Skip to content
The Kids Research Institute Australia logo
Donate

Search

Functional skills in MECP2 duplication syndrome: developmental dynamics and regression

MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS) is an ultrarare, X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder that is poorly understood in terms of its natural history and phenotypic variability. There is limited information on how individuals with MDS acquire, retain or lose fundamental functional skills (gross motor, purposeful hand function and communication) - that of which this study aimed to better characterise in the largest case series to date.

‘Beyond core business’: A qualitative review of activities supporting environmental health within remote Western Australian schools

Aboriginal children and families contend with higher rates of preventable infectious diseases that can be attributed to their immediate living environment. The environments in which children spend most of their time are their homes and schools. We aimed to understand the opportunities in the school setting to support student skin health and wellbeing through environmental health activities, how these activities were completed, and the barriers to their implementation.

Topical antibiotics for chronic suppurative otitis media

Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), sometimes referred to as chronic otitis media, is a chronic inflammation and often polymicrobial infection (involving more than one micro-organism) of the middle ear and mastoid cavity, characterised by ear discharge (otorrhoea) through a perforated tympanic membrane.

Postsepsis Care Needs in Children and Families: Single-Center, Codesign Qualitative Research from Western Australia

Sepsis, for children and their parents, is a life-altering illness with far-reaching psychosocial and physical impacts. We aimed to explore the needs of such patients and their parents after hospital admission for sepsis to inform the development of a Western Australian postsepsis care service.  

Evaluating the impact of the ‘Blow, Breathe, Cough’ health promotion intervention in resolving otitis media with effusion in children: An adaptive randomized-controlled trial protocol

Otitis media with effusion (OME) affects hearing, speech development, and quality of life (QoL) in children. The 'Blow, Breathe, Cough' (BBC) intervention promotes nasal, respiratory, and middle ear clearance through nose blowing, deep breathing, coughing, and hand hygiene. It shows promise in resolving OME but lacks randomized-controlled trial (RCT) evaluation. This paper presents a RCT protocol evaluating BBC's effect on OME resolution, hearing, speech, and QoL in children aged two to seven years.

Koolungar (Children) Moorditj (Strong) Healthy Skin Project Part II: Skin Health in Urban-Living Australian Aboriginal Children

Although essential for overall health and wellbeing, little is known about skin health in urban-living Australian Aboriginal children. This co-designed, research-service project aimed to describe skin health and document skin disease frequency in urban-living Aboriginal children and young people in Western Australia and investigate housing associations for skin infections.

Spatiotemporal patterns of influenza in Western Australia

Understanding the geospatial distribution of influenza infection and the risk factors associated with infection clustering can inform targeted preventive interventions. We conducted a geospatial analysis to investigate the spatial patterns and identify drivers of medically attended influenza infection across all age groups in Western Australia.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Strain Evolution and Mutations in Western Australia in the Context of Nirsevimab Prophylaxis

Nirsevimab is a long-acting monoclonal antibody used to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in infants and high-risk children. During the 2024 RSV season in Western Australia, 21 922 doses were administered to infants entering their first season and 1221 doses to at-risk children. In this context, the selection and spread of escape variants are a potential concern. This study aimed to investigate nirsevimab binding site mutations using clinical and wastewater data.

Bringing optimised COVID-19 vaccine schedules to immunocompromised populations: statistical elements and design

Bringing optimised coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine schedules to immunocompromised populations (BOOST-IC) is a multi-site, adaptive platform trial designed to assess the effect of different booster vaccination schedules in the Australian immunocompromised population on the immunogenicity, safety and cross-protection against COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants. 

Population pharmacokinetics of penicillin G: insights into increased clearance at low concentrations to guide development of improved long-acting formulations for syphilis

Although benzylpenicillin (penicillin G) is listed by the World Health Organization as an Essential Medicine, dose optimization is a persistent challenge, especially for long-acting intramuscular formulations. Maintaining sustained antibiotic exposure at target concentrations is crucial for secondary chemoprophylaxis of rheumatic heart disease and treatment of syphilis.