Contemporary perioperative outcomes after total abdominal colectomy for ulcerative colitis in a tertiary referral centre.

Objective: Colectomy for ulcerative colitis (UC) is common despite therapeutic advances. Post-operative morbidity and mortality demonstrate an association between hospital volumes and outcomes. This single-centre retrospective study examines outcomes after emergency colectomy for UC.

Characteristics of clients entering women-only substance use treatment services in New South Wales.

Background: Women experiencing substance use disorders face barriers to treatment, including childcare, stigma and lack of gender/trauma-informed programming. Several non-government organizations in New South Wales run women-only treatment services to address these needs.

Objectives: We aim to assess characteristics of women entering treatment in these services.

Surgical management of abdominal desmoids: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Desmoid tumours are benign fibromatous tumours arising from dysregulated myofibroblast proliferation within musculoaponeurotic structures. They can occur sporadically but more commonly are associated with genetic syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (Sakorafas et al. in Surg Oncol 16(2):131-142, 2007) (FAP).

A contemporary series of surgical outcomes following subtotal colectomy and/or completion proctectomy for management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: The main indications for emergency subtotal colectomy (SC) include management of toxic colitis, refractory haemorrhage and/or perforation. Alternatively, elective surgery is performed for those refractory to medical therapy or with evidence of multifocal dysplasia. Overall, the annual incidence of SC has fallen since the introduction of biologic therapies and we aimed to review our current practices.

Interventions for female drug-using offenders.

Background: This review represents one in a family of three reviews focusing on the effectiveness of interventions in reducing drug use and criminal activity for offenders.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of interventions for female drug-using offenders in reducing criminal activity, or drug use, or both.

Search Methods: We searched 12 electronic bibliographic databases up to February 2019.

Interventions for drug-using offenders with co-occurring mental health problems.

Background: This review represents one from a family of three reviews focusing on interventions for drug-using offenders. Many people under the care of the criminal justice system have co-occurring mental health problems and drug misuse problems; it is important to identify the most effective treatments for this vulnerable population.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of interventions for drug-using offenders with co-occurring mental health problems in reducing criminal activity or drug use, or both.

Rumination and problematic substance use among individuals with a long-term history of illicit drug use.

Background: Rumination is a cognitive process that is implicated in the development and maintenance of various forms of psychopathology, including problematic substance use. Most studies on the role of rumination in substance use have been conducted among community samples or individuals with alcohol use disorders and have predominately focused on overall rumination rather than differentiating between its subtypes, ruminative brooding and ruminative reflection. The current study therefore aimed to investigate i) whether rumination subtypes are associated with problematic substance use among people with a long-term history of illicit drug use independently of related psychological disorders (depression and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), and ii) whether gender moderates these relationships.

Youth perceptions of alcohol advertising: are current advertising regulations working?

Objectives: We investigated young people's exposure to alcohol advertising, their intentions to consume and purchase alcohol products following the viewing of advertisements, and whether they perceived the actors in the advertisements as being under the age of 25 years.

Methods: Face-to-face interviews were completed with 351 risky drinking 16-19-year-old Australians, with a sub-sample (n=68) responding to a range of alcohol advertisements in an in-depth interview.

Results: Participants were exposed to alcohol advertisements from an average of seven specific contexts in the past 12 months, with younger adolescents more likely to recall TV and outdoor billboards (n=351).

Maternal and partner prenatal alcohol use and infant cognitive development.

Background: Teratogenicity of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure is established, but uncertainty remains regarding the impact of moderate alcohol exposure on cognitive deficits in infants. Separating in utero effects from environmental confounding is a challenge for observational studies; consideration of alcohol use by partners as well as mothers may help clarify this. This study examined associations between prenatal alcohol use by both mothers and their partners and infant cognitive developmental outcomes at 12-months.

Trends in reports of driving following illicit drug consumption among regular drug users in Australia, 2007-2013: Has random roadside drug testing had a deterrent effect?

Introduction: Driving following illicit drug consumption ('drug-driving') is a potential road safety risk. Roadside drug testing (RDT) is conducted across Australia with the dual aims of prosecuting drivers with drugs in their system and deterring drug-driving. We examined trends over time in self-reported past six-month drug-driving among sentinel samples of regular drug users and assessed the impact of experiences of RDT on drug-driving among these participants.

Alcohol consumption by breastfeeding mothers: Frequency, correlates and infant outcomes.

Introduction And Aims: There is limited research regarding the effects of alcohol consumption by breastfeeding mothers on infant development. This study examined the frequency, correlates and outcomes of alcohol use during lactation.

Design And Methods: Data were from an Australian cohort study.

Weight in the First Year of Life: Associations with Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain-Findings from a Longitudinal Pregnancy Cohort.

 To investigate the obesogenic influence of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on infant weight at birth and 12 months postpartum in an Australian general population sample.  Data on 1,305 pregnant women were collected on prepregnancy BMI and GWG through maternal interview, on infant weight at birth through hospital records, and on infant weight 12 months postbirth through direct measurement. Relationships between prepregnancy, gestational weight exposures, and infant weight outcomes were assessed with and without adjustment for potential confounding.

Prenatal Alcohol Consumption Between Conception and Recognition of Pregnancy.

Background: Current estimates of the rates of alcohol-exposed pregnancies may underestimate prenatal alcohol exposure if alcohol consumption in early trimester 1, prior to awareness of pregnancy, is not considered. Extant literature describes predictors of alcohol consumption during pregnancy; however, alcohol consumption prior to awareness of pregnancy is a distinct behavior from consumption after becoming aware of pregnancy and thus may be associated with different predictors. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine prevalence and predictors of alcohol consumption by women prior to awareness of their pregnancy, and trajectories of change to alcohol use following pregnancy recognition.

Trajectories of heroin use: 10-11-year findings from the Australian Treatment Outcome Study.

Aims: To identify trajectories of heroin use in Australia, predictors of trajectory group membership and subsequent outcomes among people with heroin dependence over 10-11 years.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Sydney, Australia.

Spatial variations in the consumption of illicit stimulant drugs across Australia: A nationwide application of wastewater-based epidemiology.

Obtaining representative information on illicit drug use and patterns across a country remains difficult using surveys because of low response rates and response biases. A range of studies have used wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a complementary approach to monitor community-wide illicit drug use. In Australia, no large-scale WBE studies have been conducted to date to reveal illicit drug use profiles in a national context.

Binge drinking and subsequent depressive symptoms in young women in Australia.

Background: The long-term impact of binge drinking on subsequent depressive symptoms is unclear. The aims were to identify longitudinal patterns of binge drinking and whether binge drinking preceded depressive symptoms in the short-term (1-6 years) and long-term (10-15 years).

Methods: Longitudinal data from 1996, 2000 and 2009 mailed surveys of 8,197 women in the 1973-78 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Predictors of postnatal mother-infant bonding: the role of antenatal bonding, maternal substance use and mental health.

The emotional bond that a mother feels towards her baby is critical to social, emotional and cognitive development. Maternal health and wellbeing through pregnancy and antenatal bonding also play a key role in determining bonding postnatally, but the extent to which these relationships may be disrupted by poor mental health or substance use is unclear. This study aimed to examine the extent to which mother-fetal bonding, substance use and mental health through pregnancy predicted postnatal mother-infant bonding at 8 weeks.

Differences in polysubstance use patterns and drug-related outcomes between people who inject drugs receiving and not receiving opioid substitution therapies.

Aims: To test if polysubstance use profiles and drug-related outcomes differ between those receiving and not receiving opioid substitution therapies (OST) among people who inject drugs (PWID).

Design: An annual cross-sectional, sentinel sample of PWID across Australia.

Setting: Data came from 3 years (2011-13) of the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS).

Epidemiological Evidence for a Decreasing Incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, 2000-11.

Background: This study analyses the incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in a large geographically defined population in Australia.

Method: Database linkage analysis of all births between 2000 and 2011 in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The diagnosis of NAS was derived from hospital coding P96.

Tobacco and e-cigarette use amongst illicit drug users in Australia.

Objective: To examine the rates and patterns of tobacco and e-cigarette use amongst two samples of illicit drug users in Australia.

Method: Data were obtained from the 2015 Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) and the 2015 Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS). These studies comprised cross-sectional samples of 888 people who inject drugs (PWID) and 763 regular psychostimulant users (RPU).

Reasons for Rehospitalization in Children Who Had Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

Background And Objectives: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) occurs after in utero exposure to opioids, but outcomes after the postnatal period are unclear. Our objectives were to characterize childhood hospitalization after NAS.

Methods: Population-based linkage study of births, hospitalization, and death records of all children registered in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, between 2000 and 2011 to a maximum of 13 years.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of opioid substitution therapy upon prison release in reducing mortality among people with a history of opioid dependence.

Aim: Although opioid substitution therapy (OST) immediately after prison release reduces mortality, the cost-effectiveness of treatment has not been examined. Therefore, we undertook a cost-effectiveness analysis of OST treatment upon prison release and the prevention of death in the first 6 months post-release.

Design: Population-based, retrospective data linkage study using records of OST entrants (1985-2010), charges and court appearances (1993-2011), prison episodes (2000-11) and death notifications (1985-2011).