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Article
Open AccessUp-regulation of ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, in asthmatics on maintenance inhaled corticosteroids
The first step in SARS-CoV-2 infection is binding of the virus to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on the airway epithelium. Asthma affects over 300 million people world-wide, many of whom may encounter ...
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Article
Open AccessCell-specific expression of lung disease risk-related genes in the human small airway epithelium
The human small airway epithelium (SAE) plays a central role in the early events in the pathogenesis of most inherited and acquired lung disorders. Little is known about the molecular phenotypes of the specifi...
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Article
Open AccessCharacterization of an immortalized human small airway basal stem/progenitor cell line with airway region-specific differentiation capacity
The pathology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and most lung cancers involves the small airway epithelium (SAE), the single continuous layer of cells lining ...
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Article
Open AccessAltered lung biology of healthy never smokers following acute inhalation of E-cigarettes
Little is known about health risks associated with electronic cigarette (EC) use although EC are rising in popularity and have been advocated as a means to quit smoking cigarettes.
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Article
JAG1-Mediated Notch Signaling Regulates Secretory Cell Differentiation of the Human Airway Epithelium
Basal cells (BC) are the stem/progenitor cells of the human airway epithelium capable of differentiating into secretory and ciliated cells. Notch signaling activation increases BC differentiation into secretor...
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Article
Open AccessThe Qatar genome: a population-specific tool for precision medicine in the Middle East
Reaching the full potential of precision medicine depends on the quality of personalized genome interpretation. In order to facilitate precision medicine in regions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ...
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Article
Open AccessCopy number variations in the genome of the Qatari population
The populations of the Arabian Peninsula remain the least represented in public genetic databases, both in terms of single nucleotide variants and of larger genomic mutations. We present the first high-resolut...
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Article
Open AccessRole of SLMAP genetic variants in susceptibility of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in Qatari population
Overexpression of SLMAP gene has been associated with diabetes and endothelial dysfunction of macro- and micro-blood vessels. In this study our primary objective is to explore the role of SLMAP gene polymorphisms...
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Article
Open AccessSmoking accelerates aging of the small airway epithelium
Aging involves multiple biologically complex processes characterized by a decline in cellular homeostasis over time leading to a loss and impairment of physiological integrity and function. Specific cellular h...
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Article
Open AccessCigarette smoking induces small airway epithelial epigenetic changes with corresponding modulation of gene expression
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Article
Open AccessInferring genome-wide patterns of admixture in Qataris using fifty-five ancestral populations
Populations of the Arabian Peninsula have a complex genetic structure that reflects waves of migrations including the earliest human migrations from Africa and eastern Asia, migrations along ancient civilizati...
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Article
Open AccessGenes associated with MUC5AC expression in small airway epithelium of human smokers and non-smokers
Mucus hypersecretion contributes to the morbidity and mortality of smoking-related lung diseases, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which starts in the small airways. Despite progress in...
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Article
Open AccessRNA-Seq quantification of the human small airway epithelium transcriptome
The small airway epithelium (SAE), the cell population that covers the human airway surface from the 6th generation of airway branching to the alveoli, is the major site of lung disease caused by smoking. The foc...
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Article
Cigarette smoking reprograms apical junctional complex molecular architecture in the human airway epithelium in vivo
The apical junctional complex (AJC), composed of tight and adherens junctions, maintains epithelial barrier function. Since cigarette smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the major smoking...
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Article
Open AccessSmoking-mediated up-regulation of GAD67 expression in the human airway epithelium
The production of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) is dependent on glutamate decarboxylases (GAD65 and GAD67), the enzymes that catalyze the decarboxylation of glutamate to GABA. Based on studies suggesting a r...
