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Vitamin D is synthesised by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of skin and is hypothesized to be a direct mediator.
Inflammatory mediators from peripheral tissues may control dendritic cell (DC) development in the bone marrow.
Humans obtain most of their vitamin D through the exposure of skin to sunlight
Shelley Prue Gorman Hart BSc (Hons) PhD BSc (Hons) MSc PhD Honorary Research Associate Honorary Research Fellow shelley.gorman@thekids.org.au
Prue Shelley Hart Gorman BSc (Hons) MSc PhD BSc (Hons) PhD Honorary Research Fellow Honorary Research Associate prue.hart@thekids.org.au
Gail Prue Shelley Alvares Hart Gorman PhD BSc (Hons) MSc PhD BSc (Hons) PhD Principal Research Fellow Honorary Research Fellow Honorary Research
Honorary Research Associate
Despite education about the risks of excessive sun exposure, teenagers in Australia are sun-seeking, with sunburn common in summer. Conversely, some regular (time-limited) exposure to sunlight (that avoids sunburn) is necessary for vitamin D and healthy bones and other molecules important for immune and metabolic health. New interventions are thus required to better support teenagers to make healthy and balanced decisions about their sun behaviors.
Transmissible vaccines have the potential to revolutionize how zoonotic pathogens are controlled within wildlife reservoirs. A key challenge that must be overcome is identifying viral vectors that can rapidly spread immunity through a reservoir population.
While UV radiation is a skin carcinogen, this should not obscure the growing evidence that sunlight has significant health benefits, including impacts on cardiovascular and metabolic health.