Search
Research
The Rett Syndrome Gross Motor Scale–Dutch Version (RSGMS-NL) Can Reliably Assess Gross Motor Skills in Dutch Individuals with Rett SyndromeThe Rett Syndrome Gross Motor Scale (RSGMS) is an observational measurement, assessing gross motor skills in individuals with Rett syndrome. A Dutch version is lacking. The current study aims to translate and cross-culturally adapt the original RSMGS to Dutch and assess its inter-rater and intra-rater reliability.
Research
Co-Designing Health Service Evaluation Tools That Foreground First Nation Worldviews for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing OutcomesIt is critical that health service evaluation frameworks include Aboriginal people and their cultural worldviews from design to implementation. During a large participatory action research study, Elders, service leaders and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers co-designed evaluation tools to test the efficacy of a previously co-designed engagement framework. Through a series of co-design workshops, tools were built using innovative collaborative processes that foregrounded Aboriginal worldviews.
Research
National predictors of influenza vaccine uptake in pregnancy: the FluMum prospective cohort study, Australia, 2012-2015Our aim is to ascertain predictors of inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) uptake in pregnancy in mother-infant pairs from six Australian sites over four consecutive influenza seasons (2012-2015).
Research
Is the search for cerebral palsy 'cures' a reasonable and appropriate goal in the 2020s?In the field of disability research and advocacy, the notion of 'cures' is contentious. Cerebral palsy (CP) is no exception. In this narrative review, we combine perspectives gained during community consultation undertaken for the Australian and New Zealand Cerebral Palsy Strategy, 2020 with those published in the scientific and grey literature to understand whether 'cures for CP' is a reasonable and appropriate goal.
Research
Early surveillance of infants and preschool children with cystic fibrosisSensitive and non-invasive surveillance tools are needed for the clinical management of infants and preschool children with cystic fibrosis (CF). The lung clearance index from the multiple breath washout and functional and morphological outcomes from magnetic resonance imaging provide promising alternatives to current gold standard techniques. Early detection and treatment of lung disease during this important period offers the opportunity to improve the quality of life for individuals with CF.
Research
The longitudinal relationship between BOLD signal variability changes and white matter maturation during early childhoodIntra-individual transient temporal fluctuations in brain signal, as measured by fMRI blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) variability, is increasingly considered an important signal rather than measurement noise.
Research
Ending rheumatic heart disease in Australia: the evidence for a new approachThe RHD Endgame Strategy: the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease in Australia by 2031 (the Endgame Strategy) is the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australia by 2031. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live with one of the highest per capita burdens of RHD in the world.
Research
One vaccine for life: Lessons from immune ontogenyThere remains a general misconception that the immune status of the fetus and neonate is immature or insufficient. However, emerging research in immune ontogeny prompts reconsideration of this orthodoxy, reframing this period instead as one of unique opportunity. Vaccine responses (qualitative and quantitative) vary between individuals, and across demographic cohorts. Elements of baseline immune status and function predict vaccine response - some of these factors are well described, others remain a subject of ongoing research, especially with the rapidly expanding field of 'omics' research, enabled by development of highly granular immune profiling techniques and increasing computational capacity.
Research
Retinal differential light sensitivity variation across the macula in healthy subjects: Importance of cone separation and loci eccentricityMicroperimetry measures differential light sensitivity (DLS) at specific retinal locations. The aim of this study is to examine the variation in DLS across the macula and the contribution to this variation of cone distribution metrics and retinal eccentricity.
Research
Enhanced Neutralizing Antibody Responses to Rhinovirus C and Age-Dependent Patterns of InfectionRhinovirus (RV) C can cause asymptomatic infection and respiratory illnesses ranging from the common cold to severe wheezing. The aim was to identify how age and other individual-level factors are associated with susceptibility to RV-C illnesses. Longitudinal data from the COAST (Childhood Origins of Asthma) birth cohort study were analyzed to determine relationships between age and RV-C infections. Neutralizing antibodies specific for RV-A and RV-C (three types each) were determined using a novel PCR-based assay.