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Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are often perceived to be a less harmful alternative to tobacco cigarettes. Potentially due to this perception, they are used by people with pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma, who otherwise would not smoke. Despite this, there are few studies exploring the health effects of e-cigarette use on pre-existing asthma.
Indigenous peoples globally have incurred significant harm resulting from colonisation and the forced removal of children from their families, culture, communities and Country. Over the last two decades in Australia, there have been calls for significant reform and there has been a raft of policy changes in child protection services. However the problems are intractable, and the numbers of Indigenous children being removed from their families continues to rise.
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious cause of death globally, with approximately three million cases remaining undetected, thereby contributing to community transmission. Understanding the spatial distribution of undetected TB in high-burden settings is critical for designing and implementing geographically targeted interventions for early detection and control.
Dog ownership is a potential strategy for maintaining physical activity levels and supporting healthy aging. This study examined longitudinal effects of dog ownership and dog walking on physical activity and mental health in mid-to-older aged adults.
In Australia, infants have the highest rate of child protection involvement. Many jurisdictions in Australia and internationally have introduced policies for prenatal planning and support, however little is known about outcomes of infants reported prenatally. This study is the first to use cross-jurisdictional, individual-record data to examine child protection pathways associated with prenatal and infant reports.
Following widespread exposure to Omicron variants, SARS-CoV-2 has transitioned to endemic circulation. Populations now have diverse infection and vaccination histories, resulting in heterogeneous immune landscapes. Careful consideration of the value of ongoing vaccination is required through the post-Omicron phase of COVID-19 management to minimise disease burden.
Positive expiratory pressure devices are frequently used for airway clearance in children with cystic fibrosis and tracheobronchomalacia. This study aimed to establish if electrical impedance tomography is a feasible measure to titrate pressures in non-sedated children.
Adverse prenatal conditions can induce intrauterine growth restriction and increase the risk of adulthood metabolic disease. Mechanisms underlying developmentally programmed metabolic disease remain unclear but may involve disrupted postnatal circadian rhythms and kisspeptin signalling.
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and is a leading cause of death. BCG is the only licensed TB vaccine. Preclinical studies have shown that in adults, intravenous administration of BCG improves protection against TB. We hypothesize that intradermal administration of BCG to the human newborn leads to low-grade BCG bacteremia and that this systemic dissemination improves protection against Mtb infection. This hypothesis is based on supporting observations including animal and human studies. It is a testable hypothesis and offers to deliver immediately actionable insight to advance the global efforts against TB.
Most outdoor food advertising (e.g. billboards and bus stops) features foods that are considered unhealthy. The most important technical challenge when designing policies to restrict unhealthy outdoor food advertising is defining 'unhealthy food'. To date, most restriction policies have used nutrient profiling models (i.e. foods are classified according to their nutritional composition) to determine which foods and beverages may be advertised. In Australia, state governments have endorsed a food category-based classification system, with no prescribed nutrient limits, which may create ambiguity when multiple users are identifying food advertisements to be restricted.