Impact and predictors of quality of life in adults diagnosed with a genetic muscle disorder: a nationwide population-based study.

Objectives: To determine the impact of genetic muscle disorders and identify the sociodemographic, illness, and symptom factors influencing quality of life.

Methods: Adults (aged 16-90 years) with a confirmed clinical or molecular diagnosis of a genetic muscle disorder identified as part of a nationwide prevalence study were invited to complete an assessment of the impact of their condition. Quality of life was measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire.

Which demographic factors influence Pacific women's attendance at colposcopy clinics in New Zealand?

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the demographic factors associated with attendance at colposcopy clinics among Pacific women following a high-grade cytology in New Zealand.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was undertaken of Pacific women following high-grade cytology between January 2010 and December 2015. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression was undertaken to assess whether socioeconomic deprivation, age and Pacific ethnicity were associated with colposcopy attendance.

New avenue for the geriatric depression scale: Rasch transformation enhances reliability of assessment.

Background: Depression is a common problem in older adults. The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) is a widely used psychometric tool for measuring depression in the elderly, but its psychometric properties have not been yet rigorously investigated. The aim was to evaluate psychometric properties of the GDS-15 and improve precision of the instrument by applying Rasch analysis and deriving conversion tables for transformation of raw scores into interval level data.

The global burden of neurological disorders: translating evidence into policy.

Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide. In the past 30 years, the absolute numbers of deaths and people with disabilities owing to neurological diseases have risen substantially, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries, and further increases are expected globally as a result of population growth and ageing. This rise in absolute numbers of people affected suggests that advances in prevention and management of major neurological disorders are not sufficiently effective to counter global demographic changes.

Measuring stroke and transient ischemic attack burden in New Zealand: Protocol for the fifth Auckland Regional Community Stroke Study (ARCOS V).

The goal of this paper is to provide a protocol for conducting a fifth population-based Auckland Regional Community Stroke study (ARCOS V) in New Zealand. : In this study, for the first time globally, (1) stroke and TIA burden will be determined using the currently used clinical and tissue-based definition of stroke, in addition to the WHO clinical classifications of stroke used in all previous ARCOS studies, as well as more advanced criteria recently suggested for an "ideal" population-based stroke incidence and outcomes study; and (2) age, sex, and ethnic-specific trends in stroke incidence and outcomes will be determined over the last four decades, including changes in the incidence of acute cerebrovascular events over the last decade. Furthermore, information at four time points over a 40-year period will allow the assessment of effects of recent changes such as implementation of the FAST campaign, ambulance pre-notification, and endovascular treatment.

Sex Differences in Long-Term Quality of Life Among Survivors After Stroke in the INSTRUCT.

Background and Purpose- Women are reported to have poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after stroke than men, but the underlying reasons are uncertain. We investigated factors contributing to the sex differences. Methods- Individual participant data on 4288 first-ever strokes (1996-2013) were obtained from 4 high-quality population-based incidence studies from Australasia and Europe.

Status epilepticus in Auckland, New Zealand: Incidence, etiology, and outcomes.

Objective: To determine the incidence, etiology, and outcome of status epilepticus (SE) in Auckland, New Zealand, using the latest International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) SE semiological classification.

Methods: We prospectively identified patients presenting to the public or major private hospitals in Auckland (population = 1.61 million) between April 6, 2015 and April 5, 2016 with a seizure lasting 10 minutes or longer, with retrospective review to confirm completeness of data capture.

Prevalence of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease across the lifespan: a population-based epidemiological study.

Objectives: This population-based study aimed to determine age-standardised prevalence of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) across the lifespan using multiple case ascertainment sources.

Design: Point-prevalence epidemiological study in the Auckland Region of New Zealand (NZ).

Setting: Multiple case ascertainment sources including primary care centres, hospital services, neuromuscular disease registry, community-based organisations and self-referral were used to identify potentially eligible participants.

Who will redislocate his/her shoulder? Predicting recurrent instability following a first traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation.

Objective: To develop a multivariate tool that would predict recurrent instability after a first-time traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation.

Methods: Participants (aged 16-40 years) were recruited across New Zealand into a prospective cohort study. Baseline data were collected during a telephone interview and through examination of radiology records.

A Nationwide, Population-Based Prevalence Study of Genetic Muscle Disorders.

Background: Previous epidemiological studies of genetic muscle disorders have relied on medical records to identify cases and may be at risk of selection biases or have focused on selective population groups.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine age-standardised prevalence of genetic muscle disorders through a nationwide, epidemiological study across the lifespan using the capture-recapture method.

Methods: Adults and children with a confirmed clinical or molecular diagnosis of a genetic muscle disorder, resident in New Zealand on April 1, 2015 were identified using multiple overlapping sources.

Secular trends 2013-2017 in overweight and visible dental decay in New Zealand preschool children: influence of ethnicity, deprivation and the Under-5-Energize nutrition and physical activity programme.

Early-life intervention to reduce obesity and poor dental health through early-life nutrition will improve health outcomes in later life. This study examined the prevalence of overweight and obesity and visual dental decay in 4-year old children in New Zealand between 2013 and 2017, and the impact of a nutrition and physical activity intervention programme, Under-5-Energize (U5E), on prevalence of these conditions within ethnic groups and by deprivation. The data set included 277,963 4-year-old children, including 25,140 from the Waikato region children of whom 8067 attended one of the 121 early childhood centres (ECC) receiving the U5E programme from 2014.

EpiNet study of incidence of status epilepticus in Auckland, New Zealand: Methods and preliminary results.

The EpiNet project has been commenced to facilitate investigator-led collaborative research in epilepsy. A new Web-based data collection tool has been developed within EpiNet to record comprehensive data regarding status epilepticus and has been used for a study of status epilepticus in Auckland, New Zealand. All patients aged >4 weeks who presented to any of the five public hospitals and the major private hospital within Auckland city (population = 1.

Trajectories in health recovery in the 12 months following a mild traumatic brain injury in children: findings from the BIONIC Study.

INTRODUCTION There is growing consensus that adverse child outcomes may be evident in the early recovery phase following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, controversy remains around the nature of children's longer-term recovery. AIM To examine child cognitive, behavioural and quality-of-life outcomes over 12 months following mild injury, and to identify prognostic factors associated with outcomes.

Determining the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a stroke instructional and educational DVD in a multinational context: a randomized controlled pilot study.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial of an instructional and educational stroke DVD and determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of this intervention in a multinational context.

Design: Non-funded, pilot randomized controlled trial of intervention versus usual care.

Setting: International, multicentre, community-based.

Factors contributing to sex differences in functional outcomes and participation after stroke.

Objective: To examine factors contributing to the sex differences in functional outcomes and participation restriction after stroke.

Methods: Individual participant data on long-term functional outcome or participation restriction (i.e.

Determinants, Prevalence, and Trajectory of Long-Term Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment: Results from a 4-Year Follow-Up of the ARCOS-IV Study.

Background: The long-term (>12 months) prevalence, predictors, and trajectory of post-stroke cognitive deficits are not well established, especially at a community level. This study investigated the longitudinal course and prevalence of cognitive impairment in an incidence cohort, identifying factors associated with declining cognition.

Methods: Two hundred fifty-seven participants (mean age = 67.

Primary prevention of stroke and cardiovascular disease in the community (PREVENTS): Methodology of a health wellness coaching intervention to reduce stroke and cardiovascular disease risk, a randomized clinical trial.

Rationale Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, yet 80% of strokes can be prevented through modifications of risk factors and lifestyle and by medication. While management strategies for primary stroke prevention in high cardiovascular disease risk individuals are well established, they are underutilized and existing practice of primary stroke prevention are inadequate. Behavioral interventions are emerging as highly promising strategies to improve cardiovascular disease risk factor management.

The effect of spinal position on sciatic nerve excursion during seated neural mobilisation exercises: an study using ultrasound imaging.

Objectives: Research has established that the amount of inherent tension a peripheral nerve tract is exposed to influences nerve excursion and joint range of movement (ROM). The effect that spinal posture has on sciatic nerve excursion during neural mobilisation exercises has yet to be determined. The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of different sitting positions (slump-sitting versus upright-sitting) on the amount of longitudinal sciatic nerve movement during different neural mobilisation exercises commonly used in clinical practice.

Sex Differences in Long-Term Mortality After Stroke in the INSTRUCT (INternational STRoke oUtComes sTudy): A Meta-Analysis of Individual Participant Data.

Background: Women are reported to have greater mortality after stroke than men, but the reasons are uncertain. We examined sex differences in mortality at 1 and 5 years after stroke and identified factors contributing to these differences.

Methods And Results: Individual participant data for incident strokes were obtained from 13 population-based incidence studies conducted in Europe, Australasia, South America, and the Caribbean between 1987 and 2013.

Minding the gap: Subjective relative deprivation and depressive symptoms.

Substantial evidence has linked depressive symptoms to various indices of societal-level inequality and relative deprivation. A larger literature has also addressed cognitive vulnerability and correlates of depression. Despite this evidence, little research to date has examined the relationship of depressive symptoms with such downstream individual-level consequences of inequality as subjective relative deprivation, or whether relative deprivation is associated with cognitive vulnerability in depression.

Sleep difficulties and their impact on recovery following mild traumatic brain injury in children.

Objective: To determine the frequency of sleep difficulties in children following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) over time and explore the role of sleep on recovery and behaviour.

Methods: Longitudinal study of 109 children aged between 8-16 years who had experienced a mild TBI, with an embedded case control study. Parents completed assessments of the child's sleep quality, symptoms and behaviour at baseline, 1, 6 and 12 months post-injury.

Global burden of stroke and risk factors in 188 countries, during 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.

Background: The contribution of modifiable risk factors to the increasing global and regional burden of stroke is unclear, but knowledge about this contribution is crucial for informing stroke prevention strategies. We used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013) to estimate the population-attributable fraction (PAF) of stroke-related disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) associated with potentially modifiable environmental, occupational, behavioural, physiological, and metabolic risk factors in different age and sex groups worldwide and in high-income countries and low-income and middle-income countries, from 1990 to 2013.

Methods: We used data on stroke-related DALYs, risk factors, and PAF from the GBD 2013 Study to estimate the burden of stroke by age and sex (with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals [UI]) in 188 countries, as measured with stroke-related DALYs in 1990 and 2013.

Sex Differences in Stroke Incidence, Prevalence, Mortality and Disability-Adjusted Life Years: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.

Background: Accurate information on stroke burden in men and women are important for evidence-based healthcare planning and resource allocation. Previously, limited research suggested that the absolute number of deaths from stroke in women was greater than in men, but the incidence and mortality rates were greater in men. However, sex differences in various metrics of stroke burden on a global scale have not been a subject of comprehensive and comparable assessment for most regions of the world, nor have sex differences in stroke burden been examined for trends over time.