One third of children require repeat ventilation tube insertion (VTI) for otitis media. Disease recurrence is associated with persistent middle ear bacterial biofilms. With demonstration that Dornase alfa (a DNase) disrupts middle ear effusion biofilms ex vivo, we identified potential for this as an anti-biofilm therapy to prevent repeat VTI. First, safety and tolerability needed to be measured. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• December 2023

Access to medical treatment for fever is essential to prevent morbidity and mortality in individuals and to prevent transmission of communicable febrile illness in communities. Quantification of the rates at which treatment is accessed is critical for health system planning and a prerequisite for disease burden estimates.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• August 2023

Tele-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. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• January 2023

Preventing 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. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• February 2023

Dietary protein causes dose-dependent hyperglycemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes. This study investigated the effect of consuming 50 g of protein on overnight blood glucose levels following late-afternoon moderate-intensity exercise. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• January 2023

Epigenetic 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. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• February 2023

The 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. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• February 2023

Considering gender inequality in time as a resource for political participation and using Wave 5 of the European Social Survey data on 24 European countries, this study examines: (1) the relationship of both long working hours and unsociable work schedules to participation in national elections in Europe before or during 2010; (2) factors that may mediate this association; and (3) gender differences in this relationship and occupation-specific patterns. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• February 2023

Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children in rural/remote areas suffer high rates of persistent otitis media (OM) from early infancy. We aimed to determine the proportion of Aboriginal infants living in an urban area who have OM and investigate associated risk factors. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• February 2023

Normal in utero lung development and growth rely upon the expansion of airspaces and the controlled efflux of lung liquid into the amniotic space. Infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) also have lung hypoplasia due to occupation of the chest cavity by the stomach and bowel and, in the most severe cases, the liver. Balloon tracheal occlusion reduces the severity of lung hypoplasia in fetuses with CDH but increases the risk of premature birth. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• December 2023