Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Cart Before The Horse? Exploring The Potential Of Eportfolios In A Western Australian Medical School, F Bate, J Macnish, C Skinner

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

In 2014, the School of Medicine Fremantle of the University of Notre Dame Australia initiated a study to explore the curriculum underpinning portfolios used by first-year medical students. The School had used portfolios since 2005 and judged it timely to consider digital technologies as a mechanism to enhance student learning and improve efficiencies. A qualitative approach was adopted that investigated how the curriculum intersected with two ePortfolio platforms: Blackboard and Mahara. Data pertaining to the way in which Blackboard and Mahara ePortfolio platforms supported existing curriculum were collected from students through focus groups and tutors via interviews. As a measure …

Perinatal Maternal Depression And Cortisol Function In Pregnancy And The Postpartum Period: A Systematic Literature Review, Sunaina Seth, Andrew J. Lewis, Megan Galbally

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Background:

Perinatal depression has a significant impact on both mother and child. However, the influence of hormonal changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period remains unclear. This article provides a systematic review of studies examining the effects of maternal cortisol function on perinatal depression.

Method:

A systematic search was conducted of six electronic databases for published research on the relationship between cortisol and perinatal depression. The databases included; MEDLINE complete, PsychINFO, SCOPUS, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Science Direct and EBSCO, for the years 1960 to May 2015. Risk of bias was assessed and data extraction verified by two investigators

Results: …

Complementary Therapies For Labour And Birth: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Antenatal Integrative Medicine For Pain Management In Labour, K Levett, C Smith, A Bensoussan, H Dahlen

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an antenatal integrative medicine education programme in addition to usual care for nulliparous women on intrapartum epidural use.

Design: Open-label, assessor blind, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: 2 public hospitals in Sydney, Australia.

Population: 176 nulliparous women with low-risk pregnancies, attending hospital-based antenatal clinics.

Methods and intervention: The Complementary Therapies for Labour and Birth protocol, based on the She Births and acupressure for labour and birth courses, incorporated 6 evidence-based complementary medicine techniques: acupressure, visualisation and relaxation, breathing, massage, yoga techniques, and facilitated partner support. Randomisation occurred at 24–36 weeks’ gestation, and participants attended a …

The Western Australian Clinical Senate As A Model For State-Wide Clinical Engagement, J Quinlivan, T Basile, K Gibson, D Xu, N Croker

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

International reforms in healthcare have established the principal that embracing clinical engagement can drive healthcare reform and improved safety and quality outcomes. Most attention has focussed on how clinicians might be engaged at a local or hospital level. However, healthcare reforms are usually initiated at a state or national level. Less attention has gone into exploring the key elements of a model to achieve clinical engagement at state or national level. This paper explores the key elements of a successful state-wide clinical engagement model including culture and leadership, membership, decision-making processes and accountability and discusses how the current model of …

Poly-Arginine Peptides Reduce Infarct Volume In A Permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Rat Stroke Model, D Milani, V Clark, J Cross, R Anderton, N Knuckey, B Meloni

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Background: We recently reported that poly-arginine peptides have neuroprotective properties both in vitro and in vivo. In cultured cortical neurons exposed to glutamic acid excitotoxicity, we demonstrated that neuroprotective potency increases with polymer length plateauing at R15 to R18 (R = arginine resides). In an in vivo study in rats, we also demonstrated that R9D (R9 peptide synthesised with D-isoform amino acids) administered intravenously at a dose of 1000 nmol/kg 30 min after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) reduces infarct volume. Based on these positive in vitro and in vivo findings, we decided to examine the neuroprotective efficacy of …

The R18 Polyarginine Peptide Is More Effective Than The Tat-Nr2b9c (Na-1) Peptide When Administered 60 Minutes After Permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion In The Rat, D Milani, N Knuckey, R Anderton, J Cross, B Meloni

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

We examined the dose responsiveness of polyarginine R18 (100, 300, and 1000 nmol/kg) when administered 60 minutes after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).The TAT-NR2B9c peptide, which is known to be neuroprotective in rodent and nonhuman primate stroke models, served as a positive control. At 24 hours afterMCAO, there was reduced total infarct volume in R18 treated animals at all doses, but this reduction only reached statistical significance at doses of 100 and 1000 nmol/kg. The TAT-NR2B9c peptide reduced infarct volume at doses of 300 and 1000 nmol/kg, but not to a statistically significant extent, while the 100 nmol/kg dose …

The Presence And Predictors Of Complicated Grief Symptoms In Perinatally-Bereaved Mothers From A Bereavement Support Organization, Margaret Mcspedden Mcouns, Barbara Mullan, Louise Sharpe, Lauren J. Breen, Elizabeth Lobb

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

The present study investigated the presence and possible predictors of complicated grief symptoms in perinatally-bereaved mothers (N = 121) up to 5 years post-bereavement. The presence of complicated grief scores in the clinical range was 12.4%, which is higher than in many other bereaved populations, and the presence of other living children may protect against the development of complicated grief symptoms. The majority of the women were able to negotiate a perinatal loss without developing complicated grief; however, there remains an important group of women who up to 5 years later score in the clinical range for complicated grief symptoms.

Protocol For Care After Lymphoma (Caly) Trial: A Phase Ii Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Lymphoma Nurse-Led Model Of Survivorship Care, K Taylor, D Joske, M Bulsara, C Bulsara, L Monterosso

Nursing Papers and Journal Articles

Introduction: Lymphoma is the sixth most common cancer diagnosed in Australia and internationally. Owing to the aggressive nature of the disease and intensity of treatment, survivors face long-term effects that impact on quality of life. Current models of follow-up post-treatment fail to address these complex issues. Given that 74% of patients with lymphoma cancer now survive 5 years beyond diagnosis and treatment, it is important to address this gap in care.

Aim: To determine self-reported informational and practical needs, anxiety, depression, stress, coping and empowerment at baseline, 3 and 6 months.

Methods and analysis: A pilot randomised controlled trial will …

Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Compared With Anthropometry In Relation To Cardio-Metabolic Risk Factors In A Young Adult Population: Is The ‘Gold Standard’ Tarnished?, D Demmer, L Beilin, B Hands, S Burrows, C Pennell, S Lye, J Mountain, T Mori

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background and Aims: Assessment of adiposity using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been considered more advantageous in comparison to anthropometryfor predicting cardio-metabolic risk in the older population, by virtue of its ability to distinguish total and regional fat. Nonetheless, there is increasing uncertainty regarding the relative superiority of DXA and little comparative data exist in young adults. This study aimed to identify which measure of adiposity determined by either DXA or anthropometry is optimal within a range of cardio-metabolic risk factors in young adults.

Methods and Results: 1138 adults aged 20 years were assessed by DXA and standard …

Male Or Nurse What Comes First? Challenges Men Face On Their Journey To Nurse Registration, D Juliff, K Russell, C Bulsara

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: This paper aims to provide an account of the first phase of a qualitative longitudinal study that explored the initial challenges men in nursing face to become registered. What is known is that men, a minority group within nursing, face the usual challenges of all new nurses in their quest to register as nurses. In addition, they have added pressures that hinder their quest due to being male.

Primary Argument: An Australian nursing shortage is looming due to nurses retiring from this female-dominate profession. Hence, the retention of men in nursing is an area requiring attention in order to …

Does Temporarily Altering Visual Perception Of Limb Size Have A Modulatory Effect On Deep-Tissue Pain? A Repeated-Measures Within-Subjects Randomised Study, M Van Selm

Theses

No abstract provided.

Dna Methylation Biomarkers For Esophageal Adenocarcinoma And Precursor Disease, Melissa L. Thomas

Theses

Esophageal adenocarcinoma has one of the poorest outcomes of all solid tumors, attributable, at least in part, to lack of an early stage diagnostic test. Aberrant methylation is an early and frequent event in carcinogenesis providing an opportunity for early cancer detection. The overall aim of this thesis is to identify and validate regions of aberrant methylation as a biomarker for early detection of esophageal adenocarcinoma and the dysplastic stages of its precursor disease, Barrett’s esophagus. By using well-classified patient data and stringent, quality controlled biospecimen selection for training and validation cohorts, I found regions of diseaseassociated aberrant methylation that …