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Breastfeeding Boosts Brain PowerChildren who are mainly breastfed for the first six months (or longer) score significantly higher academically at 10 years of age, especially boys.
News & Events
Perth researchers decipher genetic pattern that predicts leukaemia relapseCancer researchers at Perth's The Kids for Child Health Research have discovered a genetic pattern that predicts the likelihood of relapse
News & Events
Perth children needed for Swine Flu vaccine studyPerth researchers are about to begin testing of a new vaccine to protect against swine flu in children.
News & Events
It’s Time – new video on the Apology to the Stolen GenerationsIt's Time - new video on the Apology to the Stolen Generations
Research
Characterizing restricted and unusual interests in autistic youthA broad range of interests characterized by unusual content and/or intensity, labeled as circumscribed interests are a core diagnostic feature of autism. Recent evidence suggests that a distinction can be drawn between interests that, although characterized by unusually high intensity and/or inflexibility, are otherwise common in terms of their content (e.g., an interest in movies or animals), labeled as restricted interests and interests that are generally not salient outside of autism (e.g., an interest in traffic lights or categorization), labeled as unusual interests.
Research
Profiles of circumscribed interests in autistic youthCircumscribed interests encompass a range of different interests and related behaviors that can be characterized by either a high intensity but otherwise usual topic [referred to as restricted interests] or by a focus on topics that are not salient outside of autism [referred to as unusual interests].
Research
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.
Research
Assessing neutrophil subsets in autoimmune disease: Moving away from relying on density?Neutrophils are the most abundant immune cell in circulation. However, due to a number of technical challenges for researchers, including the neutrophil's short lifespan and difficulties with preservation, they are often discarded during blood processing and thus ignored in cohort studies. As such, the contribution of neutrophils to disease and their involvement in disease mechanisms is less explored compared with other immune cell types.
Research
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.
Research
Multiple traces of monkeypox detected in non-sewered wastewater with sparse sampling from a densely populated metropolitan area in AsiaThe monkeypox virus is excreted in the feces of infected individuals. Therefore, there is an interest in using viral load detection in wastewater for sentinel early surveillance at a community level and as a complementary approach to syndromic surveillance.