Publications by authors named "B Arrowsmith"

Introduction: This systematic review aims to collate evidence of the causes of genital bleeding, other than child sexual abuse and accidental injuries, presenting in prepubertal girls. It provides an update to the 2015 Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health publication 'The Physical Signs of Child Sexual Abuse', an evidence-based review also known as the Purple Book.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Scopus databases were searched for studies published between March 2014 and June 2023.

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Background: In Australian remote communities, First Nations children with otitis media (OM)-related hearing loss are disproportionately at risk of developmental delay and poor school performance, compared to those with normal hearing. Our objective was to compare OM-related hearing loss in children randomised to one of 2 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) formulations.

Methods And Findings: In 2 sequential parallel, open-label, randomised controlled trials (the PREVIX trials), eligible infants were first allocated 1:1:1 at age 28 to 38 days to standard or mixed PCV schedules, then at age 12 months to PCV13 (13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, +P) or PHiD-CV10 (10-valent pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine, +S) (1:1).

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Objectives: In remote communities of northern Australia, First Nations children with hearing loss are disproportionately at risk of poor school readiness and performance compared to their peers with no hearing loss. The aim of this trial is to prevent early childhood persisting otitis media (OM), associated hearing loss and developmental delay. To achieve this, we designed a mixed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) schedule that could maximise immunogenicity and thereby prevent bacterial otitis media (OM) and a trajectory of educational and social disadvantage.

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Article Synopsis
  • Australian First Nations children face high risks of bacterial infections like otitis media, prompting the PREVIX trials to assess the effectiveness of new pneumococcal vaccines.
  • The PREVIX_BOOST trial involved Aboriginal children in remote Northern Territory communities, evaluating the immune response to either a PCV13 or PHiD-CV10 booster after earlier vaccine schedules.
  • The study found that 95% of the 261 participants had adequate serum samples for analysis, aimed at measuring antibodies and overall health outcomes post-vaccination.
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Background: Aboriginal children in Northern Australia have a high burden of otitis media, driven by early and persistent nasopharyngeal carriage of otopathogens, including non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn). In this context, does a combined mixed primary series of Synflorix and Prevenar13 provide better protection against nasopharyngeal carriage of NTHi and Spn serotypes 3, 6A and 19A than either vaccine alone?

Methods: Aboriginal infants (n = 425) were randomised to receive Synflorix™ (S, PHiD-CV10) or Prevenar13™ (P, PCV13) at 2, 4 and 6 months (_SSS or _PPP, respectively), or a 4-dose early mixed primary series of PHiD-CV10 at 1, 2 and 4 months and PCV13 at 6 months of age (SSSP). Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 months of age.

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