Publications by authors named "Kristy Mann"
Background: Abnormalities in membrane excitability and Na(+) channel function are characteristic of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We aimed to examine the neuroprotective potential, safety and tolerability of the Na(+) channel blocker and membrane stabiliser flecainide in ALS.
Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial of flecainide (200 mg/day) for 32-weeks with a 12-week lead-in phase was conducted in participants with probable or definite ALS recruited from multiple Australian centres (ANZCT Registry number ACTRN12608000338369).
Background: Preeclampsia is associated with fetal growth restriction and low birth weights. Neurotrophins, which mediate neuronal growth and development, are also increased in the placenta and cord blood in preeclampsia. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine whether fetal head growth is altered in preeclampsia, adjusting for growth restriction and other confounding variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Altered fetal growth is known to be associated with allergic disease. Specifically, increased head circumference at birth has been linked to asthma and elevated IgE. However, few studies have examined a link between early fetal anthropometry and allergic disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: It has been suggested that prehospital care teams that can provide advanced prehospital interventions may decrease the transit time through the ED to CT scan and subsequent surgery. This study is an exploratory analysis of data from the Head Injury Retrieval Trial (HIRT) examining the relationship between prehospital team type and time intervals during the prehospital and ED phases of management.
Methods: Three prehospital care models were compared; road paramedics, and two physician staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) - HIRT HEMS and the Greater Sydney Area (GSA) HEMS.
Background: Advanced prehospital interventions for severe brain injury remains controversial. No previous randomised trial has been conducted to evaluate additional physician intervention compared with paramedic only care.
Methods: Participants in this prospective, randomised controlled trial were adult patients with blunt trauma with either a scene GCS score <9 (original definition), or GCS<13 and an Abbreviated Injury Scale score for the head region ≥3 (modified definition).
Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate serum HE4 as a biomarker to detect recurrent disease during follow-up of patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma (EAC).
Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 98 EAC patients treated at Innsbruck Medical University, between 1999 and 2009. Twenty-six patients developed recurrent disease.
Methadone maintenance therapy is the standard of care in many countries for opioid-dependent women who become pregnant. Despite recent evidence showing significant neurodevelopmental changes in children and adults exposed to both licit and illicit substances in utero, data on the effects of opioids in particular remains scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of opiate use, in particular methadone, on various fetal cortical and biometric growth parameters in utero using ultrasound measurements done at 18-22 weeks gestation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the effect of the interaction between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and maternal body mass index (BMI) on the individual neonatal growth parameters.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: A tertiary maternity service in Sydney, Australia, between 2005 and 2009.
Aims/hypothesis: In the double-blind placebo-controlled Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes trial (n = 9,795), fenofibrate reduced major cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes. Sex-related differences in fenofibrate response could be clinically relevant and were pre-specified analyses.
Methods: Women (n = 3,657) and men (n = 6,138) with type 2 diabetes not using statins were assigned fenofibrate (200 mg/day) or placebo for 5 years.
Objectives: This study aims to examine the characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) associated with high levels of schizotypy.
Methods: Using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) with 177 individuals with OCD, patients with OCD and high levels of schizotypy (OCD-HS) were compared to patients with OCD and low levels of schizotypy (OCD-LS) on a range of clinical characteristics. Self-report and clinician-administered instruments were used.
Introduction And Hypothesis: Patient reported measures are important for the evaluation of symptom-specific bother and the distinction between different types of urinary incontinence. The aim of the study was to assess the validity of physician administered visual analogue scales (VAS) for the bother from stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urge urinary incontinence (UUI).
Methods: In this prospective cohort study based at a tertiary urogynecological unit, women attending for investigation of lower urinary tract symptoms (n = 504) were asked to indicate their subjective bother from SUI and UUI on a 10-cm VAS.
Article Synopsis
- Plasma midregional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) levels at baseline and after one year can help predict long-term outcomes in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD).
- The LIPID study analyzed data from over 7,800 patients, showing that higher baseline MR-proADM concentrations were linked to an increased risk of major CHD events, heart failure, and overall mortality.
- An increase in MR-proADM over one year was also associated with a higher risk of subsequent CHD risks, and monitoring these changes can improve risk assessment for heart failure significantly.
Objectives: This study sought to assess whether baseline and change in contemporary sensitive troponin I (TnI) levels predicts coronary heart disease (CHD) death and myocardial infarction (MI), and to determine the effects of pravastatin on TnI levels.
Background: The role of troponins in predicting long-term outcomes in patients with stable CHD is not clearly defined.
Methods: The LIPID (Long-Term Intervention With Pravastatin in Ischaemic Disease) study randomized patients with cholesterol levels of 155 to 271 mg/dl 3 to 36 months after MI or unstable angina to placebo or pravastatin 40 mg per day.
Aims: The Warfarin Self-Management Anticoagulation Research Trial (Warfarin SMART) was designed to determine whether patients self-managing warfarin (PSM) using the CoaguChek device and a dosing algorithm developed for the trial could keep the INR (International Normalised Ratio) test in target range at least as often as patients managed by usual care by the family doctor or hospital clinic.
Methods And Results: 310 patients were randomly assigned to PSM or usual care. The PSM group was trained to perform home INR testing and warfarin dosing using a validated ColourChart algorithm.
Objective: This study aims to explore the effects of menopause and hormone therapy on the symptoms and signs of stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence.
Methods: Records of women who attended a tertiary urogynecological unit were reviewed retrospectively. A standardized interview included evaluations of symptoms, menopause age (ie, time since last menstrual period or onset of menopausal symptoms), current or previous hormone use, and visual analogue scales for bother.
Background: Patients who have had a first episode of unprovoked venous thromboembolism have a high risk of recurrence after anticoagulants are discontinued. Aspirin may be effective in preventing a recurrence of venous thromboembolism.
Methods: We randomly assigned 822 patients who had completed initial anticoagulant therapy after a first episode of unprovoked venous thromboembolism to receive aspirin, at a dose of 100 mg daily, or placebo for up to 4 years.
Aim: The collection of data on longer-term neurodevelopmental outcomes within large neonatal randomized controlled trials by trained assessors can greatly increase costs and present many operational difficulties. The aim of this study was to develop a more practical alternative for identifying major cognitive delay in infants at the age of 24 months, based on parental reports.
Method: A sample of 476 infants (206 female, 270 male) previously diagnosed with neonatal sepsis (mean birthweight 1329g [SD 865g], mean gestational age at birth 28.