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Research

The Philippines reports a high prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections despite the implementation of nationwide mass drug administration since 2006. The spatial variation of STH infections in the Philippines was last described using the 2005-2007 national STH and schistosomiasis survey. This study aimed to identify sociodemographic and environmental factors that drive STH transmission and predict high-risk areas in the Philippines.

Research

Mental illness is a public health challenge disproportionately affecting rural Australians. GPs provide most of the mental health care, and they report increasing levels of burnout and unsustainable workload in the context of increased patient complexity. This may be more salient in rural settings characterised by resource constraints. In this paper, we use evaluation data from a GP psychiatry phone line established in Western Australia's Great Southern region in 2021 to describe GPs' perspectives on the service and reflect on how it may help alleviate rural GP workload. 

Research

Besides motor impairments, up to 90% of the children and adolescents with unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP) present with somatosensory impairments in the upper limb. As somatosensory information is of utmost importance for coordinated movements and motor learning, somatosensory impairments can further compromise the effective use of the impaired upper limb in daily life activities. 

Research

Alexithymia is a trait involving difficulties identifying feelings, difficulties describing feelings, and an externally orientated thinking style. It is an important risk factor for a range of psychopathologies, and its assessment is therefore important in research and clinical settings. Originally created in English, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S) is a brief 6-item self-report measure of alexithymia. 

Research

Streptococcus pyogenes (also known as group A Streptococcus , Strep A) is an obligate human pathogen with significant global morbidity and mortality. Transmission is believed to occur primarily between individuals via respiratory droplets, but knowledge about other potential sources of transmission via aerosols or the environment is limited. Such knowledge is required to design optimal interventions to control transmission, particularly in endemic settings.

Research

DNA-informed prescribing (termed pharmacogenomics, PGx) is the epitome of personalised medicine. Despite international guidelines existing, its implementation in paediatric oncology remains sparse.

Research

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination has off-target (non-specific) effects that are associated with protection against unrelated infections and decreased all-cause mortality in infants. We aimed to determine whether BCG vaccination prevents febrile and respiratory infections in adults.

Research

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory infections in children worldwide. The highest incidence of severe disease is in the first 6 months of life, with infants born preterm at greatest risk for severe RSV infections. 

Research

Mitochondria are hubs of metabolic activity with a major role in ATP conversion by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The mammalian mitochondrial genome encodes 11 mRNAs encoding 13 OXPHOS proteins along with 2 rRNAs and 22 tRNAs, that facilitate their translation on mitoribosomes.

Research

Pregnant women are advised to take folic acid (FA) supplements before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy. Many women continue FA supplementation throughout pregnancy, and concerns have been raised about associations between excessive FA intake and adverse maternal and child health outcomes.