Faculty of Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences Resources

Best Practice by BMJ is now available!

noreply@blogger.com (lucpjb) — Wed, 21 May 2014 05:25:00 +0000

JCU Library has added Best Practice from BMJ. Read the short description from their website:

Healthcare professionals need fast and easy access to the latest relevant information when making diagnosis and treatment decisions. This is precisely what Best Practice provides.

In a single source we have combined the latest research evidence, guidelines and expert opinion – presented in a step-by-step approach and covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

Best Practice gives medical professionals the best available information for any clinical situation. Regularly updated, it draws on the latest evidence-based research to offer step-by-step guidance on diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention. Best Practice is your instant second opinion.

Access is either via Tropicat (JCU's catalogue record) or via the direct url: http://bestpractice.bmj.com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/best-practice/welcome.html

BMJ has a variety of guides for various types of users located at their help page.

Online video collection for dentistry

noreply@blogger.com (lucpjb) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 04:47:00 +0000

JCU Libraries have subscribed to Alexander St Press's online collection of dental education videos, which has hundreds of videos covering a range of topics such as:

Implants
Restoration
Tooth extraction
Grafts
Root canals
And more

All these videos are viewable by JCU students and staff following this link, or through the Dentistry Libguide.

Volunteers line up to be infected with the flu virus

noreply@blogger.com (lucpjb) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health in the United States are conducting a strange, controversial experiment: deliberately infecting people with the influenza virus to study how it affects patients from first exposure to recovery. The human challenge study has been designed to help understand how healthy people react to the virus as part of a knowledge gathering exercise to build a better vaccine, the National Post reports.

Experiment subjects all volunteered, and will be reimbursed for their time. For science!

Open Heart Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon B) — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 03:13:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted to perform open heart surgery? Well, ABC gives you the chance with this interactive activity:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/lcs/heart.htm

It focuses on the anatomy of the heart, and then gives you the chance to "perform" a surgical procedure.

It's bit of fun, and probably more useful for people wondering "what the heck to they do in open heart surgery anyway?" than for any medical professional.

Amputee OT builds a prosthetic foot with lego

noreply@blogger.com (lucpjb) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 00:16:00 +0000

Christina Stephens, known as AmputeeOT on YouTube, is a qualified Occupational Therapist and, in February 2013, had her left foot amputated after an accident. She started a YouTube channel to document and share her rahabilitation process.
In June, Christina attempted to make a prosthetic foot with lego. She recommends not doing this yourself, but sometimes you just need to be silly.

Watch Christina's DIY prosthesis below:

Click through for her YouTube channel.

Anatomy corner

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon B) — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 01:12:00 +0000

Here's another anatomy site that could be useful for revision and swotting:

http://anatomycorner.com

In addition to human anatomy, there are also pictures of cat, cow and sheep anatomy (actual pictures - taken from actual dissections).

This one would be useful for anyone studying anatomy, but also for veterinary students in particular.

Anatomy arcade

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon B) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 07:17:00 +0000

Are you looking for a fun way to revise your anatomy? Anatomy Arcade (http://www.anatomyarcade.com) may be just the site for you. It's amazing how much time you can waste on a game like Poke a Muscle (http://www.anatomyarcade.com/games/PAM/PAM.html) and still be learning something!

Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Household Plumbing as Possible Cause of Chronic Rhinosinusitis

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:55:00 +0000

Symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) often persist despite treatment. Because nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are resistant to commonly used antimicrobial drugs and are found in drinking water that patients may use for sinus irrigation, we investigated whether some CRS patients were infected with NTM in New York, New York, USA, during 2001–2011.
This study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases confirms the possibility of the involvement of NTM in sinuses of patients with CRS. CRS patients who have not responded to medical treatment should undergo endoscopically directed sinus cultures for microorganisms, including fungi and NTM and other bacteria. Endoscopically directed sinus cultures have been shown to accurately replicate sinus puncture culture techniques.

AAN Releases New Sports Concussion Guidelines

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 06:58:00 +0000

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has released new guidelines on the evaluation and management of sports concussion.
The document, which updates 1997 guidelines, is published online in Neurology, to coincide with a presentation at the AAN 65th Annual Meeting.
One major change in the new guidelines is the absence of a set time for return to play, lead guideline author Christopher C. Giza, MD, associate professor of pediatric neurology and neurosurgery at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Brain Injury Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Medscape Medical News.

NICE issues new hypertension guidance

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 06:40:00 +0000

New quality standards for treating hypertension in adults has been issued by NICE, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
One of the main issues of note in the new quality standard is that nurses should take a person-centred approach to dealing with those with the condition.
The quality standard features six statements that when delivered together as part of patient care, allow nurses to improve the effectiveness, quality, safety and experience of care to those with hypertension.
One of the statements is the notion that people with suspected hypertension are offered ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to confirm a diagnosis of hypertension.
Another suggests that people that have been recently diagnosed with hypertension should be tested for organ damage within one month of diagnosis.
NICE also suggests that statin therapy is offered to newly diagnosed hypertension patients with a 10-year cardiovascular disease risk of 20% or higher.

New TB resource for primary care nurses

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:26:00 +0000

A new online learning resource on tuberculosis has been launched in response to an increase in incidences of the often fatal disease.
Suitable for practice nurses, nurse practitioners and GPs, the training provides knowledge they need to make swift and appropriate referrals of suspected TB cases to specialist services.
The course also supports primary care professionals to work alongside TB services to care for patients through their treatment lasting a minimum of six months. It consists of two 30 minute modules, completion of which can be counted towards continuous professional development.
The primary care awareness materials are part of TB Alert’s The Truth About TB awareness raising work and are funded by the Department of Health and supported by the Health Protection Agencyand the Royal College of GPs. The programme aims to raise public and professional awareness of TB in response to a rise in rates of TB over the last 25 years.

Antipsychotics Won’t Help the Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:01:00 +0000

Antipsychotic drugs are often prescribed to help people diagnosed with depression when antidepressants do not seem to relieve their symptoms. As it turns out, antipsychotics may not be very helpful either. A new study found that antipsychotic drugs do little to improve the quality of life for individuals with depression and actually can cause negative side effects.

In order to determine how effective antipsychotics are for the treatment of depression, researchers gathered data from 14 different clinical trials that compared adjunctive antipsychotic medication to a placebo in participants with depression who were not helped by antidepressants alone. The study was reported in PLOS Medicine.

Aspirin may cut skin cancer risk

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 08 May 2013 06:23:00 +0000

Nursing Times Net article notes that aspirin may protect women from the most dangerous form of skin cancer, as new research in Cancer journal has shown.
Researchers in the US observed women aged 50 to 79 for an average of 12 years and recorded any cases of cancer.
The women were questioned about what medications they took as well as their diet and lifestyle.
Data from 59,806 women showed that those who took more aspirin were less likely to develop melanoma skin cancer.
Overall, aspirin users were 21% less at risk than non-users.
Each step-rise in the duration of aspirin use was associated with a greater degree of protection.
Women who had regularly been taking aspirin for five or more years were 30% less likely to develop melanoma than women who did not use aspirin.

More than one in 10 women experience 'post-natal OCD'

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 01 May 2013 06:05:00 +0000

Nursing Times Net article notes that Post-natal obsessive compulsive disorder may be a previously unrecognised mental problem faced by many women after giving birth, new US research suggests.
The incidence rate is almost the same as that for post-natal depression, which affects around one in 10 new mothers. Scientists suspect the conditions may be two sides of the same psychological coin.
OCD may be triggered by stress, which could explain its association with pregnancy and childbirth, say the scientists. Manifestations of post-natal OCD include washing and re-washing bottles, and constantly checking that a baby is still breathing or that its cot is secure.

HRT patches may treat prostate cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:56:00 +0000

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) patches prevent the growth of prostate tumours by drastically lowering levels of testosterone.
Prostate cancer that is starting to spread is known to be fuelled by the male hormone.
Current treatments include injected drugs called LHRH agonists, such as Zoladex, which interfere with testosterone production, resulting in chemical castration.
However, they can have serious long-term side effects, including the bone thinning disease osteoporosis and diabetes.
The new findings, from a Phase II trial involving more than 250 men with locally advanced or spreading prostate cancer, show that the patches lower testosterone as effectively as LHRH agonists. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, appears in the latest edition of the medical journal The Lancet Oncology.

New bowel cancer drug launched

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:54:00 +0000

Nursing Times Net article notes a new drug that can extend the lives of patients with advanced bowel cancer has been launched in the UK. Aflibercept, marketed as Zaltrap, is given in addition to conventional chemotherapy.
In a recent large-scale trial it was found to almost double the proportion of patients surviving as long as 30 months from 12% to 22%.
The drug starves the cancer of oxygen and nutrients by blocking the growth of new blood vessels in and around tumours. Without an adequate blood supply, tumour growth and spread is halted or slowed.

Online 'hub' launched for cancer specialist nurses

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:45:00 +0000

The charity Target Ovarian Cancer has launched a web portal for gynaecological cancer clinical nurse specialists.

Nurses can access information on issues including holistic needs assessment and ascites management, along with case studies of where CNSs had implemented new ways of working.
The initiative, supported by the National Forum of Gynaecological Oncology Nurses, is intended to fill gaps in resources uncovered in a six-month consultation with 89 CNSs across England and Wales.

Tracie Miles, president of National Forum of Gynaecological Oncology Nurses, said: “We’ve worked closely with the charity to help shape a resource that will both target the needs of CNSs across the UK while complimenting the work of NFGON.
“I particularly like how the CNS Hub provides a secure facility where nurses ‘chat’ and also link into the NFGON’s professional website – exchanging vital information that will impact on their work and make their lives a little easier.”

Global Burden Of Disease And Injury Attributable To Alcohol Is Large And Growing

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:53:00 +0000

A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows that alcohol is now the third leading cause of the global burden of disease and injury, despite the fact most adults worldwide abstain from drinking.

This research, part of the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study, was published recently in the journal Addiction. It also found that Canadians drink more than 50 per cent above the global average.

The study reports the amount and patterns of alcohol consumption by country for 2005, and calculates estimates for these figures for 2010. It reveals vast differences by geographical region in the numbers of people who consume alcohol, the amount they drink, and general patterns of drinking.

Job Burnout Independently Linked To Coronary Heart Disease

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:34:00 +0000

MNT article notes if your job burns you out, it looks like your heart health can suffer as well as your mental health, according to a study by researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel reported in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine.

In their study of nearly 9,000 male and female workers, researchers from the Faculty of Management and the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at TAU, found a link between job burnout and coronary heart disease that was independent of other known risk factors.

Boxing - Should science on brain injury inspire a ban?

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:16:00 +0000

Reuters reports that to John Hardy, a leading neuroscientist and molecular biologist, a boxing bout is little more than a session of mutual brain injury.

Advances in modern neuroscience mean scientists know more than ever about chronic brain damage and the long-term trauma that can result from frequent knocks to the head.

"You get tiny lesions along the blood vessels where they have torn the nerve cells around them. This damages those nerve cells, and those cells start to develop the tangles that you see in Alzheimer's disease," Hardy said.
"And what we now understand is that this process spreads."

Alzheimer's Association Publishes New Recommendations For Primary Care Physicians On How To Assess Cognition

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:38:00 +0000

According to the Alzheimer's Association's 2012 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, among the more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease, as many as half have not been diagnosed. Without initial detection, these individuals would not be diagnosed which would deprive them of available treatments and services as well as the opportunity to make financial and care plans. The recommendations will be released by the Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association as an article in press online in advance of the hard copy publication.

New recruits to nursing must be 'committed to the cause'

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:15:00 +0000

Candidates seeking to join nurse education courses will in future be tested on their values to ensure they are “committed to the cause”, according to the senior nurse at the health service’s new education and training body for nursing at Health Education England, which will take on responsibility for overseeing the quality of healthcare education and training from April. Nursing Times article reports that the director advises “We will recruit for values, including care, compassion and commitment, and we will teach competence, we will increase our focus on communication as a core skill and with your help we will make courage a defining factor of being a nurse.”

A minimum of two databases, studies show.

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon B) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 02:57:00 +0000

A recent article in Health Information & Libraries Journal has shown that a minimum of two databases is needed to conduct a systematic review.

Beyer and Wright used a systematic review of interventions for managing frozen shoulder to determine how many databases were needing to discover all relevant studies. They canvassed 19 databases for the study, and concluded that a combination of Cochrane's CENTRAL and Science Citation Index or CENTRAL and MEDLINE would find almost all relevant studies.

Their research indicates that all researchers working on systematic reviews should adopt one of the following strategies:

Always search Cochrane and SCI, as well as following up with other databases
Always search Cochrane and MEDLINE, as well as following up with other databases

Either way, a minimum of two databases is required for adequate coverage, and Cochrane, SCI and MEDLINE should be high on your list of things to check.

Beyer, F. R. and Wright, K. (2013), Can we prioritise which databases to search? A case study using a systematic review of frozen shoulder management. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 30: 49–58. doi: 10.1111/hir.12009

Fructose 'may spur overeating'

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 05:09:00 +0000

Scientists have used imaging tests to show for the first time that fructose can trigger brain changes that may lead to overeating. The study reported in JAMA: the journal of the AMA.shows that scans revealed that drinking glucose “turns off or suppresses the activity of areas of the brain that are critical for reward and desire for food”, according to one study leader, Yale University endocrinologist Dr Robert Sherwin. With fructose, “we don’t see those changes”, he said. “As a result, the desire to eat continues - it isn’t turned off.”

How Morphine Can Increase Pain

noreply@blogger.com (Margaret M) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:13:00 +0000

Research published in the on-line edition of Nature Neuroscience identifies a molecular pathway by which morphine can increase pain, and suggests potential new ways to make morphine effective for more patients, according to the principal researcher Dr. Yves De Koninck, Professor at Université Laval in Quebec City.