Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg BRVUS MD, PhD, DEAA, FANZA Chair of Paediatric anaesthesia, University of Western Australia; Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist, Perth Children’s Hospital; Team Leader, Perioperative Medicine Team; Program Lead, ...

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

The structure and function of infant skin is not fully developed until 34 weeks of gestation, and this immaturity is associated with risk of late-onset sepsis (LOS). Topical coconut oil improves preterm-infant skin integrity and may reduce LOS. However, data on early-life skin-microbiome succession and potential effects of emollient skin care in preterm infants are scarce. ...

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

Infants (<1 year old) are the age group in Australia with the highest rate of involvement with child protection. Many jurisdictions across Australia and internationally are implementing policies focused on prenatal planning and targeted support.This study investigates Australian trends in prenatal and infant child protection notifications, substantiations and out-of-home care; and the extent of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants. ...

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

Fasting for surgery is a routine step in the preoperative preparation for surgery. There have however been increasing concerns with regard to the high incidence of prolonged fasting in children, and the subsequent psycho-social distress and physiological consequences that this poses. ...

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

No studies have yet examined high-resolution shifts in the spatial patterns of human movement in Australia throughout 2020 and 2021, a period coincident with the repeated enactment and removal of varied governmental restrictions aimed at reducing community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. We compared overlapping timeseries of COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions, epidemiological data on cases and vaccination rates, and high-resolution human movement data to characterize population-level responses to the pandemic in Australian cities. ...

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

The abundance of cell-free microRNA (miRNA) has been measured in blood plasma and proposed as a source of novel, minimally invasive biomarkers for several diseases. Despite improvements in quantification methods, there is no consensus regarding how haemolysis affects plasma miRNA content. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• July 2022

To assess the scale of ethnic inequalities in severe maternal morbidity (SMM) rates and quantify the contribution of maternal characteristics to these disparities. This is a retrospective cohort study. A whole-of-population linked administrative data from 2002 to 2015 in Western Australia. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2020
• November 2020

Respiratory failure, multiple organ failure, shortness of breath, recovery, and mortality have been identified as critically important core outcomes by more than 9300 patients, health professionals, and the public from 111 countries in the global coronavirus disease 2019 core outcome set initiative. The aim of this project was to establish the core outcome measures for these domains for trials in coronavirus disease 2019. Three online consensus workshops were convened to establish outcome measures for the four core domains of respiratory failure, multiple organ failure, shortness of breath, and recovery. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• March 2021

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with growth deficits and neurodevelopmental impairment including foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Difficulties with oral and written communication skills are common among children with PAE; however, less is known about how communication skills of adolescents who have PAE compare with those who do not. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• June 2021

An estimated 14 million cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria were reported from Asia, Central and South America, and the Horn of Africa. The clinical burden of vivax malaria is largely driven by its ability to form dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) that can reactivate to cause recurrent episodes of malaria. Elimination of both the blood and liver stages of the parasites ("radical cure") is required to achieve a sustained clinical response and prevent ongoing transmission of the parasite. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• June 2021

Patients with adrenal insufficiency are at risk of adrenal crisis, a potentially life-threatening emergency in the peri-operative period due to their attenuated ability to mount a cortisol response. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• July 2021

We aimed to develop and validate a prediction table for a simplified measure of rightward shift of the fetal oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SpO2) versus inspired oxygen pressure (P IO2) curve as an objective marker of lung disease severity in very preterm infants, independent of unit altitude or oxygen prescribing policies. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• July 2021