A Systematic Search and Review of Registered Pharmacological Therapies Investigated to Improve Outcomes after a Stroke.

Introduction: Stroke burden is largely due to long-term impairments requiring prolonged care and loss of productivity. We aim to identify and assess studies of different registered pharmacological therapies as treatments for improving post-stroke impairments and/or disabilities.

Methods: In a systematic search and review (PROSPERO registration: CRD42022376973), studies of treatments that have been investigated as recovery-enhancing or recovery-promoting treatments in adult patients who had suffered a stroke will be searched for, screened, and reviewed based on the following: participants (P): adult humans, aged 18 years or older, diagnosed with stroke; interventions (I): registered or marketed pharmacological therapies that have been investigated as recovery-enhancing or recovery-promoting treatments in stroke; comparators (C): active or placebo or no comparator; outcomes (O): stroke-related neurological impairments and functional/disability assessments.

A WHO remit to improve global standards for medical products of human origin.

In recent decades, considerable advances have been made in assuring the safety of blood transfusion and organ transplantation. However, with the increasing movement of medical products of human origin across international boundaries, there is a need to enhance global norms and governance. These products, which include blood, organs, tissues, cells, human milk and faecal microbiota, are today crucial for health care but they also pose unique risks due to their human origin, such as disease transmission and graft failure.

Long-term disability trajectories in multiple sclerosis: a group-based trajectory analysis of the AusLong cohort.

Background: Previous natural history studies highlighted a consistent heterogeneity of disability trajectories among individuals with primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). However, evidence on disability progression in relapsing onset MS is scarce.The aim of this study was to investigate heterogeneity in disability accumulation over 10 years following a first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system demyelination (FCD) and identify genetic, demographic, environmental and clinical factors associated with these trajectories.

Migration of sclerosant material to the left renal vein following coil embolisation of a varicocele.

Percutaneous testicular varicocele embolisation for symptomatic and subfertile males is often preferred over surgical ligation of the gonadal vein due to its minimally invasive approach and reduced complication rate. Glues, coils, vascular plugs, balloons and sclerosants are used in various combinations to achieve sufficient venous occlusion. Here, we report on the first known case of sclerosant material migration beyond the placement of an embolisation coil for treatment of a varicocele, resulting in a left renal vein thrombus.

Treatment of the infected sacral nerve stimulator: A scoping review.

Background: Sacral nerve stimulators (SNSs) are a widely accepted, efficacious surgical option to treat patients who have failed conservative management for overactive bladder, nonobstructive urinary retention, fecal incontinence, or pelvic pain. As with all implanted devices, there are associated risks for surgical site and implant infections. There are currently no clear published data or guidelines regarding treating such infections.

Shaping children through genetic and environmental means.

In 'Parental Genetic Shaping and Parental Environmental Shaping', Anca Gheaus argues there is a normative difference between parents using genetic means to influence the development of their child, and parents using environmental means to achieve the same ends. Genetic shaping but not environmental shaping, it is claimed, introduces a negative asymmetry in the child-caregiver relationship. In this paper, we argue that Gheaus' argument fails as a critique of genetic shaping, and does not establish a moral difference between genetic and environmental shaping.

The Brain Health Diplomat's Toolkit: supporting brain health diplomacy leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Maintaining and improving brain health, one of the most critical global challenges of this century, necessitates innovative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative strategies to address the growing challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean. This paper introduces Brain Health Diplomacy (BHD) as a pioneering approach to bridge disciplinary and geographic boundaries and mobilize resources to promote equitable brain health outcomes in the region. Our framework provides a toolkit for emerging brain health leaders, equipping them with essential concepts and practical resources to apply in their professional work and collaborations.

Management of recurrent localised bladder amyloid, has methotrexate helped?

Background: Amyloidosis of the bladder is a benign condition which can present with a multitude of symptoms including bladder mass, irritative voiding symptoms and haematuria.

Case Presentation: We report on the investigation and management of a patient with recurrent localised amyloidosis of the bladder, which appears to have been managed fortuitously by concurrent methotrexate prescribed for another indication.

Conclusion: We provide further assessment and management with a focus on the possible benefit of methotrexate for management of localised bladder amyloidosis.

Bipolar At-Risk Criteria and Risk of Bipolar Disorder Over 10 or More Years.

Importance: Predicting the onset of bipolar disorder (BD) could facilitate preventive treatments. Among risk measures, bipolar at-risk (BAR) criteria have shown promise in predicting onset of bipolar disorder in the first year in clinical cohorts; however, it is not known whether BAR criteria are associated with the onset of BD in the longer term.

Objective: To assess the association of BAR criteria with onset of BD over 10 to 13 years follow-up.

Associations between low sex hormone concentrations and depression in older women: An observational study.

Objective: We investigated whether low sex hormone concentrations are associated with depression in older women.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of Australian women, aged at least 70 years, not taking medications modulating sex hormone levels. Associations between hormones, measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and depression were examined by logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders.

Best-practice recommendations to inform general practice nurses in the provision of dementia care: a Delphi study.

Background: Worldwide, responsibility for dementia diagnosis and management is shifting to primary care, in particular to the general practitioner (GP). It has been acknowledged that primary care nurses, working collaboratively with GPs, have a role in dementia care by utilising their unique knowledge and skills. However, there are no best-practice guidelines or care pathways to inform nurses in general practice on what best-practice dementia care comprises and how to implement this into their practice.

Cost-effectiveness of personalised telehealth intervention for chronic disease management: A pilot randomised controlled trial.

Objective: The study aims to assess the cost-effectiveness of a personalised telehealth intervention to manage chronic disease in the long run.

Method: The Personalised Health Care (PHC) pilot study was a randomised trial with an economic evaluation alongside over 12 months. From a health service perspective, the primary analysis compared the costs and effectiveness of PHC telehealth monitoring with usual care.

Failure to Rescue in Major Abdominal Surgery: A Regional Australian Experience.

Background: Failure to rescue (FTR) is increasingly recognised as a measure of the quality care provided by a health service in recognising and responding to patient deterioration. We report the association between a patient's pre-operative status and FTR following major abdominal surgery.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who underwent major abdominal surgery and who suffered Clavien-Dindo (CDC) III-V complications at the University Hospital Geelong between 2012 and 2019.

The prescription drug monitoring program in a multifactorial approach to the opioid crisis: PDMP data, Pennsylvania, 2016-2020.

Background: Prescription opioids remain an important contributor to the United States opioid crisis and to the development of opioid use disorder for opioid-naïve individuals. Recent legislative actions, such as the implementation of state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), aim to reduce opioid morbidity and mortality through enhanced tracking and reporting of prescription data. The primary objective of our study was to describe the opioid prescribing trends in the state of Pennsylvania (PA) as recorded by the PA PDMP following legislative changes in reporting guidelines, and discuss the PDMP's role in a multifactorial approach to opioid harm reduction.

Differential network analysis of oral microbiome metatranscriptomes identifies community scale metabolic restructuring in dental caries.

Dental caries is a microbial disease and the most common chronic health condition, affecting nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide. In this study, we used a multiomics approach to characterize the supragingival plaque microbiome of 91 Australian children, generating 658 bacterial and 189 viral metagenome-assembled genomes with transcriptional profiling and gene-expression network analysis.

Association between animal protein sources and risk of neurodegenerative diseases: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Context: Current findings about the differential effects of various sources of dietary animal protein on the risk of neurodegenerative diseases are contradictory.

Objective: The current meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the associations between intake of dietary animal protein sources and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Data Sources: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched systematically until October 2021.

Validation of the Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) questionnaire for adults.

Background: The Collaborative Outcome study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT; www.coh-fit.com) is an anonymous and global online survey measuring health and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Telehealth in cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The Victorian COVID-19 Cancer Network (VCCN) Telehealth Expert Working Group aimed to evaluate the telehealth (TH) experience for cancer patients, carers and clinicians with the rapid uptake of TH in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We conducted a prospective multi-centre cross-sectional survey involving eight Victorian regional and metropolitan cancer services and three consumer advocacy groups. Patients or their carers and clinicians who had TH consultations between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2020 were invited to participate in patient and clinician surveys, respectively.

Neuropsychiatric Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Synthetic Review from a Global Perspective.

Some research suggests that distress, secondary to isolation and fear following COVID-19 infection, can negatively affect the long-term more than the COVID-19 infection itself. This narrative review aims to provide a global view on the neuropsychiatric consequences of COVID-19 that can be ascribed to several factors, ranging from the direct effect of infection, to the body's responses against the infection, or to the psychological sequelae of social isolation, unemployment, and fear for one's health and livelihood. Current findings show that the more severe the respiratory infection, the more likely are central nervous system (CNS) complications regarding the infection itself.