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Research
Circulating Epithelial Cell Cytokines Are Associated With Early-Onset Atopic DermatitisDebbie Susan Palmer Prescott BSc BND PhD MBBS BMedSci PhD FRACP Head, Nutrition in Early Life Honorary Research Fellow debbie.palmer@uwa.edu.au
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The oral and written narrative language skills of adolescent students in youth detention and the impact of language disorderUnmet language and literacy needs are common among young people who are involved with youth justice systems. However, there is limited research regarding the functional text-level language skills of this population with regard to narrative macrostructure (story grammar) and microstructure (semantics and syntax) elements. In this study, we examined macrostructure and microstructure elements in the oral and written narrative texts of 24 adolescent students of a youth detention centre. The students, who were aged 14- to 17- years, were all speakers of Standard Australian English, and 11 (46%) students met criteria for language disorder (LD).
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Lung recruitment before surfactant administration in extremely preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (IN-REC-SUR-E): a randomised, unblinded, controlled trialThe importance of lung recruitment before surfactant administration has been shown in animal studies. Well designed trials in preterm infants are absent. We aimed to examine whether the application of a recruitment manoeuvre just before surfactant administration, followed by rapid extubation (intubate-recruit-surfactant-extubate [IN-REC-SUR-E]), decreased the need for mechanical ventilation during the first 72 h of life compared with no recruitment manoeuvre (ie, intubate-surfactant-extubate [IN-SUR-E]).
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COVID-19 in Ethiopia: A geospatial analysis of vulnerability to infection, case severity and deathCOVID-19 has caused a global public health crisis affecting most countries, including Ethiopia, in various ways. This study maps the vulnerability to infection, case severity and likelihood of death from COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Thirty-eight potential indicators of vulnerability to COVID-19 infection, case severity and likelihood of death, identified based on a literature review and the availability of nationally representative data at a low geographic scale, were assembled from multiple sources for geospatial analysis. Geospatial analysis techniques were applied to produce maps showing the vulnerability to infection, case severity and likelihood of death in Ethiopia at a spatial resolution of 1 km×1 km.
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Comparison of stillbirth trends over two decades in Wales, United Kingdom and Western Australia: An international retrospective cohort studyStillbirth is a critical public health issue worldwide. While the rates in high-income countries are relatively low, there are persistent between-country disparities. We compared stillbirth rates and trends in Wales and the State of Western Australia (WA), Australia, and provide insights into any differences.
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Connection to... Addressing Digital Inequities in Supporting the Well-Being of Young Indigenous Australians in the Wake of COVID-19This article examines whether connection to digital technologies helps connect young Indigenous people in Australia to culture, community and country to support good mental health and well-being and protect against indirect and potentially long-term effects of COVID-19.
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Survival of infants born with esophageal atresia among 24 international birth defects surveillance programsEsophageal atresia (EA) affects around 2.3-2.6 per 10,000 births world-wide. Infants born with this condition require surgical correction soon after birth. Most survival studies of infants with EA are locally or regionally based. We aimed to describe survival across multiple world regions. We included infants diagnosed with EA between 1980 and 2015 from 24 birth defects surveillance programs that are members of the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research.
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The feasibility of a digital health approach to facilitate remote dental screening among preschool children during COVID-19 and social restrictionsTele-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.
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Development of the Menu Assessment Scoring Tool (MAST) to Assess the Nutritional Quality of Food Service MenusPreventing the rise in obesity is a global public health priority. Neighbourhood environments can help or undermine people's efforts to manage their weight, depending on availability of nutritious and nutrient-poor 'discretionary' foods. The proportion of household food budgets spent on eating outside the home is increasing. To inform nutrition policy at a local level, an objective assessment of the nutritional quality of foods and beverages on food service menus that is context-specific is needed.
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Differential DNA methylation of steatosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adolescenceEpigenetic modifications are associated with hepatic fat accumulation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, few epigenetic modifications directly implicated in such processes have been identified during adolescence, a critical developmental window where physiological changes could influence future disease trajectory. To investigate the association between DNA methylation and NAFLD in adolescence, we undertook discovery and validation of novel methylation marks, alongside replication of previously reported marks.