Purpose: Stenting is a useful treatment option for malignant colonic obstruction, but its role remains unclear. This study was designed to establish how stents have been used in Queensland, Australia, and to review outcomes. Methods: Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer in Queensland from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2014, who underwent colonic stent insertion were reviewed. Primary outcomes of 5-year survival, 30-day mortality, and overall length of survival were calculated. The secondary outcomes included patient and tumor factors, and stoma rates. Results: In total, 319 patients were included, and distant metastases were identified in 183 patients (57.4%). The 30-day mortality rate was 6.6% (n=21), and the 5-year survival was 11.9% (n=38). Median survival was 11 months (interquartile range, 4–27 months). A further operation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.19; P<0.001) and chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy (HR, 0.718; P=0.046) reduced the risk of 5-year mortality. The presence of distant metastases (HR, 2.052; P<0.001) and a comorbidity score of 3 or more (HR, 1.572; P=0.20) increased mortality. Surgery was associated with a reduced risk of mortality even in patients with metastatic disease (HR, 0.14; P<0.001). Twenty-two patients (6.9%) ended the study period with a stoma. Conclusion Colorectal stenting was used in Queensland in several diverse scenarios, in both localized and metastatic disease. Surgery had a survival advantage, even in patients with metastatic disease. There was no survival difference according to whether patients were socioeconomically disadvantaged, diagnosed in a major city or not, or treated at private or public hospitals. Stenting proved a valid treatment option with low stoma rates.

Purpose: The treatment approach for non-metastatic bladder cancer is guided by an invasion of the muscular layer of the bladder wall. Radical cystectomy is the recommended treatment for muscle-invasive disease. However, it has considerable morbidity and mortality and is not suited for many patients. Trimodality therapy consisting of chemoradiation after transurethral resection of bladder tumor offers a definitive approach with bladder-sparing potential. However, there is a lack of research defining the optimal combination of chemotherapy and radiation in this setting. Materials and Methods: We extracted patient data from the National Cancer Database to compare survival outcomes and demographic factors in 2,227 non-metastatic bladder cancer patients who were treated with chemotherapy sequential to or concurrently with radiation. Sequential treatment was defined as chemotherapy beginning >14 days before radiation, and concurrent was defined as beginning within 14 days of the first radiation. Results: The sequential treatment group patients were younger (mean age, 74 vs. 78 years; p < 0.001) with more advanced disease. We found no difference in overall survival between patients who received chemotherapy sequential to radiation and those who received concurrent chemoradiation only (p = 0.533). Conclusion Our data are concordant with a previous prospective study, and support that chemotherapy prior to radiation does not decrease survival outcomes relative to patients receiving only concurrent chemoradiation. Given that the sequential group had an overall higher stage but no difference in survival, downstaging chemotherapy prior to radiation may be helpful in these patients. Further studies including a larger, multi-institutional clinical trial are indicated to support clinical decision-making.

Objective: Circulation patterns of influenza and other respiratory viruses have been globally disrupted since the emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the introduction of public health and social measures (PHSMs) aimed at reducing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. Methods: We reviewed respiratory virus laboratory data, Google mobility data and PHSMs in five geographically diverse regions in Australia and New Zealand. We also described respiratory virus activity from January 2017 to August 2021. Results: We observed a change in the prevalence of circulating respiratory viruses following the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020. Influenza activity levels were very low in all regions, lower than those recorded in 2017–2019, with less than 1% of laboratory samples testing positive for influenza virus. In contrast, rates of human rhinovirus infection were increased. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity was delayed; however, once it returned, most regions experienced activity levels well above those seen in 2017–2019. The timing of the resurgence in the circulation of both rhinovirus and RSV differed within and between the two countries. Discussion: The findings of this study suggest that as domestic and international borders are opened up and other COVID-19 PHSMs are lifted, clinicians and public health professionals should be prepared for resurgences in influenza and other respiratory viruses. Recent patterns in RSV activity suggest that these resurgences in non-COVID-19 viruses have the potential to occur out of season and with increased impact.

Purpose: We report outcomes and evaluate patient factors and the impact of surgical evolution on outcomes in consecutive ulcerative colitis patients who had restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) at an Australian institution over 26 years. Methods: Data including clinical characteristics, preoperative medical therapy, and surgical outcomes were collected. We divided eligible patients into 3 period arms (period 1, 1990 to 1999; period 2, 2000 to 2009; period 3, 2010 to 2016). Outcomes of interest were IPAA leak and pouch failure. Results: A total of 212 patients were included. Median follow-up was 50 (interquartile range, 17 to 120) months. Rates of early and late complications were 34.9% and 52.0%, respectively. Early complications included wound infection (9.4%), pelvic sepsis (8.0%), and small bowel obstruction (6.6%) while late complications included small bowel obstruction (18.9%), anal stenosis (16.8%), and pouch fistula (13.3%). Overall, IPAA leak rate was 6.1% and pouch failure rate was 4.8%. Eighty-three patients (42.3%) experienced pouchitis. Over time, we observed an increase in patient exposure to thiopurine (P=0.0025), cyclosporin (P=0.0002), and anti-tumor necrosis factor (P<0.00001) coupled with a shift to laparoscopic technique (P<0.00001), stapled IPAA (P<0.00001), J pouch configuration (P<0.00001), a modified 2-stage procedure (P=0.00012), and a decline in defunctioning ileostomy rate at time of IPAA (P=0.00002). Apart from pouchitis, there was no significant difference in surgical and chronic inflammatory pouch outcomes with time. Conclusion Despite greater patient exposure to immunomodulatory and biologic therapy before surgery coupled with a significant change in surgical techniques, surgical and chronic inflammatory pouch outcome rates have remained stable.

Background: The human mandible is variable in shape, size and position and any deviation from normal can affect the facial appearance and dental occlusion. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine whether the Sassouni cephalometric analysis could help predict two-dimensional mandibular shape in humans using cephalometric planes and landmarks. Materials and methods: A retrospective computerised analysis of 100 lateral cephalometric radiographs taken at Kingston Hospital Orthodontic Department was carried out. Results: Results: showed that the Euclidean straight-line mean difference between the estimated position of gonion and traced position of gonion was 7.89 mm and the Euclidean straight-line mean difference between the estimated position of pogonion and the traced position of pogonion was 11.15 mm. The length of the anterior cranial base as measured by sella-nasion was positively correlated with the length of the mandibular body gonion-menton, r = 0.381 and regression analysis showed the length of the anterior cranial base sella-nasion could be predictive of the length of the mandibular body gonion-menton by the equation 22.65 + 0.5426x, where x = length of the anterior cranial base (SN). There was a significant association with convex shaped palates and oblique shaped mandibles, p = 0.0004. Conclusions The method described in this study can be used to help estimate the position of cephalometric points gonion and pogonion and thereby sagittal mandibular length. This method is more accurate in skeletal class I cases and therefore has potential applications in craniofacial anthropology and the ‘missing mandible’ problem in forensic and archaeological reconstruction.

Background: The human mandible is variable in shape, size and position and any deviation from normal can affect the facial appearance and dental occlusion. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine whether the Sassouni cephalometric analysis could help predict two-dimensional mandibular shape in humans using cephalometric planes and landmarks. Materials and methods: A retrospective computerised analysis of 100 lateral cephalometric radiographs taken at Kingston Hospital Orthodontic Department was carried out. Results: Results: showed that the Euclidean straight-line mean difference between the estimated position of gonion and traced position of gonion was 7.89 mm and the Euclidean straight-line mean difference between the estimated position of pogonion and the traced position of pogonion was 11.15 mm. The length of the anterior cranial base as measured by sella-nasion was positively correlated with the length of the mandibular body gonion-menton, r = 0.381 and regression analysis showed the length of the anterior cranial base sella-nasion could be predictive of the length of the mandibular body gonion-menton by the equation 22.65 + 0.5426x, where x = length of the anterior cranial base (SN). There was a significant association with convex shaped palates and oblique shaped mandibles, p = 0.0004. Conclusions The method described in this study can be used to help estimate the position of cephalometric points gonion and pogonion and thereby sagittal mandibular length. This method is more accurate in skeletal class I cases and therefore has potential applications in craniofacial anthropology and the ‘missing mandible’ problem in forensic and archaeological reconstruction.

Sepsis is conceptually defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction that is caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Although there has been significant advancement in recent decades in defining and understanding sepsis pathology, clinical management of sepsis is challenging due to difficulties in diagnosis, a lack of reliable prognostic biomarkers, and treatment options that are largely limited to antibiotic therapy and fundamental supportive measures. The lack of reliable diagnostic and prognostic tests makes it difficult to triage patients who are in need of more urgent care. Furthermore, while the acute inpatient treatment of sepsis warrants ongoing attention and investigation, efforts must also be directed toward longer term survival and outcomes. Sepsis survivors experience incomplete recovery, with long-term health impairments that may require both cognitive and physical treatment and rehabilitation. This review summarizes recent advances in sepsis prognosis research and discusses progress made in elucidating the underlying causes of prolonged health deficits experienced by patients surviving the early phases of sepsis.

Despite advances in the field of male reproductive health, idiopathic male infertility, in which a man has altered semen characteristics without an identifiable cause and there is no female factor infertility, remains a challenging condition to diagnose and manage. Increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress (OS) plays an independent role in the etiology of male infertility, with 30% to 80% of infertile men having elevated seminal reactive oxygen species levels. OS can negatively affect fertility via a number of pathways, including interference with capacitation and possible damage to sperm membrane and DNA, which may impair the sperm's potential to fertilize an egg and develop into a healthy embryo. Adequate evaluation of male reproductive potential should therefore include an assessment of sperm OS. We propose the term Male Oxidative Stress Infertility, or MOSI, as a novel descriptor for infertile men with abnormal semen characteristics and OS, including many patients who were previously classified as having idiopathic male infertility. Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) can be a useful clinical biomarker for the classification of MOSI, as it takes into account the levels of both oxidants and reductants (antioxidants). Current treatment protocols for OS, including the use of antioxidants, are not evidence-based and have the potential for complications and increased healthcare-related expenditures. Utilizing an easy, reproducible, and cost-effective test to measure ORP may provide a more targeted, reliable approach for administering antioxidant therapy while minimizing the risk of antioxidant overdose. With the increasing awareness and understanding of MOSI as a distinct male infertility diagnosis, future research endeavors can facilitate the development of evidence-based treatments that target its underlying cause.
Antioxidants ; Classification ; Clinical Protocols ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Embryonic Structures ; Female ; Fertility ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Infertility ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Membranes ; Ovum ; Oxidants ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reducing Agents ; Reproductive Health ; Semen ; Spermatozoa ; Subject Headings

Chronic disease rates have become more prevalent in the modern American workforce, which has negative implications for workplace productivity and healthcare costs. Offering workplace health interventions is recognized as an effective strategy to reduce chronic disease progression, absenteeism, and healthcare costs as well as improve population health. This review documents intervention and evaluation strategies used for health promotion programs delivered in workplaces. Using predetermined search terms in five online databases, we identified 1,131 published items from 1995 to 2014. Of these items, 27 peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria; reporting data from completed United States-based workplace interventions that recruited at-risk employees based on their disease or disease-related risk factors. A content rubric was developed and used to catalogue these 27 published field studies. Selected workplace interventions targeted obesity (n=13), cardiovascular diseases (n=8), and diabetes (n=6). Intervention strategies included instructional education/counseling (n=20), workplace environmental change (n=6), physical activity (n=10), use of technology (n=10), and incentives (n=13). Self-reported data (n=21), anthropometric measurements (n=17), and laboratory tests (n=14) were used most often in studies with outcome evaluation. This is the first literature review to focus on interventions for employees with elevated risk for chronic diseases. The review has the potential to inform future workplace health interventions by presenting strategies related to implementation and evaluation strategies in workplace settings. These strategies can help determine optimal worksite health programs based on the unique characteristics of work settings and the health risk factors of their employee populations.
Absenteeism ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Chronic Disease* ; Efficiency ; Health Care Costs ; Health Promotion ; Motivation ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Occupational Health ; Risk Factors ; Workplace*