Three-weekly doses of azithromycin for indigenous infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis: a multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Bronchiolitis is a major health burden in infants globally, particularly among Indigenous populations. It is unknown if 3 weeks of azithromycin improve clinical outcomes beyond the hospitalization period. In an international, double-blind randomized controlled trial, we determined if 3 weeks of azithromycin improved clinical outcomes in Indigenous infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis.

Retrospective review of 200 children hospitalised with acute asthma. Identification of intervention points: a single centre study.

Aim: Indigenous Australians with asthma have higher morbidity and mortality compared with non-Indigenous Australians. In children hospitalised with acute asthma, we aimed to (i) determine if acute severity, risk factors and management differed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children; and (ii) identify intervention points to reduce morbidity and mortality of asthma.

Methods: Retrospective review of 200 children hospitalised to Royal Darwin Hospital with asthma.

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children in the Northern Territory.

Aims: The primary aim of this study was to determine the frequency of vitD deficiency/insufficiency in an opportunistic sample of Northern Territory (NT) children. The secondary aim was to evaluate whether: (i) 25(OH)vitD (25(OH)D) levels differ between Indigenous/non-Indigenous children; and (ii) VitD insufficiency is associated with increased acute/infective hospitalisations.

Methods: Twenty-five (OH)D levels were measured in 98 children <16 years between August 2011 and January 2012 (children hospitalised acutely/non-acutely and well children from other studies based in Darwin).

A single dose of azithromycin does not improve clinical outcomes of children hospitalised with bronchiolitis: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: Bronchiolitis, one of the most common reasons for hospitalisation in young children, is particularly problematic in Indigenous children. Macrolides may be beneficial in settings where children have high rates of nasopharyngeal bacterial carriage and frequent prolonged illness. The aim of our double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial was to determine if a large single dose of azithromycin (compared to placebo) reduced length of stay (LOS), duration of oxygen (O2) and respiratory readmissions within 6 months of children hospitalised with bronchiolitis.

Randomized placebo-controlled trial on azithromycin to reduce the morbidity of bronchiolitis in Indigenous Australian infants: rationale and protocol.

Background: Acute lower respiratory infections are the commonest cause of morbidity and potentially preventable mortality in Indigenous infants. Infancy is also a critical time for post-natal lung growth and development. Severe or repeated lower airway injury in very young children likely increases the likelihood of chronic pulmonary disorders later in life.

Risks of severity and readmission of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children hospitalised for bronchiolitis.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of children admitted to Royal Darwin Hospital with bronchiolitis, and to compare the severity of illness and incidence of subsequent readmission in Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.

Design, Setting And Participants: Retrospective study of 101 children (aged
Main Outcome Measures: Admission characteristics and indices of severity, treatment required (antibiotics etc.

Validation of an Integrated Management of Childhood Illness algorithm for managing common skin conditions in Fiji.

Objective: To assess the sensitivity of an Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) algorithm to detect common skin conditions in children in Fiji.

Methods: We collected data from the assessments of children aged between 2 months and 5 years who presented to one of two health clinics. Every child was assessed by a nurse trained in the use of the IMCI algorithm and also an expert paediatrician.

Airway inflammation in asymptomatic children with episodic wheeze.

Airway pathologies have been comprehensively researched in adult asthma, but in children, the extent of airway inflammation associated with episodic wheeze, often diagnosed as asthma, has not been fully characterized. It is not clear whether persistent airway inflammation is present in the absence of wheezing symptoms, and there is controversy regarding the role of age and atopy. This study assessed cellular and cytokine markers of airway inflammation in asymptomatic children with a history of episodic wheeze.

Survey of childhood malnutrition at Dili National Hospital, East Timor.

Objectives: To describe the characteristics and short-term outcomes of children with malnutrition admitted to Dili National Hospital (DNH), East Timor.

Methods: A prospective observational survey using caretaker interviews and medical record review was conducted on the paediatric ward at DNH for 12 months from March 2002. Patients were children aged 2 months to 12 years, admitted with moderate to severe malnutrition as either a primary or secondary diagnosis.