Melioidosis in the remote Katherine region of northern Australia.

Melioidosis is endemic in the remote Katherine region of northern Australia. In a population with high rates of chronic disease, social inequities, and extreme remoteness, the impact of melioidosis is exacerbated by severe weather events and disproportionately affects First Nations Australians. All culture-confirmed melioidosis cases in the Katherine region of the Australian Top End between 1989-2021 were included in the study, and the clinical features and epidemiology were described.

Addressing Profound Disadvantages to Improve Indigenous Health and Reduce Hospitalisation: A Collaborative Community Program in Remote Northern Territory.

Background: Aboriginal people in rural and remote areas of the Northern Territory of Australia have suffered longstanding issues of homelessness and profound health and social inequities. The town and region of Katherine are particularly impacted by such inequities and have the highest rates of homelessness in Australia, composed almost entirely of Aboriginal people who represent 51% of the total population of 24,000 people. The region is serviced by a 60-bed hospital, and a small cohort of frequent attenders (FAs) represent 11% of the Emergency Department (ED) case load.

Providing palliative care closer to home: a retrospective analysis from a remote Australian hospital.

Background: Rural and remote patients have reduced access to palliative care, often resulting in inter-hospital transfers and death a long way from home and family. Katherine Hospital (KH), a 50-bed hospital services a population with high Aboriginality who experience this issue.

Aims: To characterise trends in mortality and transfers at a remote hospital in reference to increasing capacity to provide palliative care.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease In Aboriginal Patients Of The Northern Territory Of Australia: A Landscape Perspective.

Background: The Aboriginal population of Australia has a higher burden of chronic health conditions than non-Aboriginal Australians. However, there is a paucity of data on clinical and demographic characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in this population.

Method: In this retrospective study we evaluated the clinical, demographic and environmental influences in adult Aboriginal patients with COPD living in the regional and remote communities of the Northern Territory of Australia.

Opsonic Phagocytosis in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Is Enhanced by Nrf2 Agonists.

Rationale: Previous studies have identified defects in bacterial phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages (AMs) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the mechanisms and clinical consequences remain incompletely defined.

Objectives: To examine the effect of COPD on AM phagocytic responses and identify the mechanisms, clinical consequences, and potential for therapeutic manipulation of these defects.

Methods: We isolated AMs and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from a cohort of patients with COPD and control subjects within the Medical Research Council COPDMAP consortium and measured phagocytosis of bacteria in relation to opsonic conditions and clinical features.

Impaired Mitochondrial Microbicidal Responses in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Macrophages.

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by impaired clearance of pulmonary bacteria.

Objectives: The effect of COPD on alveolar macrophage (AM) microbicidal responses was investigated.

Methods: AMs were obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage from healthy donors or patients with COPD and challenged with opsonized serotype 14 Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Differential Effects of p38, MAPK, PI3K or Rho Kinase Inhibitors on Bacterial Phagocytosis and Efferocytosis by Macrophages in COPD.

Pulmonary inflammation and bacterial colonization are central to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Defects in macrophage phagocytosis of both bacteria and apoptotic cells contribute to the COPD phenotype. Small molecule inhibitors with anti-inflammatory activity against p38 mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), phosphatidyl-inositol-3 kinase (PI3K) and Rho kinase (ROCK) are being investigated as novel therapeutics in COPD.

Good acoustics central to recovery.

Good acoustic conditions in hospitals and other healthcare facilities are known not only to benefit patients by creating an environment that facilitates rest, sleeping, consultation and treatment, but also clinical and nursing staff. At the recent Healthcare Estates conference, Richard Budd of acoustic engineering and noise and vibration consultants Sound Research Laboratories, discussed the revised guidance on good acoustic design in a recently published Health Technical Memorandum, HTM 08-01-Acoustics.