Making the hidden seen: A narrative analysis of the experiences of Assumption of Care at birth.

Background: Being involved in any child protection system is complex and multifaceted and none more so than in non-voluntary Assumption of Care which occurs in New South Wales when, for child protection concerns, the Department of Family and Community Services removes a newborn baby from her/his mother.

Objective: This research studied childbearing women's and professionals' experiences of Assumption of Care at birth to increase understanding of individual participants' stories, how they made sense of meanings and how these experiences framed their lives.

Method: A narrative inquiry framework guided interviews with four groups: childbearing women, midwives, social workers and Family and Community Services case managers.

A researcher's journey: Exploring a sensitive topic with vulnerable women.

Background: The conduct of research regardless of the subject or methods employed brings responsibilities and challenges. These are greater when dealing with sensitive topics and vulnerable groups and therefore researchers must navigate a range of complex issues and make choices in relation to practical, ethical and philosophical concerns. While literature dealing with research methodologies and research design may assist to some degree, it cannot provide a clear pathway or template as each research project must respond to a unique set of circumstances.

Post-Blast Analysis of Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine using Liquid Chromatography-Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization-Mass Spectrometry.

A qualitative method using liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS) has been developed and validated for the identification of trace hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) using three structurally-specific ions. Residues are extracted with deionized water (DI) and identified using a gradient mobile phase program and positive ion full scan mode on a Thermo Finnigan LCQ Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer. This method was validated according to several performance characteristics for the qualitative identification of an analyte using the characteristic ions, demonstrating the method's reliability for use on forensic applications.

Guilty until proven innocent?--the Assumption of Care of a baby at birth.

Background: This paper provides an overview of the history of child protection, the associated law and the 2008 amendments to the Child and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 in relation to the Assumption of Care at birth practice.

Objective: To explore the current practice of an Assumption of Care (AOC) where a newborn baby is removed from his/her mother at the time of birth, particularly focussing on the impact of the AOC on midwives.

Discussion: Assumption of Care practices in NSW raise significant issues for midwives in relation to the midwifery codes of ethics and conduct and importantly, to their ability to work in ways that honour a "woman-centred care" philosophy.

Discovery of syn-/anti-cocaine-N-oxide diastereomers in unwashed postmortem hair via LC-MS-MS.

The discovery of two cocaine-N-oxide (CNO) diastereomers, syn- and anti-CNO, is reported for the first time. Prior to this study, only one structural form of CNO was known to exist and has not been analyzed in hair before. CNO is a metabolite of cocaine (COC) and may be considered as an additional biomarker of COC use, along with other known COC metabolites.

Holistic physiological care compared with active management of the third stage of labour for women at low risk of postpartum haemorrhage: a cohort study.

Question: Is 'holistic psychophysiological care' in the third stage of labour safe for women at low risk of postpartum haemorrhage?

Background: Although there have been four randomised trials and a Cochrane Review on the safety and effectiveness of care during the third stage labour, no previous study has focussed only on women at low risk of postpartum haemorrhage and no previous study has tested a form of physiological third stage care that is provided by skilled midwives in an appropriate setting.

Design: Retrospective cohort study involving a maternity unit at a tertiary referral hospital and a freestanding, midwifery-led birthing unit.

Participants: All low risk women who gave birth at either unit in the period July 2005-August 2008.

Physiological concentrations of bile acids down-regulate agonist induced secretion in colonic epithelial cells.

In patients with bile acid malabsorption, high concentrations of bile acids enter the colon and stimulate Cl(-) and fluid secretion, thereby causing diarrhoea. However, deoxycholic acid (DCA), the predominant colonic bile acid, is normally present at lower concentrations where its role in regulating transport is unclear. Thus, the current study set out to investigate the effects of physiologically relevant DCA concentrations on colonic epithelial secretory function.