BitingTheDust

You Think You are So Clever

Robbo — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:00:50 +0000

From the makers of WhyBecauseISaidSo

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FirstDogOnTheMoon and Indigenous Art

Robbo — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:00:28 +0000

Over the Christmas break the world renowned Crikey cartoonist, FirstDogOnTheMoon produced the avatar that I use on Twitter. And then he was kind enough to produce a larger version (which after huge amounts of dollars was transferred to a Cayman Islands bank account) now hangs on my wall.

Can you guess which one it is? (click on pic for a larger image)

Have a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon

First posted on my Posterous blog

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Indigenous Sexual Health

Robbo — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:15:14 +0000

Most of us involved in Indigenous Health can quote the health statistics by heart. They have ten times the amount of renal disease, remote indigenous Australians have ten times the number per head of diabetes compared the the remote white population, hospitalised for pneumonia five times more than other Australians. Need I go on?

I will.

A review of the results of sexual health screens performed in 26 central Australian Aboriginal communities between 1994 and 1996 (with an eighty percent participation rate) showed

24–29% of 15–24 year olds were infected, as were about 10% of those aged 40–50 years

That data is now thirteen years old. Hopefully things have improved since then. So lets look at something more recent.

The Western Australian Aboriginal Sexual Health Strategy 2005-2008 reports that in Western Australia gonorrhoea notifications were 182 times more likely to be for Aboriginal youth than from non-Aboriginal youth.

One hundred and eighty two times higher.

Gonorrhoea notifications were 182 times more likely to be reported among Aboriginal youth aged 15 to 19 yrs (age-specific notification rate in 2004 = 5102 per 100,000 population) than among non-Aboriginal youth (age-specific notification rate in 2004 = 28 per 100,000 population) of the same age.

(Click on graph for better view)

What would be the public health response if this occurred in the general population in, say, Melbourne or Sydney. I bet a lot more than the resources given to Aboriginal Health.

That is really just a lead in to the latest newsletter from the Australian Sexual Health and HIV Nurses Association. The first article provides an easily digested overview of Indigenous Health.

On page four there is a terrific article of hands on work during a sexual Health screen with Ngaanyatjarra Health in the Western Desert of Western Australia.

Enjoy the read.

Download (PDF, 1.3MB)

References

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework

Western Australian Aboriginal Sexual Health Strategy 2005–2008

CARPA Reference Manual 4th Edition

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How the Influenza Virus Works

Robbo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:00:57 +0000

NPR, the public radio broadcaster in the USA has developed a great animation showing how the influenza virus multiplies and spreads. The general principles in replication can be used when thinking about any viral infection.

The animation is coloured to make it more visually appealing. It is NOT how it looks in the body!

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Treatment-Emergent Affective Switch – RGH E-Bulletin

Robbo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:00:43 +0000

That’s got to be one of the better titles for a blog post! But it is quite a serious topic and is an effect that may occur in up to 40% of bipolar patients with antidepressants.

From the bulletin:

The treatment with antidepressants may be associated with the induction of episodes of mania or hypomania in 15-40% of bipolar patients. The phenomenon of abnormal mood elevation during antidepressant treatment, or ‘treatment-emergent affective switch’ was first described in association with tricyclic antidepressants, and has now been reported for all major antidepressant classes.

Read it all here:

Download (PDF, 73.38KB)

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Healthcare And The Use Of Social Media

Robbo — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:00:55 +0000

Many pharmacists (and those of other health professions) in Australia have no idea of the importance or uses of social media. Although some are making it to Facebook.

Although this slide show is directed to hospitals there are many points in here for any healthcare business, indeed any business to consider.

Ed Bennett, director of Web Strategy, University of Maryland Medical Centre has kindly allowed me to repost this slideshow. It is about half an hour long and you will need sound.

Hospitals & Social Media – Fall 2009

View more presentations from Ed Bennett.

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Samson and Delilah

Robbo — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:00:23 +0000

Samson and Delilah’s world is small- an isolated community in the Central Australian desert. When tragedy strikes they turn their backs on home and embark on a journey of survival. Lost, unwanted and alone the discover that life isn’t always fair, but love never judges. www.imdb.com

Samson and Delilah is going to be on the tele. This critically acclaimed film, winner of the Caméra d’Or at Cannes Film Festival this year and is Australia’s entry in the Foreign Film section of this year’s Academy Awards will be on ABC1 TV at 8:30pm on Tuesday 24th November.

On the following Thursday, 26th November a documentary on the making of the film will be shown on ABC1 at 9:30pm.

For those wanting a little more information go to the Samson and Delilah website to watch the trailer and listen to the music. ‘At The Movies‘ has an interview with director Warwick Thornton and producer Kath Shelper.

I know where I’ll be on the 24th. Have a pleasant Sunday afternoon

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A Most Unusual Request – PANDORA

Robbo — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:08:03 +0000

I received an unusual but “excellent” request during the week. Needless to say I said yes.

The Western Australia State Library have written to ask if they could include this blog in PANDORA, the National Library of Australia’s archive of online publications.

PANDORA, Australia’s Web Archive, is a growing collection of Australian online publications, established initially by the National Library of Australia in 1996, and now built in collaboration with nine other Australian libraries and cultural collecting organisations.

The purpose of the PANDORA Archive is to collect and provide long-term access to selected online publications and web sites that are about Australia, are by an Australian author on a subject of social, political, cultural, religious, scientific or economic significance and relevance to Australia, or are by an Australian author of recognised authority and make a contribution to international knowledge.

Truth be told, I am a little chuffed by the request. I had never heard of PANDORA before this. But it is huge with all sorts of sites from archives of election websites to well …. interesting stuff. Last month it had over 23,000 titles, 73,983,487 files and over 3.26TB of storage. A fantastic resource.

For those with nothing to do I have copied the email I received (correspondent’s name and contact details omitted).

Request for permission to archive the Biting the Dust Blog into PANDORA

The State Library of Western Australia aims to build a comprehensive collection of Australian publications to ensure that Australians have access to their documentary heritage now and in the future. The Library has traditionally collected items in print, but it is also committed to preserving electronic publications of lasting cultural value.

PANDORA, Australia’s Web Archive, was set up by the Library in 1996 to enable the archiving and provision of long-term access to online Australian publications. Since then we have been identifying online publications and archiving those that we consider have national significance. Additional information about PANDORA can be found on the Library’s server at: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/index.html

We would like to include the Biting the Dust Blog, in the PANDORA Archive and I would be grateful if you would let me know whether you are willing to permit us to do so, that is, grant us a licence under the Copyright Act 1968, to copy your publication into the Archive and to provide public online access to it via the Internet. This means that you would grant the Library permission to retain your publication in the Archive and to provide public access to it in perpetuity. If you are not the person with authority to give permission, please advise us who is.

We would like to re-archive your publication periodically to record significant additions and changes.

If you are willing to grant us such a licence, please complete the short form at the end of this message and return it to me.

There are some benefits to you as a publisher in having your publication archived by the Library. If you grant us a copyright licence, the Library will take the necessary preservation action to keep your publication accessible as hardware and software changes over time. The Library will catalogue your publication and add the record to the National Bibliographic Database (a database of catalogue records shared by over 1,100 Australian libraries), as well as to our own online catalogue. This will increase awareness of your publication among researchers using libraries.

Yours sincerely,

Librarian ,E-Team
State Library of Western Australia
Perth Cultural Centre
Perth WA 6000

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Pharmacists and General Practitioners Sign Historic Agreement

Robbo — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:00:00 +0000

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Royal Australasian Society of General Practitioners last week signed an historic agreement for the two bodies and professions to work more closely together.

I see this as eventually a win for patients as pharmacists begin to work more closely with general practitioners and hopefully expand the work often done by individual pharmacists profession wide with the support of the RACGP.

All we need now is the Pharmacy Guild (pharmacy owner representatives) to stop wanting pharmacists to only work within pharmacies.

The press release is below. If it does not show correctly in your browser there is a link at the bottom to download the small PDF.

Download (PDF, 35.94KB)

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Staff Training in Big Pharma

Robbo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:00:39 +0000

See how a fake drug rep was trained and went out to sell ‘Cashenin XR’.

The makers of the documentary have disabled the ability to embed the video into a website.

So visit HERE. It is ten minutes very well spent.

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Indigenous News Update – Housing

Robbo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:57:15 +0000

Complete overhaul of Indigenous housing is needed across Australia states Opposition. http://bit.ly/tTJ95

Abbott realises alcohol bans in Alice Springs Town camps aren’t working. Also notices they are overcrowded. http://bit.ly/6g3S8

AIHW report reveals impact that decades of failed government policy and under-investment has had on Indigenous housing http://bit.ly/hhN6F

The Indigenous News Updates are sourced from news and other articles from around the country that I have posted on Twitter.
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

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Dr Thad and the Medications: The Ten Commandments of Health

Robbo — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:00:49 +0000

The Muppets – so musical. I wonder why they never had any Top 10 hits?

I have posted this before on ‘My Other Blog’. I’ll repost all the health related stuff on it to this blog. Enjoy.

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Indigenous News Update – Health

Robbo — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:58:07 +0000

Iodine to be added to bread. Will assist health of NT indigenous babies http://bit.ly/4pmtge

Wurrimiyanga well Being Centre opened on Bathurst Island in Tiwis http://bit.ly/ybA5s

Who should pay for morgues in remote aboriginal communities. Government or local shires? http://bit.ly/4cFE22

MOORA Health Centre wins Royal Australian College of General Practitioners WA General Practice of the Year Award http://bit.ly/3Q1cFw

Cannabis used in Australia by more than 8 per cent of adults . Indigenous affected & causes mental health problems http://bit.ly/1PonTL

Extra $153000 to continue roll out of Central Australian Integrated Eye Health Project. http://bit.ly/M44Oz

The Indigenous News Updates are sourced from news and other articles from around the country that I have posted on Twitter.
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

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Progressive Multifocal Leucoencephalopathy – RGH E-Bulletin

Robbo — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:00:03 +0000

Progressive Multifocal Leucoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare condition, most often presenting in patients with immune suppression. It is caused by activation of the polyomavirus JC (JCV). This virus infects the majority of people in childhood, but remains inactive unless severe immunosuppression occurs. When activated, the virus causes demyelination of the central nervous system.

Almost all cases of PML develop in patients who are immunocompromised, the most common associated condition being Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Only 230 cases of PML had been reported before 1984. However, at the beginning of the HIV epidemic, the number of cases of PML increased significantly, with 5% of HIV patients developing the condition. Other commonly associated conditions are haematological malignancies and solid organ tumours. PML has also occurred in transplant recipients and in patients taking immunosuppressive medications. There are few case reports of patients developing PML without any of the above conditions.

Download the rest of the bulletin Progressive Multifocal Leucoencephalopathy (15) Volume 36 (1): October 19, 2009

The 2009 RGH E-Bulletins are archived here.

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Indigenous News Update – Art & Culture

Robbo — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:22 +0000

Unscrupulous art dealers known as carpetbaggers have been exploiting some aboriginal artists. New code of conduct http://bit.ly/xJ9mt

83-year old Northern Territory elder and renowned rock artist dies on outstation Kabulwarnamyo http://bit.ly/1xpOck

Until 1964, they had no contact with the outside world. Newly discovered footage captures the moment of Contact http://bit.ly/wXnsW

Nitmiluk National Park is a model for the future of Aboriginal land ownership and cultural tourism http://bit.ly/1Kwf7P

NT Govt starts to declare “growth” indigenous communities elder states All-in communities will be death of the Yolngu http://bit.ly/3MuFGZ

“Desert Raisin Report” offers all Australians a chance to share wisdom and cultural traditions of our desert people http://bit.ly/vnILL

The Indigenous News Updates are sourced from news and other articles from around the country that I have posted on Twitter.
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

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Is Swine Flu Safe Or Is The Government Out To Get You?

Robbo — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:00:12 +0000

Jon Stewart from The Daily Show sorts crap from fact as only he can.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c

Doubt Break ‘09

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Ron Paul Interview

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Pharmaceutical Waste

Robbo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:00:17 +0000

The Return of Unwanted Medicines (RUM) Project removes about 400 tonnes of pharmaceuticals from the Australian waste system each year ensuring protection for the public and environment. There are no figures that I can find but I guess a substantial amount is also discarded in the rubbish.

Some time ago I wrote about the major differences between the USA and Australian in the way they handle pharmaceutical waste.

The main difference is that in Australia consumers can return medicines TO ANY PHARMACY – ANYTIME

At the time of writing this post the Australian population clocked in at 22,018,292 people and the USA had 307,708,421 people.

Now bear with me as I fly by the seat of my pants on the back of an envelope and make some huge assumptions. Assumptions like both countries are prescribed the same number and collect the same number of prescriptions per head.

If we accept this it means the USA has roughly 5590 tonnes of pharmaceuticals being disposed each year, following the FDA recommendations. Using local collection services if they exist otherwise flushing controlled drugs down the toilet and the rest in the rubbish mixed with used kitty litter!

For my American readers that is about 6161 tons (US). This is the equivalent of 199 full semi trailers (semi-tractors) of pharmaceutical waste each year.

No wonder there are worries about water contamination by pharmaceuticals in the United States.

Truck calculation
In the USA a loaded semi trailer (semi tractor weight)can weigh up to 80 000 pounds. Lets say each semi trailer weighs 18000 pounds. With each truck carrying 62000 lbs it requires the equivalent of 199 semi trailers (semi tractors) to remove the 6161 tons of waste. If they were still in their packaging it would be at least twice that number of trucks.

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Indigenous News Update – Justice

Robbo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:00:09 +0000

66% of all children detained in WA are Aboriginal. Culturally appropriate programs required http://bit.ly/BpJqV

Between 2001-08 the adult indigenous imprisonment rate rose by 37 per cent in Australia. http://bit.ly/14ARi7

ABORIGINAL gang members responsible for a series of armed hold-ups in Adelaide were “pure evil” says Attorney General http://bit.ly/TYrsA

Federal Police to withdraw from remote Aboriginal communities after being placed there as part of the Intervention http://bit.ly/P0d7U

High Court decision to quash an appeal by indigenous people against a mining company will limit the rights http://bit.ly/SPKFL

The Indigenous News Updates are sourced from news and other articles from around the country that I have posted on Twitter.
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

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Renal Disease in the Indigenous Population

Robbo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:05:09 +0000

I have written quite a few times about the burden of disease, particularly chronic disease on Australia’s Indigenous population.

On Monday night on ABC1 8:30pm Australian Story has a more personalised story on Mandawuy Yunupingu and his battle with end stage renal disease.

For another personal view of Mandawuy head over to Bob Gosford’s “The Northern Myth” for a great post looking at Mandawuy’s life as Bob’s reminisces.

And be watching Australian Story on Monday night.

Here’s Mandawuy in his younger years fronting Yothu Yindi with their signature song “Treaty”

I have also written previously about his younger brother Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

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Government Signage

Robbo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:00:27 +0000

Over the last little while there has been a political storm over the signs being placed at schools which have funding under the stimulus package to build something.

The signs are too expensive, too big, need to be moved away from entrances to comply with electoral act and on it goes.

I have already put up my “Road to Recovery” road sign from the middle of nowhere.

Here’s another one:

This sign is 1000 kilometres from the nearest sizeable town and would have been trucked out from Perth 1400kms away, along with the cement needed for the posts. Labour costs are also quite expensive out bush and the time would have been better spent on the power station.

This sign is 12ft high, has the aboriginal name of the community spelt incorrectly and is on a private road to the airstrip on an aboriginal community where there are no passer bys. An exploration crew goes past it weekly for fly in and fly out workers and the community has a plane flight a week.

Why is it needed?

Have a pleasant Sunday afternoon everyone

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