Search results for "australia"
showing 10 items of 151 documents
MRSA infection in the neonatal intensive care unit
2013
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is well known as one of the most frequent etiological agents of healthcare-associated infections. The epidemiology of MRSA is evolving with emergence of community-associated MRSA, the clonal spread of some successful clones, their spillover into healthcare settings and acquisition of antibacterial drug resistances. Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients are at an especially high risk of acquiring colonization and infection by MRSA. Epidemiology of MRSA in NICU can be very complex because outbreaks can overlap endemic circulation and make it difficult to trace transmission routes. Moreover, increasing prevalence of community-associated…
Global, regional, and national burden of mortality associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures from 2000 to 2019: a three-stage modelling study
2021
Background: Exposure to cold or hot temperatures is associated with premature deaths. We aimed to evaluate the global, regional, and national mortality burden associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures. Methods: In this modelling study, we collected time-series data on mortality and ambient temperatures from 750 locations in 43 countries and five meta-predictors at a grid size of 0·5° × 0·5° across the globe. A three-stage analysis strategy was used. First, the temperature–mortality association was fitted for each location by use of a time-series regression. Second, a multivariate meta-regression model was built between location-specific estimates and meta-predictors. Finally, the gri…
A prospective randomised, open-labeled, trial comparing sirolimus-containing versus mTOR-inhibitor-free immunosuppression in patients undergoing live…
2010
Abstract Background The potential anti-cancer effects of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are being intensively studied. To date, however, few randomised clinical trials (RCT) have been performed to demonstrate anti-neoplastic effects in the pure oncology setting, and at present, no oncology endpoint-directed RCT has been reported in the high-malignancy risk population of immunosuppressed transplant recipients. Interestingly, since mTOR inhibitors have both immunosuppressive and anti-cancer effects, they have the potential to simultaneously protect against immunologic graft loss and tumour development. Therefore, we designed a prospective RCT to determine if the mTOR inhibito…
Changes over three decades in outcome and the prognostic influence of age-at-diagnosis in young patients with neuroblastoma: a report from the Intern…
2011
Abstract Purpose Increasing age has been an adverse risk factor in children with neuroblastoma (NB) since the 1970’s, with a 12-month age-at-diagnosis cut-off for treatment stratification. Over the last 30 years, treatment intensity for children >12 months with advanced-stage disease has increased; to investigate if this strategy has improved outcome and/or reduced the prognostic influence of age, we analysed the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) database. Patients and methods Data from 11,037 children with NB (1974–2002) from Australia, Europe, Japan, North America. Cox modelling of event-free survival (EFS) tested if the era and prognostic significance of age-of-diagnosis, adj…
Acquired BRAF inhibitor resistance: A multicenter meta-analysis of the spectrum and frequencies, clinical behaviour, and phenotypic associations of r…
2015
BackgroundAcquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) is a near-universal phenomenon caused by numerous genetic and non-genetic alterations. In this study, we evaluated the spectrum, onset, pattern of progression, and subsequent clinical outcomes associated with specific mechanisms of resistance.MethodsWe compiled clinical and genetic data from 100 patients with 132 tissue samples obtained at progression on BRAFi therapy from 3 large, previously published studies of BRAFi resistance. These samples were subjected to whole-exome sequencing and/or polymerase chain reaction-based genetic testing.ResultsAmong 132 samples, putative resistance mechanisms were identified in 58%, including NRAS o…
Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight
2021
From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia…
Finnish interpretations of Creative Physical Education
2016
ABSTRACTWhen physical education (PE) teachers change their programs to incorporate something new, the process always involves some effort at interpretation and adaptation. The perceived benefits must outweigh the labour required to think through the possibilities and to then manage the political and logistical challenges that go hand in hand with achieving change of this magnitude. This paper tells the story of one such change process, which involved the interpretation by a small group of teachers in Finland of a set of pedagogical ideas and practices developed in Australia known as Creative Physical Education. The story involves a range of characters (including the authors) and conveys the…
Feasibility of functional magnetic resonance lung imaging in Australia with long distance transport of hyperpolarized helium from Germany.
2008
MRI of the lung using hyperpolarized helium as an inhaled contrast agent has important research applications and clinical potential. Owing to the limited availability of hyperpolarized helium, this type of imaging has not been performed in the human lung outside of North America or Europe. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of imaging human lungs in Australia using hyperpolarized helium gas imported from Germany.A Bruker 2-Tesla whole-body magnetic resonance scanner located in Brisbane, Australia was adapted with a helium-3 radiofrequency transceiver coil. Helium-3 was hyperpolarized to 72% in Mainz, Germany and airfreighted to Brisbane. The time taken for the journey w…
Comparing motivational, self-regulatory and habitual processes in a computer-tailored physical activity intervention in hospital employees - protocol…
2017
Abstract Background Most people do not engage in sufficient physical activity to confer health benefits and to reduce risk of chronic disease. Healthcare professionals frequently provide guidance on physical activity, but often do not meet guideline levels of physical activity themselves. The main objective of this study is to develop and test the efficacy of a tailored intervention to increase healthcare professionals’ physical activity participation and quality of life, and to reduce work-related stress and absenteeism. This is the first study to compare the additive effects of three forms of a tailored intervention using different techniques from behavioural theory, which differ accordin…
Are Human P[14] Rotavirus Strains the Result of Interspecies Transmissions from Sheep or Other Ungulates That Belong to the Mammalian Order Artiodact…
2009
ABSTRACT A limited number of human G6P[14] rotavirus strains that cause gastroenteritis in humans have been isolated in Europe and Australia. The complete genome sequences were determined for five of these human strains—B10925-97 (isolated in Belgium in 1997), 111/05-27 (Italy, 2005), PA169 (Italy, 1987), MG6 (Australia, 1993), and Hun5 (Hungary, 1997)—and their genetic relatedness to animal rotavirus strains was evaluated by sequencing the complete genome of the sheep rotavirus OVR762 (G8P[14]; Spain, 2002), the guanaco ( Lama guanicoe ) rotavirus strains Arg/Chubut/99 and Arg/Río Negro/98 (G8P[14] and G8P[1], respectively; Argentina, 1999 and 1998), the sable antelope strain RC-18/08 (G6…