A protocol for the identification and validation of novel genetic causes of kidney disease.

Background: Genetic renal diseases (GRD) are a heterogeneous and incompletely understood group of disorders accounting for approximately 10 % of those diagnosed with kidney disease. The advent of Next Generation sequencing and new approaches to disease modelling may allow the identification and validation of novel genetic variants in patients with previously incompletely explained or understood GRD.

Methods/design: This study will recruit participants in families/trios from a multidisciplinary sub-specialty Renal Genetics Clinic where known genetic causes of GRD have been excluded or where genetic testing is not available.

Pioneers of laryngoscopy: indirect, direct and video laryngoscopy.

Airway management is one of the core skills of the anaesthetist and various techniques of airway management have developed over many years. Initially, the only view of the glottis that could be obtained was an indirect view (indirect laryngoscopy). Late in the 19th century, a direct view of the glottis was obtained via various direct laryngoscopes.

Development of multinational definitions of minimal clinically important improvement and patient acceptable symptomatic state in osteoarthritis.

Objective: The ability to interpret scores from patient-reported outcome measures at the individual patient level depends on the availability of valid, clinically meaningful benchmarks of response and state attainment. The goal was to develop multinational estimates for minimal clinically important improvement (MCII) and patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS).

Methods: A multinational sample of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) was evaluated before and 4 weeks after treatment with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

Scoping study into wound management nurse practitioner models of practice.

Objectives: The primary objective of this research was to investigate wound management nurse practitioner (WMNP) models of service for the purposes of identifying parameters of practice and how patient outcomes are measured.

Methods: A scoping study was conducted with all authorised WMNPs in Australia from October to December 2012 using survey methodology. A questionnaire was developed to obtain data on the role and practice parameters of authorised WMNPs in Australia.

How severe is antibiotic pharmacokinetic variability in critically ill patients and what can be done about it?

The pharmacokinetics (PK) of antimicrobial agents administered to critically ill patients exhibit marked variability. This variability results from pathophysiological changes that occur in critically ill patients. Changes in volume of distribution, clearance, and tissue penetration all affect the drug concentrations at the site of infection.

Individualization of piperacillin dosing for critically ill patients: dosing software to optimize antimicrobial therapy.

Piperacillin-tazobactam is frequently used for empirical and targeted therapy of infections in critically ill patients. Considerable pharmacokinetic (PK) variability is observed in critically ill patients. By estimating an individual's PK, dosage optimization Bayesian estimation techniques can be used to calculate the appropriate piperacillin regimen to achieve desired drug exposure targets.

Self-management programmes in stages 1-4 chronic kidney disease: a literature review.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex health problem, which requires individuals to invest considerable time and energy in managing their health and adhering to multifaceted treatment regimens.

Objectives: To review studies delivering self-management interventions to people with CKD (Stages 1-4) and assess whether these interventions improve patient outcomes.

Design: Systematic review.

Differential gene expression in the proximal neck of human abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Objective: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) represents a common cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly populations but the mechanisms involved in AAA formation remain incompletely understood. Previous human studies have focused on biopsies obtained from the center of the AAA however it is likely that pathological changes also occur in relatively normal appearing aorta away from the site of main dilatation. The aim of this study was to assess the gene expression profile of biopsies obtained from the neck of human AAAs.

The epidemiology of horse-related injuries for different horse exposures, activities, and age groups in Queensland, Australia.

Background: The dangers associated with horse riding, a popular activity throughout Australia, are well documented; yet, few studies have comprehensively described injuries caused by horses to nonriders. This study aimed to facilitate targeted injury prevention strategies and appropriate trauma management by describing all horse-related injuries, for both riders and nonriders, in Queensland, and identifying those at greatest risk.

Methods: Horse-related injury data from 2005 to 2009 were extracted from the Queensland Trauma Registry.

microRNA profiling in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms: the significance of miR-155.

AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm) is a potentially life-threatening late-onset degenerative condition. miRNAs (microRNAs), the small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression, have been shown previously to be associated with a broad range of human pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to identify AAA-associated miRNAs potentially contributing to AAA pathology.

Associations between lifestyle and cognitive function over time in women aged 40-79 years.

Background: Smoking, excessive drinking, and physical inactivity are associated with reduced cognitive function but the independence, domain specific cognitive effects, and trajectories of these associations are not firmly established.

Objective: Our aim was to examine these lifestyle-cognitive function associations in middle-to-older aged women across time.

Methods: Cohort study design with repeat surveys (2001, 2005, and 2008).

Cesarean delivery and the long-term risk of offspring obesity.

Objective: To examine the association between the mode of delivery and the risk of offspring obesity by age 21 years using a large community-based birth cohort study in Australia.

Methods: We followed-up a subsample of 2,625 offspring for whom we had measured physical assessments, including height and weight at 21 years and hospital-recorded mode of delivery, in the Mater Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, between 1981 and 1983. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were measured at 21 years.

Characteristics of Patients Who Drop Out From Ranibizumab Therapy.

Purpose: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy is a first-line treatment for age-related macular degeneration, but frequent visits and injections can be a burden for patients. This study aimed to estimate the dropout rate and tolerability of ranibizumab therapy in a clinical setting.

Design: A retrospective case-control study.

Corneal Debridement Update: Adjuvant Therapies and Wound Healing.

Corneal debridement techniques have seen evolution in instrumentation and indication. Although the techniques themselves are simple and usually effective, there is often the need for adjuvant topical therapies to augment healing and/or prevent recurrence of disease. To better understand the requirement for adjuvant therapies, the current theories of corneal wound healing are reviewed.

Best practice in early psychosis intervention for Australian indigenous communities: indigenous worker consultation and service model description.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify promising elements of best practice relevant to mainstream mental health service (MHS) delivery of early psychosis intervention (EPI) to Indigenous communities. In a companion paper, a comprehensive literature review identified a promising service model with potential for delivering EPI: an Indigenous sub-team embedded within a mainstream health service.

Method: This paper describes a consultation process with Indigenous Mental Health Workers (IMHWs) in south eastern Queensland.

Maturation of corpus callosum anterior midbody is associated with neonatal motor function in eight preterm-born infants.

Background: The etiology of motor impairments in preterm infants is multifactorial and incompletely understood. Whether corpus callosum development is related to impaired motor function is unclear. Potential associations between motor-related measures and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the corpus callosum in preterm infants were explored.

Integrating disparate snippets of information in an approach to PSA testing in Australia and New Zealand.

• An invited response to 'Stricker PD, Frydenberg M, Kneebone A, Chopra S. Informed prostate cancer risk-adjusted testing: a new paradigm'.

Laparoscopic removal of intravesical mesh following pelvic organ prolapse mesh surgery.

With the increasing popularity of mesh in prolapse surgery, complications such as intravesical mesh will arise more frequently. In three cases intravesical mesh was identified in the trigone of the bladder following laparoscopic mesh hysteropexy, open sacral colpopexy, and transvaginal mesh repair and presented 9 months to 7 years later with a variety of symptoms including recurrent urinary tract infections, suprapubic pain, and constant urinary leakage. Each underwent uncomplicated laparoscopic transvesical removal of intravesical mesh.

Development and validation of a short form of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory--the GAI-SF.

Background: Anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent among older people and are associated with considerable disability burden. While several instruments now exist to measure anxiety in older people, there is a need for a very brief self-report scale to measure anxiety symptoms in epidemiological surveys, in primary care and in acute geriatric medical settings. Accordingly, we undertook the development of such a scale, based on the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory.

Foveolar type dysplasia in Barrett esophagus.

Adenocarcinoma of the lower esophagus and esophagogastric junction is increasing in incidence in Western countries. A metaplasia (Barrett esophagus)-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence induced by gastroesophageal reflux disease is established. Two patterns of Barrett dysplasias have been described-adenomatous (type 1) and non-adenomatous (type 2 or foveolar/hyperplastic type).

Effect of lifestyle factors and hormone therapy on heart function by serial echocardiography in postmenopausal women.

Background: There is conflicting information on the effects of oestrogen on the heart in women, especially those using postmenopausal hormone therapy. Whilst some studies reported a beneficial effect, others showed adverse outcomes. The interplay of lifestyle factors and type/timing of therapy remains to be clarified.

Role of statins in diabetes complications.

Diabetes is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the Western world and it currently affects 35 million people in the US alone. Cardiovascular and renal complications of diabetes, Type I and II, account for much of this morbidity, and are now known to be the end result of a complex interplay of pathophysiological processes. These include haemodynamic and metabolic abnormalities such as endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, vasoconstriction, oxidation and fibrosis.