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Interpregnancy interval and adverse birth outcomes: a population-based cohort study of twinsTo investigate associations between interpregnancy intervals (IPIs) and adverse birth outcomes in twin pregnancies.
Research
Altered dietary behaviour during pregnancy impacts systemic metabolic phenotypesEvidence suggests consumption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) can positively impact both maternal and offspring health, potentially mediated by a beneficial effect on inflammatory pathways. We aimed to apply metabolic profiling of serum and urine samples to assess differences between women who were stratified into high and low alignment to a MD throughout pregnancy and investigate the relationship of the diet to inflammatory markers.
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Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men: A discussion to be hadFetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a lifelong disability of varying severity that occurs among individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians, the effects of colonisation and ongoing racism could increase the risk of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

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Urgent need to reduce preventable deaths in Aboriginal MumsA study by researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia has found Aboriginal mothers are at a significantly greater risk of preventable death than other Australia
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Perinatal psychiatric emergencies in rural Australia: In urgent need of attentionThe burden of perinatal mental illness is a significant global concern, affecting approximately 10–20% of women at this stage of life. It is well recognised that Rural Australia has far less health services and mental health specialists per capita than metropolitan regions.
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Neonatal bacterial sepsisNeonatal sepsis remains one of the key challenges of neonatal medicine, and together with preterm birth, causes almost 50% of all deaths globally for children younger than 5 years. Compared with advances achieved for other serious neonatal and early childhood conditions globally, progress in reducing neonatal sepsis has been much slower, especially in low-resource settings that have the highest burden of neonatal sepsis morbidity and mortality.
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Autism likelihood in infants born to mothers with asthma is associated with blood inflammatory gene biomarkers in pregnancyMothers with asthma or atopy have a higher likelihood of having autistic children, with maternal immune activation in pregnancy implicated as a mechanism. This study aimed to determine, in a prospective cohort of mothers with asthma and their infants, whether inflammatory gene expression in pregnancy is associated with likelihood of future autism.
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Per Os to Protection – Targeting the Oral Route to Enhance Immune-mediated Protection from Disease of the Human NewbornValerie Verhasselt MD, PhD Head, Immunology and Breastfeeding 0402997617 Valerie.verhasselt@thekids.org.au Head, Immunology and Breastfeeding @
Research
Wildfire smoke exposure during pregnancy and perinatal, obstetric, and early childhood health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysisMaternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, although less is known for wildfire smoke. This systematic review evaluated the association between maternal exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy and the risk of perinatal, obstetric, and early childhood health outcomes.
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The impact of diabetes during pregnancy on neonatal outcomes among the Aboriginal population in Western Australia: a whole-population studyAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter Aboriginal) women have a high prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy (DIP), which includes pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to characterize the impact of DIP in babies born to Aboriginal mothers.