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Research

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) drive lung function decline in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). While the respiratory microbiota is clearly associated with RTI pathogenesis in infants without CF, data on infants with CF is scarce. We compared nasal microbiota development between infants with CF and controls and assessed associations between early-life nasal microbiota, RTIs, and antibiotic treatment in infants with CF. 

Research

Vaccination has been a cornerstone of public health, substantially reducing the global burden of infectious diseases, notably evident during the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Research

Neonatal sepsis is a deadly disease with non-specific clinical signs, delaying diagnosis and treatment. There remains a need for early biomarkers to facilitate timely intervention. Our objective was to identify neonatal sepsis gene expression biomarkers that could predict sepsis at birth, prior to clinical presentation. 

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In recent years, a small number of people with rare diseases caused by unique genetic variants have been treated with therapies developed specifically for them. This pioneering field of genetic N-of-1 therapies is evolving rapidly, giving hope for the individualized treatment of people living with very rare diseases. 

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One of the most traumatic injuries a child can experience is a severe burn. Despite improvements in medical treatments which have led to better physical outcomes and reduced mortality rates for paediatric burns patients, the psychological impact associated with experiencing such a traumatic injury has mostly been overlooked. This is concerning given the high incidence of psychopathology amongst paediatric burn survivors. 

Research

Children with chronic medical diseases are at an unacceptable risk of hospitalisation and death from influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections. Over the past two decades, behavioural scientists have learnt how to design non-coercive 'nudge' interventions to encourage positive health behaviours. Our study aims to evaluate the impact of multicomponent nudge interventions on the uptake of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines in medically at-risk children.

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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. 

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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.

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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

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.