A survey of lung cancer in rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland: health views that impact on early diagnosis and treatment

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Page ◽  
R. V. Bowman ◽  
I. A. Yang ◽  
K. M. Fong
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Queensland Health ◽  
Torres Strait

The use of clozapine in a rural and remote region of Australia

2020 ◽  
pp. 103985622097527
Author(s):  
Bridson Tahnee ◽  
Abeysundera Hesitha ◽  
Arunachalam Arulmathy ◽  
Lam Anthea ◽  
Mora Linda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Antipsychotic Treatment ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Access To Treatment ◽  
Regional Area ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Torres Strait

Objective: Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic available for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Unfortunately, it is often underutilised or administered late in the treatment course, if at all. This issue is further augmented in rural and remote regions where access to treatment is sparse. This study is the first of its kind to investigate the use of clozapine in a remote and regional area of Australia with a high proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander individuals. Methods: This study includes all individuals who were commenced on clozapine between June 2013 and June 2018. Relevant clinical information was sourced from electronic medical records and descriptive statistical analysis performed. Results: A total of 3850 patients with psychotic disorders were reviewed over 5 years, of whom 63 were commenced on clozapine. The majority were male ( n = 50, 79.4%) with a mean age of 33.9 years (standard deviation 11.0). A total of 34.9% ( n = 22) identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. The mean length of time between diagnosis and commencement of clozapine was 7.2 years (standard deviation ±4.6 years), while the mean number of antipsychotic medications tried prior to clozapine was 4.2 (standard deviation ±1.6 antipsychotics). Clozapine was discontinued in 57.1% of the individuals in this study (41% within the first 12 months). The most common cause for cessation was poor compliance ( n = 19, 30.2%). Conclusion: While clozapine remains the most effective antipsychotic treatment, it is often commenced late in the treatment or ceased prematurely. Further work is required, particularly in remote and regional populations, to ensure treatment adherence for optimal patient outcomes.

Cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in rural and remote areas

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbey Diaz ◽  
Lisa J. Whop ◽  
Patricia C. Valery ◽  
Suzanne P. Moore ◽  
Joan Cunningham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Cancer Outcomes ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Torres Strait

A HIV diagnosis and treatment cascade for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia

AIDS Care ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Jacqueline H. Stephens ◽  
Richard T Gray ◽  
Rebecca Guy ◽  
Tobias Vickers ◽  
James Ward
Keyword(s):  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Hiv Diagnosis ◽  
Treatment Cascade ◽  
Torres Strait

scholarly journals Pregnancy-related aeromedical retrievals in rural and remote Australia: national evidence from the Royal Flying Doctor Service

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gonzalez-Chica ◽  
Marianne Gillam ◽  
Susan Williams ◽  
Pritish Sharma ◽  
Matthew Leach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
South Australia ◽  
International Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Unintended Pregnancies ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Inequalities in the availability of maternity health services in rural Australia have been documented, but not the impact on aeromedical retrievals. This study aims to examine the prevalence of pregnancy-related aeromedical retrievals, the most common conditions (overall and in specific age groups), and their distribution according to operation area and demographic characteristics. Methods Cross-sectional study using administrative data from the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) including all pregnant women aged 15–49 years retrieved by the RFDS between 2015 and 2019. All pregnancy-related aeromedical retrievals were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10, chapter XV). The distribution of pregnancy-related conditions was presented overall and stratified by age group (i.e. < 20 years, 20–34 years and 35+ years). Retrieval and receiving sites were geographically mapped with Tableau mapping software® based on postcode numbers of origin and destination. Results A total of 4653 pregnancy-related retrievals were identified (mean age 27.8 ± 6.1 years), representing 3.1% of all RFDS transfers between 2015 and 18 and 3.5% in 2018–19 (p-value 0.01). The highest proportion of pregnancy-related retrievals (4.8%) occurred in Western operation. There was an apparent increase in pregnancy-related retrievals in South Australia and the Northern Territory (Central Operation) in 2018–19. Preterm labour/delivery was responsible for 36.4% of all retrievals (40.7% among women aged 15–19 years) and premature rupture of membranes for 14.9% (19.4% among women aged 35–49 years). Inter-hospital transfers represented 87.9% of all retrievals, with most patients relocated from rural and remote regions to urban hospitals; most retrievals occurred during the day, with a median distance of 300 km. Adolescents and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander were overrepresented in the sample (four and eight times higher than their metropolitan counterparts, respectively). Conclusions The proportion of pregnancy-related aeromedical retrievals varies geographically across Australia. Overall, one-third of retrievals were related to preterm/delivery complications, especially among adolescents. Most retrievals performed by the RFDS are susceptible to public health strategies aimed at improving antenatal care and preventing unintended pregnancies among adolescents and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Greater capacity to manage pregnancy conditions in rural hospitals could reduce the requirement for aeromedical inter-hospital transfers.

scholarly journals LC-MS/MS-Based Quantitative Proteomics Analysis of Different Stages of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Murong Zhou ◽  
Yi Kong ◽  
Xiaobin Wang ◽  
Wen Li ◽  
Si Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Lung Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Lung Cancer Patients ◽  
Serum And Urine

Lung cancer has a higher incidence rate and mortality rate than all other cancers. Early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer remain a major challenge, and the 5-year survival rate of its patients is only 15%. Basic and clinical research, especially the discovery of biomarkers, is crucial for improving the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer patients. To identify novel biomarkers for lung cancer, we used the iTRAQ8-plex labeling technology combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to analyze the serum and urine of patients with different stages of lung adenocarcinoma and healthy individuals. A total of 441 proteins were identified in the serum, and 1,161 proteins were identified in the urine. The levels of elongation factor 1-alpha 2, proteasome subunit alpha type, and spermatogenesis-associated protein increased significantly in the serum of patients with lung cancer compared with those in healthy controls. The levels of transmembrane protein 143, cadherin 5, fibronectin 1, and collectin-11 decreased significantly in the serum of patients with metastases compared with those of nonmetastatic lung cancer patients. In the urine of stage III and IV lung cancer patients, the prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase decreased significantly, whereas neutrophil defensin 1 increased significantly. The results of LC-MS/MS were confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for transmembrane protein 143, cadherin 5, fibronectin 1, and collectin-11 in the serum. These proteins may be a potential early diagnosis and metastasis biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, the relative content of these markers in the serum and urine could be used to determine the progression of lung adenocarcinoma and achieve accurate staging and diagnosis.

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