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Research
Normative multiple-breath washout data in school-aged children corrected for sensor errorGraham Kathryn Rachel Alana Hall Ramsey Foong Harper BAppSci PhD CRFS FANZSRS FThorSoc FERS BSc (Hons), PhD BSc (hons), PhD, MBiostat BSc (hons)
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COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates: Attitudes and Effects on Holdouts in a Large Australian University PopulationMany governments and institutions mandated COVID-19 vaccines. In late 2021, we sought to ascertain the perspectives of staff and students from The University of Western Australia about the State or the University mandating COVID-19 vaccines.
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COVID-19 vaccination in children and adolescents aged 5 years and older undergoing treatment for cancer and non-malignant haematological conditions: Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology/Oncology Group consensus statementThe Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and New Zealand Ministry of Health recommend all children aged ≥ 5 years receive either of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines: Comirnaty (Pfizer), available in both Australia and New Zealand, or Spikevax (Moderna), available in Australia only. Both vaccines are efficacious and safe in the general population, including children. Children and adolescents undergoing treatment for cancer and immunosuppressive therapy for non-malignant haematological conditions are particularly vulnerable, with an increased risk of severe or fatal COVID-19.
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The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in Australian children: A crosssectional studyFollowing reduction of public health and social measures concurrent with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron emergence in late 2021 in Australia, COVID-19 case notification rates rose rapidly. As rates of direct viral testing and reporting dropped, true infection rates were most likely to be underestimated.
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Comprehensive Clinical Paediatric Assessment of Children and Adolescents Sentenced to Detention in Western AustraliaTo describe the comprehensive clinical paediatric assessment of a representative sample of children and adolescents (young people) sentenced to detention in Western Australia (WA) and participating in the first Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) prevalence study.
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Invasive fungal disease in children with solid tumors: An Australian multicenter 10-year reviewInvasive fungal disease (IFD) occurs less frequently during treatment for solid compared to hematological malignancies in children, and risk groups are poorly defined. Retrospective national multicenter cohort data (2004-2013) were analyzed to document prevalence, clinical characteristics, and microbiology of IFD.
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Spatio-temporal monitoring of health facility-level malaria trends in Zambia and adaptive scaling for operational interventionThe spatial and temporal variability inherent in malaria transmission within countries implies that targeted interventions for malaria control in high-burden settings and subnational elimination are a practical necessity. Identifying the spatio-temporal incidence, risk, and trends at different administrative geographies within malaria-endemic countries and monitoring them in near real-time as change occurs is crucial for developing and introducing cost-effective, subnational control and elimination intervention strategies.
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Asthma and allergies in a cohort of adolescents conceived with ARTResearch question: Are asthma and allergies more common in adolescents conceived with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) compared with adolescents conceived without?
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Impact of Parent-Reported Antibiotic Allergies on Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship ProgramsAntimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is crucial for optimizing antimicrobial use and restraining emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The overall increase in reported antibiotic allergies in children can pose a significant barrier to AMS, but its impact on clinical AMS care in children has not been addressed.
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Antibiotic treatment duration for bloodstream infections in critically ill children - A survey of pediatric infectious diseases and critical care clinicians for clinical equipoiseTo describe antibiotic treatment durations that pediatric infectious diseases (ID) and critical care clinicians usually recommend for bloodstream infections in critically ill children.
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“Our kids are our future”: Barriers and facilitators to vaccine uptake and timeliness among Aboriginal children younger than five years in Boorloo (Perth), Western AustraliaRates of several vaccine preventable diseases, and associated hospitalisation, are higher among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children than non-Indigenous children. Western Australia has among the lowest childhood vaccine coverage in Australia, particularly among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children. Delayed vaccination is also more common in this population. This project aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators to vaccine uptake and timeliness among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children aged under five years in Boorloo (Perth).
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Haemolysis Detection in MicroRNA-Seq from Clinical Plasma SamplesThe abundance of cell-free microRNA (miRNA) has been measured in blood plasma and proposed as a source of novel, minimally invasive biomarkers for several diseases. Despite improvements in quantification methods, there is no consensus regarding how haemolysis affects plasma miRNA content.
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Management and outcomes of children hospitalised with COVID-19 including incidental and nosocomial infections in Australia 2020–2023: A national surveillance studyManagement and outcomes of children hospitalised with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection may differ throughout the pandemic or with admission type (clinical COVID-19, incidental COVID-19 or nosocomial infection).
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Neuroanatomical heterogeneity and homogeneity in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosisIndividuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) demonstrate heterogeneity in clinical profiles and outcome features. However, the extent of neuroanatomical heterogeneity in the CHR-P state is largely undetermined.
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Progress towards a coordinated, national paediatric antimicrobial resistance surveillance programmeThese data support that children are not just 'little adults' in the AMR era, and analyses by age group are important to detect differences in antibiotic susceptibility
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Protection against severe infant lower respiratory tract infections by immune training: Mechanistic studiesResults from recent clinical studies suggest potential efficacy of immune training (IT)-based approaches for protection against severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants, but underlying mechanisms are unclear.
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Collecting exhaled breath condensate from non-ventilated preterm-born infants: a modified methodExhaled breath condensate (EBC) collection is a non-invasive, safe method for measurement of biomarkers in patients with lung disease. Other methods of obtaining samples from the lungs, such as bronchoalveolar lavage, are invasive and require anaesthesia/sedation in neonates and infants. EBC is particularly appealing for assessing biomarkers in preterm-born infants, a population at risk of ongoing lung disease.
News & Events
Shot in the arm for Strep A vaccine bidThe Leducq Foundation has bolstered an Australian-led bid to develop a Strep A vaccine, committing USD4.3 million to fund critical scientific work.
