Cardiac procedures in ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction - the influence of age, geography and Aboriginality.

BACKGROUND: Timely restoration of bloodflow acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) reduces myocardial damage and improves prognosis. The objective of this study was describe the association of demographic factors with hospitalisation rates for STEMI and time to angiography, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) and Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia. METHODS: This was an observational cohort study using linked population health data. We used linked records of NSW and the ACT hospitalisations and the Australian Government Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) for persons aged 35 and over hospitalised with STEMI in the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2014. Survival analysis was used to determine the time between STEMI admission and angiography, PCI and CABG, with a competing risk of death without cardiac procedure. RESULTS: Of 13,117 STEMI hospitalisations, 71% were among males; 55% were 65-plus years; 64% lived in major cities, and 2.6% were Aboriginal people. STEMI hospitalisation occurred at a younger age in males than females. Angiography and PCI rates decreased with age: angiography 69% vs 42% and PCI 60% vs 34% on day 0 for ages 35-44 and 75-plus respectively. Lower angiography and PCI rates and higher CABG rates were observed outside major cities. Aboriginal people with STEMI were younger and more likely to live outside a major city. Angiography, PCI and CABG rates were similar for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people of the same age and remoteness area. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to improve access to definitive revascularisation for STEMI among appropriately selected older patients and in regional areas. Aboriginal people with STEMI, as a population, are disproportionately affected by access to definitive revascularisation outside major cities. Improving access to timely definitive revascularisation in regional areas may assist in closing the gap in cardiovascular outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

Demographic and geographical risk factors for gonorrhoea and chlamydia in greater Western Sydney, 2003-2013.

INTRODUCTION: Notification rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have increased in New South Wales as elsewhere in Australia. Understanding trends in chlamydia and gonorrhoea notifications at smaller geographical areas may assist public health efforts to deliver targeted STI interventions. METHODS: Routinely collected disease notification data from 2 local health districts within the greater Western Sydney area were analysed. De-identified notifications of gonorrhoea and chlamydia were extracted for people aged over 15 years during the period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2013. Sex-specific and age-specific population notification rates for each infection were calculated. Incidence rate ratios were also calculated with age group, sex, year and local government area (LGA) of residence as explanatory variables. RESULTS: Rates of gonorrhoea and chlamydia increased among males and females over the period. Males had a 4-fold increased risk of gonorrhoea (P<0.0001). Compared with the 30-44 years age group, young people aged 15-29 years had a 70% increased risk of gonorrhoea and a 4-fold increased risk of chlamydia (P values < 0.0001). Chlamydia notifications demonstrated smaller and more uniform annual increases across LGAs compared with gonorrhoea notifications, which appeared more highly clustered. CONCLUSION: Analysis of notification rates of chlamydia and gonorrhoea in the greater Western Sydney area suggest that young people aged 15-29 years and residents of particular LGAs are at greater risk of infection. A limitation was the unknown effect of patterns of testing. Nevertheless, these results can support the planning of local sexual health clinical services as well as the design of targeted health promotion interventions.

Alcopops, taxation and harm: a segmented time series analysis of emergency department presentations.

BACKGROUND: In Australia, a Goods and Services Tax (GST) introduced in 2000 led to a decline in the price of ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages relative to other alcohol products. The 2008 RTD ("alcopops") tax increased RTD prices. The objective of this study was to estimate the change in incidence of Emergency Department (ED) presentations for acute alcohol problems associated with each tax. METHODS: Segmented regression analyses were performed on age and sex-specific time series of monthly presentation rates for acute alcohol problems to 39 hospital emergency departments across New South Wales, Australia over 15 years, 1997 to 2011. Indicator variables represented the introduction of each tax. Retail liquor turnover controlled for large-scale economic factors such as the global financial crisis that may have influenced demand. Under-age (15-17 years) and legal age (18 years and over) drinkers were included. RESULTS: The GST was associated with a statistically significant increase in ED presentations for acute alcohol problems among 18-24 year old females (0 · 14/100,000/month, 95% CI 0 · 05-0 · 22). The subsequent alcopops tax was associated with a statistically significant decrease in males 15-50 years, and females 15-65 years, particularly in 18-24 year old females (-0 · 37/100,000/month, 95% CI -0 · 45 to -0 · 29). An increase in retail turnover of liquor was positively and statistically significantly associated with ED presentations for acute alcohol problems across all age and sex strata. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced tax on RTDs was associated with increasing ED presentations for acute alcohol problems among young women. The alcopops tax was associated with declining presentations in young to middle-aged persons of both sexes, including under-age drinkers.

What role can 'health decision-makers' play in supporting knowledge translation of health and medical research?

CEmbedding research users into the research process can better support its translation into health systems and services. Still, the role of health decision-makers (HDMs) as research partners is poorly understood. HDMs, such as policymakers, administrators, directors or other managers, understand the broader contexts of a health service and have a mandate to facilitate change where appropriate, so they could play an important partnership role in research activities.

Paediatric HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa: clinical presentation and 2-year outcomes stratified by age group.

OBJECTIVES: To examine age differences in mortality and programme attrition amongst paediatric patients treated in four African HIV programmes. METHODS: Longitudinal analysis of data from patients enrolled in HIV care. Two-year mortality and programme attrition rates per 1000 person-years stratified by age group (<2, 2-4 and 5-15 years) were calculated. Associations between outcomes and age and other individual-level factors were studied using multiple Cox proportional hazards (mortality) and Poisson (attrition) regression models. RESULTS: Six thousand two hundred and sixty-one patients contributed 9500 person-years; 27.1% were aged <2 years, 30.1% were 2-4, and 42.8% were 5-14 years old. At programme entry, 45.3% were underweight and 12.6% were in clinical stage 4. The highest mortality and attrition rates (98.85 and 244.00 per 1000 person-years), and relative ratios (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.92, 95% CI 1.56-2.37; incidence ratio [aIR] = 2.10, 95% CI 1.86-2.37, respectively, compared with the 5- to 14-year group) were observed amongst the youngest children. Increased mortality and attrition were also associated with advanced clinical stage, underweight and diagnosis of tuberculosis at programme entry. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the need to increase access, diagnose and provide early HIV care and to accelerate antiretroviral treatment initiation for those eligible. Adapted education and support for children and their families would also be important.

Caring for children with drug-resistant tuberculosis: practice-based recommendations.

The management of children with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is challenging, and it is likely that in many places, the roll-out of molecular diagnostic testing will lead to more children being diagnosed. There is a limited evidence base to guide optimal treatment and follow-up in the pediatric population; in existing DR-TB guidelines, the care of children is often relegated to small "special populations" sections. This article seeks to address this gap by providing clinicians with practical advice and guidance. This is achieved through review of the available literature on pediatric DR-TB, including research studies and international guidelines, combined with consensus opinion from a team of experts who have extensive experience in the care of children with DR-TB in a wide variety of contexts and with varying resources. The review covers treatment initiation, regimen design and treatment duration, management of comorbid conditions, treatment monitoring, adverse events, adherence promotion, and infection control, all within a multidisciplinary environment.

Evaluation of tuberculosis diagnostics in children: 1. Proposed clinical case definitions for classification of intrathoracic tuberculosis disease. Consensus from an expert panel.

There is a critical need for improved diagnosis of tuberculosis in children, particularly in young children with intrathoracic disease as this represents the most common type of tuberculosis in children and the greatest diagnostic challenge. There is also a need for standardized clinical case definitions for the evaluation of diagnostics in prospective clinical research studies that include children in whom tuberculosis is suspected but not confirmed by culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A panel representing a wide range of expertise and child tuberculosis research experience aimed to develop standardized clinical research case definitions for intrathoracic tuberculosis in children to enable harmonized evaluation of new tuberculosis diagnostic technologies in pediatric populations. Draft definitions and statements were proposed and circulated widely for feedback. An expert panel then considered each of the proposed definitions and statements relating to clinical definitions. Formal group consensus rules were established and consensus was reached for each statement. The definitions presented in this article are intended for use in clinical research to evaluate diagnostic assays and not for individual patient diagnosis or treatment decisions. A complementary article addresses methodological issues to consider for research of diagnostics in children with suspected tuberculosis.

Evaluation of tuberculosis diagnostics in children: 2. Methodological issues for conducting and reporting research evaluations of tuberculosis diagnostics for intrathoracic tuberculosis in children. Consensus from an expert panel.

Confirming the diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis is a major challenge. However, research on childhood tuberculosis as it relates to better diagnostics is often neglected because of technical difficulties, such as the slow growth in culture, the difficulty of obtaining specimens, and the diverse and relatively nonspecific clinical presentation of tuberculosis in this age group. Researchers often use individually designed criteria for enrollment, diagnostic classifications, and reference standards, thereby hindering the interpretation and comparability of their findings. The development of standardized research approaches and definitions is therefore needed to strengthen the evaluation of new diagnostics for detection and confirmation of tuberculosis in children. In this article we present consensus statements on methodological issues for conducting research of Tuberculosis diagnostics among children, with a focus on intrathoracic tuberculosis. The statements are complementary to a clinical research case definition presented in an accompanying publication and suggest a phased approach to diagnostics evaluation; entry criteria for enrollment; methods for classification of disease certainty, including the rational use of culture within the case definition; age categories and comorbidities for reporting results; and the need to use standard operating procedures. Special consideration is given to the performance of microbiological culture in children and we also recommend for alternative methodological approaches to report findings in a standardized manner to overcome these limitations are made. This consensus statement is an important step toward ensuring greater rigor and comparability of pediatric tuberculosis diagnostic research, with the aim of realizing the full potential of better tests for children.

Maternal cardiovascular risk after hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) affect 5%-10% of pregnancies and have been associated with excess maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The primary aim of this study was to reliably estimate absolute and relative risks of CVD after HDP. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of women who had singleton pregnancies in New South Wales, Australia, between 2002 and 2016 and identified using linked population health administrative databases. The primary exposure was new-onset HDP (pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and gestational hypertension), and the endpoint was hospitalisation or death due to ischaemic or hypertensive heart disease, or stroke. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated risks among mothers following their first birth, and multivariable time-dependent Cox regression estimated the association between HDP and CVD. RESULTS: Among 528 106 women, 10.3% experienced HDP in their first pregnancy. The 10-year estimated risk of CVD was 2.1 per 1000 if no HDP and 5.5 per 1000 following HDP. Adjusting for demographics, gestational diabetes, small for gestational age and preterm birth, we found that there was an interaction between smoking and HDP, and a larger effect of early-onset (<34 weeks) HDP, compared with late-onset HDP. The HR for women with early-onset HDP who did not smoke was 4.90 (95% CI 3.00 to 7.80) and the HR for those who did smoke was 23.5 (95% CI 13.5 to 40.5), each compared with women without HDP who did not smoke. CONCLUSION: In this nationally representative Australian cohort, HDP, especially early onset, conferred a clear increase in the risk of CVD, with amplification by smoking. Targeted preventive health, during and after pregnancy, could prevent a substantial burden of CVD among childbearing women.

Blood pressure postpartum (BP2) RCT protocol: Follow-up and lifestyle behaviour change strategies in the first 12 months after hypertensive pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: Women who had hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are twice as likely to experience maternal cardiovascular disease later in life. The primary aim of this study (BP2) is to compare outcomes of 3 different management strategies, including lifestyle behaviour change (LBC), in the first 12 months postpartum in women who had HDP in their preceding pregnancy. Secondary aims include assessing the effects on other cardiometabolic parameters. STUDY DESIGN: Three-arm multicentre randomised trial in metropolitan Australian hospitals, (registration: ACTRN12618002004246) target sample size 480. Participants are randomised to one of three groups: 1) Optimised usual care: information package and family doctor follow-up 6 months postpartum 2) Brief intervention: information package as per group 1, plus assessment and brief LBC counselling at a specialised clinic with an obstetric physician and dietitian 6 months postpartum 3) Extended intervention: as per group 2 plus enrolment into a 6 month telephone-based LBC program from 6 to 12 months postpartum. All women have an outcome assessment at 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes: (a) BP change or (b) weight change and/or waist circumference change. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: maternal health-related quality of life, engagement and retention in LBC program, biochemical markers, vascular function testing, infant weight trajectory, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. The study is powered to detect a 4 mmHg difference in systolic BP between groups, or a 4 kg weight loss difference/2cm waist circumference change. CONCLUSIONS: BP2 will provide evidence regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of postpartum LBC interventions and structured clinical follow-up in improving cardiovascular health markers after HDP.

Lessons learnt from the first Australian 'pop-up' HIV testing site.

Lessons learnt from the first 'pop-up' HIV testing site in Australia suggest that highly visible testing activity was acceptable in the context of inner Sydney and that pop-up sites may be a useful adjunct to clinic-based models. Further evaluation of alternative testing models is needed to inform the scale up of HIV testing in Australia.

A novel time-limited pop-up HIV testing service for gay men in Sydney, Australia, attracts high-risk men.

UNLABELLED: Background HIV diagnoses have been increasing steadily in Australia and are concentrated among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM). HIV testing is a key control strategy, and in 2013, a novel time-limited pop-up community HIV testing service (Pop-up) was introduced to raise awareness and increase testing options for GBM. The Pop-up service offered rapid HIV tests only. We compared uptake and outcomes of the Pop-up service to an established clinical model [a fast-track screening service in a sexual health clinic offering rapid and/or conventional HIV tests and sexually transmissible infection (STI) tests]. METHODS: Service delivery data was collated and analysed from the HIV Pop-up (25 November to 1 December 2013) and the fast-track HIV/STI screening service (Xpress) in a sexual health clinic immediately before the Pop-up (1 August to 22 November 2013). A comparison of all the HIV tests and results, tests per hour and characteristics of new clients (demographics, risk behaviour, testing history) was conducted using χ(2), Poisson distribution and Ranksum tests. RESULTS: At the Pop-up service, 182 GBM had a rapid HIV test conducted over the 5-day period (average: seven HIV tests per hour) and no HIV tests were reactive (0%, 95% confidence interval: 0-1.8%). At the Xpress service, 1075 asymptomatic GBM had at least one STI test and 957 GMB had a HIV test (rapid or conventional) conducted over the 3-month period (average: four HIV tests per hour), with two positive HIV tests (0.2%, 95% confidence interval: 0.02-0.7) and 151 positive STI tests (14%, 95% confidence interval: 12-16.2). Compared with new patients at the Xpress service, GBM attending the Pop-up service were older (median of 39 vs 29 years, P<0.01); more likely to report ≥5 sexual partners in the past 3 months (P=0.02); more likely to reside in 'Gay Sydney' (P<0.01); and more likely to be tested for HIV (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Time-limited Pop-up community HIV testing is feasible and reached high-risk GBM, but compared with a clinic-based model, it only reached a smaller proportion of GBM who test infrequently or who have never been tested and are unaware of their HIV status. No STI testing was conducted through the Pop-up service, which allowed a higher throughput of HIV tests; however, a significant number of STIs may have been missed.