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Research

Association between Congenital Anomalies and Late-Onset Bacterial Infections in Neonates Admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Australia and New Zealand

Compromised neonatal intensive care unit neonates are at risk of acquiring late-onset infections (late-onset sepsis [LOS]). Neonates born with congenital anomalies could have an additional LOS risk. 

Research

Investigating Parental Observations of Early Autism Development in Simplex and Multiplex Families

Past research has highlighted the importance of early identification of developmental differences to improve targeted access to early interventions or supports. As such, it is of particular importance in the context of children at elevated likelihood of autism (such as where an older sibling has a diagnosis of autism), to better understand when and which early concerns are important as predictors of which children will benefit from pre-diagnostic supports.

Research

Characterization of invasive Group B Streptococcus isolates from Western Australian infants, 2004-2020

Invasive Group B Streptococcus remains a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis has been implemented in many countries with a reduction in early-onset disease, but an effective vaccine may further reduce the disease burden. Candidate vaccines targeting capsular polysaccharides and surface proteins are now in clinical trials. 

Research

Screen Time and Parent-Child Talk When Children Are Aged 12 to 36 Months

Growing up in a language-rich home environment is important for children's language development in the early years. The concept of "technoference" (technology-based interference) suggests that screen time may be interfering with opportunities for talk and interactions between parent and child; however, limited longitudinal evidence exists exploring this association. 

Research

Design and selection of drug properties to increase the public health impact of next-generation seasonal malaria chemoprevention: a modelling study

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is recommended for disease control in settings with moderate to high Plasmodium falciparum transmission and currently depends on the administration of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine. 

Research

Non-severe thermal burn injuries induce long-lasting downregulation of gene expression in cortical excitatory neurons and microglia

Burn injuries are devastating traumas, often leading to life-long consequences that extend beyond the observable burn scar. In the context of the nervous system, burn injury patients commonly develop chronic neurological disorders and have been suggested to have impaired motor cortex function, but the long-lasting impact on neurons and glia in the brain is unknown.

Research

A health inequality analysis of childhood asthma prevalence in urban Australia

Long-standing health inequalities in Australian society that were exposed by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic were described as "fault lines" in a recent call to action by a consortium of philanthropic organizations. With asthma a major contributor to childhood disease burden, studies of its spatial epidemiology can provide valuable insights into the emergence of health inequalities early in life.

Research

Current approaches in tissue engineering-based nanotherapeutics for osteosarcoma treatment

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant bone neoplasm plagued by poor prognosis. Major treatment strategies include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. Chemotherapy to treat OS has severe adverse effects due to systemic toxicity to healthy cells. A possible way to overcome the limitation is to utilize nanotechnology. Nanotherapeutics is an emerging approach in treating OS using nanoparticulate drug delivery systems.

Research

Medical Exemptions to Mandatory Vaccinations: The State of Play in Australia and a Pressure Point to Watch

Australia’s mandatory vaccination policies have historically allowed for non-medical exemptions, but this changed in 2016 when the Federal Government discontinued non-medical exemptions for childhood vaccination requirements. Australian states introduced further mandatory vaccination policies during the COVID-19 pandemic for a range of occupations including healthcare workers.

Research

PI3K/mTOR is a therapeutically targetable genetic dependency in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma

Diffuse midline glioma (DMG), including tumors diagnosed in the brainstem (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma; DIPG), are uniformly fatal brain tumors that lack effective treatment.