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Research

Severe, invasive Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infections result in greater than 500,000 deaths annually. First line treatment for such infections is benzylpenicillin, often with the addition of clindamycin, but treatment failure can occur with this regimen. This failure has been partially attributed to the inoculum effect, which presents as reduced antibiotic susceptibility during high bacterial density and plateau-phase growth.

Research

We describe the birth prevalence and characteristics of congenital heart defects in a geographically defined Australian population. This descriptive, population-based study examined congenital heart defects in live births, stillbirths and pregnancy terminations ascertained by the Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies, 1990-2016.

Research

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a human pathogen of global importance, classified into serotypes based on the type of capsular polysaccharide produced. Serotyping of pneumococci is essential for disease surveillance and vaccine impact measurement.

Research

We assessed the utility of routine viral surveillance for cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus and human adenovirus in children <16 years, undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) at a single centre over a 10-year period. A total of 85 ASCT were performed in 65 patients.

Research

Children who have an older sibling diagnosed with autism have an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with autism or developing broader developmental difficulties. This study explored perinatal experiences of parents of a child diagnosed with autism, spanning pre-conception until the subsequent child’s early developmental period.

Research

Antibodies that target immune checkpoints such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA‐4) and the programmed cell death protein 1/ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) are now a treatment option for multiple cancer types. However, as a monotherapy, objective responses only occur in a minority of patients. Chemotherapy is widely used in combination with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Although a variety of isolated immunostimulatory effects have been reported for several classes of chemotherapeutics, it is unclear which chemotherapeutics provide the most benefit when combined with ICB.

Research

Globally, Indigenous people have a greater incidence and earlier onset of diabetes than the general population and have higher documented rates of emotional distress and mental illness. This systematic review will provide a synthesis and critical appraisal of the evidence focused on the social and emotional well-being of Indigenous peoples living with diabetes, including prevalence, impact, moderators, and the efficacy of interventions.

Research

This paper explores neighborhood-built environment features related to ‘better than expected’ and ‘as expected’ early childhood development outcomes (ECD) in 14 Australian disadvantaged communities. This paper draws from mixed methods data collected in the Kids in Communities Study–an Australian investigation of community effects on ECD–in communities across five states and territories.

Research

The prevalence of bullying worldwide is high (UNESCO, 2018). Over the past decades, many anti-bullying interventions have been developed to remediate this problem. However, we lack insight into for whom these interventions work and what individual intervention components drive the total intervention effects.

Research

This Series on urban design, transport, and health aimed to facilitate development of a global system of health-related policy and spatial indicators to assess achievements and deficiencies in urban and transport policies and features. This final paper in the Series summarises key findings, considers what to do next, and outlines urgent key actions.