Incidence of occult appendiceal neoplasm in patients over 40 years with acute appendicitis: A single-institution review.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of occult appendiceal neoplasm in patients aged 40 years and over who underwent appendicectomy for appendicitis.

Methods: The clinical coding electronic database was used to identify patients aged 40 years and over who were diagnosed with appendicitis from September 2010 to September 2022. Patients were included if they were managed operatively.

Colorectal adenomatous and serrated polyps in rural South Australia: who, why, what and where?

Backgrounds: The adenoma-carcinoma and serrated pathways offer a window of opportunity for the removal of pre-malignant polyps and prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC) through the use of colonoscopy. The aim of this study was to investigate variation in polyp incidence in different age groups, gender and indications for undertaking colonoscopy. We also address histological types of polyps found and where in the bowel they are located.

The role of screening colonoscopy after appendicitis in patients over 40 years of age.

Background: There is some evidence of the association between acute appendicitis and colorectal neoplasm in patients over the age of 40 years. Despite this, few centres routinely evaluate the colon endoscopically following an episode of appendicitis in these patients. Our aim was to investigate the incidence of colorectal neoplasm in patients aged 40 years and over who underwent screening colonoscopy following acute appendicitis.

Outcomes of laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery in a non-metropolitan Australian hospital: audit of 120 patients with long-term follow-up results.

Background: Laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery has been shown to produce comparable oncological long-term results as well as improved short-term outcomes compared to open surgery in multicentre trials. Limited information is available whether these results are reproduced in non-metropolitan surgery.

Methods: Audit of prospectively collected follow-up data in a rural surgical centre in South Australia.

Quality of rural colonoscopy outperforms key performance indicators in a multi-centre prospective clinical study.

Background: High-quality colonoscopy is vital for the detection and removal of adenomatous polyps and early diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the quality and safety of colonoscopies performed in the non-metropolitan setting. Key performance indicators measured include completion, polypectomy and adenoma/serrated polyp detection rates, rate of adequate bowel preparation, withdrawal time and complications.

Human-mediated dispersal and disturbance shape the metapopulation dynamics of a long-lived herb.

As anthropogenic impacts on the natural world escalate, there is increasing interest in the role of humans in dispersing seeds. But the consequences of this Human-Mediated Dispersal (HMD) on plant spatial dynamics are little studied. In this paper, we ask how secondary dispersal by HMD affects the dynamics of a natural plant metapopulation.

A systematic scoping review of determinants of multidisciplinary cancer team access and decision-making in the management of older patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Early diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) and access to optimal treatment achieves optimal cancer outcomes. However, CRC survival inequalities persist with a lower survival rate for older patients (≥65 years). Although the reasons for poorer cancer survival in older people are complex, evidence suggests that these patients are less likely to receive best practice care as indicated by access to multidisciplinary team (MDT) care.

Two-chip power-scalable THz-generating semiconductor disk laser.

We demonstrate a compact two-chip terahertz-emitting vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser source, which provides 1 THz output based on intracavity frequency conversion of dual-wavelength emission in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. The type-I frequency conversion scheme at room temperature highly benefits from the power-scaling possibilities in a multi-chip cavity with intracavity powers in excess of 500 W.

Rural Emergency Laparotomy Audit.

Background: Emergency laparoscopy/laparotomy is associated with high levels of mortality. The aim of this study was to determine whether outcomes following emergency laparoscopy/laparotomy in rural and regional South Australian hospitals were comparable to those reported in the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit and Perth Emergency Laparotomy Audit.

Methods: A prospective multicentre audit of patients who undergo emergency laparoscopy/laparotomy.

Mortality after emergency abdominal surgery in a non-metropolitan Australian centre.

Objective: Emergency abdominal surgery has poorer outcomes and higher mortality rates, compared with elective surgery. Serious morbidity or mortality occurs in up to 40% of patients. No information is available with regard to the outcome of patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery in rural Australia.

Intraoperative cholangiogram during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A clinical trial in rural setting.

Objective: The routine use of intraoperative cholangiogram (IOC) in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) remains a contentious issue. IOC helps to delineate biliary tree anatomy, prevent bile duct injury and image stones in the common bile duct (CBD). It may prove to be a valuable alternative to ERCP or MRCP, especially in the rural setting with limited resources.

Self-mode-locking semiconductor disk laser.

The development of mode-locked semiconductor disk lasers received striking attention in the last 14 years and there is still a vast potential of such pulsed lasers to be explored and exploited. While for more than one decade pulsed operation was strongly linked to the employment of a saturable absorber, self-mode-locking emerged recently as an effective and novel technique in this field - giving prospect to a reduced complexity and improved cost-efficiency of such lasers. In this work, we highlight recent achievements regarding self-mode-locked semiconductor devices.

Self-mode-locked quantum-dot vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser.

We present the first self-mode-locked optically pumped quantum-dot semiconductor disk laser. Our mode-locked device emits sub-picosecond pulses at a wavelength of 1040 nm and features a record peak power of 460 W at a repetition rate of 1.5 GHz.

A 23-watt single-frequency vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser.

We report on a single-frequency semiconductor disk laser which generates 23.6 W output power in continuous wave operation, at a wavelength of 1013 nm. The high output power is a result of optimizing the chip design, thermal management and the cavity configuration.

Evolution of multi-mode operation in vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

The longitudinal multi-mode emission in a vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser is investigated using both single shot streak camera measurements and interferometric measurement techniques. For this, the laser is operated in the single- and two-color emission regime using both an etalon and a free-running configuration without etalon, respectively. The laser emission is analyzed with respect to pump power and output coupling losses for a long and for a short resonator.

Five-year results of surgical colorectal cancer treatment in rural Australia.

Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer in Australia is among the highest worldwide. We investigate whether similar treatment results for colorectal cancer can be achieved in rural surgery as reported from metropolitan centres.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected follow-up data in a rural surgical centre in South Australia has been carried out.

Terahertz Brewster lenses.

Typical lenses suffer from Fresnel reflections at their surfaces, reducing the transmitted power and leading to interference phenomena. While antireflection coatings can efficiently suppress these reflections for a small frequency window, broadband antireflection coatings remain challenging. In this paper, we report on the simulation and experimental investigation of Brewster lenses in the THz-range.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy--comparison of early postoperative results in an Australian rural centre and a German university hospital.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstone disease. Cultural as well as organisational differences can result in significant variations of postoperative length of stay. AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether differences in postoperative length of stay and early postoperative outcome can be observed by comparison of an Australian rural centre and a German university hospital.

Terahertz birefringence for orientation analysis.

A terahertz time-domain spectrometer is employed to study different birefringent samples. We develop a method based on the temporal waveform and the impulse response of a sample to map the anisotropy of their inner structure. To validate our algorithm, we study the polarization-affecting structure of various classes of materials such as crystals, plastics, and natural products.