Cohort profile: The Aboriginal Families Study - a prospective cohort of Aboriginal children and their mothers and caregivers in South Australia.

Purpose: The Aboriginal Families Study is a prospective, intergenerational cohort study with well-established Aboriginal governance arrangements and community partnerships to support all research processes including data collection, interpretation and knowledge translation.

Participants: 344 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children born in South Australia between July 2011 and June 2013 and their mothers and other primary caregivers. Two waves of survey data collection have been undertaken: early in the first year postpartum and when the study children were aged 5-8 years.

The Childhood Resilience Study: Resilience and emotional and behavioural wellbeing experienced by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys and girls aged 5-9 years.

Background: Resilience is a process of drawing on internal or external strengths to regain, sustain or improve adaptive outcomes despite adversity. Using a child resilience measure co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, we investigate: 1) children's personal, family, school and community strengths; 2) gender differences; and 3) associations between resilience and wellbeing.

Methods: 1132 parent/caregivers of children aged 5-12 years were recruited to the Childhood Resilience Study, including through the Aboriginal Families Study.

Understanding cannabis use and mental health difficulties in context with women's experiences of stressful events and social health issues in pregnancy: The Aboriginal Families Study.

Background: Few population-based data sources fully recognise the intersections between stressful events, social health issues, and cannabis use in pregnancy, and little is known about sequelae for women's mental health.

Methods: We draw on two waves of population-based data for 344 families participating in the Aboriginal Families Study longitudinal cohort. We examine women's mental health in the first year postpartum and when children were aged 5-9 years in context with life experiences and use of cannabis in pregnancy.

Epstein-Barr Virus Encoded BCL2, BHRF1, Downregulates Autophagy by Noncanonical Binding of BECN1.

γ-herpesviruses (γHVs) encode BCL2 homologues (vBCL2) that bind the Bcl-2 homology 3 domains (BH3Ds) of diverse proteins, inhibiting apoptosis and promoting host cell and virus survival. vBCLs encoded by Kaposi sarcoma-associated HV (KSHV) and γHV68 downregulate autophagy, a degradative cellular process crucial for homeostasis and innate immune responses to pathogens, by binding to a BH3D in BECN1, a key autophagy protein. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encodes a vBCL2 called BHRF1.

Patterns of Health and Health Service Use in a Prospective Cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children Aged 5-9 Years Living in Urban, Regional and Remote Areas of South Australia.

Despite longstanding recognition of disparities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child health, progress to reduce disparities is slow. To improve the capacity of policy makers to target resources, there is an urgent need for epidemiological studies providing prospective data on child health outcomes. We undertook a prospective population-based study of 344 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children born in South Australia.

A Systematic Review of Child Health, Developmental and Educational Outcomes Associated with High Mobility in Indigenous Children from Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Indigenous families tend to move house more often, especially families with young children. However, little is known about the impact of high mobility on children's well-being and development. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between residential mobility and children's health, developmental, and educational outcomes for Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand Indigenous children (0-12 years).

Development of a multidimensional culturally and socially inclusive measure of factors that support resilience: Child Resilience Questionnaire-Child report (CRQ-C)-a community-based participatory research and psychometric testing study in Australia.

Objective: Development and testing of a comprehensive and social and culturally inclusive child-report measure of resilience factors supporting positive outcomes in the face of adversity.

Design: The measure is based on a socioecological model of resilience and was developed and revised using community-based participatory research methods with Aboriginal and refugee background communities. Pilot testing and validation of the child-report version (Child Resilience Questionnaire-Child report (CRQ- C)) is described in this paper.

Development, acceptability and construct validity of the Aboriginal Women's Experiences of Partner Violence Scale (AEPVS): a co-designed, multiphase study nested within an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander birth cohort.

Objective: Few studies employ culturally safe approaches to understanding Indigenous women's experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). The aim of this study was to develop a brief, culturally safe, self-report measure of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's experiences of different types of IPV.

Design: Multistage process to select, adapt and test a modified version of the Australian Composite Abuse Scale using community discussion groups and pretesting.

Development and validation of a multidimensional, culturally and socially inclusive Child Resilience Questionnaire (parent/caregiver report) to measure factors that support resilience: a community-based participatory research and psychometric testing study in Australia.

Objective: Develop a comprehensive socially inclusive measure to assess child resilience factors.

Design: A socioecological model of resilience, community-based participatory research methods and two rounds of psychometric testing created the Child Resilience Questionnaire (parent/caregiver report, child report, school report). The parent/caregiver report (CRQ-P/C) is the focus of this paper.

A Systematic Review of Child Health and Developmental Outcomes Associated with Low Birthweight and/or Small for Gestational Age in Indigenous Children from Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

While much is known about the health implications of low birthweight for infants and adults, there is limited information about the health implications in childhood, particularly for Indigenous children. The aim of this systematic review was to assess associations between low birthweight (LBW) and/or small for gestational age (SGA) and the developmental, physical or mental health outcomes for Australian, Canadian and New Zealand Indigenous children (5-12 years), including the potential mediating role of cultural connections. The review was guided by an Aboriginal Advisory Group established to guide the Aboriginal Families Study.

Using Participatory Methods to Engage Diverse Families in Research about Resilience in Middle Childhood.

Background: Resilience entails drawing on resources to navigate adversity; few measures exist to explore how children cope with adversity in varying cultural contexts.

Purpose: We aimed to develop a socially-inclusive measure of child resilience by (1) co-designing methods to engage diverse families, and (2) identifying resilience factors.

Methods: We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to recruit Aboriginal families, refugee families, and families from hospital outpatient clinics.

The role of governance in Indigenous medical education research.

Context: This article considers the role of governance in Indigenous medical education research through the lens of an Australian Aboriginal research project titled Healing Conversations. The Healing Conversations project is developing and testing a targeted educational framework for improved clinical communication between healthcare practitioners and Australian Aboriginal peoples in regional and urban locations. It is proposed that an effective governance approach can support Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders to work together in decision-making structures to enable outcomes that promote and prioritise Indigenous worldviews and values in medical education research.

Evaluating the use of a mobile device for detection of atrial fibrillation in primary care.

A trial fibrillation (AF) increases cardio-embolic stroke risk, yet AF diagnosis and subsequent prophylactic anticoagulant prescription rates are suboptimal globally. This project aimed to increase AF diagnosis and subsequent anticoagulation prescription rates in East Midlands Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). This service improvement evaluation of the East Midlands AF Advance programme investigated the implementation of mobile AF detection devices (Kardia, AliveCor) into primary-care practices within East Midlands CCGs, along with audit tools and clinician upskilling workshops designed to increase AF diagnosis and anticoagulation prescription rates.

Indigenous People's Experiences and Expectations of Health Care Professionals When Accessing Care for Family Violence: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.

Although many Indigenous peoples demonstrate resilience and strength despite the ongoing impact colonization has on their peoples, evidence suggests poor experiences and expectations of health care professionals and access to health care. Health care professionals play an essential role in responding to family violence (FV), yet there is a paucity of evidence detailing Indigenous people's experiences and expectations of health care professionals in the context of FV. Using a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies, this article aims to address the following research question: What are Indigenous people's experiences and expectations of health care professionals when experiencing FV? The inclusion criteria comprised a qualitative study design, Indigenous voices, and a focus on expectations and experiences of health care professionals when FV is experienced.

Assessing the quality of health research from an Indigenous perspective: the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander quality appraisal tool.

Background: The lack of attention to Indigenous epistemologies and, more broadly, Indigenous values in primary research, is mirrored in the standardised critical appraisal tools used to guide evidence-based practice and systematic reviews and meta-syntheses. These critical appraisal tools offer no guidance on how validity or contextual relevance should be assessed for Indigenous populations and cultural contexts. Failure to tailor the research questions, design, analysis, dissemination and knowledge translation to capture understandings that are specific to Indigenous peoples results in research of limited acceptability and benefit and potentially harms Indigenous peoples.

Health care experiences and birth outcomes: Results of an Aboriginal birth cohort.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived discrimination in perinatal care and birth outcomes of women giving birth to an Aboriginal baby in South Australia using methods designed to respect Aboriginal culture and communities.

Design And Setting: Population-based study of women giving birth to Aboriginal infants in South Australia, July 2011-June 2013. Women completed a structured questionnaire with an Aboriginal researcher.

Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future-co-designing perinatal strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma: framework and protocol for a community-based participatory action research study.

Introduction: Child maltreatment and other traumatic events can have serious long-term physical, social and emotional effects, including a cluster of distress symptoms recognised as 'complex trauma'. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) people are also affected by legacies of historical trauma and loss. Trauma responses may be triggered during the transition to parenting in the perinatal period.

Initiation and duration of breastfeeding of Aboriginal infants in South Australia.

Background: Benefits of breastfeeding are well-established. Few studies have examined initiation and duration of breastfeeding of Aboriginal infants.

Methods: Population-based study of women giving birth to an Aboriginal infant in South Australia, July 2011-June 2013.

Community engagement in the Aboriginal Families Study: Strategies to promote participation.

Background: Aboriginal women and families are under-represented in Australian research on pregnancy and childbirth. The Aboriginal Families Study aimed to investigate the views and experiences of a representative sample of women giving birth to an Aboriginal baby in South Australia between July 2011 and June 2013, using methods designed to respect Aboriginal culture and communities.

Methods: A team of 12 Aboriginal researchers facilitated community engagement and recruitment of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal mothers of Aboriginal infants in urban, regional and remote areas of South Australia over a two-year period.

Structural insights into the interaction of the conserved mammalian proteins GAPR-1 and Beclin 1, a key autophagy protein.

Mammalian Golgi-associated plant pathogenesis-related protein 1 (GAPR-1) is a negative autophagy regulator that binds Beclin 1, a key component of the autophagosome nucleation complex. Beclin 1 residues 267-284 are required for binding GAPR-1. Here, sequence analyses, structural modeling, mutagenesis combined with pull-down assays, X-ray crystal structure determination and small-angle X-ray scattering were used to investigate the Beclin 1-GAPR-1 interaction.

Structural transitions in conserved, ordered Beclin 1 domains essential to regulating autophagy.

Beclin 1 (BECN1) is a key regulator of autophagy, a critical catabolic homeostasis pathway that involves sequestration of selected cytoplasmic components by multilayered vesicles called autophagosomes, followed by lysosomal fusion and degradation. BECN1 is a core component of class III phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase complexes responsible for autophagosome nucleation. Without heterologous binding partners, BECN1 forms an antiparallel homodimer via its coiled-coil domain (CCD).

'Partnerships are crucial': an evaluation of the Aboriginal Family Birthing Program in South Australia.

Objectives: To evaluate implementation and outcomes of the Aboriginal Family Birthing Program (AFBP), which provides culturally competent antenatal, intrapartum and early postnatal care for Aboriginal families across South Australia (SA).

Methods: Analysis of births to Aboriginal women in SA 2010-2012; interviews with health professionals and AFBP clients.

Results: Around a third of all Aboriginal women giving birth in SA 2010-2012 (n=486) attended AFBP services.

Primary health care for Aboriginal women and children in the year after birth: findings from a population-based study in South Australia.

Objective: To investigate the extent to which Aboriginal women access primary care for themselves and their infant in the year after childbirth.

Method: Cross sectional population-based survey of women giving birth to Aboriginal babies in South Australia between July 2011 and June 2013.

Results: A total of 344 women took part in the study 4-9 months after giving birth.

Conformational flexibility of BECN1: Essential to its key role in autophagy and beyond.

BECN1 (Beclin 1), a highly conserved eukaryotic protein, is a key regulator of autophagy, a cellular homeostasis pathway, and also participates in vacuolar protein sorting, endocytic trafficking, and apoptosis. BECN1 is important for embryonic development, the innate immune response, tumor suppression, and protection against neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and heart disease. BECN1 mediates autophagy as a core component of the class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase complexes.

Identifying intrinsically disordered protein regions likely to undergo binding-induced helical transitions.

Many proteins contain intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) lacking stable secondary and ordered tertiary structure. IDRs are often implicated in macromolecular interactions, and may undergo structural transitions upon binding to interaction partners. However, as binding partners of many protein IDRs are unknown, these structural transitions are difficult to verify and often are poorly understood.