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Reports and Findings

2025 ESAIC and ESPA Guidelines on neuromuscular block in anaesthetised children: Indications, monitoring and reversal

Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg AM FAHMS MD, PhD, DEAA, FANZA Chair of Paediatric anaesthesia, University of Western Australia; Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist, Perth Children’s Hospital; Head, Perioperative Medicine Chair of Paediatric

Pharmacological inhibition of sclerostin protects bone from B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia-mediated destruction

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common pediatric cancer. Current therapeutic regimens have improved 5-year event-free survival rates to 90%, however clinical outcomes for high-risk subgroups, such as BCR-ABL1+ B-ALL and relapsed ALL, remain poor. In addition, 16% of newly diagnosed children with ALL present with vertebral compression fractures. Moreover, 16% of children with ALL undergoing glucocorticoid therapy also experience a high incidence of vertebral fractures, indicating that bone health may be compromised by both leukemia progression and osteotoxicity of chemotherapy.

Cost-Effectiveness of Oral Immunotherapy Treatments vs No Treatment for Peanut Allergy in Children

The first peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) for children was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020. While clinical efficacy is established, evidence on cost-effectiveness-whether the benefits outweigh the costs and adverse effects-remains limited. A variant of OIT, known as probiotic and peanut OIT (PPOIT), has shown similar efficacy in trials.

Social Identification as a Predictor of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Could Men’s Sheds Be a Potential “Social Cure” for Older Men?

Men’s Sheds offer promising sites for unique health promotion opportunities, and while prior work has identified potential mechanisms that may support wellbeing, these mechanisms are yet to be empirically clarified in the Men’s Shed context. This study investigated the relationships between engagement in Men’s Sheds, social identification, social connectedness, social support, and wellbeing outcomes in Men’s Shed members in Western Australia.

A systematic review of the use of artificial intelligence in mental health–based diabetes care: Current applications and future directions

To map and systematise existing research on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in mental health-based diabetes care contexts, identify trends and potential gaps in the literature, examine methodological limitations and highlight future research directions.

Distinct Enterovirus Antigen Landscape in Children With Islet Autoimmunity

Enteroviruses (EVs) have long been implicated in the development of islet autoimmunity (IA) and type 1 diabetes. However, given the ubiquity of EV infections in children, disease susceptibility is likely driven by host-specific immune responses rather than viral exposure alone.

The AuTOMATIC trial: a multicentre digitally-automated, Bayesian, adaptive, parallel, factorial randomised controlled trial of SMS reminders for childhood vaccination

The estimated effectiveness of SMS (short message service) reminders for improving childhood vaccine coverage and timeliness has varied in previous studies. The observed heterogeneity in effectiveness may be explained in part by variation in reminder content or timing of the reminder relative to the vaccine schedule date. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of SMS reminders of varied content and timing for improving on-time childhood vaccination.

Increased burden of invasive group A streptococcal disease among Australian children, 2023–2024: a prospective cohort study

Global rates of invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS) disease surged from September 2022, exceeding pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, showing atypical seasonality and disproportionately affecting children. We previously described the epidemiology of iGAS among Australian children from mid-2018 to end 2022 using data from the Paediatric Active Enhanced Diseases network and here provide updated clinical epidemiology for 2023 and 2024 to help inform public health strategies.

AI succeeds in diagnosing rare diseases

Timo Lassmann BSc (Hons) MSc PhD Feilman Fellow; Head, Precision Health Research and Head, Translational Intelligence timo.lassmann@thekids.org.au Feilman Fellow; Head, Precision Health Research and Head, Translational Intelligence Associate

AIRWAY-Preterm Cohort

The AIRWAY-Preterm cohort is one of the most robust, well-studied cohorts in the world!