Stroke incidence and subtypes in Aboriginal people in remote Australia: a healthcare network population-based study.

Objectives: We aimed to compare the incidence, subtypes and aetiology of stroke, and in-hospital death due to stroke, between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Central Australia, a remote region of Australia where a high proportion Aboriginal people reside (40% of the population). We hypothesised that the rates of stroke, particularly in younger adults, would be greater in the Aboriginal population, compared with the non-Aboriginal population; we aimed to elucidate causes for any identified disparities.

Design: A retrospective population-based study of patients hospitalised with stroke within a defined region from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2014.

Single Dose of Pseudoephedrine Induces Simultaneous Bilateral Acute Angle Closure Crisis.

Simultaneous bilateral acute angle closure crisis (AACC) is a sight-threatening ocular emergency. Many "cold and flu" preparations contain compounds with sympathomimetic or anticholinergic qualities that confer a risk of inducing AACC. We present a review of cold and flu preparation-induced AACC, and present a case of simultaneous bilateral AACC triggered by a single oral dose of pseudoephedrine.

Autoimmune encephalitis following alemtuzumab treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Secondary autoimmune disorders are a recognised complication of alemtuzumab treatment for multiple sclerosis. We report a case of autoimmune encephalitis manifesting as a polymorphic epilepsia partialis continua / status epilepticus seven months after the second course of alemtuzumab in a patient with previous autoimmune hypothyroidism and immune thrombocytopenic purpura. An MRI revealed multifocal cortical abnormalities and neuronal loss was evident on biopsy.

Transient Ischaemic Attack Rarely Precedes Stroke in a Cohort with Low Proportions of Large Artery Atherosclerosis: A Population-Based Study.

Background: Ischaemic stroke is reportedly preceded by transient ischaemic attack (TIA) in 15-30% of all cases. The risk of stroke following TIA is highest in the presence of unstable atherosclerotic plaques in large arteries. The recent population-based Adelaide Stroke Incidence Study describes a population with a low proportion (16%) of stroke attributable to large artery atherosclerosis (LAA).

Retrospective review of 200 children hospitalised with acute asthma. Identification of intervention points: a single centre study.

Aim: Indigenous Australians with asthma have higher morbidity and mortality compared with non-Indigenous Australians. In children hospitalised with acute asthma, we aimed to (i) determine if acute severity, risk factors and management differed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children; and (ii) identify intervention points to reduce morbidity and mortality of asthma.

Methods: Retrospective review of 200 children hospitalised to Royal Darwin Hospital with asthma.