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Research

Environmental epigenetics is a fast-growing field of scientific research attracting interest from key stakeholders in Indigenous health internationally, including researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and advocacy organisations. It is the study of how various external factors, including food, stress, and toxins, alter genetic expression, and could be biologically passed down to children (and potentially grandchildren). 

Research

Current malaria elimination targets must withstand a colossal challenge-resistance to the current gold standard antimalarial drug, namely artemisinin derivatives. If artemisinin resistance significantly expands to Africa or India, cases and malaria-related deaths are set to increase substantially.

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School-based nutrition education (NE) has an important role in promoting healthy eating habits and helping prevent chronic diseases – particularly among disadvantaged children and youth who are more likely to experience poor diet quality. 

Research

The 2023 Australian guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk provides updated evidence-based recommendations for the clinical assessment and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk for primary prevention. It includes the new Australian CVD risk calculator based on an equation developed from a large New Zealand cohort study, customised and recalibrated for the Australian population. The new guideline replaces the 2012 guideline that recommended CVD risk assessment using the Framingham risk equation. 

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Cardiovascular disease contributes significantly to disease burden among many Indigenous populations. However, data on stroke incidence in Indigenous populations are sparse. We aimed to investigate what is known of stroke incidence in Indigenous populations of countries with a very high Human Development Index locating the research in the broader context of Indigenous health.

Research

Carbohydrate-restricted diets are used by people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to help manage their condition. However, the impact of this strategy on blood glucose responses to exercise is unknown. This study describes the nutritional strategies of an athlete with T1D, who follows a very low carbohydrate diet to manage her condition during an ultra-endurance open-water swimming event. 

Research

To describe the characteristics of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) presenting to a tertiary paediatric hospital in Perth, Western Australia. Review of implementation of previous follow-up recommendations for the cohort was also undertaken. 

Research

Scabies is one of the world’s most prevalent diseases, with approximately 147 million cases at any one time and an estimated annual incidence of 455 million new episodes. Although Group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and subsequent rheumatic heart disease (RHD), impetigo caused by GAS has recently been postulated as a link between scabies and the pathogenesis of ARF.

Research

Although school-based delivery of online interventions can effectively prevent depression and other common mental disorders, little is known about the characteristics of students who engage with these programs. This study aimed to identify predictors of two indicators of adolescent engagement (program usage and skill enactment) with a school-based online depression prevention program. The study also explored the association between skill enactment and mental health outcomes. 

Research

Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg AM FAHMS MD, PhD, DEAA, FANZA Chair of Paediatric anaesthesia, University of Western Australia; Consultant