People aged to 18 years per metropolitan and rural GP

Copyright © 2005 Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Copyright to Australian Family Physician. Reproduced with permission. Permission to reproduce must be sought from the publisher, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.The authors report that the 0–18 years age group is 25% of the population. The 0–18 year population ratio per rural GP in South Australia is nearly three times greater than for metropolitan GPsDavid Petchell, Justin J. Beilby and Don M. Roberto

The medical schools outcomes database project: Australian medical student characteristics

BACKGROUND Global medical workforce requirements highlight the need for effective workforce planning, with the overall aims being to alleviate doctor shortages and prevent maldistribution. The Medical Schools Outcomes Database and Longitudinal Tracking (MSOD) Project provides a foundation for evaluating outcomes of medical education programs against specified workforce objectives (including rural and areas of workforce needs), assisting in medical workforce planning, and provision of a national research resource. This paper describes the methodology and baseline results for the MSOD project. METHODS The MSOD Project is a prospective longitudinal multiple-cohort study. The project invites all commencing and completing Australian medical students to complete short questionnaires. Participants are then asked to participate in four follow-up surveys at 1, 3, 5 and 8 years after graduation. RESULTS Since 2005, 30,635 responses for medical students (22,126 commencing students and 8,509 completing students) in Australia have been collected. To date, overall eligible cohort response rates are 91% for commencing students, and 83% for completing students. Eighty three percent of completing medical student respondents had also completed a commencing questionnaire. Approximately 80% of medical students at Australian medical schools are Australian citizens. Australian medical schools have only small proportions of Indigenous students. One third of medical students speak a language other than English at home.The top three vocational choices for commencing medical students were surgery, paediatrics and child health and general practice. The top three vocational choices for completing students were surgery, adult medicine/ physician, and general practice. Overall, 75.7% of medical students changed their first career preference from commencement to exit from medical school. Most commencing and completing medical students wish to have their future medical practice in capital cities or in major urban centers. Only 8.1% of commencing students and 4.6% of completing students stated an intention to have their future medical practice in smaller towns and small communities. CONCLUSIONS The MSOD longitudinal project is now an established national resource that is beginning to generate significant research outputs, along with providing key information for workforce planning and policy makers. The project has now expanded to enrol New Zealand medical students.Baldeep Kaur, Angela Carberry, Nathaniel Hogan, Don Roberton and Justin Beilb

Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points Assessment as a Tool to Respond to Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) strain H5N1 has had direct and indirect economic impacts arising from direct mortality and control programmes in over 50 countries reporting poultry outbreaks. HPAI H5N1 is now reported as the most widespread and expensive zoonotic disease recorded and continues to pose a global health threat. The aim of this research was to assess the potential of utilising Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) assessments in providing a framework for a rapid response to emerging infectious disease outbreaks. This novel approach applies a scientific process, widely used in food production systems, to assess risks related to a specific emerging health threat within a known zoonotic disease hotspot. We conducted a HACCP assessment for HPAI viruses within Vietnam’s domestic poultry trade and relate our findings to the existing literature. Our HACCP assessment identified poultry flock isolation, transportation, slaughter, preparation and consumption as critical control points for Vietnam’s domestic poultry trade. Introduction of the preventative measures highlighted through this HACCP evaluation would reduce the risks posed by HPAI viruses and pressure on the national economy. We conclude that this HACCP assessment provides compelling evidence for the future potential that HACCP analyses could play in initiating a rapid response to emerging infectious diseases

Evaluation of combined live, attenuated respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza 3 virus vaccines in infants and young children

© 2004 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.We evaluated a combination respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza 3 virus (PIV3) live, attenuated intranasal vaccine for safety, viral replication, and immunogenicity in doubly seronegative children 6–18 months old. RSV cpts-248/404 and PIV3-cp45 vaccines were combined in a dose of 105 plaque-forming units of each per 0.5-mL dose and compared with monovalent vaccines or placebo. The virus shedding pattern of RSV was not different between monovalent RSV cpts-248/404 vaccine and combination vaccine. Modest reductions in the shedding of PIV3-cp45 vaccine virus were found after the administration of RSV cpts-248/404 and PIV3-cp45 vaccine, relative to monovalent PIV3 vaccine; 16 (76%) of 21 children given combination vaccine shed PIV3-cp45 versus 11 (92%) of 12 of those given monovalent PIV3 vaccine. Both vaccines were immunogenic, and antibody responses were similar between the monovalent groups and the combination group. Combined RSV/PV3 vaccine is feasible for simultaneous administration, and further studies are warranted.Robert B. Belshe, Frances K. Newman, Edwin L. Anderson, Peter F. Wright, Ruth A. Karron,Sharon Tollefson, Frederick W. Henderson, H. Cody Meissner, Shabir Madhi, Don Roberton, Helen Marshall,Richard Loh, Peter Sly, Brian Murphy, Joanne M. Tatem, Valerie Randolph, Jill Hackell, William Gruber and Theodore F. Tsa

Generation of c-MycERTAM-transduced human late-adherent olfactory mucosa cells for potential regenerative applications

Human olfactory mucosa cells (hOMCs) have been transplanted to the damaged spinal cord both pre-clinically and clinically. To date mainly autologous cells have been tested. However, inter-patient variability in cell recovery and quality, and the fact that the neuroprotective olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) subset is difficult to isolate, means an allogeneic hOMC therapy would be an attractive “off-the-shelf” alternative. The aim of this study was to generate a candidate cell line from late-adherent hOMCs, thought to contain the OEC subset. Primary late-adherent hOMCs were transduced with a c-MycERTAM gene that enables cell proliferation in the presence of 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT). Two c-MycERTAM-derived polyclonal populations, PA5 and PA7, were generated and expanded. PA5 cells had a normal human karyotype (46, XY) and exhibited faster growth kinetics than PA7, and were therefore selected for further characterisation. PA5 hOMCs express glial markers (p75NTR, S100ß, GFAP and oligodendrocyte marker O4), neuronal markers (nestin and ß-III-tubulin) and fibroblast-associated markers (CD90/Thy1 and fibronectin). Co-culture of PA5 cells with a neuronal cell line (NG108-15) and with primary dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons resulted in significant neurite outgrowth after 5 days. Therefore, c-MycERTAM-derived PA5 hOMCs have potential as a regenerative therapy for neural cells

Application of the 50% Hydrazine Solution Method for O-Glycans Release, their Chemical Labeling, and HPLC Separation

Mucins are high molecular mass glycoproteins with oligosaccharides O-bonded to the protein core. β-elimination is the most popular method used for releasing of O-glycans. However to such released glycoforms it is difficult to introduce a label to amplify a signal for oligosaccharide detection

ANZAED eating disorder treatment principles and general clinical practice and training standards

Introduction: Eating disorders are complex to manage, and there is limited guidance around the depth and breadth of knowledge, skills and experience required by treatment providers. The Australia & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) convened an expert group of eating disorder researchers and clinicians to define the clinical practice and training standards recommended for mental health professionals and dietitians providing treatment for individuals with an eating disorder. General principles and clinical practice standards were first developed, after which separate mental health professional and dietitian standards were drafted and collated by the appropriate members of the expert group. The subsequent review process included four stages of consultation and document revision: (1) expert reviewers; (2) a face-to-face consultation workshop attended by approximately 100 health professionals working within the sector; (3) an extensive open access online consultation process; and (4) consultation with key professional and consumer/carer stakeholder organisations. Recommendations: The resulting paper outlines and describes the following eight eating disorder treatment principles: (1) early intervention is essential; (2) co-ordination of services is fundamental to all service models; (3) services must be evidence-based; (4) involvement of significant others in service provision is highly desirable; (5) a personalised treatment approach is required for all patients; (6) education and/or psychoeducation is included in all interventions; (7) multidisciplinary care is required and (8) a skilled workforce is necessary. Seven general clinical practice standards are also discussed, including: (1) diagnosis and assessment; (2) the multidisciplinary care team; (3) a positive therapeutic alliance; (4) knowledge of evidence-based treatment; (5) knowledge of levels of care; (6) relapse prevention; and (7) professional responsibility. Conclusions: These principles and standards provide guidance to professional training programs and service providers on the development of knowledge required as a foundation on which to build competent practice in the eating disorder field. Implementing these standards aims to bring treatment closer to best practice, and consequently improve treatment outcomes, reduce financial cost to patients and services and improve patient quality of life