Effect of postexercise recovery procedures following strenuous stair-climb running.

This study compared the effects of hot/cold water immersion, static stretching, and no recovery (control) interventions on leg strength, rowing performance, and indicators of muscle soreness/damage in the 72 hours following strenuous stair-climb running. Club (n = 14) and elite (Sports Institute) (n = 6) rowers performed the training run on three separate occasions. After each run, participants completed a randomly assigned 15-minute recovery treatment, either hot/cold, static stretching, or control, which were repeated at 24 and 48 hours postrun.

Assessing agreement between point of care and laboratory results for lipid testing from a clinical perspective.

Objectives: Investigate agreement between lipid pathology results from point-of-care testing (PoCT) devices and laboratories.

Design And Methods: Agreement was assessed using the Bland-Altman method.

Results: : Mean difference (limits of agreement) were: -0.

Does point-of-care testing lead to the same or better adherence to medication? A randomised controlled trial: the PoCT in General Practice Trial.

Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness of point-of-care testing (PoCT) with that of pathology laboratory testing, as measured by patients' adherence to medication.

Design: Multicentre, cluster randomised controlled trial using non-inferiority analysis. Medication adherence was assessed twice (in April 2006 and January 2007) by a self-administered questionnaire using the five-item Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5).

Sequence variants in three loci influence monocyte counts and erythrocyte volume.

Blood cells participate in vital physiological processes, and their numbers are tightly regulated so that homeostasis is maintained. Disruption of key regulatory mechanisms underlies many blood-related Mendelian diseases but also contributes to more common disorders, including atherosclerosis. We searched for quantitative trait loci (QTL) for hematology traits through a whole-genome association study, because these could provide new insights into both hemopoeitic and disease mechanisms.

Chronic Care Team Profile: a brief tool to measure the structure and function of chronic care teams in general practice.

Aim: At a time when workforce shortages in general practices are leading to greater role substitution and skill-mix diversification, and the demand on general practices for chronic disease care is increasing, the structure and function of the general practice team is taking on heightened importance. To assist general practices and the organizations supporting them to assess the effectiveness of their chronic care teamworking, we developed an interview tool, the Chronic Care Team Profile (CCTP), to measure the structure and function of teams in general practice. This paper describes its properties and potential use.

Back home: a qualitative study exploring re-entering cross-cultural missionary aid workers' loss and grief.

Over 200 Australian, American, and British Non-Government Organizations send aid workers overseas including missionaries. On re-entry, they may suffer psychological distress; however, there is little research about their psychosocial issues and management in the family practice setting. Research suggests loss and grief as a suitable paradigm for family practitioners dealing with psychosocial issues.

Quality of life of Australian chronically-ill adults: patient and practice characteristics matter.

Background: To study health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large sample of Australian chronically-ill patients and investigate the impact of characteristics of patients and their general practices on their HRQOL and to assess the construct validity of SF-12 in Australia.

Methods: Cross sectional study with 96 general practices and 7606 chronically-ill patients aged 18 years or more using standard SF-12 version 2. Factor analysis was used to confirm the hypothesized component structure of the SF-12 items.

Varicella immunisation practice: Implications for provision of a recommended, non-funded vaccine.

Aim: In Australia in 2003 a two-tiered immunisation schedule was introduced consisting of funded (National Immunisation Program) and non-funded but recommended vaccines (Best Practice Schedule), including varicella vaccine. The aim of this study was to examine immunisation practice when a vaccine is recommended but not funded by Government.

Methods: A survey was sent to 600 randomly selected general practitioners (GPs) in South Australia between June and August 2005, prior to provision of Federal funding for varicella vaccine.

Serum alanine aminotransferase, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease in an Australian population.

Objectives: Elevations of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are common and have been associated with metabolic syndrome (Met S) and cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to determine whether elevated ALT concentrations are predictive of Met S or cardiovascular events.

Methods: In 1994/95, surviving participants of the previously conducted Busselton health population surveys completed a series of clinical and biochemical assessments.

Effectiveness of point-of-care testing for therapeutic control of chronic conditions: results from the PoCT in General Practice Trial.

Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness of point-of-care testing (PoCT) and that of pathology laboratory testing, as measured by therapeutic control in chronic conditions.

Design: Multicentre, cluster randomised controlled trial using non-inferiority analysis.

Setting: 53 Australian general practices in urban, rural and remote areas across three Australian states, September 2005 to February 2007.

The PHF11 gene is not associated with asthma or asthma phenotypes in two independent populations.

Background: Numerous areas of the human genome have previously been associated with asthma and asthma-related phenotypes, but few positive findings have been successfully replicated in independent populations. Initial studies have reported strong associations of variants in the plant homeodomain zinc finger protein 11 (PHF11) gene with serum IgE levels, asthma, airway hyper-responsiveness and childhood atopic dermatitis.

Objectives: To investigate the association of variants in the PHF11 gene with asthma and associated intermediate phenotypes in two independent Western Australian population-based samples.

Association of cardiovascular factors and Alzheimer's disease plasma amyloid-beta protein in subjective memory complainers.

A strong link is indicated between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), which may be exacerbated by the major AD genetic risk factor apolipoprotein Eepsilon4 (APOEepsilon4). Since subjective memory complaint (SMC) may potentially be an early indicator for cognitive decline, we examined CVD risk factors in a cohort of SMC. As amyloid-beta (Abeta) is considered to play a central role in AD, we hypothesized that the CVD risk profile (increased LDL, reduced HDL, and increased body fat) would be associated with plasma Abeta levels.

Social anxiety and the severity and typography of stuttering in adolescents.

Unlabelled: The present study examined the relationship between anxiety, attitude toward daily communication, and stuttering symptomatology in adolescent stuttering. Adolescents who stuttered (n=19) showed significantly higher levels of trait, state and social anxiety than fluent speaking controls (n=18). Trait and state anxiety was significantly associated with difficulty with communication in daily situations for adolescents who stutter, but not for controls.

Health literacy--a new concept for general practice?

Background: Health literacy is the ability to understand and interpret the meaning of health information in written, spoken or digital form and how this motivates people to embrace or disregard actions relating to health.

Objective: This article aims to describe the concept of health literacy, its importance and its applications in the general practice setting.

Discussion: Australia trails behind other western countries in practical applications of health literacy.

Analyses of associations with asthma in four asthma population samples from Canada and Australia.

Asthma, atopy, and related phenotypes are heterogeneous complex traits, with both genetic and environmental risk factors. Extensive research has been conducted and over hundred genes have been associated with asthma and atopy phenotypes, but many of these findings have failed to replicate in subsequent studies. To separate true associations from false positives, candidate genes need to be examined in large well-characterized samples, using standardized designs (genotyping, phenotyping and analysis).

Utility of the metabolic syndrome and its components in the prediction of incident cardiovascular disease: a prospective cohort study.

Background: To investigate the prognostic importance of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) on incident cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: The study was based on 10-year follow-up of 3041 men and women aged 25-84 years without CVD or diabetes who participated in the 1994/1995 Busselton Health Survey.

Sequence variants affecting eosinophil numbers associate with asthma and myocardial infarction.

Eosinophils are pleiotropic multifunctional leukocytes involved in initiation and propagation of inflammatory responses and thus have important roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. Here we describe a genome-wide association scan for sequence variants affecting eosinophil counts in blood of 9,392 Icelanders. The most significant SNPs were studied further in 12,118 Europeans and 5,212 East Asians.

The effects of homocysteine and MTHFR genotype on hip bone loss and fracture risk in elderly women.

Summary: Few studies have evaluated the effects of homocysteine and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotype on age-related bone loss. In our 5-year cohort study with 1,213 women aged 70-85 years, high homocysteine is associated with greater hip bone loss but not fracture risk. The effect of MTHFR genotype on bone density and fracture is weak.

The association of common genetic variants in the APOA5, LPL and GCK genes with longitudinal changes in metabolic and cardiovascular traits.

Aims/hypothesis: Common genetic variants influence plasma triacylglycerol, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and glucose levels in cross-sectional studies. However, the longitudinal effects of these established variants have not been studied. Our aim was to examine the longitudinal associations of four such variants in the apolipoprotein A-V (APOA5), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and glucokinase (GCK) genes with fasting glucose or lipid levels.

Management of asthma in Australian general practice: care is still not in line with clinical practice guidelines.

Objective And Background: We investigated the quality of primary care asthma management in a sample of Australian general practices.

Methods: 247 general practitioners (GPs) from 97 practices completed a structured interview about management of asthma, diabetes and hypertension/heart disease. A further structured interview with the senior practice principal and practice manager was used to collect information about practice capacity for chronic disease management.