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The Kids researchers lead national trial to fight sepsis in premature infants

The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers will lead a new national clinical trial (COSI-2) to determine whether topical coconut oil can reduce late onset sepsis in extremely preterm infants.

Research

Whole-of-Life Inclusion in Bayesian Adaptive Platform Clinical Trials

There is a recognized unmet need for clinical trials to provide evidence-informed care for infants, children and adolescents. This Special Communication outlines the capacity of 3 distinct trial design strategies, sequential, parallel, and a unified adult-pediatric bayesian adaptive design, to incorporate children into clinical trials and transform this current state of evidence inequity. A unified adult-pediatric whole-of-life clinical trial is demonstrated through the Staphylococcus aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) trial.

Research

Amplitude-Integrated EEG in Infants at Risk of Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Feasibility Study in Road and Air Transport in Western Australia

Infants at risk of HIE require early identification and initiation of therapeutic hypothermia (TH). Earlier treatment with TH is associated with better outcomes. aEEG is frequently used when making the decision whether to commence TH. As this is often limited to tertiary centers, TH may be delayed if the infant requires transport to a center that provides it.

Research

Effects of a live versus heat-inactivated probiotic Bifidobacterium spp in preterm infants: a randomised clinical trial

Heat-inactivated probiotics (HPs) may provide an effective alternative to live probiotics by avoiding their risks (eg, probiotic sepsis) while retaining the benefits. We assessed the safety and efficacy of a HP in very preterm (VP: gestation <32 weeks) infants.  

Research

The Physicochemical Compatibility of Sildenafil Injection with Parenteral Medications Used in Neonatal Intensive Care Settings

Sildenafil is used to treat pulmonary hypertension in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings. As multiple intravenous (IV) medications are co-administered in NICU settings, we sought to investigate the physicochemical compatibility of sildenafil with a range of IV drugs.

Research

Molecular Methodologies for Improved Polymicrobial Sepsis Diagnosis

Polymicrobial sepsis is associated with worse patient outcomes than monomicrobial sepsis. Routinely used culture-dependent microbiological diagnostic techniques have low sensitivity, often leading to missed identification of all causative organisms.

Research

Protocol for the development of a core outcome set for neonatal sepsis (NESCOS)

Neonatal sepsis is a serious public health problem; however, there is substantial heterogeneity in the outcomes measured and reported in research evaluating the effectiveness of the treatments. Therefore, we aim to develop a Core Outcome Set (COS) for studies evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for neonatal sepsis.

Research

Retinopathy of prematurity and placental histopathology findings: A retrospective cohort study

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a biphasic vaso-proliferative disease that has the potential to cause blindness. In addition to prematurity and hyperoxia, perinatal infection and inflammation have been reported to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ROP. The aim of this study was to assess the association between placental inflammation and the severity of ROP.

Research

Look Who's Talking: Host and Pathogen Drivers of Staphylococcus epidermidis Virulence in Neonatal Sepsis

Preterm infants are at increased risk for invasive neonatal bacterial infections. S. epidermidis, a ubiquitous skin commensal, is a major cause of late-onset neonatal sepsis, particularly in high-resource settings. The vulnerability of preterm infants to serious bacterial infections is commonly attributed to their distinct and developing immune system.

Neonatal Health

Preterm babies have a heightened risk of infection as their immune system is not mature. The Neonatal Health Team is exploring new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat infections in WA's smallest patients .