasthmatic recruits in their first 12 months of service.

PMID: 25373070 [PubMed – in process]

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Doubts over first line of defence for asthma after research shows that … – Daily Mail


Daily Mail

Doubts over first line of defence for asthma after research shows that
Daily Mail
The inhaler, often the first line of treatment in asthma, could be less effective or may even make the condition worse for some children carrying a particular gene, according to research at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Its chairman of
Why asthma treatment may not work for some childrenITV News

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TLR2, but Not TLR4, Is Required for Effective Host Defence against Chlamydia Respiratory Tract Infection in Early Life.

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TLR2, but Not TLR4, Is Required for Effective Host Defence against Chlamydia Respiratory Tract Infection in Early Life.

PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39460

Authors: Beckett EL, Phipps S, Starkey MR, Horvat JC, Beagley KW, Foster PS, Hansbro PM

Abstract
Chlamydia pneumoniae commonly causes respiratory tract infections in children, and epidemiological investigations strongly link infection to the pathogenesis of asthma. The immune system in early life is immature and may not respond appropriately to pathogens. Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and 4 are regarded as the primary pattern recognition receptors that sense bacteria, however their contribution to innate and adaptive immunity in early life remains poorly defined. We investigated the role of TLR2 and 4 in the induction of immune responses to Chlamydia muridarum respiratory infection, in neonatal wild-type (Wt) or TLR2-deficient ((-/-)), 4(-/-) or 2/4(-/-) BALB/c mice. Wt mice had moderate disease and infection. TLR2(-/-) mice had more severe disease and more intense and prolonged infection compared to other groups. TLR4(-/-) mice were asymptomatic. TLR2/4(-/-) mice had severe early disease and persistent infection, which resolved thereafter consistent with the absence of symptoms in TLR4(-/-) mice. Wt mice mounted robust innate and adaptive responses with an influx of natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils, myeloid (mDCs) and plasmacytoid (pDCs) dendritic cells, and activated CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells into the lungs. Wt mice also had effective production of interferon (IFN)�³ in the lymph nodes and lung, and proliferation of lymph node T-cells. TLR2(-/-) mice had more intense and persistent innate (particularly neutrophil) and adaptive cell responses and IL-17 expression in the lung, however IFN�³ responses and T-cell proliferation were reduced. TLR2/4(-/-) mice had reduced innate and adaptive responses. Most importantly, neutrophil phagocytosis was impaired in the absence of TLR2. Thus, TLR2 expression, particularly on neutrophils, is required for effective control of Chlamydia respiratory infection in early life. Loss of control of infection leads to enhanced but ineffective TLR4-mediated inflammatory responses that prolong disease symptoms. This indicates that TLR2 agonists may be beneficial in the treatment of early life Chlamydia infections and associated diseases.

PMID: 22724018 [PubMed – in process]

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1 in 5 SAF servicemen has asthma: Defence Minister – AsiaOne


AsiaOne

1 in 5 SAF servicemen has asthma: Defence Minister
AsiaOne
SINGAPORE – One in five Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen has asthma, revealed Minister of Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen in Parliament today. However, he noted that the majority of these cases are mild, and many of them have gone through military traiing
1 in 5 SAF servicemen have asthma: Ng Eng HenStraits Times
Safety of servicemen top priority for MINDEF and SAF, says Defence MinisterChannel News Asia

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