Developing a best-practice agenda for music therapy research to support informal carers of terminally ill patients pre- and post-death bereavement: a world café approach.

Background: Informal carers of terminally ill patients play a vital role in providing palliative care at home, which impacts on their pre- and post-death bereavement experience and presents an up to 50% greater risk for mental-health problems. However, developing and implementing effective bereavement support remains challenging. There is a need to build the evidence base for music therapy as a potentially promising bereavement support for this vulnerable population.

Real world outcomes of CFTR modulator therapy in Australian adults and children.

Background: Recent advances in CFTR modulator therapy have the potential to change the face of cystic fibrosis (CF). This retrospective observational study describes real world experience of the four available CFTR modulators in adults and children with CF in a single centre in Melbourne, Australia.

Method: Data were collected for all patients treated with CFTR modulators at MonashCF between May 2012 and September 2020.

What are the digitally enabled psychosocial interventions delivered by trained practitioners being offered to adults with life-shortening illnesses and palliative care needs and their informal and professional caregivers? A scoping review.

Objectives: Computer-mediated and telephone communication connecting professionals and patients (eHealth) is well established. Yet there is little information about psychosocial interventions delivered by trained practitioners for a palliative care population. The aim is to describe digitally enabled psychosocial interventions offered to adults with life-shortening or terminal illnesses and carers/families receiving palliative care, and how these are delivered and evaluated.

Real world impact of 13vPCV in preventing invasive pneumococcal pneumonia in Australian children: A national study.

Background: We aimed to assess the direct protective effect of 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (13vPCV) against invasive pneumococcal pneumonia (IPP; including pneumonia and empyema) in children using a nation-wide case-control study across 11 paediatric tertiary hospitals in Australia.

Methods: Children < 18 years old admitted with pneumonia were eligible for enrolment. IPP was defined as Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) cultured or detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from blood or pleural fluid.

'There's something about admitting that you are lonely' - prevalence, impact and solutions to loneliness in terminal illness: An explanatory sequential multi-methods study.

Background: Loneliness is a prevalent societal issue and can impact on a person's physical and mental health. It is unclear how loneliness impacts on end of life experiences or how such feelings can be alleviated.

Aim: To explore the perceived prevalence, impact and possible solutions to loneliness among people who are terminally ill and their carers in Northern Ireland through the lens of health and social care professionals.

Assessing the impact of the 13 valent pneumococcal vaccine on childhood empyema in Australia.

Background: Empyema is a serious complication of pneumonia frequently caused by (SP). We assessed the impact of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (13vPCV) on childhood pneumonia and empyema after inclusion in the Australian National Immunisation Program.

Methods: For bacterial pneumonia and empyema hospitalisations, we ascertained incidence rates (IRs) using the National Hospital Morbidity Database International Statistical Classification of Disease discharge codes and relevant population denominators, and calculated incidence rate ratios (IRR) comparing the 13vPCV period (June 2012-May 2017) with the 7vPCV period (June 2007-May 2011).

Factors Affecting Outcome Following Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Empyema in Children: Experience from a Large Tertiary Referring Centre.

We report the results of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in a large population of children with empyema, focusing on the factors affecting the postoperative length of stay (LOS). After ethical approval (RES-18-0000-071Q), a retrospective review was performed (2013-2018). Results are reported as number of cases (%) and median (range) and analyzed by Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

The bronchial circulation--worth a closer look: a review of the relationship between the bronchial vasculature and airway inflammation.

Until recently, the bronchial circulation has been relatively ignored in the research and clinical arenas, perhaps because of its small volume and seeming dispensability relative to the pulmonary circulation. Although the bronchial circulation only receives around 1% of the cardiac output in health, it serves functions that are critical to maintaining airway and lung function. The bronchial circulation also plays an important role in many lung and airway diseases; through its ability to increase in size, the bronchial circulation is able to provide lung parenchymal perfusion when the pulmonary circulation is compromised, and more recently the role of the bronchial circulation in the pathogenesis of inflammatory airway disease has been explored.

Cystic fibrosis in neonates and infants.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by chronic bronchopulmonary infection, pancreatic insufficiency, and subsequently, other multisystem complications. Most children are diagnosed before school age. Here we review the pathophysiology of the condition, the age-related presentations of CF up until school age, and the appropriate use of diagnostic tests.