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Severe microcephaly, or head circumference at least 3 standard deviations below the mean for age and sex, is a rare condition with diverse etiology, making diagnosis challenging. Following the 2015 to 2016 Zika virus outbreak, surveillance studies in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and Ireland were conducted to monitor severe microcephaly. We describe the etiology, clinical features, and diagnostic investigations of severe microcephaly among children aged younger than 1 year.
Otitis media (OM) is a significant health concern, particularly among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children who experience one of the highest rates of OM globally. This study aimed to evaluate the use and differences of wideband absorbance at ambient pressure (WBA) among urban Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal children with suspected OM based on standard tympanometry.
Information on factors contributing to quality of life (QOL) informs meaningful patient-centred care. We evaluated factors influencing QOL in individuals with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) and other severe neurodevelopmental encephalopathy conditions using hypothesis-free regression tree analysis.
Physical activity can support physical and mental health among children living with chronic health conditions; however, programmes must be tailored to their specific needs to support participation.
The aim of this study was to identify and prioritise the ten most important unanswered themes in rare disease research in Australia by integrating perspectives of key stakeholders, including people living with rare disease, parents/carers, health professionals, and rare disease community advocates.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Asexual/Aromantic (LGBTIQA+) people and other individuals with diverse sexual orientation, sex and/or gender identity experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at higher rates than non-LGBTIQA+ people but often receive inconsistent culturally competent healthcare, which deters help-seeking.
Repetitive Negative Thinking (RNT) during pregnancy is a key risk factor for psychopathology in the perinatal period. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying prenatal RNT remain poorly understood. Recent research has suggested that a tendency to volitionally seek negative rather than positive information (i.e., biased information seeking) may contribute to the formation of more negative prenatal expectations, which in turn predict elevated prenatal RNT.
Monkeypox virus (MPXV) has been linked to vertical transmission, but systematic data are scarce. We aimed to describe the sociodemographic, clinical, and virological characteristics and assess the frequency and determinants of adverse outcomes in pregnant women with MPXV clade I infection.
Hereditary pancreatitis causes severe early-onset pain and hospitalisation. In 15 Australian patients undergoing total pancreatectomy and islet auto transplantation (TPIAT), we observed a marked reduction in hospital admissions, inpatient days and emergency visits, complete analgesic cessation by 24 months and durable insulin independence in nearly half of the patients. These findings highlight TPIAT's potential to improve quality of life and reduce healthcare burden. Our programme aims to build evidence to support public funding and ensure equitable access to this procedure.
Ambient heat exposure during pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes, and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes are an emerging concern. This scoping review synthesises human and animal evidence on the association between prenatal ambient heat exposure and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes.