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Research opportunities for the primordial prevention of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease - streptococcal vaccine development: a national heart, lung and blood institute workshop report

Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as group A streptococcus (StrepA), is a bacterium that causes a range of human diseases, including pharyngitis, impetigo, invasive infections, and post-infection immune sequelae such as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. StrepA infections cause some of the highest burden of disease and death in mostly young populations in low-resource settings. Despite decades of effort, there is still no licensed StrepA vaccine, which if developed, could be a cost-effective way to reduce the incidence of disease. 

The Impact of Waiting Times on Behavioral Outcomes for Children with Otitis Media: Results from an Urban Ear, Nose, and Throat Telehealth Service

Children with otitis media (OM) experience long waiting times to access Australia's public hospitals due to limited capacity. The aim of this article is to utilize an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) telehealth service (the Ear Portal) to examine whether delayed access to specialist care is associated with poorer behavioral outcomes for children with OM.

Maternal Pertussis Vaccination, Infant Immunization, and Risk of Pertussis

Following the introduction of jurisdictional maternal pertussis vaccination programs in Australia, we estimated maternal vaccine effectiveness (VE) and whether maternal pertussis vaccination modified the effectiveness of the first 3 primary doses of pertussis-containing vaccines.

Intravascular Tumor Extension and Pulmonary Tumor Embolism in Children With Solid Malignancies: Is There a Role for Inferior Vena Cava Filters?

Intravascular tumor extension is an uncommon complication of solid malignancies that, when present in the inferior vena cava (IVC), can result in fatal pulmonary tumor embolism. Currently, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery are the mainstays of treatment; however, there are no consensus guidelines for management.  

Predictors and outcomes of engagement in an online depression prevention program for final year secondary school students

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. 

Contemporary pathways to adolescent pregnancy in Indonesia: A qualitative investigation with adolescent girls in West Java and Central Sulawesi

In the last decade, reduction in adolescent fertility rates in Indonesia has slowed despite national programmes and policies focused on addressing child marriage. Indonesia currently has the highest number of births to adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in Southeast Asia. There is a need to develop a more nuanced understanding of the drivers of adolescent pregnancy in Indonesia to inform programmes and policies tailored to young people's needs and priorities.

World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) guidelines update – X – Breastfeeding a baby with cow's milk allergy

Cow's milk allergy is rare in exclusively breastfed infants. To support the continuation of breastfeeding an infant after diagnosis with a cow's milk allergy, it is critical to examine the evidence for and against any form of cow's milk elimination diet for lactating mothers. In this narrative review, we highlight the lack of high-quality evidence, hence subsequent controversy, regarding whether the minuscule quantities of cow's milk proteins detectable in human milk cause infant cow's milk allergy symptoms.

Robust and Interpretable General Movement Assessment Using Fidgety Movement Detection

Fidgety movements occur in infants between the age of 9 to 20 weeks post-term, and their absence are a strong indicator that an infant has cerebral palsy. Prechtl's General Movement Assessment method evaluates whether an infant has fidgety movements, but requires a trained expert to conduct it. Timely evaluation facilitates early interventions, and thus computer-based methods have been developed to aid domain experts. 

The effect and control of malaria in pregnancy and lactating women in the Asia-Pacific region

Half of all pregnancies at risk of malaria worldwide occur in the Asia-Pacific region, where Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax co-exist. Despite substantial reductions in transmission, malaria remains an important cause of adverse health outcomes for mothers and offspring, including pre-eclampsia. Malaria transmission is heterogeneous, and infections are commonly subpatent and asymptomatic.

Outcomes of rheumatic fever in Uganda: a prospective cohort study

Rheumatic heart disease is the largest contributor to cardiac-related mortality in children worldwide. Outcomes in endemic settings after its antecedent illness, acute rheumatic fever, are not well understood. We aimed to describe 3-5 year mortality, acute rheumatic fever recurrence, changes in carditis, and correlates of mortality after acute rheumatic fever.