The Prevalence and Causes of Vision Loss in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians: The National Eye Health Survey.

Purpose: To conduct a nationwide survey on the prevalence and causes of vision loss in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Design: Nationwide, cross-sectional, population-based survey.

Participants: Indigenous Australians aged 40 years or older and non-Indigenous Australians aged 50 years and older.

Safety and benefit considerations for menopausal hormone therapy.

While benefits and risks of hormone therapy (HT) have been shown in rigorous randomized, controlled trials, clinical use and further study have discovered effects of age, time of HT initiation, and differential effects of various regimens and administration routes on its safety profile. Areas covered: The safety of HT with regard to cardiovascular disease, thrombosis, the endometrium, the breast, and cognition was reviewed. Differential safety effects of estradiol versus conjugated equine estrogens, and progesterone versus synthetic progestins are reported.

Effect of simvastatin on baboon endometriosis.

Endometriosis, a common disorder affecting women of reproductive age, is characterized by ectopic growth of the endometrial tissues, altered steroid hormone response, and inflammation. Previous studies revealed that statins, selective inhibitors of the key step of mevalonate pathway, inhibit growth of endometrial stromal cells in vitro and reduce endometriotic lesions in murine models of endometriosis. This study evaluated the effects of simvastatin on the development of endometriosis in a baboon model of this disease.

Prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis in Australia: the National Eye Health Survey.

Importance: Australia is the only developed country to still have pockets of endemic trachoma. The research provides up-to-date, population-based prevalence data of later complications of trachoma amongst a national sample of Indigenous adults.

Background: To report the prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) in Indigenous Australians aged 40 years and older.

The impact of health promotion on trachoma knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) of staff in three work settings in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

Background: Globally, trachoma is the leading cause of infectious blindness and Australia is the only developed country with endemic trachoma. It is found in remote Indigenous communities burdened with poverty, overcrowding and poor hygiene. Lack of culturally appropriate health promotion, a small trachoma workforce and lack of awareness and support for trachoma elimination in general, were early barriers.

Treatment of Endometriosis-Associated Pain with Elagolix, an Oral GnRH Antagonist.

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic, estrogen-dependent condition that causes dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain. Elagolix, an oral, nonpeptide, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist, produced partial to nearly full estrogen suppression in previous studies.

Methods: We performed two similar, double-blind, randomized, 6-month phase 3 trials (Elaris Endometriosis I and II [EM-I and EM-II]) to evaluate the effects of two doses of elagolix - 150 mg once daily (lower-dose group) and 200 mg twice daily (higher-dose group) - as compared with placebo in women with surgically diagnosed endometriosis and moderate or severe endometriosis-associated pain.

Adherence to diabetic eye examination guidelines in Australia: the National Eye Health Survey.

Objective: To determine adherence to NHMRC eye examination guidelines for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian people with diabetes.

Design: Cross-sectional survey using multistage, random cluster sampling.

Setting: Thirty randomly selected geographic sites in the five mainland Australian states and the Northern Territory, stratified by remoteness.

Bisphenol-A exposure in utero programs a sexually dimorphic estrogenic state of hepatic metabolic gene expression.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) exposure in utero affects fetal development and metabolism leading to obesity. However, the mechanisms are not well characterized. We identified sexually dimorphic developmental programming of genes regulating metabolism in the liver after BPA exposure.

Incremental direct and indirect cost burden attributed to endometriosis surgeries in the United States.

Objective: To compare direct and indirect costs between endometriosis patients who underwent endometriosis-related surgery (surgery cohort) and those who have not received surgery (no-surgery cohort).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Not applicable.

The Prevalence of Self-Reported Stroke in the Australian National Eye Health Survey.

Background And Purpose: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for self-reported stroke in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Research Design And Methods: In this national eye study, 1738 Indigenous Australians (41.1% male) aged 40-92 years and 3098 non-Indigenous Australians (46.

Treatment coverage rates for refractive error in the National Eye Health survey.

Objective: To present treatment coverage rates and risk factors associated with uncorrected refractive error in Australia.

Methods: Thirty population clusters were randomly selected from all geographic remoteness strata in Australia to provide samples of 1738 Indigenous Australians aged 40 years and older and 3098 non-Indigenous Australians aged 50 years and older. Presenting visual acuity was measured and those with vision loss (worse than 6/12) underwent pinhole testing and hand-held auto-refraction.

Micrometastasis of endometriosis to distant organs in a murine model.

Endometriosis is an inflammatory gynecological disorder among reproductive-aged women caused by the engraftment and proliferation of endometrial cells outside the uterus, most commonly in the pelvis. It is thought that the disease arises primarily from retrograde menstruation where cells from the endometrium travel through the fallopian tubes to the peritoneal cavity. However, migration of endometriosis-derived cells to distant organs outside of the peritoneal cavity have not been explored.

Participant referral rate in the National Eye Health Survey (NEHS).

Purpose: To present the rates of referral of participants in the National Eye Health Survey (NEHS) for further eye care.

Materials & Methods: A national sample of 3098 non-Indigenous Australians aged 50-98 and 1738 Indigenous Australians aged 40-92 years living in 30 randomly selected sites was recruited using a door-to-door approach. Participants completed a general questionnaire and a series of eye tests, including vision and anterior segment assessment, intra-ocular pressure measurement, visual field testing and fundus photography.

Recruitment and Testing Protocol in the National Eye Health Survey: A Population-Based Eye Study in Australia.

Purpose: To present the recruitment and testing methodology of the National Eye Health Survey (NEHS), a population-based study that aimed to determine the prevalence and causes of vision impairment and blindness in Australia.

Methods: Non-Indigenous Australians aged 50 years and older and Indigenous Australians aged 40 years and older were recruited using a door-to-door approach from 30 randomly selected geographical areas, stratified by remoteness. Participants underwent a vision examination, anterior segment assessment, intraocular pressure testing, perimetry, and fundus photography.

CXCL12 Promotes Stem Cell Recruitment and Uterine Repair after Injury in Asherman's Syndrome.

Asherman's syndrome is an acquired condition of uterine fibrosis and adhesions in response to injury that adversely affects fertility and pregnancy. We have previously demonstrated that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMDSCs) contribute to uterine repair after injury and that stem cells supplementation improves fertility. Here, we demonstrate that CXCL12 is the chemokine that mediates stem cell engraftment and functional improvement using a murine model of Asherman's syndrome.

The Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in Australian Adults with Self-Reported Diabetes: The National Eye Health Survey.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of and factors associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR) among non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australian adults with self-reported diabetes.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.

Participants: Non-Indigenous Australians (50-98 years of age) and Indigenous Australians (40-92 years of age) with known diabetes.

Cigarette Smoking Affects Uterine Receptivity Markers.

Objective: Smoking negatively affects fertility and the rate of other endometrial diseases. To determine the effect of smoking on endometrial physiology, we evaluated 2 endometrial regulatory cytokines and receptivity markers, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), both in vitro and in vivo.

Study Design: The human endometrial stromal cell line (HESC) and primary human endometrial stromal cells were treated with cigarette smoking extract (CSE) or with vehicle control.

Embryonic poly(A)-binding protein is required at the preantral stage of mouse folliculogenesis for oocyte-somatic communication.

Embryonic poly(A)-binding protein (EPAB)-deficient mice are infertile due to defects in both the oocyte and the somatic cells of the ovary. Since EPAB is oocyte specific, the abnormalities in the somatic compartment of Epab−/− mice are likely due to factors inherent to the oocyte. Herein, we investigated whether oocyte–somatic communication is disrupted as a result of EPAB deficiency.