To assess the efficacy of the Whitaker diathermy hook in the treatment of posterior urethral valv... more To assess the efficacy of the Whitaker diathermy hook in the treatment of posterior urethral valves (PUV). Seventeen patients with PUV underwent primary treatment under general anaesthesia using a diathermy hook. The results were assessed by the clinical course of the patient, serial measurements of serum creatinine level and repeat cystography 6 weeks and 6 months after treatment. There were no complications in 12 patients and they required no further treatment of the valves. Three patients required a repeat procedure which resolved the urethral obstruction. Two patients continued to show incomplete disruption of the valves and required endoscopic treatment. Two patients developed ureteric obstruction after disruption of the valves, which was treated by supravesical diversion and later reversed with no further treatment of the valves. The Whitaker diathermy hook is a safe and effective instrument which has not gained its rightful place in the treatment of patients with PUV.
Eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection markedly reduces the recurrence of duode... more Eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection markedly reduces the recurrence of duodenal and gastric ulcers. However, there is little information regarding its efficacy in resolving dyspeptic symptoms in ulcer patients. The primary aim of this study was to assess the effect of eradicating H. pylori infection on dyspeptic symptoms in ulcer patients. The secondary aim was to identify predictors of symptomatic response to H. pylori eradication. A total of 97 dyspeptic patients with active duodenal and/or gastric ulceration associated with H. pylori infection and unrelated to NSAID use had the severity and character of their dyspeptic symptoms measured before and again 1-3 yr after H. pylori eradication therapy. Pretreatment, the median dyspepsia score was 12 (4-16). Posttreatment, 55% of those eradicated of H. pylori had resolution of dyspepsia (score <2) compared with 18% of those not eradicated of the infection (95% CI for difference, 11-62%). Of the ulcer patients 31% had symptoms and/or endoscopic evidence of coexisting gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) at initial presentation and this influenced the symptomatic response to eradication of H. pylori. Of the 22 patients with heartburn or acid reflux as the predominant presenting symptom, but no endoscopic esophagitis, only 27% experienced resolution of dyspepsia after H. pylori eradication, compared with 68% of the 59 without those as predominant symptoms (95% CI for difference, 18-63%). Only one of the five patients with coexisting endoscopic esophagitis at initial presentation experienced resolution of dyspepsia after H. pylori eradication. Symptomatic benefit was unrelated to time lapsed since the infection was eradicated. Only three of 50 subjects developed de novo GERD symptoms after eradication of H. pylori, whereas 21 of 36 subjects experienced resolution of GERD symptoms after eradication of the infection. A substantial proportion of ulcer patients have symptoms and/or signs of coexisting GERD at initial presentation and this reduces the symptomatic benefit from H. pylori eradication. However, we have found no evidence that eradicating H. pylori induces de novo GERD symptoms in ulcer patients.
M Wisniewski1* and A Dickson2 'University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and Audit Scotl... more M Wisniewski1* and A Dickson2 'University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and Audit Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, and 2Dumfries and Galloway Constabu-lary, Scotland Measuring the performance of public sector organisations has always been a difficult and ...
Page 1. Organization, Identity and Locality (OIL) VII: Local theory ('let's get “invent... more Page 1. Organization, Identity and Locality (OIL) VII: Local theory ('let's get “inventin”!') 10-11 February 2011 Massey University Conference Proceedings (VII) (Image: 'oh my gorge' from 'Couldn't pick a name' from Flickr CC licence) ...
Feeding difficulties are common in neurologically impaired children, often leading to great distr... more Feeding difficulties are common in neurologically impaired children, often leading to great distress and frustration in the child and family. A gastrostomy may be advocated if oral intake is inadequate causing poor weight gain or when there is significant aspiration during feeding, or if feeding is very distressing. To find out if caregivers were happy with the outcome of gastrostomy (with fundoplication, when indicated), a 35-item questionnaire was developed and sent to 38 of them. Twenty-nine replies were received and appeared to be representative of the whole group. Coughing, choking, and vomiting improved in most cases. Weight gain improved in all in whom it had been a problem. In the majority, it became easier to give the children their medications although control of epilepsy was unchanged overall. Time spent feeding the child was reduced and many caregivers had more time to devote to other children and themselves. Only one parent regretted the operation. In children with seve...
Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 individuals who had experienced a tr... more Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 individuals who had experienced a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), focusing on the participants' lived experience of SCI. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analysed for recurrent themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Here, we present three inter-related recurrent themes all concerning difficulties in adjusting to home life following hospital discharge: “loss of camaraderie”, “lack of post-discharge care” and “other people's reactions to spinal cord injury”. Participants reported that the camaraderie they formed with fellow patients during their rehabilitative stay in hospital generated feelings of security and community. This was discussed in stark contrast to the isolation and loneliness that they subsequently experienced post-hospital discharge. A perceived lack of physical, practical and psychological support coupled with negative and stigmatising reactions of the wide...
Concerns have been raised about the capacity for Australia's natural gas supplies to keep pac... more Concerns have been raised about the capacity for Australia's natural gas supplies to keep pace with growing demand, particularly in eastern Australia. Specifically, it has been suggested that unless significant infrastructure investment is undertaken now ...
ABSTRACT The primary goal of the CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program is to quantify the ocean&a... more ABSTRACT The primary goal of the CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program is to quantify the ocean's role in sequestering anthropogenic CO2 and the effects of natural variability and climate change on marine ecosystems and biogeochemistry. The Pacific Ocean plays a unique role in the ocean carbon cycle because it is the final destination of deep waters containing high levels of preformed nutrients and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and because of the way that Pacific circulation affects the transport and storage of anthropogenic CO2. Discrete high-quality DIC and total alkalinity data were acquired as part of the WOCE/JGOFS global CO2 survey cruises in the early 1990s. Hydrographic survey cruises conducted as part of the CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program recently reoccupied the east-west P2 line along 30°N in 2004 and the north-south P16 line along 152°W in 2005 and 2006. DIC increases since WOCE/JGOFS were about 10-15 mumol kg-1 in shallow waters along these lines, but not all of the observed changes can be attributed to anthropogenic CO2 uptake from the atmosphere. We discuss approaches for separating out the anthropogenic CO2 uptake signal from the effects of variability in local circulation and potential changes in new production and/or remineralization along the flow path. Results suggest that the average annual uptake of anthropogenic CO2 in the mixed layer of the Pacific over the last decade has been about 1 mumol kg-1 yr-1, roughly consistent with the increases observed in atmospheric CO2 over this period.
Individual in-depth interviews with 14 people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were conducted,... more Individual in-depth interviews with 14 people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were conducted, focusing on the experience of living with CFS. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analysed for recurrent themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Here we present two inter-related themes: “Negotiating a diagnosis” and “Negotiating CFS with loved ones”. Participants reported delay, negotiation and debate over diagnosis: further, they perceived their GPs to be sceptical, disrespectful and to be lacking in knowledge and interpersonal skills. However, participants found delegitimising encounters with their partners more difficult to deal with. Participants viewed such delegitimation as a form of personal rejection; they were hurt by their loved ones’ reactions and subsequently pondered the price of love, respect and friendship. The findings are discussed in relation to extant literature, and recommendations for future research are suggested
Developing a Global Ocean Acidification Observation Network, 2010
The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), originating largely from human fossil fuel comb... more The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), originating largely from human fossil fuel combustion and deforestation since the beginning of the industrial era, is causing a decrease in ocean pH and changes to seawater carbonate chemistry. This process, termed ocean acidification, is now well established from modeling and field data, and the rate of change in ocean pH and carbon chemistry is expected to increase significantly over this century unless future CO2 emissions are restricted dramatically. The ...
Reports that iron, zinc and copper homeostasis are in aberrant homeostasis are common for various... more Reports that iron, zinc and copper homeostasis are in aberrant homeostasis are common for various neurodegenerative diseases, particularly for Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Manipulating the levels of these elements in the brain through the application of chelators has been and continues to be tested therapeutically in clinical trials with mixed results. Much of the data indicating that
To assess the efficacy of the Whitaker diathermy hook in the treatment of posterior urethral valv... more To assess the efficacy of the Whitaker diathermy hook in the treatment of posterior urethral valves (PUV). Seventeen patients with PUV underwent primary treatment under general anaesthesia using a diathermy hook. The results were assessed by the clinical course of the patient, serial measurements of serum creatinine level and repeat cystography 6 weeks and 6 months after treatment. There were no complications in 12 patients and they required no further treatment of the valves. Three patients required a repeat procedure which resolved the urethral obstruction. Two patients continued to show incomplete disruption of the valves and required endoscopic treatment. Two patients developed ureteric obstruction after disruption of the valves, which was treated by supravesical diversion and later reversed with no further treatment of the valves. The Whitaker diathermy hook is a safe and effective instrument which has not gained its rightful place in the treatment of patients with PUV.
Eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection markedly reduces the recurrence of duode... more Eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection markedly reduces the recurrence of duodenal and gastric ulcers. However, there is little information regarding its efficacy in resolving dyspeptic symptoms in ulcer patients. The primary aim of this study was to assess the effect of eradicating H. pylori infection on dyspeptic symptoms in ulcer patients. The secondary aim was to identify predictors of symptomatic response to H. pylori eradication. A total of 97 dyspeptic patients with active duodenal and/or gastric ulceration associated with H. pylori infection and unrelated to NSAID use had the severity and character of their dyspeptic symptoms measured before and again 1-3 yr after H. pylori eradication therapy. Pretreatment, the median dyspepsia score was 12 (4-16). Posttreatment, 55% of those eradicated of H. pylori had resolution of dyspepsia (score <2) compared with 18% of those not eradicated of the infection (95% CI for difference, 11-62%). Of the ulcer patients 31% had symptoms and/or endoscopic evidence of coexisting gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) at initial presentation and this influenced the symptomatic response to eradication of H. pylori. Of the 22 patients with heartburn or acid reflux as the predominant presenting symptom, but no endoscopic esophagitis, only 27% experienced resolution of dyspepsia after H. pylori eradication, compared with 68% of the 59 without those as predominant symptoms (95% CI for difference, 18-63%). Only one of the five patients with coexisting endoscopic esophagitis at initial presentation experienced resolution of dyspepsia after H. pylori eradication. Symptomatic benefit was unrelated to time lapsed since the infection was eradicated. Only three of 50 subjects developed de novo GERD symptoms after eradication of H. pylori, whereas 21 of 36 subjects experienced resolution of GERD symptoms after eradication of the infection. A substantial proportion of ulcer patients have symptoms and/or signs of coexisting GERD at initial presentation and this reduces the symptomatic benefit from H. pylori eradication. However, we have found no evidence that eradicating H. pylori induces de novo GERD symptoms in ulcer patients.
M Wisniewski1* and A Dickson2 'University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and Audit Scotl... more M Wisniewski1* and A Dickson2 'University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and Audit Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, and 2Dumfries and Galloway Constabu-lary, Scotland Measuring the performance of public sector organisations has always been a difficult and ...
Page 1. Organization, Identity and Locality (OIL) VII: Local theory ('let's get “invent... more Page 1. Organization, Identity and Locality (OIL) VII: Local theory ('let's get “inventin”!') 10-11 February 2011 Massey University Conference Proceedings (VII) (Image: 'oh my gorge' from 'Couldn't pick a name' from Flickr CC licence) ...
Feeding difficulties are common in neurologically impaired children, often leading to great distr... more Feeding difficulties are common in neurologically impaired children, often leading to great distress and frustration in the child and family. A gastrostomy may be advocated if oral intake is inadequate causing poor weight gain or when there is significant aspiration during feeding, or if feeding is very distressing. To find out if caregivers were happy with the outcome of gastrostomy (with fundoplication, when indicated), a 35-item questionnaire was developed and sent to 38 of them. Twenty-nine replies were received and appeared to be representative of the whole group. Coughing, choking, and vomiting improved in most cases. Weight gain improved in all in whom it had been a problem. In the majority, it became easier to give the children their medications although control of epilepsy was unchanged overall. Time spent feeding the child was reduced and many caregivers had more time to devote to other children and themselves. Only one parent regretted the operation. In children with seve...
Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 individuals who had experienced a tr... more Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 individuals who had experienced a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), focusing on the participants' lived experience of SCI. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analysed for recurrent themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Here, we present three inter-related recurrent themes all concerning difficulties in adjusting to home life following hospital discharge: “loss of camaraderie”, “lack of post-discharge care” and “other people's reactions to spinal cord injury”. Participants reported that the camaraderie they formed with fellow patients during their rehabilitative stay in hospital generated feelings of security and community. This was discussed in stark contrast to the isolation and loneliness that they subsequently experienced post-hospital discharge. A perceived lack of physical, practical and psychological support coupled with negative and stigmatising reactions of the wide...
Concerns have been raised about the capacity for Australia's natural gas supplies to keep pac... more Concerns have been raised about the capacity for Australia's natural gas supplies to keep pace with growing demand, particularly in eastern Australia. Specifically, it has been suggested that unless significant infrastructure investment is undertaken now ...
ABSTRACT The primary goal of the CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program is to quantify the ocean&a... more ABSTRACT The primary goal of the CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program is to quantify the ocean's role in sequestering anthropogenic CO2 and the effects of natural variability and climate change on marine ecosystems and biogeochemistry. The Pacific Ocean plays a unique role in the ocean carbon cycle because it is the final destination of deep waters containing high levels of preformed nutrients and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and because of the way that Pacific circulation affects the transport and storage of anthropogenic CO2. Discrete high-quality DIC and total alkalinity data were acquired as part of the WOCE/JGOFS global CO2 survey cruises in the early 1990s. Hydrographic survey cruises conducted as part of the CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program recently reoccupied the east-west P2 line along 30°N in 2004 and the north-south P16 line along 152°W in 2005 and 2006. DIC increases since WOCE/JGOFS were about 10-15 mumol kg-1 in shallow waters along these lines, but not all of the observed changes can be attributed to anthropogenic CO2 uptake from the atmosphere. We discuss approaches for separating out the anthropogenic CO2 uptake signal from the effects of variability in local circulation and potential changes in new production and/or remineralization along the flow path. Results suggest that the average annual uptake of anthropogenic CO2 in the mixed layer of the Pacific over the last decade has been about 1 mumol kg-1 yr-1, roughly consistent with the increases observed in atmospheric CO2 over this period.
Individual in-depth interviews with 14 people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were conducted,... more Individual in-depth interviews with 14 people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were conducted, focusing on the experience of living with CFS. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analysed for recurrent themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Here we present two inter-related themes: “Negotiating a diagnosis” and “Negotiating CFS with loved ones”. Participants reported delay, negotiation and debate over diagnosis: further, they perceived their GPs to be sceptical, disrespectful and to be lacking in knowledge and interpersonal skills. However, participants found delegitimising encounters with their partners more difficult to deal with. Participants viewed such delegitimation as a form of personal rejection; they were hurt by their loved ones’ reactions and subsequently pondered the price of love, respect and friendship. The findings are discussed in relation to extant literature, and recommendations for future research are suggested
Developing a Global Ocean Acidification Observation Network, 2010
The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), originating largely from human fossil fuel comb... more The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), originating largely from human fossil fuel combustion and deforestation since the beginning of the industrial era, is causing a decrease in ocean pH and changes to seawater carbonate chemistry. This process, termed ocean acidification, is now well established from modeling and field data, and the rate of change in ocean pH and carbon chemistry is expected to increase significantly over this century unless future CO2 emissions are restricted dramatically. The ...
Reports that iron, zinc and copper homeostasis are in aberrant homeostasis are common for various... more Reports that iron, zinc and copper homeostasis are in aberrant homeostasis are common for various neurodegenerative diseases, particularly for Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Manipulating the levels of these elements in the brain through the application of chelators has been and continues to be tested therapeutically in clinical trials with mixed results. Much of the data indicating that
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