Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 91 in total

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  1. Koh V, Cheung CY, Wong WL, Cheung CM, Wang JJ, Mitchell P, et al.
    Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2012 Feb;53(2):1018-22.
    PMID: 22247478 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.11-8557
    To describe the prevalence of epiretinal membrane (ERM) and its risk factors in an Indian population and compare the findings with other populations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  2. Thiruchelvam K, Byles J, Hasan SS, Egan N, Kairuz T
    Maturitas, 2021 Apr;146:18-25.
    PMID: 33722360 DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.01.005
    OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of continuous polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy, determine medications that contribute to continuous polypharmacy, and examine the association between frailty and continuous polypharmacy.

    STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Women aged 77-82 years in 2003, and 91-96 years in 2017 were analysed, linking the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data to participants' survey data.

    MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The association between frailty and continuous polypharmacy was determined using generalised estimating equations for log binomial regressions, controlling for confounding variables. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the proportion of women with polypharmacy, and medications that contributed to polypharmacy.

    RESULTS: The proportion of women with continuous polypharmacy increased over time as they aged. Among participants who were frail (n = 833) in 2017, 35.9 % had continuous polypharmacy and 1.32 % had hyperpolypharmacy. Among those who were non-frail (n = 1966), 28.2 % had continuous polypharmacy, and 1.42 % had hyperpolypharmacy. Analgesics (e.g. paracetamol) and cardiovascular medications (e.g. furosemide and statins) commonly contributed to continuous polypharmacy among frail and non-frail women. Accounting for time and other characteristics, frail women had an 8% increased risk of continuous polypharmacy (RR 1.08; 95 % CI 1.05, 1.11) compared to non-frail women.

    CONCLUSIONS: Combined, polypharmacy and frailty are key clinical and public health challenges. Given that one-third of women had continuous polypharmacy, monitoring and review of medication use among older women are important, and particularly among women who are frail.

    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  3. Maakip I, Keegel T, Oakman J
    Appl Ergon, 2017 Apr;60:52-57.
    PMID: 28166899 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.11.004
    Prevalence and predictors associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) vary considerably between countries. It is plausible that socio-cultural contexts may contribute to these differences. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 1184 Malaysian and Australian office workers with the aim to examine predictors associated with MSD discomfort. The 6-month period prevalence of self-reported MSD discomfort for Malaysian office workers was 92.8% and 71.2% among Australian workers. In Malaysia, a model regressing level of musculoskeletal discomfort against possible risk factors was significant overall (F [6, 370] = 17.35; p Australia, the regression model is also significant (F [6, 539] = 16.47; p 
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  4. McMinn P, Lindsay K, Perera D, Chan HM, Chan KP, Cardosa MJ
    J Virol, 2001 Aug;75(16):7732-8.
    PMID: 11462047
    Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a frequent cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) epidemics associated with severe neurological sequelae in a small proportion of cases. There has been a significant increase in EV71 epidemic activity throughout the Asia-Pacific region since 1997. Recent HFMD epidemics in this region have been associated with a severe form of brainstem encephalitis associated with pulmonary edema and high case fatality rates. In this study, we show that four genetic lineages of EV71 have been prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region since 1997, including two previously undescribed genogroups (B3 and B4). Furthermore, we show that viruses belonging to genogroups B3 and B4 have circulated endemically in Southeast Asia during this period and have been the primary cause of several large HFMD or encephalitis epidemics in Malaysia, Singapore, and Western Australia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  5. Bhattacharya K, Balasubramaniam S, Choy YS, Fietz M, Fu A, Jin DK, et al.
    Orphanet J Rare Dis, 2014;9:192.
    PMID: 25433535 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-014-0192-7
    Morquio A syndrome is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease often resulting in life-threatening complications. Early recognition and proficient diagnosis is imperative to facilitate prompt treatment and prevention of clinical complications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  6. Bellini WJ, Harcourt BH, Bowden N, Rota PA
    J Neurovirol, 2005 Oct;11(5):481-7.
    PMID: 16287690
    Nipah virus is a recently emergent paramyxovirus that is capable of causing severe disease in both humans and animals. The first outbreak of Nipah virus occurred in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999 and, more recently, outbreaks were detected in Bangladesh. In humans, Nipah virus causes febrile encephalitis with respiratory syndrome that has a high mortality rate. The reservoir for Nipah virus is believed to be fruit bats, and humans are infected by contact with infected bats or by contact with an intermediate animal host such as pigs. Person to person spread of the virus has also been described. Nipah virus retains many of the genetic and biologic properties found in other paramyxoviruses, though it also has several unique characteristics. However, the virologic characteristics that allow the virus to cause severe disease over a broad host range, and the epidemiologic, environmental and virologic features that favor transmission to humans are unknown. This review summarizes what is known about the virology, epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis and control of this novel pathogen.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  7. Schratz A, Pineda MF, Reforma LG, Fox NM, Le Anh T, Tommaso Cavalli-Sforza L, et al.
    Adv Parasitol, 2010;72:79-107.
    PMID: 20624529 DOI: 10.1016/S0065-308X(10)72004-2
    Ethnic minority groups (EMGs) are often subject to exclusion, marginalization and poverty. These characteristics render them particularly vulnerable to neglected diseases, a diverse group of diseases that comprise bacteria, ecto-parasites, fungi, helminths and viruses. Despite the health policy relevance, only little is known of the epidemiological profile of neglected diseases among EMGs. We reviewed country data from Australia, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam and found several overlaps between regions with high proportions of EMG population and high prevalence rates of neglected diseases (infections with soil-transmitted helminths, filarial worms, schistosomes, food-borne trematodes and cestodes). While the links are not always clearly evident and it is impossible to establish correlations among highly aggregated data without control variables-such as environmental factors-there appear indeed to be important linkages between EMGs, socio-economic status and prevalence of neglected diseases. Some determinants under consideration are lack of access to health care and general health status, poverty and social marginalization, as well as education and literacy. Further research is needed to deepen the understanding of these linkages and to determine their public health and socio-economic significance. In particular, there is a need for more data from all countries in the Western Pacific Region that is disaggregated below the provincial level. Selected case studies that incorporate other control variables-such as risk factors from the physical environment-might be useful to inform policy makers about the feasibility of prevention and control interventions that are targeted at high-risk EMGs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  8. Katelaris CH, Lai CK, Rhee CS, Lee SH, Yun WD, Lim-Varona L, et al.
    Am J Rhinol Allergy, 2011 Sep-Oct;25 Suppl 1:S3-15.
    PMID: 22185687 DOI: 10.2500/ajra.2011.25.3674
    The Allergies in Asia-Pacific Survey describes the symptoms, impact, and treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) across Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The Allergies in Asia-Pacific Survey was undertaken to further clarify the prevalence of physician-diagnosed nasal allergies (NAs), impact on quality-of-life (QOL), existing treatment paradigms and gaps, and NA medications currently used in treatment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  9. Harun A, Kan A, Schwabenbauer K, Gilgado F, Perdomo H, Firacative C, et al.
    PMID: 35024355 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.761596
    Scedosporium spp. are the second most prevalent filamentous fungi after Aspergillus spp. recovered from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in various regions of the world. Although invasive infection is uncommon prior to lung transplantation, fungal colonization may be a risk factor for invasive disease with attendant high mortality post-transplantation. Abundant in the environment, Scedosporium aurantiacum has emerged as an important fungal pathogen in a range of clinical settings. To investigate the population genetic structure of S. aurantiacum, a MultiLocus Sequence Typing (MLST) scheme was developed, screening 24 genetic loci for polymorphisms on a tester strain set. The six most polymorphic loci were selected to form the S. aurantiacum MLST scheme: actin (ACT), calmodulin (CAL), elongation factor-1α (EF1α), RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2), manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2), and β-tubulin (TUB). Among 188 global clinical, veterinary, and environmental strains, 5 to 18 variable sites per locus were revealed, resulting in 8 to 23 alleles per locus. MLST analysis observed a markedly high genetic diversity, reflected by 159 unique sequence types. Network analysis revealed a separation between Australian and non-Australian strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed two major clusters, indicating correlation with geographic origin. Linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed evidence of recombination. There was no clustering according to the source of the strains: clinical, veterinary, or environmental. The high diversity, especially amongst the Australian strains, suggests that S. aurantiacum may have originated within the Australian continent and was subsequently dispersed to other regions, as shown by the close phylogenetic relationships between some of the Australian sequence types and those found in other parts of the world. The MLST data are accessible at http://mlst.mycologylab.org. This is a joined publication of the ISHAM/ECMM working groups on "Scedosporium/Pseudallescheria Infections" and "Fungal Respiratory Infections in Cystic Fibrosis".
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  10. Kirkland PD, Daniels PW, Nor MN, Love RJ, Philbey AW, Ross AD
    Vet. Clin. North Am. Food Anim. Pract., 2002 Nov;18(3):557-71, ix.
    PMID: 12442583
    Viruses belonging to the family Paramyxoviridae generally have not been recognized as a significant cause of disease in pigs until recently. Between 1997 and 1999, there were large outbreaks of disease in pigs in Australia and Malaysia due to infection with viruses that have been shown to be new members of the Paramyxoviridae family. This article reviews current knowledge of Menangle and Nipah virus infections in pigs, the only major species of domestic animals to experience serious disease after infection with these viruses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  11. Perumal Samy R, Stiles BG, Sethi G, Lim LHK
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2017 May;11(5):e0004738.
    PMID: 28493905 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004738
    This review briefly summarizes the geographical distribution and clinical impact of melioidosis, especially in the tropics. Burkholderia pseudomallei (a gram-negative bacterium) is the major causative agent for melioidosis, which is prevalent in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Northern Australia. Melioidosis patients are increasingly being recognized in other parts of the world. The bacteria are intrinsically resistant to many antimicrobial agents, but prolonged treatment, especially with combinations of antibiotics, may be effective. Despite therapy, the overall case fatality rate of septicemia in melioidosis remains significantly high. Intracellular survival of the bacteria within macrophages may progress to chronic infections, and about 10% of patients suffer relapses. In the coming decades, melioidosis will increasingly afflict travelers throughout many global regions. Clinicians managing travelers returning from the subtropics or tropics with severe pneumonia or septicemia should consider acute melioidosis as a differential diagnosis. Patients with open skin wounds, diabetes, or chronic renal disease are at higher risk for melioidosis and should avoid direct contact with soil and standing water in endemic regions. Furthermore, there are fears that B. pseudomallei may be used as a biological weapon. Technological advancements in molecular diagnostics and antibiotic therapy are improving the disease outcomes in endemic areas throughout Asia. Research and development efforts on vaccine candidates against melioidosis are ongoing.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  12. Blacketer C, Parnis R, B Franke K, Wagner M, Wang D, Tan Y, et al.
    Intern Med J, 2021 Sep;51(9):1539-1542.
    PMID: 34541769 DOI: 10.1111/imj.15479
    To utilise effectively tools that employ machine learning (ML) in clinical practice medical students and doctors will require a degree of understanding of ML models. To evaluate current levels of understanding, a formative examination and survey was conducted across three centres in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Of the 245 individuals who participated in the study (response rate = 45.4%), the majority had difficulty with identifying weaknesses in model performance analysis. Further studies examining educational interventions addressing such ML topics are warranted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  13. Science, 2014 Jul 11;345(6193):164-5.
    PMID: 25013064 DOI: 10.1126/science.345.6193.164
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  14. Mustafa KB, Keane KN, Walz NL, Mitrovic KI, Hinchliffe PM, Yovich JL
    Reprod Biol, 2017 Mar;17(1):34-41.
    PMID: 27964842 DOI: 10.1016/j.repbio.2016.11.004
    This seven-year retrospective study analysed the live birth rate (LBR) for women undergoing IVF treatment with various antral follicle counts (AFC). The LBR decreased with lower AFC ratings, and in 290 treatment cycles for women in the poorest AFC category, ≤4 follicles (group E), the LBR was the lowest at 10.7%. The pregnancy loss rate (PLR) significantly increased with poorer AFC categories, from 21.8% in AFC group A (≥20 follicles), to 54.4% in AFC group E (p<0.0001). This trend was repeated with advancing age, from 21.6% for younger women (<35years), to 32.9, 48.5 and 100% for ages 35-39, 40-44 and ≥45 years, respectively (p<0.0001). However, LBR within the specific AFC group E cohort was also age-dependent and decreased significantly from 30.0% for <35 years old, to 13.3, 3.9 and 0% for patients aged 35-39, 40-44 and ≥45 years, respectively. Most, importantly, LBR rates within these age groups were not dependent on the number of IVF attempts (1st, 2nd, 3rd or ≥4 cycles), which indicated that cycle number should not be the primary deciding factor for cessation of IVF treatment in responding women <45years old.
    Matched MeSH terms: Western Australia/epidemiology
  15. Chaliha DR, Vaccarezza M, Corti E, Takechi R, Dhaliwal SS, Drummond P, et al.
    BMC Neurol, 2023 Mar 27;23(1):122.
    PMID: 36973718 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-023-03149-y
    BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common and distressing neurological condition characterised by recurrent throbbing headaches, nausea and heightened sensitivity to light and sound. Accumulating evidence suggests that cerebral arteries dilate during migraine, causing distal microvessels to constrict, which could activate nociceptors and cause onset of headache pain. If so, preventing or attenuating chronic microvascular constriction, and promoting a dilatory phenotype, may reduce frequency and/or severity of migraines. The primary aim of the L-Arginine and Aged Garlic Extract (LARGE) trial is to investigate whether oral treatment with dietary nutraceuticals, L-arginine and aged garlic extract (AGE), both systemic vasodilatory agents, will alleviate migraine frequency, duration and severity in adults with chronic frequent episodic migraines.

    METHODS: The study is a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled phase-II single-site clinical trial conducted in Perth, Australia. The target sample is to recruit 240 participants diagnosed with chronic frequent episodic migraines between 18 and 80 years of age. Participants will be randomised to one of four treatment groups for 14 weeks (placebo induction for 2 weeks, followed by 12 weeks on one of the respective treatment arms): placebo, L-arginine, AGE, or a combination of L-arginine and AGE. The doses of L-arginine and AGE are 1.5 g and 1 g daily, respectively. The primary outcome is to assess migraine response using change in migraine frequency and intensity between baseline and 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes include the impact of L-arginine and/or AGE on photosensitivity, retinal vessel changes, and blood biomarker concentrations of vascular tone, following a 12-week intervention.

    DISCUSSION: The protocol describes the oral administration of 2 nutraceutical-based interventions as possible prophylactic treatments for chronic frequent episodic migraines, with potential for direct clinical translation of outcomes. Potential limitations of the study include the fixed-dose design of each treatment arm and that in vivo neuroimaging methods, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), will not be conducted to determine putative cerebro-vasodilatory changes to coincide with the outcome measures. Dose-response studies may be indicated.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was retrospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12621001476820 (Universal Trial Number: U1111-1268-1117) on 04/08/2021. This is protocol version 1, submitted on 25/11/2022.

    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  16. Hall RA, Scherret JH, Mackenzie JS
    Ann N Y Acad Sci, 2001 Dec;951:153-60.
    PMID: 11797773
    Kunjin (KUN) is a flavivirus in the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex that was first isolated from Culex annulirostris mosquitoes captured in northern Australia in 1960. It is the etiological agent of a human disease characterized by febrile illness with rash or mild encephalitis and, occasionally, of a neurological disease in horses. KUN virus shares a similar epidemiology and ecology with the closely related Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) virus, the major causative agent of arboviral encephalitis in Australia. Based on traditional antigenic methods, KUN was initially found to be similar to, but distinct from, reference strains of West Nile (WN) virus and designated as a new species. However, more recent phylogenic analyses have revealed that some strains of WN virus, including the isolates from New York, are more similar to KUN virus and form a separate lineage to other WN viruses. An unusual KUN isolate from Malaysia and the African virus Koutango appear to form additional lineages within the WN group of viruses. While these findings are in agreement with the Seventh Report of the International Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses that designates KUN as a subtype of West Nile, they also suggest that the species should be further subdivided into additional subtypes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  17. Jobson L, Mirabolfathi V, Moshirpanahi S, Parhoon H, Gillard J, Mukhtar F, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2019 12 04;9(1):18344.
    PMID: 31797979 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54775-x
    This study investigated the influence of culture and depression on (1) emotion priming reactions, (2) the recall of subjective experience of emotion, and (3) emotion meaning. Members of individualistic culture (Australia, n = 42) and collectivistic culture (Iran, n = 32, Malaysia, n = 74) with and without depression completed a biological motion task, subjective experience questionnaire and emotion meaning questionnaire. Those with depression, regardless of cultural group, provided significantly fewer correct responses on the biological motion task than the control group. Second, the collectivistic control groups reported greater social engaging emotion than the Australian control group. However, the three depressed groups did not differ culturally. The Australian depressed group reported significantly greater interpersonally engaging emotion than the Australian control group. Third, the collectivistic groups reported significantly greater social worth, belief changes and sharing of emotion than the individualistic group. Depression did not influence these cultural effects. Instead we found that those with depression, when compared to controls, considered emotions as subjective phenomena, that were qualifying for relationships with others, and associated with greater agency appraisals. The applicability of the biocultural framework of emotion in depression was considered.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  18. Chua KB
    PMID: 22782307 DOI: 10.1007/82_2012_218
    Until the Nipah outbreak in Malaysia in 1999, knowledge of human infections with the henipaviruses was limited to the small number of cases associated with the emergence of Hendra virus in Australia in 1994. The Nipah outbreak in Malaysia alerted the global public health community to the severe pathogenic potential and widespread distribution of these unique paramyxoviruses. This chapter briefly describes the initial discovery of Nipah virus and the challenges encountered during the initial identification and characterisation of the aetiological agent responsible for the outbreak of febrile encephalitis. The initial attempts to isolate Nipah virus from the bat reservoir host are also described.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  19. Blyth CC, Foo H, van Hal SJ, Hurt AC, Barr IG, McPhie K, et al.
    Emerg Infect Dis, 2010 May;16(5):809-15.
    PMID: 20409371 DOI: 10.3201/eid1605.091136
    Influenza outbreaks during mass gatherings have been rarely described, and detailed virologic assessment is lacking. An influenza outbreak occurred during World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 2008 (WYD2008). We assessed epidemiologic data and respiratory samples collected from attendees who sought treatment for influenza-like illness at emergency clinics in Sydney during this outbreak. Isolated influenza viruses were compared with seasonal influenza viruses from the 2008 influenza season. From 100 infected attendees, numerous strains were identified: oseltamivir-resistant influenza A (H1N1) viruses, oseltamivir-sensitive influenza A (H1N1) viruses, influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and strains from both influenza B lineages (B/Florida/4/2006-like and B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like). Novel viruses were introduced, and pre-WYD2008 seasonal viruses were amplified. Viruses isolated at mass gatherings can have substantial, complex, and unpredictable effects on community influenza activity. Greater flexibility by public health authorities and hospitals is required to appropriately manage and contain these outbreaks.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
  20. Cowling BJ, Caini S, Chotpitayasunondh T, Djauzi S, Gatchalian SR, Huang QS, et al.
    Vaccine, 2017 Feb 07;35(6):856-864.
    PMID: 28081970 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.12.064
    The fourth roundtable meeting of the Global Influenza Initiative (GII) was held in Hong Kong, China, in July 2015. An objective of this meeting was to gain a broader understanding of the epidemiology, surveillance, vaccination policies and programs, and obstacles to vaccination of influenza in the Asia-Pacific region through presentations of data from Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. As well as a need for improved levels of surveillance in some areas, a range of factors were identified that act as barriers to vaccination in some countries, including differences in climate and geography, logistical challenges, funding, lack of vaccine awareness and education, safety concerns, perceived lack of vaccine effectiveness, and lack of inclusion in national guidelines. From the presentations at the meeting, the GII discussed a number of recommendations for easing the burden of influenza and overcoming the current challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. These recommendations encompass the need to improve surveillance and availability of epidemiological data; the development and publication of national guidelines, where not currently available and/or that are in line with those proposed by the World Health Organization; the requirement for optimal timing of vaccination programs according to local or country-specific epidemiology; and calls for advocacy and government support of vaccination programs in order to improve availability and uptake and coverage. In conclusion, in addition to the varied epidemiology of seasonal influenza across this diverse region, there are a number of logistical and resourcing issues that present a challenge to the development of optimally effective vaccination strategies and that need to be overcome to improve access to and uptake of seasonal influenza vaccines. The GII has developed a number of recommendations to address these challenges and improve the control of influenza.
    Matched MeSH terms: Australia/epidemiology
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