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Research

Contemporary models of NICU care emphasize the critical role of parents in supporting their infant's development. Fathers play an important, but underutilized, role throughout their infant's NICU journey. This narrative review describes the main direct and indirect mechanisms through which fathers support the development of their NICU infant, and the barriers and facilitators to this support as described in current research.

Research

Microbiome science has been one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving research fields in the past two decades. Breakthroughs in technologies including DNA sequencing have meant that the trillions of microbes (particularly bacteria) inhabiting human biological niches (particularly the gut) can be profiled and analysed in exquisite detail.

Research

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is an effective treatment for pediatric patients with high-risk, refractory, or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, a large proportion of transplanted patients eventually die due to relapse. To improve overall survival, we propose a combined strategy based on cord blood (CB)-HCT with the application of AML-specific T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cell therapy derived from the same CB graft.

Research

The incidence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults is inadequately defined and the impact of SARS-CoV-2-related non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is underexplored. Using laboratory data, we described the detection rate of RSV in adults ≥16 years in Western Australia (WA) between 2017 and 2023.

Research

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a key method for the continuous monitoring of COVID-19 prevalence including circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages. WBE addresses the limitations of traditional clinical COVID-19 surveillance such as clinical test availability, fluctuating testing rates, and increased reliance on rapid antigen tests. 

Research

While undernutrition has been identified as a common risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), its impact on treatment outcomes has yet to be investigated in high TB burden and low-income countries such as Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of undernutrition on treatment outcomes among patients with TB in northwest Ethiopia. 

Research

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in young children and the second leading cause of infant death worldwide. While global circulation has been extensively studied for respiratory viruses such as seasonal influenza, and more recently also in great detail for SARS-CoV-2, a lack of global multi-annual sampling of complete RSV genomes limits our understanding of RSV molecular epidemiology.

Research

Asthma during pregnancy is associated with a range of adverse perinatal outcomes. It is also linked to increased rates of neurodevelopmental conditions in the offspring. We aimed to assess whether fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO)-based asthma management during pregnancy improves child developmental and behavioural outcomes compared to usual care. The Breathing for Life Trial was a randomised controlled trial that compared FENO-based asthma management during pregnancy to usual care.

Research

Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of long-term metabolic disease in the offspring, potentially mediated by in utero epigenetic variation. Previously, we identified multiple differentially methylated single CpG sites in offspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus, but whether stretches of differentially methylated regions can also be identified in adolescent GDM offspring is unknown.

Research

Programmable DNA endonucleases derived from bacterial genetic defense systems, exemplified by CRISPR-Cas9, have made it significantly easier to perform genomic modifications in living cells. However, unprogrammed, off-target modifications can have serious consequences, as they often disrupt the function or regulation of non-targeted genes and compromise the safety of therapeutic gene editing applications.