Herpes zoster vaccine safety in the Aotearoa New Zealand population: a self-controlled case series study.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, zoster vaccine live is used for the prevention of zoster and associated complications in adults. This study assessed the risk of pre-specified serious adverse events following zoster vaccine live immunisation among adults in routine clinical practice. We conducted a self-controlled case series study using routinely collected national data.

The Economic Burden of Infective Endocarditis due to Injection Drug Use in Australia: A Single Centre Study-University Hospital Geelong, Barwon Health, Victoria.

Background: Injection drug use (IDU) is a well-recognized risk factor for infective endocarditis (IE). Associated complications from IDU result in significant morbidity and mortality with substantial cost implications. The aim of this study was to determine the cost burden associated with the management of IE due to IDU (IE-IDU).

Evaluation of an exercise and ergonomics intervention for the prevention of neck pain in office workers: exploratory analysis of a cluster randomised trial.

Objectives: To determine the impact of a 12-week ergonomic/exercise programme compared with an ergonomic/health education programme on the development of neck pain in office workers over 12 months.

Methods: This cluster-randomised trial prospectively recruited office workers from public and private organisations. Only non-neck pain cases at baseline were included (n=484).

Modelling the potential health and economic benefits of reducing population sitting time in Australia.

Background: Strong evidence indicates that excessive time spent sitting (sedentary behaviour) is detrimentally associated with multiple chronic diseases. Sedentary behaviour is prevalent among adults in Australia and has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimating the potential health benefits and healthcare cost saving associated with reductions in population sitting time could be useful for the development of public health initiatives.

A low-fat diet up-regulates expression of fatty acid taste receptor gene in fungiform papillae in humans: a co-twin randomised controlled trial.

Fatty acid taste (FAT) perception is involved in the regulation of dietary fat intake, where impaired FAT is associated with increased fatty food intake. There are a number of FAT receptors identified on human taste cells that are potentially responsible for FAT perception. Manipulating dietary fat intake, and in turn FAT perception, would elucidate the receptors that are associated with long-term regulation of FAT perception.

Driving change: A partnership study protocol using shared emergency department data to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Background: Sharing anonymised ED data with community agencies to reduce alcohol-related injury and assaults has been found effective in the UK. This protocol document outlines the design of an Australian multi-site trial using shared, anonymised ED data to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Design And Method: Nine hospitals will participate in a 36 month stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial.

Web-based intervention to improve quality of life in late stage bipolar disorder (ORBIT): randomised controlled trial protocol.

Background: The primary objective of this randomised controlled trial (RCT) is to establish the effectiveness of a novel online quality of life (QoL) intervention tailored for people with late stage (≥ 10 episodes) bipolar disorder (BD) compared with psychoeducation. Relative to early stage individuals, this late stage group may not benefit as much from existing psychosocial treatments. The intervention is a guided self-help, mindfulness based intervention (MBI) developed in consultation with consumers, designed specifically for web-based delivery, with email coaching support.

The Current Epidemiology of Injecting Drug Use-Associated Infective Endocarditis in Victoria, Australia in the Midst of Increasing Crystal Methamphetamine Use.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with significant mortality and morbidity despite recent advances in management. Injecting drug use (IDU) remains an important risk factor. Our aim was to evaluate the rates and patient demographics of IE and injecting drug use-associated infective endocarditis (IDU-IE) in Victoria from 2009 to 2014.

Effects of Study Design and Allocation on participant behaviour--ESDA: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: What study participants think about the nature of a study has been hypothesised to affect subsequent behaviour and to potentially bias study findings. In this trial we examine the impact of awareness of study design and allocation on participant drinking behaviour.

Methods/design: A three-arm parallel group randomised controlled trial design will be used.

Web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for Māori and non-Māori: the New Zealand e-SBINZ trials.

Background: Hazardous alcohol consumption is a leading modifiable cause of mortality and morbidity among young people. Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is a key strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm in the community, and web-based approaches (e-SBI) have advantages over practitioner-delivered approaches, being cheaper, more acceptable, administrable remotely and infinitely scalable. An efficacy trial in a university population showed a 10-minute intervention could reduce drinking by 11% for 6 months or more among 17-24 year-old undergraduate hazardous drinkers.

Association between apolipoprotein E polymorphisms and age-related macular degeneration: A HuGE review and meta-analysis.

A possible association between apolipoprotein E polymorphisms and age-related macular degeneration has been investigated numerous times, with conflicting results. A previous analysis pooling results from four studies (Schmidt et al., Ophthalmic Genet 2002;23:209-23) suggested an association, but those investigators did not document allele frequencies, the magnitude of the association, or the possible genetic mode of action.