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Background and aims: Participatory research involves academic partners working together with the community that is affected by research to make decisions about that research. Such approaches often result in research that is more respectful of, and responsive to, community preferences – and is vital in the context of autism research with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Whilst participatory approaches are becoming more commonplace within CALD autism research, no studies have explored the experiences of being involved in autism research from the perspectives of CALD community partners over the course of a study. This paper intended to address this gap by reporting on the experiences of CALD parents of autistic children who were community partners in a 1-year Australian research project exploring home–school partnerships for CALD parents of autistic children. We aimed to: (1) report on how parents' involvement in the research process shaped the home–school partnerships study over time and (2) understand their experiences of being community partners on the home–school partnerships project. Methods: Using key principles of participatory approaches, we established Chinese and Vietnamese parent advisory groups to contribute to a project exploring home–school partnerships for parents of autistic children from CALD backgrounds in Australia. Advisory groups included parents of autistic children from Chinese/Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as interpreters, professionals and researchers. We documented how parents' participation as community partners shaped the home–school partnerships study over the course of the project. We also elicited parents' own views and experiences of being community partners through informal, open-ended questions at the beginning and end of the study. Results: We found that parents' input fundamentally shaped the broader home–school partnership study, from meaningful, accurate translation of interview schedules through to making decisions regarding community-specific recommendations and dissemination plans. Parents themselves reported being keen to collaborate and to hear and share opinions for the purpose of the home–school partnership study – although they noted how emotionally difficult sharing their stories could be. While they initially had some concerns about combining being involved as a community partner with their existing responsibilities, ultimately, parents were surprised by the scope of the home–school partnership study and their level of involvement as community partners. Through hearing others' stories and sharing their own in advisory group meetings, parents reported ancillary benefits of their involvement, including increased self-advocacy and well-being. Conclusions: These findings show how research that is conducted in partnership with diverse members of the autism community has the capacity to improve the quality of the research and benefit community partners. Implications: This study clearly documents the benefits and potential challenges of participatory approaches with CALD communities. These findings emphasise to researchers and funders the importance of including extra time and money within budgets in order to produce meaningful research that is respectful and responsive to communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis B infection has been associated with the development of gestational diabetes but the underlying mechanism is not known. Objective: To examine associations between viral activity, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and insulin resistance in pregnant people with chronic hepatitis B infection (HBV). Design: Prospective cohort study across three tertiary maternity centres in Melbourne, Australia, between May 2021 and April 2023. Methods: Participants were followed prospectively through pregnancy to evaluate subsequent GDM diagnosis. Demographics, pregnancy outcomes, and markers of viral activity were compared between those with GDM versus those without. Logistic regression analysis was performed pre- and post-adjustment for known confounders. Sub-group analysis of participants from South East Asia (SEA) was performed. Outcome measures included GDM diagnosis, insulin resistance (Homeostatic Model Assessment Insulin Resistance score (HOMA-IR) score), HBV activity as measured by liver function tests, HBV viral load, hepatitis B e antigen, and quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (quantHBsAg). Results: A total of 113 women were recruited. One third (38/112, 33.9%) developed GDM, mostly diagnosed on isolated postprandial hyperglycaemia (25/38, 65.8%). Over half were born in SEA (66/113, 58.4%). Mean quantHBsAg was significantly lower in those with GDM (p = 0.044). No other associations were identified between GDM or HOMA-IR and markers of hepatic activity on multivariate logistic regression analysis and on sub-group analysis of those born in SEA. Conclusions: QuantHBsAg was significantly lower in those with GDM; otherwise, no association between GDM and measures of HBV viral activity was found. QuantHBsAg may be useful as an early pregnancy marker for GDM risk and warrants further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients from ethnic minority backgrounds often experience disparities in healthcare quality and outcomes. This study aimed to compare the patient-reported experiences of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) to general patients in the Australian healthcare setting. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey was used to evaluate patient experiences from patients in a metropolitan public healthcare network, spanning three hospitals. Level of English proficiency was based on primary language spoken at home. To identify disparities in experience ratings between patients with LEP and the general cohort, independent t -tests were employed. Data was analysed from 2,291 patients, collected over a five-year period (2017–2022), with 490 patients identified as LEP (i.e. speaking a language other than English at home). Statistically significant differences were identified between the cohorts, with LEP patients rating their experiences higher in three areas: doctors listening carefully, doctors explaining in a way they could understand, and quietness at night. Conversely, patients with LEP scored lower in areas regarding nursing respect and responsiveness to call bells. Although patients with LEP had a more positive overall experience, this difference was not statistically significant. The findings indicate potential misalignment between the often poorer health outcomes among people from ethnic minority backgrounds and their experiences in hospital. Additional research is crucial to delve into the unique experiences of ethnic minority patients, including those with LEP, to understand the differences influencing perceptions of care and contributing to disparities in health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a wide range of literature on patellar tendon injury, making it increasingly difficult to stay informed on the most influential studies in this field. It is essential to be familiar with the foundational articles of patellar tendon injury research to understand the current state of the literature and deliver high quality care. Purpose: To objectively identify the 50 most influential articles relating to patellar tendon injury and conduct a bibliometric analysis to identify key features of these articles. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database was utilized to gather metrics on the 50 most cited articles on patellar tendon injury on June 27, 2022. The information extracted from each article included publication year, number of citations, author information, article type, level of evidence, country of origin, journal name, study focus, and industry influence. Results: The top 50 studies were cited a total of 8543 times and published between 1977 and 2015. The majority of articles were published after 2003, and the majority of citations were accrued after 2011. The most prevalent article types were cohort studies (n = 23), and the majority of studies were of evidence level 2 (n = 14) or 4 (n = 13). Australia and the United States (US) each published the most studies (n = 11). Only 4 (8%) studies focused on patellar tendon rupture, and 12 (24%) of the top 50 studies were associated with industry. Conclusion: The majority of the top 50 most influential articles in patellar tendon injury were published and accumulated citations in the past 10 to 20 years. Non-US countries, institutions, and journals published many of the top 50 studies, reflecting a global interest and commitment to research in this field. Patellar tendon rupture and surgical repair represents a minority of research in the top 50 studies and could be a point of growth in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity has known benefits during pregnancy; however, the optimum volume of physical activity through the different stages of pregnancy is not well known. Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the associations of physical activity volume in pregnant women in each trimester of pregnancy with maternal and infant outcomes. Design: The study involved 1657 pregnant women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, who completed surveys from 2006 to 2012 (aged 28–39 years). Methods: Women reported being in either the first, second or third trimester of pregnancy. Women were grouped into four groups according to their self-reported physical activity during pregnancy: (1) Nil (0–<33.3 MET.min/week), (2) Low (33.3–<500 MET.min/week), (3) Moderate (500–<1000 MET.min/week) and (4) High (⩾1000 MET.min/week). Women who reported their physical activity during pregnancy completed a survey within three years after the birth, relating to outcomes associated with pregnancy and childbirth (gestational diabetes, hypertension, and antenatal depression and anxiety) and infant outcomes (birthweight and prematurity). Results: There was no association of physical activity in any trimester with infant birthweight, prematurity, gestational diabetes, hypertension or antenatal depression. Antenatal anxiety was less prevalent in women who reported low (1.7%) or moderate (1.1%) physical activity than in those who reported no activity (4.7%; p = 0.01). Conclusion: Different amounts of physical activity during pregnancy were not associated with the measured adverse health outcomes. However, low and moderate amounts of physical activity were associated with reduced incidence of antenatal anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Family violence (FV) is one of the most urgent health issues of our generation. While nurses play a vital role in identifying and supporting victim/survivors of violence, little is known about nursing readiness to respond across clinical areas. Objective: This study aimed to compare and contrast the knowledge, confidence, clinical skills, and perceived barriers of nurses across three clinical areas of a tertiary trauma hospital in Melbourne, Australia, in responding to FV. Method: A prospective, mixed methods design was used. The nursing staff at a large trauma hospital were approached to participate. Participants completed a brief online survey to quantify clinician-reported knowledge, clinical skills, and barriers to managing FV. Results: Two hundred and forty-two nursing staff electronically completed a brief survey to capture self-reported confidence, knowledge, clinical skills, and barriers to working effectively in the area. The descriptive analysis reflected service-wide deficits in knowledge, confidence, and self-reported clinical skills, irrespective of the work area. Deficits were identified on a background of limited structured training for FV among this cohort. Significantly higher rates of FV confidence and knowledge were identified among emergency department nurses relative to acute and subacute clinical counterparts. Conclusion: Nurse respondents overall reported low rates of confidence, knowledge, and clinical skills in responding to disclosures of FV. Findings reinforce the need for imbedded training programs to support frontline responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]