Health professionals' experiences and views on obstetric ultrasound in Victoria, Australia: A cross-sectional survey.

Background: Obstetric ultrasound is an important tool, aiding in screening, diagnosis, and surveillance throughout pregnancy.

Aims: To explore obstetric doctors', midwives', and sonographers' experiences and views of obstetric ultrasound in Victoria, Australia. To investigate the increasing role of obstetric ultrasound for clinical management, and the adequacy of resources and training for appropriate use of ultrasound in clinical management.

Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy for Resectable Gastric Cancer.

Background: In Western countries, the current standard of care for resectable gastric cancer is perioperative chemotherapy. Preoperative chemoradiotherapy has been considered, but data are limited regarding this treatment as compared with perioperative chemotherapy alone.

Methods: We conducted an international, phase 3 trial in which patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction were randomly assigned to receive preoperative chemoradiotherapy plus perioperative chemotherapy or perioperative chemotherapy alone (control).

A phase 1 study of the CD40 agonist MEDI5083 in combination with durvalumab in patients with advanced solid tumors.

This first-in-human study evaluated safety and efficacy of CD40 agonist MEDI5083 with durvalumab in patients with advanced solid tumors. Patients received MEDI5083 (3-7.5 mg subcutaneously every 2 weeks × 4 doses) and durvalumab (1500 mg every 4 weeks) either sequentially (N = 29) or concurrently (N = 9).

Preferences for diagnostic pathways and treatment choice in systemic lupus erythematosus: a patient-based discrete choice experiment.

Objectives: Starting from the unmet need of early diagnosis and treatment in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the study aims to explore patient preferences in diagnostic pathways and treatment modalities. It seeks to integrate clinical priorities with patient perspectives, providing an optimal approach to SLE treatment that remains uncertain.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) has been conducted to investigate whether patient preferences align while maintaining consistent attributes and levels, providing a direct assessment of relative preferences and hypothetical treatment approaches in SLE.

Prevalence and burden of coronary artery disease on computed tomography coronary angiography and its correlation with high-density lipoprotein in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Indigenous Australians are known to have a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) than non-Indigenous counterparts. Atherogenic lipid profiles, characterised by low serum levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and higher serum triglycerides, have been shown to be more prevalent in Indigenous Australians. The use of computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) for risk stratification and diagnosis of CAD has been validated in moderate risk populations, but limited data exists in specific high-risk populations such as Indigenous Australians.

Are our patients becoming more complex? Trends in comorbidity and functional dependence in General Medicine 2011-2019.

Background: Anecdotally, patients don't seem to be more unwell than they were 10 years ago, yet they still seem more 'complex'.

Aims: The aim of this study was to use an objective measure to assess the trend in complexity of general medicine patients over a 9-year period.

Methods: Complexity was pragmatically defined as a composite of comorbidity plus dependence/frailty.

Antihypertensive medications and dementia in older adults with hypertension.

Background: Studies on middle-aged or individuals with cognitive or cardiovascular impairments, have established that intensive blood pressure (BP) control reduces cognitive decline risk. However, uncertainty exists on differential effects between antihypertensive medications (AHM) classes on this risk, independent of BP-lowering efficacy, particularly in community-dwelling hypertensive older adults.

Methods: A post-hoc analysis of the ASPREE study, a randomized trial of low-dose aspirin in adults aged 70+ years (65+ if US minorities) without baseline dementia, and followed for two years post-trial.

Development and validation of prediction models for fetal growth restriction and birthweight: an individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Fetal growth restriction is associated with perinatal morbidity and mortality. Early identification of women having at-risk fetuses can reduce perinatal adverse outcomes.

Objectives: To assess the predictive performance of existing models predicting fetal growth restriction and birthweight, and if needed, to develop and validate new multivariable models using individual participant data.

Elinor Catherine Hamlin (1924-2020): 'The beloved daughter of Ethiopia'.

Elinor Catherine Hamlin (1924-2020) was a world-renowned Australian obstetrician and gynaecologist who dedicated almost her entire adult working life to eradicating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. Leaving behind a comfortable life in Sydney and later Adelaide, she travelled with her husband Reginald Hamlin (1908-1993) to Addis Ababa in 1959, with the view to working there for three years and helping set up a midwifery school at the Princess Tsehai Memorial Hospital. But the couple ended up spending the rest of their lives in Ethiopia, where they revolutionised maternal healthcare services and standardised best practice measures for fistula patient care.

Efficacy and safety of commonly used thromboprophylaxis agents following hip and knee arthroplasty.

Aims: We investigated the efficacy and safety profile of commonly used venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis agents following hip and knee arthroplasty.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and OrthoSearch was performed. Prophylaxis agents investigated were aspirin (< 325 mg and ≥ 325 mg daily), enoxaparin, dalteparin, fondaparinux, unfractionated heparin, warfarin, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran.

Daily low-dose aspirin and blood pressure in community-dwelling older adults.

High-quality randomized trial evidence is lacking on whether low-dose aspirin exerts significant effects on blood pressure (BP) in older adults. The authors assessed longitudinal BP changes in participants enrolled in ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE), a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 100 mg daily aspirin in 19 114 community-dwelling Australian and U.S.

An Objective Evaluation of Intraoperative and Postoperative Pain in Infants Undergoing Open Inguinal Herniotomy and Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair Using the Newborn Infant Parasympathetic Evaluation (NIPE™) Monitor.

Purpose: The heart rate variability-derived Newborn Infant Parasympathetic Evaluation (NIPE) monitor is an objective, non-invasive tool for the assessment of pain in children under 2 years of age. The aim of this study was to objectively compare pain in infants undergoing open and laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery using the NIPE monitor.

Method: This prospective observational study included neonates and infants (<2 years of age) undergoing elective open inguinal herniotomy and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair under general anaesthesia with a caudal block.