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The valence-specific empathy imbalance hypothesis of autism: The role of autistic traits, alexithymia, emotion dysregulation, and gender differences

Individuals exhibiting pronounced autistic traits (e.g., social differences and specialised interests) may struggle with cognitive empathy (i.e., the ability to infer others' emotions), although the relationship with affective empathy (i.e., the ability to share others' emotions) is less clear in that higher levels of autistic traits may be linked with increased affective empathy for negative emotions but reduced affective empathy for positive emotions. The current study investigates this empathy profile and whether alexithymia and emotion dysregulation help to explain it.

Attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of Western Australians towards vaccine safety surveillance systems following COVID-19 vaccines: A qualitative descriptive study

Concerns regarding adverse events following immunisation are a barrier to vaccine uptake. Health professionals use vaccine safety surveillance systems (VSSSs) to monitor vaccines and inform the public of safety data. With little known about public attitudes, perceptions, and experiences with VSSS, we examined them in the context of COVID-19 vaccinations in Western Australia.

Increase in invasive group A streptococcal disease among Australian children coinciding with northern hemisphere surges

Increases in invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS) have recently been reported in multiple countries in the northern hemisphere, occurring during, and outside of, typical spring peaks. We report the epidemiology of iGAS among children in Australia from 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2022.

Burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis among contacts of index cases: A protocol for a systematic review

People having close contact with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) patients are at increased risk of contracting and developing the disease. However, no comprehensive review has been undertaken to estimate the burden of DR-TB among contacts of DR-TB patients. Therefore, the current systematic review will quantify the prevalence and incidence of DR-TB among contacts of DR-TB patients.

Initiating an undiagnosed diseases program in the Western Australian public health system

We describe the initiation and summary outcomes of a public health system approach for complex undiagnosed patients- the Undiagnosed Diseases Program - WA

Vaccine hesitancy, refusal and access barriers: The need for clarity in terminology

We propose more precision in the term 'vaccine hesitancy' is needed particularly since much under-vaccination arises from factors related to access

Relationships between depression and anxiety symptoms scores and blood pressure in young adults

This study aimed to assess the relationships among BP, depression and anxiety symptom scores and self-reported history of depression in young adults.

Pulmonary delivery of virosome-bound antigen enhances antigen-specific CD4+ T cell proliferation compared to liposome-bound or soluble antigen

Pulmonary administration of biomimetic nanoparticles loaded with antigen may represent an effective strategy to directly modulate adaptive immune responses

New Opportunities for Evidence in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Recent research, using objective 3-dimensional facial imaging, has found differences between the facial shape of individuals with FAS and the facial shape of individuals without FAS or with partial FAS

Cochrane Corner: interventions to improve hearing aid use in adult auditory rehabilitation

This "Cochrane Corner" will be a recurring feature in the journal that highlights systematic reviews relevant to audiology, with invited commentary to aid clinical decision making.