Publications by authors named "McManus H"
Article Synopsis
- Australia struggles to effectively monitor the HIV epidemic due to insufficient population data, prompting this study to use incidence prevalence ratios (IPRs) to assess the epidemic trends among specific groups: men who have sex with men, women, and people who inject drugs.
- The study employed mathematical modeling to create IPRs from various data sources, comparing them against benchmarks based on life expectancy after HIV acquisition, illuminating trends from 2015 to 2022.
- The findings showed a significant decline in IPRs across all groups, with overall rates dropping by 80%, and many groups surpassing benchmarks, indicating a positive trend in managing HIV transmission in Australia.
Navigating therapeutic sequencing in the metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patient journey.
Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- Novel therapies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have improved outcomes, but optimal treatment selection remains unclear.
- A comprehensive review of clinical trials and guidelines was conducted, identifying key factors for treatment selection like personal history, symptoms, and genetic testing.
- The article discusses the current mCRPC treatment landscape, including recommended options and ongoing trials, while offering recommendations for treatment sequencing based on patient-specific factors.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed the effectiveness of subsidised HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Australia from April 2018 to March 2023, focusing on HIV incidence among users over a 5-year period.
- A total of 66,206 people were included in the study, with an overall HIV incidence rate of 1.07 per 1000 person-years, indicating that higher adherence to PrEP substantially reduced the risk of HIV acquisition.
- Key factors influencing HIV acquisition included previous treatment for hepatitis C, younger age (18-29), and attending prescribers in areas with lower prevalence of gay men.
Background: Immunotherapy (IO) and oral anticancer agents (OAA) have improved outcomes for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), but there is a need to understand real-world costs from the perspective of payers and patients.
Methods: We used retrospective fee-for-service Medicare 100% claims data to study patients diagnosed with mRCC in 2015-2019. We identified initial treatment type and costs (the year after diagnosis) and analyzed differences in monthly and 12-month costs over time and between OAA, IO, and combination groups and the association between Out-Of-Pocket (OOP) costs and adherence.
There is a profound need to identify modifiable risk factors to screen and prevent pancreatic cancer. Air pollution, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To estimate notification rates for infectious syphilis in women of reproductive age and congenital syphilis in Australia.
Study Design: Retrospective cohort study; analysis of national infectious syphilis and enhanced congenital syphilis surveillance data.
Setting, Participants: Women aged 15-44 years diagnosed with infectious syphilis, and babies with congenital syphilis, Australia, 2011-2021.
Importance: Area-level measures of sociodemographic disadvantage may be associated with racial and ethnic disparities with respect to receipt of treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) but have not been investigated previously, to our knowledge.
Objective: To assess the association between area-level measures of social vulnerability and racial and ethnic disparities in the treatment of US Medicare beneficiaries with mRCC from 2015 through 2019.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study included Medicare beneficiaries older than 65 years who were diagnosed with mRCC from January 2015 through December 2019 and were enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare Parts A, B, and D from 1 year before through 1 year after presumed diagnosis or until death.
Article Synopsis
- In Australia, a controversial blood donation policy prevents men who have had sex with other men in the past 3 months from donating, which many criticize as discriminatory and rather simplistic.
- A recent study of 5,178 survey participants revealed that only 40.2% of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) were eligible to donate blood under current rules, while a potential new criterion could increase this number to 73.6%.
- The study indicates that there is a significant lack of awareness among GBM regarding the 3-month deferral period, highlighting the need for better education on blood donation criteria to increase participation.
Unlabelled: Bone pain is a well-known quality-of-life detriment for individuals with prostate cancer and is associated with survival. This study expands previous work into racial differences in multiple patient-reported dimensions of pain and the association between baseline and longitudinal pain and mortality. This is a prospective cohort study of individuals with newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer enrolled in the International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer (IRONMAN) from 2017 to 2023 at U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The regulatory change allowing UK donors to contribute blood in Australia significantly increased donation numbers, with 38,462 UK donors participating and making 67,914 successful donations in just six months.
- The study tracked these donations from the end of the deferral period on July 25, 2022, until January 24, 2023, and compared them to baseline metrics and predictions.
- The findings revealed that the number of donations surpassed original estimates, suggesting that the shift brought in more donors who were willing to donate more frequently, helping meet 96% of the donation target.
Background: Reliable estimates of the population proportion eligible to donate blood are needed by blood collection agencies to model the likely impact of changes in eligibility criteria and inform targeted population-level education, recruitment, and retention strategies. In Australia, the sole estimate was calculated 10+ years ago. With several subsequent changes to the eligibility criteria, an updated estimate is required.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHIV self-testing allows people to collect samples and test themselves at home, addressing known barriers to facility-based testing. We aimed to measure the uptake of home HIV testing among Australian gay and bisexual men (GBM). Using national cross-sectional data from the Australian Gay Community Periodic Surveys, we assessed trends in home HIV testing among non-HIV positive GBM between 2018 and 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recent reports indicate increasing gonorrhoea and chlamydia among female sex workers (FSWs) in Australia, with decreasing condom use for oral sex.
Methods: We determined trends in prevalence and positivity of gonorrhoea and chlamydia among FSWs attending our clinic from 2005 to 2019, by analysing data from medical and pathology records. We conducted a sensitivity analysis by using an alternative prevalence definition of first test result only per calendar year.
Introduction: Biomarkers are needed to identify patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) most likely to benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. We examined associations between radiographically assessed body composition (BC) variables and body mass index (BMI) with clinical outcomes for patients with mRCC receiving first-line ipilimumab + nivolumab (ipi/nivo).
Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients with mRCC treated with first-line ipi/nivo at one institution before June 1, 2021 with an analyzable baseline computed tomography (CT) scan.
Disparities in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) outcomes persist in the era of oral anticancer agents (OAAs) and immunotherapies (IOs). We examined variation in the utilization of mRCC systemic therapies among US Medicare beneficiaries from 2015 to 2019. Logistic regression models evaluated the association between therapy receipt and demographic covariates including patient race, ethnicity, and sex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although HIV treatment-as-prevention reduces individual-level HIV transmission, population-level effects are unclear. We aimed to investigate whether treatment-as-prevention could achieve population-level reductions in HIV incidence among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) in Australia's most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria.
Methods: TAIPAN was a longitudinal cohort study using routine health record data extracted from 69 health services that provide HIV diagnosis and care to GBM in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia.
Article Synopsis
- A study in Malawi found that after a round of mass drug administration for trachoma, the overall prevalence was below 5%, but some children still had the disease.
- The analysis of 16,142 children revealed that having a handwashing facility and living farther away from water sources were linked to lower cases of trachoma.
- The findings suggest that enhancing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) factors can help further reduce trachoma rates, but more detailed data collection is needed to fully understand these relationships.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to investigate changes in syphilis positivity rates among women and heterosexual men in major Australian cities from 2011 to 2019, focusing on various health determinants.
- A total of 88,562 first tests were analyzed, revealing that the syphilis positivity rate increased for both groups over the years, with 0.34% of women and 0.66% of men testing positive.
- Socio-economic disadvantage, Indigenous status, and recent injection drug use significantly contributed to higher positivity rates, while bisexual women and those engaged in recent sex work showed lower rates compared to heterosexual women.
Article Synopsis
- Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), used for HIV treatment, is linked to kidney issues, but data on its impact during pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is limited.
- A study across 52 Australian clinics from 2009-2019 found that patients on PrEP experienced significantly lower rates of renal impairment (0.7%) compared to those living with HIV (4.1%).
- Factors like older age and lower baseline kidney function increased the risk of renal issues, but even after adjusting for these factors, PrEP users still had a lower risk of renal impairment than those prescribed TDF for HIV.
Introduction: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been government subsidized in Australia since April 2018 and while uptake is high among men who have sex with men, rates of discontinuation are also high. The aims of this study were to examine the impact of discontinuation on overall PrEP usage, the proportion of PrEP users who discontinue and the predictors of discontinuation.
Methods: We used linked de-identified dispensing records of all government subsidized PrEP in Australia between April 2018 and September 2021: a whole-of-population data set.
Aims: The 2016 Global Health Sector Strategy (GHSS) on viral hepatitis aims to reduce new hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections by 80% by 2030, including a 30% reduction by 2020. This study aimed to estimate primary HCV incident infection among a national sample of people who inject drugs (PWID) before and after the introduction of unrestricted access to HCV direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy via Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in 2016.
Design: A simple deterministic linkage method identified repeat respondents in serial cross-sectional surveys conducted among PWID.