Poor maternal diet during pregnancy is a risk factor for severe lower respiratory infections in the offspring, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that in mice a maternal low-fiber diet led to enhanced LRI severity in infants because of delayed plasmacytoid dendritic cell recruitment and perturbation of regulatory T cell expansion in the lungs. ...

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

Lung-function impairment underlies chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and predicts mortality. In the largest multi-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of lung function to date, comprising 580,869 participants, we identified 1,020 independent association signals implicating 559 genes supported by ≥2 criteria from a systematic variant-to-gene mapping framework. These genes were enriched in 29 pathways. Individual variants showed heterogeneity across ancestries, age and smoking groups, and collectively as a genetic risk score showed strong association with COPD across ancestry groups. ...

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

Between 1964 and 1996, the 10-year survival of patients having valve replacement surgery for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in the Northern Territory, Australia, was 68%. As medical care has evolved since then, this study aimed to determine whether there has been a corresponding improvement in survival. ...

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

Influenza (commonly known as the flu) is caused by a highly contagious virus spread mainly through coughing and sneezing. An annual flu vaccination is the most effective way to prevent flu outbreaks. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Research Topics

Siblings of children with intellectual disability have unique family experiences, varying by type of disability. ...

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

While there are many skin infections, reducing the burden of scabies and impetigo for remote living Aboriginal people, particularly children remains challenging. Aboriginal children living in remote communities have experienced the highest reported rate of impetigo in the world and are 15 times more likely to be admitted to hospital with a skin infection compared to non-Aboriginal children. ...

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

The identification of reproducible subtypes within autistic populations is a priority research area in the context of neurodevelopment, to pave the way for identification of biomarkers and targeted treatment recommendations. Few previous studies have considered medical comorbidity alongside behavioural, cognitive, and psychiatric data in subgrouping analyses. ...

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

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability of childhood worldwide. Historically the diagnosis was made between 12 and 24 months, meaning data about effective early interventions to improve motor outcomes are scant. In high-income countries, two in three children will walk. This evaluator-blinded randomised controlled trial will investigate the efficacy of an early and sustained Goals-Activity-Motor Enrichment approach to improve motor and cognitive skills in infants with suspected or confirmed CP. ...

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

Preterm infants have immature control of breathing and impaired pulmonary gas exchange. We hypothesized that infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) have a blunted ventilatory response and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) instability during a hypoxic challenge. ...

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

Early parent-child interactions have a critical impact on the developmental outcomes of the child. It has been reported that infants with a family history of autism and their parents may engage in different patterns of behaviours during interaction compared to those without a family history of autism. This study investigated the association of parent-child interactions with child developmental outcomes of those with typical and elevated likelihood of autism. ...

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

Handedness has been studied for association with language-related disorders because of its link with language hemispheric dominance. No clear pattern has emerged, possibly because of small samples, publication bias, and heterogeneous criteria across studies. ...

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

This study examined how families with young children access and use different types of blue spaces and the health and development benefits, and potential negative effects. ...

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