Skip to content
The Kids Research Institute Australia logo
Donate

Search

Research

Impact of ventilation tube insertion on long-term language outcomes at 6 and 10 years of age: A prospective pregnancy cohort study

Investigating the impact of early childhood ventilation tube insertion (VTI) on long-term language outcomes. 

Research

Ear and hearing outcomes in Aboriginal infants living in an urban Australian area: the Djaalinj Waakinj birth cohort study

Describe the ear and hearing outcomes in Aboriginal infants in an Australian urban area. Aboriginal infants enrolled in the Djaalinj Waakinj prospective cohort study had ear health screenings at ages 2-4, 6-8 and 12-18 months and audiological assessment at ∼12 months of age. Sociodemographic, environmental characteristics, otoscopy, otoacoustic emissions, tympanometry and visual reinforcement audiometry data were collected.

Research

Safety, tolerability, and effect of a single aural dose of Dornase alfa at the time of ventilation tube surgery for otitis media: A Phase 1b double randomized control trial

One third of children require repeat ventilation tube insertion (VTI) for otitis media. Disease recurrence is associated with persistent middle ear bacterial biofilms. With demonstration that Dornase alfa (a DNase) disrupts middle ear effusion biofilms ex vivo, we identified potential for this as an anti-biofilm therapy to prevent repeat VTI. First, safety and tolerability needed to be measured.

Research

An overview of risk factors, management and prevention of cochlear implant infections

With cochlear implantation becoming increasingly performed worldwide, an understanding of the risk factors, preventive measures, and management of cochlear implant (CI) infection remains important given the significant morbidity and cost it conveys.

Research

Risk of otitis media in offspring following maternal prenatal stress exposure

There is limited but consistent evidence that suggests prenatal factors, including maternal stress, may contribute to susceptibility for otitis media. We aimed to determine the effect of multiple life stress events during pregnancy on risk of acute and recurrent otitis media in offspring at three and five years of age. 

Research

Biofilms and intracellular infection in otitis media

Otitis media (OM), middle ear infection, represents a significant burden on children, their families, and the healthcare system. OM is the major cause of hearing loss in children and if left untreated in children who suffer chronic and recurrent forms of OM, this disease can have serious life-long sequelae.

Research

Antibiotics or watchful waiting for acute otitis media in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children?

Chris Valerie Brennan-Jones Swift PhD Head, Ear and Hearing Health Aboriginal Co-Director, Djaalinj Waakinj Centre for Ear and Hearing Health;

Research

Remote paediatric ear examination comparing video-otoscopy and still otoscopy clinician rated outcomes

Telemedicine, particularly real time video-otoscopy in rural and remote Australia holds great potential in assessing and managing otology conditions. There is good evidence of store and forward images for assessment, however limited evidence exists for the use of real-time video-otoscopy. The objective of this study was to assess the validity of using real time video-otoscopy, compared to standard store and forward still image otoscopy, in a paediatric population.

Research

Children with otitis media mount a pneumococcal serotype specific serum IgG and IgA response comparable to healthy controls after pneumococcal conjugate vaccination

We investigated the suggestion that otitis-prone children have an impaired antibody response in the context of pneumococcal vaccination.

Research

Genetic susceptibility to otitis media in childhood

Reviewed in this article these studies have identified positive association at 21 genes with association at five of these replicated in independent populations.