A rat model of ataxia-telangiectasia: evidence for a neurodegenerative phenotype.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the ATM gene is characterised by cerebellar atrophy and progressive neurodegeneration which has been poorly recapitulated in Atm mutant mice. Consequently, pathways leading to neurodegeneration in A-T are poorly understood. We describe here the generation of an Atm knockout rat model that does not display cerebellar atrophy but instead paralysis and spinal cord atrophy, reminiscent of that seen in older patients and milder forms of the disorder.

Antenatal psychosocial risk status and Australian women's use of primary care and specialist mental health services in the year after birth: a prospective study.

Background: Poor mental health in the perinatal period can impact negatively on women, their infants and families. Australian State and Territory governments are investing in routine psychosocial assessment and depression screening with referral to services and support, however, little is known about how well these services are used. The aim of this paper is to report on the health services used by women for their physical and mental health needs from pregnancy to 12 months after birth and to compare service use for women who have been identified in pregnancy as having moderate-high psychosocial risk with those with low psychosocial risk.

Effectiveness of continuous or intermittent vital signs monitoring in preventing adverse events on general wards: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Vital signs monitoring is an old hospital practice for patient safety but evaluation of its effectiveness is not widespread. We aimed to identify strategies to improve intermittent or continuous vital signs monitoring in general wards; and their effectiveness in preventing adverse events on general hospital wards.

Methods: Publications searched between 1980 and June 2014 in five databases.

Carotid Doppler flowmetry correlates poorly with thermodilution cardiac output following cardiac surgery.

Background: It remains unclear whether measuring carotid arterial flow by the time velocity integral using vascular Doppler ultrasound can be used to monitor cardiac output and volume responsiveness.

Methods: The carotid Doppler flow (time velocity integral and peak flow velocity variation) was assessed in triplicate by an intensivist with formal vascular ultrasound training. Thirty-three patients admitted following coronary by-pass surgery were studied before and after a passive leg-raising manoeuvre to investigate volume responsiveness (more than 10% increase in cardiac output) along with indices of arterial load measuring cardiac output by thermodilution.

ENsCOPE: Scoping the Practice of Enrolled Nurses in an Australian Community Health Setting.

Introduction: A continuing shift of healthcare delivery from hospital to the community has increased the acuity and complexity of care provided in the home. Global financial crises and nursing shortages have prompted policies supporting two tiers of nursing and expansion of the licensed practical nurse, second level or enrolled nurse role and evoked debate surrounding roles traditionally undertaken by registered nurses. Community nursing offers unique challenges for enrolled nurses wanting to enact their full scope of practice.

Usefulness of Serum B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Comatose Patients Resuscitated from Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest to Predict Outcome.

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic (NT-proBNP) is expressed in the heart and brain, and serum levels are elevated in acute heart and brain diseases. We aimed to assess the possible association between serum levels and neurological outcome and death in comatose patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Of the 939 comatose OHCA patients enrolled and randomized in the Targeted Temperature Management (TTM) trial to TTM at 33°C or 36°C for 24 hours, 700 were included in the biomarker substudy.

Non-beneficial treatments in hospital at the end of life: a systematic review on extent of the problem.

Purpose: To investigate the extent of objective 'non-beneficial treatments (NBTs)' (too much) anytime in the last 6 months of life in routine hospital care.

Data Sources: English language publications in Medline, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane library, and the grey literature (January 1995-April 2015).

Study Selection: All study types assessing objective dimensions of non-beneficial medical or surgical diagnostic, therapeutic or non-palliative procedures administered to older adults at the end of life (EOL).

The effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce medication administration errors: a synthesis of findings from systematic reviews.

Aim: The aim of this overview was to examine the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve patient safety by reducing medication administration errors using data from systematic reviews.

Background: Medication administration errors remain unacceptably high despite the introduction of a range of interventions aimed at enhancing patient safety. Systematic reviews of strategies designed to improve medication safety report contradictory findings.

The distribution of probability values in medical abstracts: an observational study.

Background: A relatively high incidence of p values immediately below 0.05 (such as 0.047 or 0.