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Cases of trisomy 21 and trisomy 18 among historic and prehistoric individuals discovered from ancient DNAAneuploidies, and in particular, trisomies represent the most common genetic aberrations observed in human genetics today. To explore the presence of trisomies in historic and prehistoric populations we screen nearly 10,000 ancient human individuals for the presence of three copies of any of the target autosomes. We find clear genetic evidence for six cases of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and one case of trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), and all cases are present in infant or perinatal burials.
Research
Caregivers' Perceptions of Clinical Symptoms, Disease Management, and Quality of Life Impact in Cases of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Like 5 Deficiency Disorder: Cross-Sectional Online SurveyCyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) deficiency disorder (CDD) is an ultrarare genetic condition causing developmental epileptic encephalopathy characterized by seizures and motor and intellectual disabilities. No disease-modifying therapies are available, and treatments focus mainly on symptom management to improve quality of life.
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Stepwise GATA1 and SMC3 mutations alter megakaryocyte differentiation in a Down syndrome leukemia modelAcute megakaryoblastic leukemia of Down syndrome (DS-AMKL) is a model of clonal evolution from a preleukemic transient myeloproliferative disorder requiring both a trisomy 21 (T21) and a GATA1s mutation to a leukemia driven by additional driver mutations.

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NHMRC funding awarded to support child health researchThe Kids Research Institute Australia researchers have been awarded more than $10 million in research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Research
Caregiver-reported meaningful change in functional domains for individuals with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy: A convergent mixed-methods designTo investigate how caregivers of children with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy and severe developmental impairments describe meaningful change for functional domains and why it is important.
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Exploring Oral Health Related Quality of Life in Rett Syndrome Using Directed Content AnalysisNo validated oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) instrument currently exists for those with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities and who communicate non-verbally. This qualitative study aimed to explore the domains that were important to the oral health-related quality of life in individuals with Rett syndrome.
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What I Wish I Had Known: Examining Parent Accounts of Managing the Health of Their Child With Intellectual DisabilityAppropriate support for the health of children with an intellectual disability by parents and healthcare professionals is pivotal, given the high risk of chronic conditions. However, there is limited research that has collected important insights from parents on their learnings for supporting their child's evolving healthcare needs.
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Eating and drinking abilities and respiratory and oral health in children and young adults with cerebral palsyTo investigate the potential risk factors of respiratory illness (ethnicity, oral health, and eating and drinking ability) in children and young adults with cerebral palsy.
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Siblings of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Conditions: Perspectives on Risk, Resiliency and Future Research DirectionsSiblings of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) are at increased genetic and environmental risk for poorer psychosocial and neurocognitive outcomes compared to control groups of siblings of individuals without NDCs.
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Efficacy of Health Literacy Interventions for Caregivers of Individuals with Neurodevelopmental and Chronic Conditions: A Rapid ReviewCaregivers of individuals with neurodevelopmental and chronic health conditions require health literacy (HL) skills for the long-term management of these conditions. The aim of this rapid review was to investigate the efficacy of HL interventions for these caregivers.