Search
Research
Factors associated with pneumococcal carriage and density in children and adults in Fiji, using four cross-sectional surveysThis study describes predictors of pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage and density in Fiji
Research
Preoperative identification of children at high risk of obstructive sleep apneaObstructive sleep apnea poses as an anesthetic challenge, and it is a well-known risk factor for perioperative adverse events
Research
Acute Tryptophan Depletion Moja-De: A Method to Study Central Nervous Serotonin Function in Children and AdolescentsSerotonin (5-HT) is widely implicated as a key neurotransmitter relevant to a range of psychiatric disorders and psychological processes. The role of central nervous 5-HT function underlying these processes can be examined through serotonergic challenge methodologies.
Research
Identifying young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in linked administrative data: A comparison of methodsIn the ongoing debate on optimum methods for identification of Indigenous people within linked administrative data, few studies have examined the impacts of method on population counts and outcomes in family-based linkage studies of Aboriginal children.
Research
SmartStartAllergy: a novel tool for monitoring food allergen introduction in infantsInfant feeding practices in Australia have changed over the past decade; a large majority of infants are now fed peanut before 12 months of age
Research
Maps and metrics of insecticide-treated net access, use, and nets-per-capita in Africa from 2000-2020Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are one of the most widespread and impactful malaria interventions in Africa, yet a spatially-resolved time series of ITN coverage has never been published. Using data from multiple sources, we generate high-resolution maps of ITN access, use, and nets-per-capita annually from 2000 to 2020 across the 40 highest-burden African countries.
Research
Maternal prenatal stress exposure and sex-specific risk of severe infection in offspringMaternal stressful life events during pregnancy have been associated with immune dysregulation and increased risk for asthma and atopy in offspring. Few studies have investigated whether prenatal stress is associated with increased overall or specific infectious diseases in childhood, nor explored sex differences. We sought to examine the relationship between the nature and timing of maternal stress in pregnancy and hospitalisation with infection in offspring.
Research
Health and climate change MJA–Lancet Countdown report: Australia gets another failing grade in 2020 but shows signs of progressAt the end of 2019 and into 2020, catastrophic fires in Australia consumed homes, lives, wildlife, and land. Just as the fires subsided, Australia, like the rest of the world, faced another emergency—the COVID-19 pandemic. It is instructive to reflect on lessons from the health disasters of the past year. Following publication of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA)–Lancet Australian Countdown was published in December, 2020. This annual report on health and climate change in Australia is in its third year and comprises the efforts of five Australian institutions, in collaboration with University College London, UK, facilitated by a partnership between The Lancet and the MJA.
Research
ACE2 expression is elevated in airway epithelial cells from older and male healthy individuals but reduced in asthmaCOVID-19 is complicated by acute lung injury, and death in some individuals. It is caused by SARS-CoV-2 that requires the ACE2 receptor and serine proteases to enter AEC. We determined what factors are associated with ACE2 expression particularly in patients with asthma and COPD. We obtained lower AEC from 145 people from two independent cohorts, aged 2-89 years, Newcastle (n = 115) and Perth (n = 30), Australia. The Newcastle cohort was enriched with people with asthma (n = 37) and COPD (n = 38). Gene expression for ACE2 and other genes potentially associated with SARS-CoV-2 cell entry was assessed by qPCR, and protein expression was confirmed with immunohistochemistry on endobronchial biopsies and cultured AEC.
Research
Healing Anthropocene Syndrome: Planetary Health Requires Remediation of the Toxic Post-Truth EnvironmentThe term “Anthropocene Syndrome” describes the wicked interrelated challenges of our time. We expand the discourse on positive social contagion and argue that empowerment through education can help lead to an information transformation with the aim of flourishing along every link in the person, place and planet continuum.