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Bronchiectasis, particularly in children, is an increasingly recognised yet neglected chronic lung disorder affecting individuals in both low-to-middle and high-income countries. It has a high disease burden and there is substantial inequity within and between settings. Furthermore, compared with other chronic lung diseases, considerably fewer resources are available for children with bronchiectasis.
The discoveries that have set our research apart primarily relate to the factors early in life that cause life-long respiratory problems.
Mucus hyperconcentration in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease is marked by increases in both mucin and DNA concentration. Additionally, it has been shown that half of the mucins present in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid from preschool-aged CF patients are present in as non-swellable mucus flakes.
Severity and disease progression in people with Cystic Fibrosis is typically dependent on their genotype. One potential therapeutic strategy for people with specific mutations is exon skipping with antisense oligonucleotides. CFTR exon 9 is an in-frame exon and hence the exclusion of this exon would excise only 31 amino acids but not alter the reading frame of the remaining mRNA.
Diagnosis of chronic disease in a child can result in unresolved grief (UG) in parents. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of psychological insight-oriented therapy (IOT) as a treatment for UG compared to disease related education in parents of children with cystic fibrosis. Sequence of delivery, first IOT then disease related education (or vice versa) was also examined, to let all participants experience both interventions.