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Research

Otitis media at 6-monthly assessments of Australian First Nations children between ages 12–36 months: Findings from two randomised controlled trials of combined pneumococcal conjugate vaccines

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.

Research

ISOM 2023 research Panel 4 - Diagnostics and microbiology of otitis media

To identify and review key research advances from the literature published between 2019 and 2023 on the diagnosis and microbiology of otitis media (OM) including acute otitis media (AOM), recurrent AOM (rAOM), otitis media with effusion (OME), chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and AOM complications (mastoiditis). 

Research

The Impact of Early-Life Recurrent Otitis Media in Children on the Psychological Well-Being of Caregivers

Children with early-life recurrent otitis media (OM) will often endure pain, sleep disturbances, and other developmental setbacks that impact the surrounding family system. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological well-being and family functioning of caregivers of children with early-life recurrent OM (rOM).

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New findings in the pathogenesis of otitis media

This study was the first to concurrently identify middle ear pathogens in both bacterial biofilm and intracellularly in the middle ear mucosa of children and to identify extensive DNA stranding in the MEF from children with AOM

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Genome-Wide Association Study to Identify the Genetic Determinants of Otitis Media Susceptibility in Childhood

We identified several novel candidate genes which warrant further analysis in cohorts matched more precisely for clinical phenotypes.

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High detection rates of nucleic acids of a wide range of respiratory viruses in the nasopharynx and the middle ear

Both bacteria and viruses play a role in the development of acute otitis media, however, the importance of specific viruses is unclear.

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Otitis-prone children produce functional antibodies to pneumolysin and pneumococcal polysaccharides

The production of functional antipneumococcal antibodies in otitisprone children demonstrates that they respond to the current pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)and are likely to respond to pneumolysin-based vaccines as effectively as healthy children.

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Protective benefit of predominant breastfeeding against otitis media may be limited to early childhood: results from a prospective birth cohort study

Our findings are in line with a number of epidemiological studies which show a positive association between breastfeeding and OM in early childhood

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No evidence for impaired humoral immunity to pneumococcal proteins in Australian Aboriginal children with otitis media

Conserved vaccine candidate proteins from S.pneumoniae induce serum and salivary antibody responses in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children with history of OM