The crux of the matter: did the ABC's Catalyst program change statin use in Australia?

This article argues that the ABC’s Catalyst program criticising statins affected people’s willingness to take these drugs. Abstract Objectives: To examine the impact of a two-part special edition of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation\u27s science journalism program Catalyst (titled Heart of the matter), aired in October 2013, that was critical of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (“statins”). Design, setting and participants: Population-based interrupted time-series analysis of a 10% sample of Australian long-term concessional beneficiaries who were dispensed statins under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (about 51% of all people who were dispensed a statin between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2014); dispensing of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was used as a comparator. Main outcome measures: Change in weekly dispensings and discontinuation of use of statins and PPIs, adjusting for seasonal and long-term trends, overall and (for statins only) stratified by the use of cardiovascular and diabetes medicines. Results: In our sample, 191 833 people were dispensed an average of 26 946 statins weekly. Following the Catalyst program, there was a 2.60% (95% CI, 1.40%–3.77%; P < 0.001) reduction in statin dispensing, equivalent to 14 005 fewer dispensings Australia-wide every week. Dispensing decreased by 6.03% (95% CI, 3.73%–8.28%; P < 0.001) for people not dispensed other cardiovascular and diabetes medicines and 1.94% (0.42%–3.45%; P = 0.01) for those dispensed diabetes medicines. In the week the Catalyst program aired, there was a 28.8% (95% CI, 15.4%–43.7%; P < 0.001) increase in discontinuation of statin use, which decayed by 9% per week. An estimated 28 784 additional Australians ceased statin treatment. Discontinuation occurred regardless of the use of other cardiovascular and diabetes medicines. There were no significant changes in PPI use after the Catalyst program. Conclusions: Following airing of the Catalyst program, there was a temporary increase in discontinuation and a sustained decrease in overall statin dispensing. Up until 30 June 2014, there were 504 180 fewer dispensings of statins, and we estimate this to have affected 60 897 people

ARE ECONOMIC FUNDAMENTALS DRIVING FARMLAND VALUES?

Farmland, Land Value, Agricultural Finance, Land Economics/Use, Q14, Q15,

CESR Technical Report 1: The quality and usefulness of the NSW Clinical Cancer Registry Minimum Dataset and Colorectal Dataset Extension for colorectal cancer services research

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Population-based studies of care and outcomes are essential to monitor the uptake of evidence-based treatment guidelines and identify groups most at risk of receiving suboptimal care or experiencing poor outcomes. With the development of locally-managed Clinical Cancer Registries (ClinCR) in public facilities in NSW since 2006, ‘patterns of care’ studies which previously relied on the collection of clinical information through time- and resource-intensive surveys or medical record audits now have the potential to be conducted through linkage of routinely collected data. However there is little experience with the use of ClinCR data for research. The purpose of this report is to assess the quality, coverage and completeness of ClinCR data for use in colorectal cancer services research, and to assess the feasibility of developing surgical process and outcomes indicators that rely on ClinCR data items.Cancer Institute NS

Australian national birthweight percentiles by sex and gestational age, 1998-2007

Objective: To present updated national birthweight percentiles by gestational age for male and female singleton infants born in Australia. Design and setting: Cross-sectional population-based study of 2.53 million singleton live births in Australia between 1998 and 2007. Main outcome measures: Birthweight percentiles by gestational age and sex. Results: Between 1998 and 2007, women in Australia gave birth to 2 539 237 live singleton infants. Of these, 2 537 627 had a gestational age between 20 and 44 weeks, and sex and birthweight data were available. Birthweight percentiles are presented by sex and gestational age for a total of 2 528 641 births, after excluding 8986 infants with outlying birthweights. Since the publication of the previous Australian birthweight percentiles in 1999, median birthweight for term babies has increased between 0 and 25 g for boys and between 5 g and 45 g for girls. Conclusions: There has been only a small increase in birthweight percentiles for babies of both sexes and most gestational ages since 1991-1994. These national percentiles provide a current Australian reference for clinicians and researchers assessing weight at birth

Using hospital discharge data to identify incident pregnancy-associated cancers: a validation study

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-associated cancer is associated with maternal morbidities and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and is reported to be increasing. Hospital discharge data have the potential to provide timely information on cancer incidence, which is central to evaluation and improvement of clinical care for women. This study aimed to assess the validity of hospital data for identifying incident pregnancy-associated cancers compared with incident cancers from an Australian population-based statutory cancer registry. METHODS: Birth data from 2001–2008, comprised 470,277 women with 679,736 maternities, were linked to cancer registry and hospitalisation records to identify newly diagnosed cancers during pregnancy or within 12 months of delivery. Two hospital-identified cancer groups were examined; “index cancer hospitalisation” – first cancer admission per woman per pregnancy and “all cancer hospitalisations” –the total number of hospitalisations with a cancer diagnosis and women could have multiple hospitalisations during pregnancy. The latter replicates a scenario where identification of individuals is not possible and hospitalisations are used as the unit of analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of pregnancy-associated cancer (according to cancer registry) was 145.4/100,000 maternities. Incidence of cancer was substantially over-estimated when using hospitalisations as the unit of analysis (incidence rate ratio, IRR 1.7) and under-estimated when using the individual (IRR 0.8). Overall, the sensitivity of “index cancer hospitalisation” was 60.4%, positive predictive value (PPV) 77.7%, specificity and negative predictive value both 100%. Melanoma ascertainment was only 36.1% and breast cancer 62.9%. For other common cancers sensitivities ranged from 72.1% to 78.6% and PPVs 56.4% to 87.3%. CONCLUSION: Although hospital data provide another timely source of cancer identification, the validity is insufficient to obtain cancer incidence estimates for the obstetric population

Incidence and outcomes of pregnancy-associated cancer in Australia, 1994?2008: a population-based linkage study

OBJECTIVE: To determine trends in pregnancy-associated cancer and associations between maternal cancer and pregnancy outcomes. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: New South Wales, Australia, 1994–2008. POPULATION: A total of 781 907 women and their 1 309 501 maternities. METHODS: Cancer and maternal information were obtained from linked cancer registry, birth and hospital records for the entire population. Generalised estimating equations with a logit link were used to examine associations between cancer risk factors and pregnancy outcomes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of pregnancy-associated cancer (diagnosis during pregnancy or within 12 months of delivery), maternal morbidities, preterm birth, and small- and large-for-gestational-age (LGA). RESULTS: A total of 1798 new cancer diagnoses were identified, including 499 during pregnancy and 1299 postpartum. From 1994 to 2007, the crude incidence rate of pregnancy-associated cancer increased from 112.3 to 191.5 per 100 000 maternities (P < 0.001), and only 14% of the increase was explained by increasing maternal age. Cancer diagnosis was more common than expected in women aged 15–44 years (observed-to-expected ratio 1.49; 95% CI 1.42–1.56). Cancers were predominantly melanoma (33.3%) and breast cancer (21.0%). Women with cancer diagnosed during pregnancy had high rates of labour induction (28.5%), caesarean section (40.0%) and planned preterm birth (19.7%). Novel findings included a cancer association with multiple pregnancies (adjusted odds ratio 1.52, 95% CI 1.13–2.05) and LGA (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.14–1.89). CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy-associated cancers have increased, and this increase is only partially explained by increasing maternal age. Pregnancy increases women’s interaction with health services and the possibility for diagnosis, but may also influence tumour growth

Measurement of Pulmonary Flow Reserve and Pulmonary Index of Microcirculatory Resistance for Detection of Pulmonary Microvascular Obstruction

BACKGROUND: The pulmonary microcirculation is the chief regulatory site for resistance in the pulmonary circuit. Despite pulmonary microvascular dysfunction being implicated in the pathogenesis of several pulmonary vascular conditions, there are currently no techniques for the specific assessment of pulmonary microvascular integrity in humans. Peak hyperemic flow assessment using thermodilution-derived mean transit-time (T(mn)) facilitate accurate coronary microcirculatory evaluation, but remain unvalidated in the lung circulation. Using a high primate model, we aimed to explore the use of T(mn) as a surrogate of pulmonary blood flow for the purpose of measuring the novel indices Pulmonary Flow Reserve [PFR = (maximum hyperemic)/(basal flow)] and Pulmonary Index of Microcirculatory Resistance [PIMR = (maximum hyperemic distal pulmonary artery pressure)x(maximum hyperemic T(mn))]. Ultimately, we aimed to investigate the effect of progressive pulmonary microvascular obstruction on PFR and PIMR. METHODS AND RESULTS: Temperature- and pressure-sensor guidewires (TPSG) were placed in segmental pulmonary arteries (SPA) of 13 baboons and intravascular temperature measured. T(mn) and hemodynamics were recorded at rest and following intra-SPA administration of the vasodilator agents adenosine (10-400 microg/kg/min) and papaverine (3-24 mg). Temperature did not vary with intra-SPA sensor position (0.010+/-0.009 v 0.010+/-0.009 degrees C; distal v proximal; p = 0.1), supporting T(mn) use in lung for the purpose of hemodynamic indices derivation. Adenosine (to 200 microg/kg/min) & papaverine (to 24 mg) induced dose-dependent flow augmentations (40+/-7% & 35+/-13% T(mn) reductions v baseline, respectively; p<0.0001). PFR and PIMR were then calculated before and after progressive administration of ceramic microspheres into the SPA. Cumulative microsphere doses progressively reduced PFR (1.41+/-0.06, 1.26+/-0.19, 1.17+/-0.07 & 1.01+/-0.03; for 0, 10(4), 10(5) & 10(6) microspheres; p = 0.009) and increased PIMR (5.7+/-0.6, 6.3+/-1.0, 6.8+/-0.6 & 7.6+/-0.6 mmHg.sec; p = 0.0048). CONCLUSIONS: Thermodilution-derived mean transit time can be accurately and reproducibly measured in the pulmonary circulation using TPSG. Mean transit time-derived PFR and PIMR can be assessed using a TPSG and adenosine or papaverine as hyperemic agents. These novel indices detect progressive pulmonary microvascular obstruction and thus have with a potential role for pulmonary microcirculatory assessment in humans

Support for Aboriginal health services in reducing harms from alcohol : 2-year service provision outcomes in a cluster randomized trial

Background and aims There is a higher prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use among Indigenous populations, but there have been few studies of the effectiveness of screening and treatment in primary health care. Over 24 months, we tested whether a model of service-wide support could increase screening and any alcohol treatment. Design Cluster-randomized trial with 24-month implementation (12 months active, 12 months maintenance). Setting Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled primary care services. Participants Twenty-two services (83 032 clients) that use Communicare practice software and see at least 1000 clients annually, randomized to the treatment arm or control arm. Intervention and comparator Multi-faceted early support model versus a comparator of waiting-list control (11 services). Measurements A record (presence = 1, absence = 0) of: (i) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—Consumption (AUDIT-C) screening (primary outcome), (ii) any-treatment and (iii) brief intervention. We received routinely collected practice data bimonthly over 3 years (1-year baseline, 1-year implementation, 1-year maintenance). Multi-level logistic modelling was used to compare the odds of each outcome before and after implementation. Findings The odds of being screened within any 2-month reference period increased in both arms post-implementation, but the increase was nearly eight times greater in early-support services [odds ratio (OR) = 7.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.04–15.63, P < 0.001]. The change in odds of any treatment in early support was nearly double that of waiting-list controls (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.19–2.98, P = 0.01) but was largely driven by decrease in controls. There was no clear evidence of difference between groups in the change in the odds of provision of brief intervention (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 0.53–7.17, P = 0.32). Conclusions An early support model designed to aid routine implementation of alcohol screening and treatment in Aboriginal health services resulted in improvement of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—Consumption screening rates over 24 months of implementation, but the effect on treatment was less clear

Using routinely collected data to understand and predict adverse outcomes in opioid agonist treatment:Protocol for the Opioid Agonist Treatment Safety (OATS) Study

INTRODUCTION: North America is amid an opioid use epidemic. Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) effectively reduces extramedical opioid use and related harms. As with all pharmacological treatments, there are risks associated with OAT, including fatal overdose. There is a need to better understand risk for adverse outcomes during and after OAT, and for innovative approaches to identifying people at greatest risk of adverse outcomes. The Opioid Agonist Treatment and Safety study aims to address these questions so as to inform the expansion of OAT in the USA. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a retrospective cohort study using linked, routinely collected health data for all people seeking OAT in New South Wales, Australia, between 2001 and 2017. Linked data include hospitalisation, emergency department presentation, mental health diagnoses, incarceration and mortality. We will use standard regression techniques to model the magnitude and risk factors for adverse outcomes (eg, mortality, unplanned hospitalisation and emergency department presentation, and unplanned treatment cessation) during and after OAT, and machine learning approaches to develop a risk-prediction model. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the Population and Health Services Research Ethics Committee (2018HRE0205). Results will be reported in accordance with the REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data statement

Associations between insulin and glucose concentrations and anthropometric measures of fat mass in Australian adolescents

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One of the most serious, yet common co-morbidities of obesity is insulin resistance, which if untreated may progress to type 2 diabetes. This paper describes the insulin and glucose concentration distributions, the prevalence of elevated insulin, the associations between insulin and body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and fat mass index in a representative sample of Australian adolescents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional population-based study of adolescent boys and girls (N = 496, mean age 15.3 years) attending schools in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. Fasting venous blood collected and analysed for insulin and glucose concentrations. Height, weight, waist circumference measured, BMI and waist-to-height ratio calculated. Pubertal status self-reported.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Glucose concentrations were normally distributed and were not associated with adiposity. Insulin concentrations were distributed logarithmically, were higher among girls than boys overall and within the same ranges of BMI and waist circumference, but were lower among girls than boys within the same ranges of fat mass adjusted for height. The prevalence of elevated insulin concentration (defined as > 100 pmol/L) was 15.9% and 17.1% among boys and girls, respectively. Correlations between insulin concentration and BMI, waist circumference, WHtR and fat mass adjusted for height were 0.53, 0.49, 0.51 and 0.55, among boys, respectively, and 0.35, 0.40, 0.42 and 0.34, among girls, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Elevated insulin is highly correlated with adiposity in adolescents. BMI and WHtR are simple measures that can be used to identify young people who should be screened for insulin resistance and other co-morbidities.</p