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Research

A peer support intervention for first-time mothers: Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the mummy buddy program

The transition to motherhood, although joyous, can be highly stressful, and the availability of professional postpartum support for mothers is often limited. Peer volunteer support programs may offer a viable and cost-effective method to provide community-based support for new mothers. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of a peer volunteer support program-The Mummy Buddy Program-in which experienced volunteer mothers are paired with, and trained to offer social support to, first-time mothers.

Research

Climate change, activism, and supporting the mental health of children and young people: Perspectives from Western Australia

The climate crisis has detrimental impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Psychological effects include feelings of fear, overwhelm, worry, distress, hopelessness and anger; PTSD; depression; anxiety; phobias; panic disorder; sleep disturbances; attachment disorders; learning difficulties; substance abuse; shock and trauma symptoms; adjustment problems; behavioural problems; and, suicidal thinking.

Research

Substantial intra‐individual variability in post‐prandial time to peak in controlled and free‐living conditions in children with Type 1 diabetes

The optimal time to bolus insulin for meals is challenging for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Current guidelines to control glucose excursions do not account for individual differences in glycaemic responses to meals.

Research

Target identification for small-molecule discovery in the FOXO3a tumor-suppressor pathway using a biodiverse peptide library

Genetic screening technologies to identify and validate macromolecular interactions (MMIs) essential for complex pathways remain an important unmet need for systems biology and therapeutics development. Here, we use a library of peptides from diverse prokaryal genomes to screen MMIs promoting the nuclear relocalization of Forkhead Box O3 (FOXO3a), a tumor suppressor more frequently inactivated by post-translational modification than mutation.

Research

Aboriginal perspectives on recognising clinical deterioration in their child and communicating concerns to clinicians

To explore the perspectives of family members of Aboriginal children about a) their involvement in recognising clinical deterioration in a hospital setting and b) the effectiveness of a poster designed to promote family involvement.

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Protection against neonatal respiratory viral infection via maternal treatment during pregnancy with the benign immune training agent OM-85

Incomplete maturation of immune regulatory functions at birth is antecedent to the heightened risk for severe respiratory infections during infancy. Our forerunner animal model studies demonstrated that maternal treatment with the microbial-derived immune training agent OM-85 during pregnancy promotes accelerated postnatal maturation of mechanisms that regulate inflammatory processes in the offspring airways.

Research

Co-Designing Health Service Evaluation Tools That Foreground First Nation Worldviews for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes

It 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

The association of mobile touch screen device use with parent-child attachment: a systematic review

Mobile touch screen devices (smartphones and tablet computers) have become an integral part of many parents’ and children’s lives, with this interaction linked to physical, mental and social outcomes. Despite the known importance of parent-child attachment, evidence on the association between device use and attachment was yet to be reviewed.

Research

The Rett Syndrome Gross Motor Scale–Dutch Version (RSGMS-NL) Can Reliably Assess Gross Motor Skills in Dutch Individuals with Rett Syndrome

The 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

Peri-operative steroid management in the paediatric population

Patients with adrenal insufficiency are at risk of adrenal crisis, a potentially life-threatening emergency in the peri-operative period due to their attenuated ability to mount a cortisol response.