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We welcomed the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann and Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop to the Institute.

Research

Absence of association between maternal adverse events and long-term gut microbiome outcomes in the Australian autism biobank

Maternal immune activation and prenatal maternal stress are well-studied risk factors for psychiatric conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. Animal studies have proposed the gut microbiome as a mechanism underlying this association and have found that risk factor-related gut microbiome alterations persist in the adult offspring.

Game-changing program for kids with social and communication differences

A world-first program for babies with differences in their social and communication skills is aiming to help parents and caregivers better understand the different ways their child communicates.

Research

Critical Appraisal of Systematic Reviews Assessing Gut Microbiota and Effect of Probiotic Supplementation in Children with ASD—An Umbrella Review

Given the significance of gut microbiota in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we aimed to assess the quality of systematic reviews (SRs) of studies assessing gut microbiota and effects of probiotic supplementation in children with ASD. PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Medline, and Cochrane databases were searched from inception to November 2024.

Research

Accuracy of a 2-minute eye-tracking assessment to differentiate young children with and without autism

Eye-tracking could expedite autism identification/diagnosis through standardisation and objectivity. We tested whether Gazefinder autism assessment, with Classification Algorithm derived from gaze fixation durations, would have good accuracy (area under the curve [AUC] ≥ 0.80) to differentiate 2-4-year-old autistic from non-autistic children.

Research

Severe adverse events following benzathine penicillin G injection for rheumatic heart disease prophylaxis

Jonathan Rosemary Carapetis AM Wyber AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS MBChB MPH FRACGP PhD Executive Director; Co-Head, Strep A Translation; Co-Founder

Research

Structured review of primary interventions to reduce group A streptococcal infections, acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a large, preventable, global public health burden. In New Zealand (NZ), acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and RHD rates are highest for Māori and Pacific children. This structured review explores the evidence for primary prevention interventions to diagnose and effectively treat group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis and skin infections to reduce rates of ARF and RHD.

Research

Call for a national sore throat guideline

Australia needs a single national pharyngitis guideline to assist in providing rational, consistent and timely antibiotic treatment to patients at high risk of ARF

Research

Position statement of the World Heart Federation on the prevention and control of rheumatic heart disease

In the 21st century, rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are neglected diseases of marginalized communities.

Research

The Heart Health Yarning Tool: Co-Designing a Shared Decision-Making Tool With Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Risk Management

Due to the ongoing impact of colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live with a greater burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than non-Indigenous Australians. Shared decision-making (SDM) is recognised as an essential component of person-centred care. However, there has been a lack of tools to support clinician communication and SDM to address CVD prevention in this important 'at-risk' population.