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Sun-immune connection

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation damages skin cell DNA but skin cancers develop because ultraviolet radiation also affects the immune system

Inflammatory bowel diseases: interrelationships between dietary vitamin D, exposure to UV radiation and the fecal microbiome

This review explores the interaction of vitamin D, and ultraviolet radiation, with the intestinal innate and adaptive immune systems

The challenges of developing and optimising an assay to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D in saliva

We have developed an LC-MS/MS assay that accurately measures saliva 25(OH)D3 levels, which correlated with serum levels

Exposure to Solar UVR Suppresses Cell-Mediated Immunization Responses in Humans: The Australian Ultraviolet Radiation and Immunity Study

Higher UVR exposure at antigen sensitization was associated with a reduced delayed-type hypersensitivity response and altered T helper type 17 kinetics

A Gender Lens on User Quality Ratings From Young Teenagers Assessing the Sun Safe App: Comparing Responses From Co-researchers and Participants of Pilot Intervention Studies

We developed the iOS smartphone app Sun Safe to support healthy sun practices in young teenagers (aged 12-13 years). The production involved co-design with young co-researchers (ie, aged 12-13 years) with a health message of using sun protection when the UV index is ≥3. Important features include real-time and location-specific weather data on the UV index and gamified educational content.

A longitudinal examination of perinatal testosterone, estradiol and vitamin D as predictors of handedness outcomes in childhood and adolescence

The developmental origins of handedness remain elusive, though very early emergence suggests individual differences manifesting in utero could play an important role. Prenatal testosterone and Vitamin D exposure are considered, yet findings and interpretations remain equivocal.

Pre-and Postnatal Vitamin D Status and Allergy Outcomes in Early Childhood

The dramatic increase in the prevalence of allergic disease in recent decades reflects environmental and behavioural changes that have altered patterns of early immune development. The very early onset of allergic diseases points to the specific vulnerability of the developing immune system to environmental changes and the development of primary intervention strategies is crucial to address this unparalleled burden.

Developing an Online Tool to Promote Safe Sun Behaviors With Young Teenagers as Co-researchers

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.

Relationship between group B Streptococcal rectovaginal colonization and Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women

Vitamin D has been recognized to have a significant impact on modulating immune response in the host body. The relationship between deficiency of Vitamin D and rectovaginal colonization with Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in pregnant women is still not well understood. 

Beneficial health effects of ultraviolet radiation: expert review and conference report

Carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) with reference to skin cancer are the basis of widely implemented recommendations to avoid sun exposure. Whether the benefits of "restrictive sun policies" outweigh their potential harms due to diminished beneficial effects of sunlight exposure remain a matter of controversy.