Researchers

An infant nasal microbial gene atlas uncovers intervention-driven microbiome shifts and salt-resistant pathogen expansion

Functional studies of how early-life interventions shape the airway microbiome remain scarce. Here, we performed metagenomic sequencing of 704 longitudinal nasal swabs from infants with and without cystic fibrosis (CF) to construct and characterize a non-redundant gene atlas of the infant nasal microbiome. We aimed to determine how the nasal microbiome is perturbed by early therapies, as CF is commonly treated with inhaled hypertonic saline to improve mucociliary clearance.

Ingredients to Mask the Aversive Taste of Medicines: Lessons from the Pharmaceutical and Food Industries and Home Remedies Adopted by Caregivers

Many approved oral paediatric medicines continue to have poor taste acceptance, suggesting that the ingredient blends employed in these medicines are not adequately effective in taste-masking drugs with strongly aversive tastes. To address this inadequacy, this narrative review provides a comparative evaluation of taste-masking ingredients used by the pharmaceutical industry with those employed in the food industry, as well as food items used by caregivers to mask the unpalatable taste of medicines for young children.

Population Perspectives on Nurturing Relational Health from Early Life: A Systematic Review Series

This paper provides the conceptual framework for a new review series that bring together the global literature on population approaches to nurturing relational health across the first three years of life. Early relational health is defined as ‘the everyday interactions that happen between children and their carers across the many settings in which they live and grow.

Temptation at the school fence: a qualitative exploration of the impact of external food outlets on the school community

Retail food outlets are commonly located in close proximity to schools, providing students with opportunities to purchase and consume food enroute to or from school. These outlets are typically unhealthy and disproportionately clustered near schools, and this trend has been increasing over time. While quantitative studies have established associations between school food environments and adolescent dietary behaviours, little is known about how school personnel perceive and experience their impacts.