The Tasmanian Epilepsy Register--a community-based cohort. Background and methodology for patient recruitment from the Australian national prescription database.

Background/aims: Centralized prescription databases may provide an efficient mechanism for recruitment of community-treated disease.

Methods: The Australian federal government agency, the Health Insurance Commission (HIC), invited patients to participate in the Tasmanian Epilepsy Register (TER). Eligible patients included those who received at least one anticonvulsant above a 'reportable' price threshold between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2002.

The lack of effect of isoflavones on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in adolescent boys: a 6-week randomised trial.

Background: A substantial fall in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) during puberty in boys, but not girls, has been reported in Western populations. The fall in boys is believed to be due to hormonal changes--androgens have been shown to be associated with lower HDL-C, whereas oestrogens are associated with higher HDL-C. The fall in HDL-C during puberty was not observed, however, in a study of Moslem boys in Israel, nor in a group of Japanese boys.

Calcium supplements in healthy children do not affect weight gain, height, or body composition.

Objective: Calcium intake is a potential factor influencing weight gain and may reduce body weight, but the evidence for this in children is conflicting. The aim of this study was to use data from randomized controlled trials to determine whether calcium supplementation in healthy children affects weight or body composition.

Research Methods And Procedures: This study is a systematic review.

Effects of calcium supplementation on bone density in healthy children: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of calcium supplementation for improving bone mineral density in healthy children and to determine if any effect is modified by other factors and persists after supplementation stops.

Design: Meta-analysis.

Data Sources: Electronic bibliographic databases, hand searching of conference proceedings, and contacting authors for unpublished data.

Evaluating the use of a portable ultrasound machine to quantify intima-media thickness and flow-mediated dilation: agreement between measurements from two ultrasound machines.

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) are intermediate endpoints for cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a portable ultrasound machine was capable of valid measurements of FMD and CIMT compared with a clinic-based machine under similar conditions. Vascular images were taken on 23 apparently healthy young adults with the portable type and clinic type instruments.

The validity of brief screening cognitive instruments in the diagnosis of cognitive impairment and dementia after first-ever stroke.

Introduction: Brief cognitive tests such as the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Informant Questionnaire for Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) have been used to detect cognitive impairment and dementia in studies of stroke patients. However, there are few data on their validity for such use. We have evaluated their validity in detecting cognitive impairment not dementia (CIND) and dementia in a community-based sample of first-ever stroke patients.

Association between dietary fat and skin cancer in an Australian population using case-control and cohort study designs.

Background: Human studies of dietary fat as a possible risk factor for cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC)--principally basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)--have produced inconsistent results. We had the opportunity to examine the association concurrently for all three types of skin cancer in a population-based study in Tasmania, Australia, involving 652 cases of CMM, BCC and SCC and a common set of 471 controls.

Methods: Histopathologically-confirmed cases of CMM, BCC and SCC were ascertained from the Tasmanian Cancer Registry (TCR), and controls were selected at random from the state's electoral roll.

Effect of MELANOTAN, [Nle(4), D-Phe(7)]-alpha-MSH, on melanin synthesis in humans with MC1R variant alleles.

MELANOTAN (NDP-MSH) binds the MC1 receptor to significantly increase the eumelanin content of human skin cells. In this study of 77 Caucasian individuals, we investigated the effects of MELANOTAN in individuals with variant MC1R genotypes, as it has been suggested through in vitro studies that variant alleles decrease MELANOTAN binding efficacy, which would subsequently affect the synthesis of melanin. Administration of MELANOTAN produced a significant (p<0.

A meta-analysis of sex differences prevalence, incidence and severity of osteoarthritis.

Objective: To resolve uncertainty regarding sex differences in osteoarthritis (OA) by performing a meta-analysis of sex differences in OA prevalence, incidence and severity.

Methods: Standard search strategies for population-based studies of OA providing sex-specific data. Random effects meta-analysis to provide pooled male vs female risk and rate ratios for prevalent and incident OA, and standardized mean differences (SMD) for OA severity.

Parental exercise is associated with Australian children's extracurricular sports participation and cardiorespiratory fitness: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between parental physical activity and children's physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness has not been well studied in the Australian context. Given the increasing focus on physical activity and childhood obesity, it is important to understand correlates of children's physical activity. This study aimed to investigate whether parental exercise was associated with children's extracurricular sports participation and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Effect of computerised prescribing on use of antibiotics.

Objectives: To examine whether the use of current prescribing software systems might raise rates of repeat prescribing, with a consequent increase in use of antibiotics in the community.

Design And Setting: A prospective audit of consecutive prescriptions for amoxycillin, cefaclor, roxithromycin and amoxycillin/clavulanate presented to community pharmacies in the Hunter region of New South Wales and a follow-up survey of people who received a repeat prescription, October to November 2000.

Main Outcome Measures: The frequency of repeat prescription ordering on computer-generated and handwritten prescriptions; the proportion of people who filled their repeat prescription.

Limitations of Health Insurance Commission (HIC) data for deriving prescribing indicators.

Objectives: To derive indicators of quality prescribing by Australian general practitioners based on Health Insurance Commission (HIC) data and assess the influence of incomplete capture of data on under-copayment drugs on the validity of these indicators.

Design: Two expert groups proposed prescribing indicators that can be derived from aggregate prescribing data, and which reflect important clinical or cost-effectiveness issues. Indicators were examined using HIC data and compared with national prescribing trends over time using Australian Statistics on Medicines.