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Research

Chronic wet cough in children is the hallmark symptom of protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) and if left untreated can lead to bronchiectasis, which is prevalent in Indigenous populations. Underrecognition of chronic wet cough by parents and clinicians and underdiagnosis of PBB by clinicians are known.

Research

Neutrophils are key cells of the innate immune system. It is now understood that this leukocyte population is diverse in both the basal composition and functional plasticity. Underlying this plasticity is a post-translational framework for rapidly achieving early activation states, but also a transcriptional capacity that is becoming increasingly recognized by immunologists.

News & Events

Respiratory disease remains one of the most significant complications of preterm birth, with lasting consequences.

News & Events

A ground-breaking global clinical trial to improve the lifelong lung health of children born extremely prematurely has been awarded a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) International Clinical Trials Collaborations Grant totalling almost $3 million.

News & Events

Five researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded three-year fellowships with the aim of keeping more WA-based PhD graduates involved in child health research.

News & Events

Five The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers working across diverse and highly impactful areas of child health research have been named as finalists for the 2023 Premier’s Science Awards.

News & Events

Bushfires can have a considerable impact on our health, with some symptoms lasting long after the flames are extinguished. And our children are amongst the most vulnerable.

Research

Structural and functional defects within the lungs of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) are detectable soon after birth and progress throughout preschool years often without overt clinical signs or symptoms. By school age, most children have structural changes such as bronchiectasis or gas trapping/hypoperfusion and lung function abnormalities that persist into later life. Despite improved survival, gains in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) achieved across successive birth cohorts during childhood have plateaued, and rates of FEV1 decline in adolescence and adulthood have not slowed. This suggests that interventions aimed at preventing lung disease should be targeted to mild disease and commence in early life.

Research

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases the risk of perioperative adverse events in children. While polysomnography remains the reference standard for OSA diagnosis, oximetry is a valuable screening tool. The traditional practice is the manual analysis of desaturation clusters derived from a tabletop device using the McGill oximetry score. However, automated analysis of wearable oximetry data can be an alternative. This study investigated the accuracy of wrist-worn oximetry with automated analysis as a preoperative OSA screening tool.

Research

High population density and tourism in Southeast Asia increase the risk of mpox due to frequent interpersonal contacts. Our wastewater surveillance in six Southeast Asian countries revealed positive signals for Monkeypox virus (MPXV) DNA, indicating local transmission. This alerts clinicians and helps allocate resources like testing, vaccines and therapeutics in resource-limited countries.