Orally dissolving pilocarpine tablets for xerostomia in advanced cancer: A pilot N-of-1 feasibility study.

Background: Xerostomia is a common and difficult symptom experienced by patients with cancer. Pilocarpine is a cholinergic agent that stimulates salivation.

Aim: To assess the feasibility of conducting a N-of-1 trial to determine the efficacy of pilocarpine orally dissolving tablets in patients with xerostomia.

Individuals with a previous symptomatic COVID-19 infection have altered heart rate and blood pressure variability during acute exercise.

As the number of COVID-19 cases begin to diminish it is important to turn our attention to any long-term issues that may be associated with a prior infection. Cardiovascular defects have been noted following prior SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, less is known about how a previous infection alters the cardiovascular response to exercise.

Genome wide association study of silent cerebral infarction in sickle cell disease (HbSS and HbSC).

Not available.

General practice nurses and physicians and end of life: a systematic review of models of care.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) and general practice nurses (GPNs) face increasing demands to provide palliative care (PC) or end-of-life care (EoLC) as the population ages. In order to maximise the impact of GPs and GPNs, the impact of different models of care that have been developed to support their practice of EoLC needs to be understood.

Objective: To examine published models of EoLC that incorporate or support GP and GPN practice, and their impact on patients, families and the health system.

Facilitators and barriers to general practitioner and general practice nurse participation in end-of-life care: systematic review.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) and general practice nurses (GPNs) face increasing demands to provide palliative care (PC) or end-of-life care (EoLC) as the population ages. To enhance primary EoLC, the facilitators and barriers to their provision need to be understood.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive description of the facilitators and barriers to GP and GPN provision of PC or EoLC.

End-of-life care in rural and regional Australia: Patients', carers' and general practitioners' expectations of the role of general practice, and the degree to which they were met.

The study objective was to explore the characteristics of rural general practice which exemplify optimal end-of-life (EOL) care from the perspective of people diagnosed with cancer, their informal carers and general practitioners (GPs); and the extent to which consumers perceived that actual EOL care addressed these characteristics. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with six people diagnosed with cancer, three informal carers and four GPs in rural and regional Australia. Using a social constructionist approach, thematic analysis was undertaken.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of sleep hygiene in children with ADHD.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often accompanied by sleep problems in children. Sleep hygiene is defined as a set of behavioural, environmental, or cognitive modifications to improve sleep, and is routinely clinically utilised as first-line treatment for insomnia in ADHD. The objective of this systematic review of the literature is to evaluate the effectiveness of sleep hygiene interventions for sleep difficulties in children with ADHD.

General practice physicians' and nurses' self-reported multidisciplinary end-of-life care: a systematic review.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) and general practice nurses (GPNs) face increasing demands to provide end-of-life care (EoLC) as the population ages. To enhance primary palliative care (PC), the care they provide needs to be understood to inform best practice models of care.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive description of the self-reported role and performance of GPs and GPNs in (1) specific medical/nursing roles, (2) communication, (3) care co-ordination, (4) access and out-of-hours care, and (5) multidisciplinary care.

Protocol: Using N-of-1 tests to identify responders to melatonin for sleep disturbance in Parkinson's disease.

Background: 40% of Parkinson's Disease (PD) sufferers experience insomnia, impacting health and quality of life for patients and family members, especially carers. There is little evidence that current treatments are effective.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of melatonin in reducing insomnia in 44 individuals with PD using N-of-1 trials.

Predicting Those Who Are at Risk of Dying within Six to Twelve Months in Primary Care: A Retrospective Case-Control General Practice Chart Analysis.

With an aging population, and most deaths due to a nonmalignant cause, there is urgency to review the nature of end-of-life care (EoLC) to minimize gaps in service provision. Early introduction of EoLC benefits patient and carers, so identification of those at risk of dying 6 to 12 months before death is highly desirable. To identify the most predictive patient characteristics of a risk of death within 6 to 12 months as a precursor to developing a user-friendly primary care screening tool.

Identifying palliative care needs in residential care.

The aim of this study is to determine the accuracy, feasibility and acceptability of the surprise question (SQ) in combination with a clinical prediction tool (Supportive and Palliative Care Indicator Tool (SPICT)) in identifying residents who have palliative care needs in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) in Australia. A prospective cohort study in two RACFs containing both high-level care (including dementia) and low-level care beds. Directors of Nursing screened 187 residents at risk of dying by 12 months using first the SQ, and if positive, then the SPICT.

General practitioners (GPs) and end-of-life care: a qualitative study of Australian GPs and specialist palliative care clinicians.

Objectives: General practitioners (GPs) are well placed to be involved in end-of-life care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. However, differing views exist regarding their role. This study aims to explore the views of GPs and specialist palliative care clinicians (SPCCs) on the role that GPs should play in the planning and provision of end-of-life care and important barriers and facilitators to GPs' involvement in end-of-life care including suggestions for improvement.

Investigating the potential of novel non-woven fabrics for efficient pollination control in plant breeding.

Plant breeding is achieved through the controlled self- or cross-pollination of individuals and typically involves isolation of floral parts from selected parental plants. Paper, cellulose or synthetic materials are used to avoid self pollination or cross contamination. Low seed set limits the rate of breeding progress and increases costs.

General practice palliative care: patient and carer expectations, advance care plans and place of death-a systematic review.

Background: With an increasing ageing population in most countries, the role of general practitioners (GPs) and general practice nurses (GPNs) in providing optimal end of life (EoL) care is increasingly important.

Objective: To explore: (1) patient and carer expectations of the role of GPs and GPNs at EoL; (2) GPs' and GPNs' contribution to advance care planning (ACP) and (3) if primary care involvement allows people to die in the place of preference.

Method: Systematic literature review.

Systematic review of general practice end-of-life symptom control.

Background: End of life care (EoLC) is a fundamental role of general practice, which will become more important as the population ages. It is essential that general practice's role and performance of at the end of life is understood in order to maximise the skills of the entire workforce.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive description of the role and performance of general practitioners (GPs) and general practice nurses (GPNs) in EoLC symptom control.

Randomised trial of restorative home care for frail older people in New Zealand.

Aim To establish the effectiveness of a restorative home support service on institutional-free survival in frail older people referred for needs assessment. Method A randomised controlled trial of Community Flexible Integrated Responsive Support Team versus usual care in 113 older people at risk of institutionalisation in New Zealand. Primary outcome was death or permanent institutional care evaluated in a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for baseline prognostic variables.

Using intuition or a formal palliative care needs assessment screening process in general practice to predict death within 12 months: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: Population ageing will lead to more deaths with an uncertain trajectory. Identifying patients at risk of dying could facilitate more effective care planning.

Aim: To determine whether screening for likely death within 12 months is more effective using screening tools or intuition.

Consequences of sarcopenia among nursing home residents at long-term follow-up.

The consequences of and transition into sarcopenia with long-term survival was investigated in the nursing home setting. Eligible residents from 11 nursing homes were followed-up 18-months after their assessment for sarcopenia using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria, with other demographic, physical and cognitive health measures collected. Of the 102 older adults who consented at baseline, 22 had died and 58 agreed to participate at follow-up, 51.

Systematic review of the effectiveness, barriers and facilitators to general practitioner engagement with specialist secondary services in integrated palliative care.

Unlabelled: The general practitioner (GP) has a critical role in an integrated model of palliative care as they often know the patient and carer well, are experts in generalist care and have knowledge of health and social services in the community. Specialist palliative services have insufficient capacity to meet demand and those with non-cancer terminal conditions and those from rural and remote areas are underserved. Research has focused on improving access to palliative care by engaging the GP with specialist secondary services in integrated palliative care.

Evaluation of a pilot of nurse practitioner led, GP supported rural palliative care provision.

Background: Providing end of life care in rural areas is challenging. We evaluated in a pilot whether nurse practitioner (NP)-led care, including clinical care plans negotiated with involved health professionals including the general practitioner(GP), ± patient and/or carer, through a single multidisciplinary case conference (SMCC), could influence patient and health system outcomes.

Methods: Setting - Australian rural district 50 kilometers from the nearest specialist palliative care service.

A series of n-of-1 trials of stimulants in brain injured children.

Background: There is controversy about whether central nervous system stimulant (CNS) medication is an effective method of treating acquired attention deficits in children with acquired brain injury (ABI).

Objective: The primary objective was to determine the effectiveness of stimulants on attention, concentration and executive function in children with ABI.

Methods: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre n-of-1 trials of stimulants assessing effect on attention, concentration and executive function in 53 children and adolescents with ABI who were outpatients of three tertiary hospitals in Australia.

Investigating innovative means of prompting activity uptake in older adults with type 2 diabetes: a feasibility study of exergaming.

Background: Physical activity is effective in improving glycemic control in diabetes mellitus. Yet only 40% of people meet the recommended level of physical activity. Nintendo Wii tennis has an energy expenditure of moderate intensity, and may be a viable part of a physical activity programme.

Melatonin in Youth: N-of-1 trials in a stimulant-treated ADHD Population (MYNAP): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurological disorder affecting 5 % of children worldwide. A prevalent problem for children with ADHD is initial insomnia. The gold standard treatment to manage ADHD symptoms is stimulant medications, which may exacerbate the severity of existing initial insomnia.

'It's a matter of your personality more than anything else'.

The impact on full-time carers of children with intellectual disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviour has been well researched (e.g. Lach et al.