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Research

Malaria in Bhutan has fallen significantly over the last decade. As Bhutan attempts to eliminate malaria in 2022, this study aimed to characterize the space-time clustering of malaria from 2010 to 2019. Malaria data were obtained from the Bhutan Vector-Borne Disease Control Program data repository.

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

Scabies, impetigo, and other skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are highly prevalent in many tropical, low-middle income settings, but information regarding their burden of disease is scarce. We conducted surveillance of presentations of scabies and SSTIs, including impetigo, abscesses, cellulitis, and se≈vere SSTI, to primary health facilities in Fiji.

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

Hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes (HCPS) account for at least 10% of paediatric cancers.1 Li‐Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a dominant HCPS caused by mutations in the TP53 gene and is associated with an 80–90% lifetime risk of cancer, commencing in infancy.2 Children of affected individuals are at 50% risk of inheriting the family mutation.

Research

The BCG vaccine has long been recognized for reducing the risk to suffer from infectious diseases unrelated to its target disease, tuberculosis. Evidence from human trials demonstrate substantial reductions in all-cause mortality, especially in the first week of life. Observational studies have identified an association between BCG vaccination and reduced risk of respiratory infectious disease and clinical malaria later in childhood.

Research

In 2022, the World Health Organization extended their guidelines for perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) from infants to children up to 24 months old. However, evidence for PMC's public health impact is primarily limited to children under 15 months. Further research is needed to assess the public health impact and cost-effectiveness of PMC, and the added benefit of further age-expansion. We integrated an individual-based model of malaria with pharmacological models of drug action to address these questions for PMC and a proposed age-expanded schedule (referred as PMC+, for children 03-36 months).

Research

The dual-factor model of mental health proposes that high wellbeing and low distress are necessary to define mental health. This study used latent profile analysis to identify mental health profiles in a sample of 3,587 Australian grade 6 students and explored the association between mental health profiles and school outcomes measured in grades 7 and 9.

Research

Advanced hybrid closed-loop (AHCL) therapy improves glycemia. However, it is not known if there is an improvement in overall outcomes with AHCL for youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at high risk of diabetes-related complications. The study aimed to capture the experiences of youth with suboptimal glycemic control when commencing AHCL therapy in a clinical trial setting. 

Research

Knowledge of developmental trends in meeting age-specific 24-hour movement behaviour guidelines is lacking. This study describes developmental trends in device-measured physical activity and sedentary time over a three-year period among Western Australian children aged two to seven years, including differences between boys and girls.