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Directing the future breakthroughs in immunotherapy: The importance of a holistic approach to the tumour microenvironmentImmunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of cancers by exploiting the immune system to eliminate tumour cells. Despite the impressive response in a proportion of patients, clinical benefit has been limited thus far.
Research
The immunotoxicity, but not anti-tumor efficacy, of anti-CD40 and anti-CD137 immunotherapies is dependent on the gut microbiotaImmune agonist antibodies (IAAs) are promising immunotherapies that target co-stimulatory receptors to induce potent anti-tumor immune responses, particularly when combined with checkpoint inhibitors.
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Estimating the excess burden of pertussis disease in Australia within the first year of life, that might have been prevented through timely vaccinationPrevious Australian studies have shown that delayed vaccination with each of the three primary doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-containing vaccines (DTP) is up to 50 % in certain subpopulations. We estimated the excess burden of pertussis that might have been prevented if (i) all primary doses and (ii) each dose was given on time.
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The AuTOMATIC trial: a study protocol for a multi-arm Bayesian adaptive randomised controlled trial of text messaging to improve childhood immunisation coverageWhile most Australian children are vaccinated, delays in vaccination can put them at risk from preventable infections. Widespread mobile phone ownership in Australia could allow automated short message service (SMS) reminders to be used as a low-cost strategy to effectively 'nudge' parents towards vaccinating their children on time.
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Genome Sequence of a Lytic Staphylococcus aureus Bacteriophage Isolated from Breast MilkWe identified a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bacteriophage appearing to belong to Herelleviridae, genus Kayvirus. The bacteriophage, Biyabeda-mokiny 1, was isolated from breast milk using a clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus.
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Diabetic Ketoacidosis at Onset of Type 1 Diabetes and Long-term HbA1c in 7,961 Children and Young Adults in the Australasian Diabetes Data NetworkThe relationship between diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and long-term glycemic control varies between studies. We aimed, firstly, to characterize the association of DKA and its severity with long-term HbA1c in a large contemporary cohort, and secondly, to identify other independent determinants of long-term HbA1c.
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A modelling approach to estimate the transmissibility of SARS-CoV 2 during periods of high, low, and zero case incidenceAgainst a backdrop ofwidespread global transmission, a number of countries have successfully brought large outbreaks of COVID-19 under control and maintained near-elimination status. A key element of epidemic response is the tracking of disease transmissibility in near real-time. During major out-breaks, the effective reproduction number can be estimated froma time-series of case, hospitalisation or death counts. In low or zero incidence settings, knowing the potential for the virus to spread is a response priority.
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Perspectives of health service providers in delivering best-practice care for Aboriginal mothers and their babies during the postnatal periodEvidence suggests that Aboriginal babies in Western Australia are not receiving adequate primary health care in their first 3 months of life, leading to questions about enablers and constraints to delivering such care. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research project investigating health providers' perceptions and experiences of best and current practice in discharge planning, postnatal care and health education for Aboriginal mothers and their newborn babies.
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Standardised treatment and monitoring protocol to assess safety and tolerability of bacteriophage therapy for adult and paediatric patients (STAMP study): protocol for an open-label, single-arm trialThere has been renewed interest in the therapeutic use of bacteriophages (phages); however, standardised therapeutic protocols are lacking, and there is a paucity of rigorous clinical trial data assessing efficacy.
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Trending now: modelling global epidemiology of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescentsType 1 diabetes, one of the common chronic conditions in children and adolescents, is a serious lifelong condition requiring daily treatment with exogenous insulin for survival. Descriptive epidemiology is important for planning of adequate diabetes health-care provision and could provide clues to aetiology. Over the past few decades, standardised diabetes incidence registries have provided a wealth of data from selected countries.