The Camden and Islington Viral Hepatitis Identification Tool (CIVHIT): Use of a Clinical Database Case-Finding Tool for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV in Primary Care.

Despite the availability of effective treatment and vaccines for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and C virus (HCV), many people are still infected and remain unaware of their infection. The Camden and Islington Viral Hepatitis Identification Tool (CIVHIT), a computer-based search tool, was introduced in 60 general practices (GPs) in April 2014 to support identification, testing and treatment of individuals at high risk for blood-borne viruses (BBVs). CIVHIT searched electronic medical records (EMRs), flagging all those with codes linked to risk factors or medical conditions associated with BBVs.

Symmetrical Phosphinic Acids: Synthesis and Esterification Optimization toward Potential HIV Prodrugs.

A highly efficient method to synthesize diverse symmetrical phosphinic acids with the potential to act as pivotal candidates in the design of HIV-1 protease inhibitors has been developed. Such compounds have been designed based on the enzyme-substrate specificity, and their elongated analogues are expected to demonstrate significant inhibition against the HIV-1 protease with IC values in the low nanomolar range. Moreover, a highly efficient esterification protocol with carbohydrates and flavonoids has been devised to address the inherent absorption challenges associated with phosphinic-based drugs.

Rural-urban differences in health service utilization in upper-middle and high-income countries: a scoping review.

Purpose: This scoping review aims to understand the extent and attributes of literature evaluating differences between rural and urban populations' utilization of health services in upper-middle and high-income countries.

Method: The review was conducted in line with established scoping review methodology guidelines. We used the "Participants, Concept and Context" framework to guide the inclusion criteria and determination of the review's scope.

Autonomic cardiovascular control is unaffected in children referred for assessment of excessive daytime sleepiness.

There is conflicting evidence for impaired autonomic control of heart rate (HR) in adults with narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnolence (IH). Despite these chronic hypersomnia conditions primarily being diagnosed around the age of puberty, there are limited studies in children. The present study investigated cardiovascular control using heart rate variability (HRV) and the extent of nocturnal HR dipping during sleep in children and adolescents with narcolepsy and IH.

Sleep Disturbance in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the Relationship to the Neurodevelopmental Profile.

Objective: Sleep disturbance is an important feature of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). We sought to describe sleep patterns in school-aged children with FASD, in comparison with a typically developing community group, and investigate the relationship between sleep and neurodevelopmental profiles.

Method: The FASD cohort (N = 36) was recruited from a tertiary Australian FASD diagnostic center, and the typically developing group (N = 36) was previously recruited as a control cohort for a separate study.

He Aroka Urutā. Rural health provider perspectives of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in rural Aotearoa New Zealand with a focus on Māori and Pasifika communities: a qualitative study.

Introduction From a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic perspective, Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) rural residents formed an at-risk population, and disparities between rural and urban COVID-19 vaccination coverage have been found. Aim To gain insight into factors contributing to the urban-rural COVID-19 vaccination disparity by exploring NZ rural health providers' experiences of the vaccine rollout and pandemic response in rural Māori and Pasifika communities. Methods Rural health providers at four sites participated in individual or focus group semi-structured interviews exploring their views of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

Periodic limb movements during sleep in children with neuromuscular disease or cerebral palsy - An important potential contributor to sleep-related morbidity.

Objectives: Poor sleep is frequently reported in children with neuromuscular diseases (NMD) and cerebral palsy (CP) however breathing disorders during sleep are often the clinical focus. Periodic limb movements (PLMs) have an increased prevalence in adults with NMD and may contribute to sleep disturbance in this population. We assessed the prevalence of PLMs in children with NMD or CP.

Avoiding double counting: the effect of bundling hospital events in administrative datasets for the interpretation of rural-urban differences in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Background And Objectives: All publicly funded hospital discharges in Aotearoa New Zealand are recorded in the National Minimum Dataset (NMDS). Movement of patients between hospitals (and occasionally within the same hospital) results in separate records (discharge events) within the NMDS and if these consecutive health records are not accounted for hospitalization (encounters) rates might be overestimated. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of four different methods to bundle multiple discharge events in the NMDS into encounters on the relative comparison of rural and urban Ambulatory Sensitive Hospitalization (ASH) rates.

The surge in heart rate and blood pressure at respiratory event termination is dampened in children with down syndrome.

Background: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a high prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and altered cardiovascular autonomic control. We aimed to analyze the effect of DS on the surge in heart rate (HR) and pulse transit time (PTT, an inverse surrogate measure of blood pressure change) at respiratory event termination.

Methods: 44 children (3-19 y) with DS and 44 typically developing (TD) children matched for SDB severity, age and sex underwent overnight polysomnography.

Introduction to 'Medicinal Chemistry Small Molecule Probes'.

Gemma Nixon, Khondaker Miraz Rahman and John Spencer introduce the themed collection on 'Medicinal Chemistry Small Molecule Probes'.

Kangaroo mother care improves cardiorespiratory physiology in preterm infants: an observational study.

Objectives: To evaluate whether kangaroo mother care (KMC) in preterm infants on non-invasive respiratory support improves indices of cardiorespiratory wellbeing.

Study Design: Prospective quasi-experimental observational study.

Setting: Tertiary perinatal neonatal unit.

Effect of sleep disordered breathing severity in children with Down syndrome on parental wellbeing and social support.

Introduction: Sleep disorders, particularly sleep disordered breathing (SDB), are common in children with Down syndrome (DS). We investigated the relationship between SDB severity and parental psychological wellbeing and their perception of social support.

Methods: 44 children with DS (3-19 years) underwent overnight polysomnography and were categorised into three groups: primary snoring, Mild and Moderate/Severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

The impact of intranasal corticosteroids in a prospective cohort of children with sleep disordered breathing.

Introduction: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is common in children and the most common reason for adenotonsillectomy. This large observational cohort study from a specialist outpatient clinic describes the impact of intranasal steroids (INS) on symptom improvement and the need for surgery.

Method: Observational cohort study of 568 children assessing the impact of INS using the OSA-5 questionnaire with clinical and surgical outcome measures.

Rural-urban variation in the utilisation of publicly funded healthcare services: an age-stratified population-level observational study.

Aim: To compare age-stratified public health service utilisation in Aotearoa New Zealand across the rural-urban spectrum.

Methods: Routinely collected hospitalisation, allied health, emergency department and specialist outpatient data (2014-2018), along with Census denominators, were used to calculate utilisation rates for residents in the two urban and three rural categories in the Geographic Classification for Health.

Results: Relative to their urban peers, rural Māori and rural non-Māori had lower all-cause, cardiovascular, mental health and ambulatory sensitive (ASH) hospitalisation rates.

Improvement in quality of life with continuous positive airway pressure outweighs the treatment burden in children with obstructive sleep apnea.

Introduction: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may pose a significant burden on families. We assessed the impact of CPAP for children on quality of life (QOL) and caregiver treatment burden.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of children commencing outpatient CPAP in a specialist sleep centre 2020-2022.

Analysis of guideline recommendations for treatment of asthma exacerbations in children: a Pediatric Emergency Research Networks (PERN) study.

Rationale: There is significant practice variation in acute paediatric asthma, particularly severe exacerbations. It is unknown whether this is due to differences in clinical guidelines.

Objectives: To describe and compare the content and quality of clinical guidelines for the management of acute exacerbations of asthma in children between geographic regions.

Is there a role for repeating the multiple sleep latency test across childhood when initially non-diagnostic?

Background: The gold standard investigation for central disorders of hypersomnolence is the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). As the clinical features of these disorders of hypersomnolence evolve with time in children, clinicians may consider repeating a previously non-diagnostic MSLT. Currently there are no guidelines available regards the utility and timing of repeating paediatric MSLTs.

A protocol for a critical realist synthesis of school mindfulness interventions designed to promote pupils' mental wellbeing.

Introduction: The review described in this protocol will be the first critical realist review of the literature reporting on the impact of school-based mindfulness interventions on the mental wellbeing of pupils. Mindfulness interventions are increasingly being introduced into schools to promote children's (and teachers') wellbeing. Findings from impact evaluations, including systematic reviews and metanalysis, suggest that school-based mindfulness interventions promote pupils' wellbeing.

Sleepy Kids: are the current diagnostic criteria for multiple sleep latency tests enough?

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is common in childhood and is currently quantified using adult criteria on a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). This study aimed to describe paediatric MSLT results, particularly focussing on a previously proposed alternative mean sleep latency (MSL) threshold for children of 12 min, and assess the impact of a 5th nap. We performed a retrospective analysis of MSLTs at a single paediatric centre from 2004 to 2021.

Design, synthesis and modelling of photoreactive chemical probes for investigating target engagement of plasmepsin IX and X in .

The emergence of parasite resistance to current front-line antimalarial treatments poses a serious threat to global malaria control and highlights the necessity for the development of therapeutics with novel targets and mechanisms of action. Plasmepsins IX and X (PMIX/PMX) have been recognised as highly promising targets in due to their contribution to parasite's pathogenicity. Recent research has demonstrated that dual PMIX/PMX inhibition results in the impairment of multiple parasite's life cycle stages, which is an important feature in drug resistance prevention.

Rural-urban variation in COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Aotearoa New Zealand: Examining the national roll-out.

This study aimed to understand rural-urban differences in the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations during the peak period of the national vaccination roll-out in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). Using a linked national dataset of health service users aged 12+ years and COVID-19 immunization records, age-standardized rates of vaccination uptake were calculated at fortnightly intervals, between June and December 2021, by rurality, ethnicity, and region. Rate ratios were calculated for each rurality category with the most urban areas (U1) used as the reference.