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Research

The vast and growing challenges for human health and all life on Earth require urgent and deep structural changes to the way in which we live. Broken relationships with nature are at the core of both the modern health crisis and the erosion of planetary health. A declining connection to nature has been implicated in the exploitative attitudes that underpin the degradation of both physical and social environments and almost all aspects of personal physical, mental, and spiritual health.

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Siblings of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) are exposed to unique family environments and experience a range of psychosocial risk and resilience factors.

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Prior to the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic, the germicidal effects of visible light were well known. This review provides an overview of new findings that suggest there are direct inactivating effects of visible light - particularly blue wavelengths on exposed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virions, and inhibitory effects on viral replication in infected cells. These findings complement emerging evidence that there may be clinical benefits of orally administered blue light for limiting the severity of COVID-19.

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Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are often perceived to be safer than smoking, which has led to some women switching to e-cigarettes during pregnancy. However, the effects of switching from smoking to e-cigarettes on both pregnancy outcomes and the foetus are largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of switching from tobacco smoking to e-cigarette use in very early pregnancy on birth outcomes, neurodevelopment and behaviour of the offspring.

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Between 1964 and 1996, the 10-year survival of patients having valve replacement surgery for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in the Northern Territory, Australia, was 68%. As medical care has evolved since then, this study aimed to determine whether there has been a corresponding improvement in survival.

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Poor maternal diet during pregnancy is a risk factor for severe lower respiratory infections in the offspring, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that in mice a maternal low-fiber diet led to enhanced LRI severity in infants because of delayed plasmacytoid dendritic cell recruitment and perturbation of regulatory T cell expansion in the lungs.

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The number of tRNA isodecoders has increased dramatically in mammals, but the specific molecular and physiological reasons for this expansion remain elusive. To address this fundamental question we used CRISPR editing to knockout the seven-membered phenylalanine tRNA gene family in mice, both individually and combinatorially.

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To describe trends, age-specific patterns, and factors influencing hospitalizations for 5 rare craniofacial anomalies.

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Pregnancy and early infancy are increased risk periods for severe adverse effects of respiratory infections. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (respectfully referred to as First Nations) women and children in Australia bear a disproportionately higher burden of respiratory diseases compared to non-Indigenous women and infants. Influenza vaccines and whooping cough (pertussis) vaccines are recommended and free in every Australian pregnancy to combat these infections.

Research

It is likely that young people who are both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTQA+ would be at increased risk for poor mental health outcomes due to the layered impacts of discrimination they experience; however, there is very little empirical evidence focused on the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people. The current study represents a qualitative exploration of wellbeing among Aboriginal LGBTQA+ young people.