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Dynamic molecular changes in early life follow a robust ontogeny as the infant immune system adapts to the demands of its new environment. Studies of plasma immunomodulatory cytokines and chemokines have previously demonstrated ontogenetic patterns of immune development across the first week of life. However, how plasma cytokine and chemokines concentrations evolve over the first 4 months of life remains unknown.
Genomic information is increasingly used to inform medical treatments and manage future disease risks. However, any personal and societal gains must be carefully balanced against the risk to individuals contributing their genomic data. Expanding our understanding of actionable genomic insights requires researchers to access large global datasets to capture the complexity of genomic contribution to diseases.
Otitis media (OM), or middle ear infection, is one of the most common childhood illnesses globally. In Australia, OM remains a leading cause of antibiotic prescriptions in children, despite growing awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the need for stewardship. Preventing OM not only reduces the burden of disease but also plays a critical role in curbing unnecessary antibiotic use and slowing the rise of AMR.
Declining worldwide or national stroke incidence rates are not always mirrored in disadvantaged, minority populations. Logistical barriers exist for effective measurement of incidence in minority populations; such data are required to identify targets for culturally appropriate interventions. In this comparative review, we aimed to examine whether “gold-standard” methodologies of stroke incidence studies are most effective for minority populations.
Invasive mould infection (IMI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised children. Outcomes for paediatric patients with IMI remain poor, due in part to the limitations of available diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents.
This paper argues for the enhancement of scoping review methods to incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing for more effective understandings of evidence of importance to Indigenous populations.
Remote Aboriginal communities in Australia are located on traditional lands holding deep cultural significance and meaning for residents. However, systemic inequity rooted in colonisation has driven persistent housing and health disparities, with inadequate environmental health conditions within homes and communities a prominent example.
In-solution hybridisation enrichment of genetic variation is a valuable methodology in human paleogenomics. It allows enrichment of endogenous DNA by targeting genetic markers that are comparable between sequencing libraries. Many studies have used the 1240k reagent-which enriches 1,237,207 genome-wide SNPs-since 2015, though access was restricted.
Acute rheumatic fever is a preventable condition that can lead to chronic illness and early death. Standard prevention with 4-weekly intramuscular (IM) benzathine penicillin G (BPG) injections for ≥10 years may be associated with poor adherence. High-dose 10-weekly subcutaneous penicillin injections (SCIP) may improve adherence by reducing injection frequency.
Cells undergo a major epigenome reconfiguration when reprogrammed to human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPS cells). However, the epigenomes of hiPS cells and human embryonic stem (hES) cells differ significantly, which affects hiPS cell function. These differences include epigenetic memory and aberrations that emerge during reprogramming, for which the mechanisms remain unknown.
Although essential for overall health and wellbeing, little is known about skin health in urban-living Australian Aboriginal children. This co-designed, research-service project aimed to describe skin health and document skin disease frequency in urban-living Aboriginal children and young people in Western Australia and investigate housing associations for skin infections.
Young people who have had contact with the criminal justice system are at increased risk of early death, especially from injuries. However, deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in this population remain poorly described. We aimed to estimate mortality due to NCDs in people with a history of involvement with the youth justice system, compare NCD mortality rates in this population with those in the general population, and characterise demographic and justice-related factors associated with deaths caused by NCDs in people with a history of contact with the youth justice system.
The transmission of Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) through respiratory droplets has been considered the dominant mode of transmission to date; however, little is known about the relative contribution of other modes of transmission. This review systematically summarises the contemporary evidence regarding the transmission of Strep A.
Patients with cardiovascular disease benefit from cardiac rehabilitation, which includes structured exercise and physical activity as core components. This position statement provides pragmatic, evidence-based guidance for the assessment and prescription of exercise and physical activity for cardiac rehabilitation clinicians, recognising the latest international guidelines, scientific evidence and the increasing use of technology and virtual delivery methods.
Integrating First Nations knowledge systems and Western research methodologies recognizes the strength, experience, and insight of First Nations peoples in addressing health issues in their communities. In research, this includes projects being led by First Nations Elders and peoples, including First Nations researchers in the team, and collecting data in ways that reflect First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing.
The rise of sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) studies has opened new possibilities for studying past environments. This groundbreaking area of genomics uses sediments to identify organisms, even in cases where macroscopic remains no longer exist. Managing this substrate in Indigenous Australian contexts, however, requires special considerations. Sediments and soils are often considered as waste by-products during archaeological and paleontological excavations and are not typically regulated by the same ethics guidelines utilised in mainstream 'western' research paradigms.
There is growing evidence to support partial oral antibiotic treatment of severe infections such as Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, but clinical practice is slow to adopt this paradigm. We know little about how patients with severe infection experience and perceive intravenous and oral antibiotics in terms of quality of life and clinical effectiveness. We performed a qualitative study to elicit patients' views on treatment with intravenous and oral antibiotics, aiming to provide insights that could inform collaborative treatment decision-making.
Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus are leading contributors to the health inequity experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and their antecedents can be identified from early childhood. We aimed to establish the quality of available data and the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk markers among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youths (0-24-year-olds) to inform public health approaches.
Estimating the temporal trends in infectious disease activity is crucial for monitoring disease spread and the impact of interventions. Surveillance indicators routinely collected to monitor these trends are often a composite of multiple pathogens. For example, "influenza-like illness"-routinely monitored as a proxy for influenza infections-is a symptom definition that could be caused by a wide range of pathogens, including multiple subtypes of influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV.
Type I regulatory (Tr1) cells are defined as FOXP3-IL-10-secreting clusters of differentiation (CD4+) T cells that contribute to immune suppression and typically express the markers LAG-3 and CD49b and other co-inhibitory receptors. These cells have not been studied in detail in the context of the resolution of acute infection in the lung.