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Professor Desiree Silva

Co-Head, The ORIGINS Project

Altered dietary behaviour during pregnancy impacts systemic metabolic phenotypes

Evidence suggests consumption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) can positively impact both maternal and offspring health, potentially mediated by a beneficial effect on inflammatory pathways. We aimed to apply metabolic profiling of serum and urine samples to assess differences between women who were stratified into high and low alignment to a MD throughout pregnancy and investigate the relationship of the diet to inflammatory markers.  

The feasibility of a digital health approach to facilitate remote dental screening among preschool children during COVID-19 and social restrictions

Tele-dentistry can be useful to facilitate screening of children, especially those living in rural and remote communities, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study evaluated the feasibility of tele-dental screening for the identification of early childhood caries (ECC) in preschoolers using an app operated by their parents with remote review by oral-health therapists.

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Human flourishing, the state of optimal functioning and well-being across all aspects of an individual's life, has been a topic of philosophical and theological discussion for centuries. In the mid-20th century, social psychologists and health scientists began exploring the concept of flourishing in the context of health and high-level wellness.

The CASHEW Study - Introducing Cashew Nuts During Infancy

Debbie Susan Palmer Prescott BSc BND PhD MBBS BMedSci PhD FRACP Head, Nutrition in Early Life Honorary Research Fellow debbie.palmer@uwa.edu.au

The psychosocial burden of childhood overweight and obesity: evidence for persisting difficulties in boys and girls

Overweight and obese children reported greater psychosocial distress than healthy weight children, and these differences were more pronounced for girls than boys.

T-cell activation genes differentially expressed at birth in CD4+ T-cells from children who develop IgE food allergy

To show underlying mechanisms, we examined differences in T-cell gene expression in samples at birth and at 1 year in children with and without IgE allergy.

The relationship between maternal folate status in pregnancy, cord blood folate levels, and allergic outcomes in early childhood

This study examined whether maternal and/or fetal folate status in pregnancy is associated with infant allergic outcomes.

Randomized controlled trial of early regular egg intake to prevent egg allergy

We aimed to determine whether regular consumption of egg protein from 4-6 month old reduced the risk of IgE-mediated egg allergy in infants without eczema.

Association Between Family Characteristics and the Effect of Timing of Regular Egg Introduction in Infant Egg Allergy

A recent systematic review of 5 randomized clinical trials, found that early egg introduction was associated with reduced egg allergy.