Aspirin after completion of standard adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer (ASCOLT): an international, multicentre, phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Aspirin is a simple, globally available medication that has been shown to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of aspirin in the secondary prevention of colorectal cancer.

Methods: This phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at 66 centres across 11 countries and territories (ten in Asia-Pacific; one in the Middle East).

Impact of the XVII Pacific Games on the National Referral Hospital Emergency Department, Solomon Islands.

Background: The XVII Pacific Games was held in Honiara, Solomon Islands in 2023 and was attended by competitors from 24 Pacific nations. The National Referral Hospital (NRH) is the sole tertiary hospital and largest emergency department (ED) in the Solomon Islands, located in the capital city, Honiara, and was the designated referral hospital for the Pacific Games.

Objective: This report documents the lessons learnt from supporting a large international sporting event within a resource-limited health setting, and may help other EDs prepare for similar planned mass gatherings.

Serratus Anterior Plane Blocks for Early Rib Fracture Pain Management: The SABRE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Rib fractures secondary to blunt thoracic trauma typically result in severe pain that is notoriously difficult to manage. The serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) is a regional anesthesia technique that provides analgesia to most of the hemithorax; however, SAPB has limited evidence for analgesic benefits in rib fractures.

Objective: To determine whether the addition of an SAPB to protocolized care bundles increases the likelihood of early favorable analgesic outcomes and reduces opioid requirements in patients with rib fractures.

Feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of virtual reality as a patient education tool for people with cancer undergoing immunotherapy: a protocol for a randomised controlled pilot study in a regional setting.

Introduction: Patient education is a critical component of healthcare delivery. However, medical information and knowledge are complex and can be difficult for patients and families to comprehend when delivered verbally. The use of virtual reality (VR) to convey medical information to patients may bridge this communication gap and lead to more effective patient education.

Complete Genome Sequences of the Type Strains Rouxiella badensis DSM 100043 and R. chamberiensis DSM 28324, Resolved Using Nanopore Long-Read Sequencing.

The complete genome sequences of Rouxiella badensis DSM 100043 and Rouxiella chamberiensis DSM 28324 were determined using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing and the Flye assembler. The former contains a circular chromosome of 4,964,479 bp and a circular plasmid of 116,582 bp; the latter contains a circular chromosome of 4,639,296 bp.

Emerging Genotype IV Japanese Encephalitis Virus Outbreak in New South Wales, Australia.

The detection of a new and unexpected Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) outbreak in March 2022 in Australia, where JEV is not endemic, demanded the rapid development of a robust diagnostic framework to facilitate the testing of suspected patients across the state of New South Wales (NSW). This nascent but comprehensive JEV diagnostic service encompassed serological, molecular and metagenomics testing within a centralised reference laboratory. Over the first three months of the outbreak (4 March 2022 to 31 May 2022), 1,061 prospective samples were received from 878 NSW residents for JEV testing.

Distribution of papG alleles among uropathogenic Escherichia coli from reproductive age women.

Background: Extraintestinal Escherichia coli (E. coli) causing urinary tract infections (UTIs), and often referred to as uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), are a major contributor to the morbidity of UTIs and associated healthcare costs.

Changing indications and antenatal prognostic factors for ex-utero intrapartum treatment procedures.

Objective: In cases of suspected neonatal airway obstruction, the ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure is used to secure the airway while a fetus remains on placental circulation. We report indications and outcomes from all EXIT procedures at a tertiary obstetric unit between 1997 and 2020.

Method: Retrospective cohort study with data collected from maternal and neonatal medical records.

Patient-centred outcomes are under-reported in the critical care burns literature: a systematic review.

Background: Developments in the care of critically ill patients with severe burns have led to improved hospital survival, but long-term recovery may be impaired. The extent to which patient-centred outcomes are assessed and reported in studies in this population is unclear.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review to assess the outcomes reported in studies involving critically ill burns patients.

Virtual reality as a patient education tool in healthcare: A scoping review.

Objective: To explore what is currently known about the use of virtual reality (VR) as a patient education tool in healthcare.

Methods: Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review method and the PRISMA-ScR Checklist were employed. Four peer-reviewed databases were searched (Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, the Cochrane library).

Randomized controlled trial comparing an open surgical technique and a Seldinger technique for cricothyrotomy performed on a simulated airway.

Objectives: Emergency cricothyrotomy is a lifesaving procedure performed when intubation fails and oxygenation cannot occur. There are multiple techniques and kits to perform this procedure. However, current evidence does not provide a definitive answer as to which method is superior.

as an Emerging Human Pathogen: A Review and Update.

, previously known as or , has been regarded as an emerging human pathogen in recent decades, and has caused various types of infections with high mortality. This study systematically reviewed all the published cases of infection, aiming to have a better understanding of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the organism. All the published literature (as of March 31, 2021) on , in four databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI, were systematically reviewed to select appropriate studies for summarizing the demographic information, clinical and microbiological characteristics of relevant infections.

Psychosocial well-being and supportive care needs of cancer patients and survivors living in rural or regional areas: a systematic review from 2010 to 2021.

Purpose: To summarise what is currently known about the psychosocial morbidity, experiences, and needs of people with cancer and their informal caregivers, who live in rural or regional areas of developed countries.

Methods: Eligible studies dating from August 2010 until May 2021 were identified through several online databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and RURAL (Rural and Remote Health Database). Results were reported according to the PRISMA guidelines and the protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020171764).

Atherothrombosis in Acute Coronary Syndromes-From Mechanistic Insights to Targeted Therapies.

The atherothrombotic substrates for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) consist of plaque ruptures, erosions and calcified nodules, while the non-atherothrombotic etiologies, such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection, coronary artery spasm and coronary embolism are the rarer causes of ACS. The purpose of this comprehensive review is to (1) summarize the histopathologic insights into the atherothrombotic plaque subtypes in acute ACS from postmortem studies; (2) provide a brief overview of atherogenesis, while mainly focusing on the events that lead to plaque destabilization and disruption; (3) summarize mechanistic data from clinical studies that have used intravascular imaging, including high-resolution optical coherence tomography, to assess culprit plaque morphology and its underlying pathobiology, especially the newly described role of innate and adaptive immunity in ACS secondary to plaque erosion; (4) discuss the utility of intravascular imaging for effective treatment of patients presenting with ACS by percutaneous coronary intervention; and (5) discuss the opportunities that these mechanistic and imaging insights may provide for more individualized treatment of patients with ACS.

Laparoscopic Resection of an Acute Rectosigmoid Intussusception Due to a Giant Pedunculated Lipoma.

Intussusception is the invagination and telescopic migration of a proximal segment of the gastrointestinal tract distally and is classically described in the paediatric age group, accounting for 95% of reported cases. Intussusception in adults is highly uncommon; its aetiology involves a wide spectrum of pathologies, namely, concerning malignancy and differing management pathways. In the management of adult intussusception, consideration must be given to the potential malignant nature of the lesion, as reducing a malignant segment could render dissemination.

Impact of COVID-19 on cancer service delivery: results from an international survey of oncology clinicians.

Objectives: To report clinician-perceived changes to cancer service delivery in response to COVID-19.

Design: Multidisciplinary Australasian cancer clinician survey in collaboration with the European Society of Medical Oncology.

Setting: Between May and June 2020 clinicians from 70 countries were surveyed; majority from Europe (n=196; 39%) with 1846 COVID-19 cases per million people, Australia (AUS)/New Zealand (NZ) (n=188; 38%) with 267/236 per million and Asia (n=75; 15%) with 121 per million at time of survey distribution.

Associations between mean systemic filling pressure and acute kidney injury: An observational cohort study following cardiac surgery.

Background: Venous congestion has been implied in cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI). The mean systemic filling pressure may provide a physiologically more accurate estimate of renal venous pressure and renal perfusion pressure but its association with CSA-AKI has not been reported.

Methods: Patients admitted to ICU following cardiac surgery without pre-operative renal dysfunction were included with monitoring of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and central venous pressure (CVP) and cardiac output (CO) to calculate the mean systemic filling pressure analogue (P ).

Relation of Body Mass Index to Outcomes in Acute Coronary Syndrome.

We assessed the association of BMI with all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in a contemporary acute coronary syndrome cohort. Patients from the Australian Cooperative National Registry of Acute Coronary Care, Guideline Adherence and Clinical Events and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events between 2009 and 2019, were divided into BMI subgroups (underweight: <18.5, healthy: 18.

Uterine lipoma: A case report.

Uterine lipomas are a rare benign gynaecological tumour of uncertain histogenesis. Clinically, a uterine lipoma may be mistaken for leiomyoma or a malignant tumour. Radiological findings may be suggestive but can also often be inconclusive.

Retrospective Evaluation of the Use of Pembrolizumab in Malignant Mesothelioma in a Real-World Australian Population.

Introduction: We investigated the efficacy and toxicity of pembrolizumab in patients with mesothelioma from a real-world Australian population. We aimed to determine clinical factors and predictive biomarkers that could help select patients who are likely to benefit from pembrolizumab.

Method: Patients with mesothelioma who were treated with pembrolizumab as part of the Insurance and Care New South Wales compensation scheme were included.

Outcomes of patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention with covered stents for coronary perforation: A systematic review and pooled analysis of data.

Objectives: This review aims to evaluate the adverse outcomes for patients after treatment with covered stents.

Background: Coronary perforation is a potentially fatal complication of percutaneous coronary revascularization which may be treated using covered stents. Studies have evaluated long-term outcomes among patients who received these devices, but hitherto no literature review has taken place.