Author: healthprofessionalradio

Overview

• Scientists at the Queensland University of Technology have discovered two key enzymes that make ovarian cancer resistant to chemotherapy.

• In QLD the federal candidate for Griffith has effectively retracted his support for a General Practitioner co-payment for Medicare ahead of the seat’s by-election.

• In South Australia, the opposition have made a pre-election promise to build a palliative care facility at Port Pirie Hospital, but the current government says they have significantly underestimated the cost.

• The South Australian Government says a new mobile dialysis truck will provide a better level of service to Aboriginal kidney disease patients in South Australia’s outback.

Overview

• Researchers from the University of Toronto have uncovered a potential method to safely administer cancer drugs to tumours. In their report, Professor Warren Chan and colleagues say that DNA could be utilised to link nanoparticle subunits to create “superstructures” that would safely and effectively deliver treatments directly to cancers.

• More than 800 neuroscientists from around the world are currently in Adelaide to discuss developments in their field, including some of the latest research on Alzheimer’s disease.

• An Australian scientist says his recent study should allay fears of the dangers of nano-particles being used in sunscreens. Dr Simon James of the Australian Synchrotron, says the study found the immune system can effectively break down zinc oxide nanoparticles that enter the body.
  

• In Melbourne a research team from Monash University have discovered that oestrogen could be the basis for an effective new stroke treatment method, and they believe it could lead to the development of separate treatments for males and females.

Overview

• Queensland is working towards a surgery guarantee time for public patients under a revamp of the health system.

• Hong Kong has begun culling 20,000 chickens after the H7N9 bird flu virus was found in poultry imported from mainland China.

• Clinicians at the John Hunter Children’s Hospital have discovered a less invasive way to detect severe allergic reactions to peanuts through a simple breathing and blood test.

• A new health campaign is being launched in Fremantle where vaccination rates are some of the lowest in the state.

Overview

• Almost 5,500 Australians were removed from the electoral roll in 2011-12 because they were deemed to be incapable of understanding the nature and significance of enrolling and voting.

• Queensland Health says a large number of people have potentially been exposed to measles by a woman who was travelling back to Brisbane from the Philippines last week.

• At a recent United General Practice Australia (UGPA) meeting in Canberra, representatives of the GP sector unanimously agreed that the focus of the PCEHR needs to be redirected to clinical utility and standardisation to ensure seamless clinical adoption.

• Questions remain constant on the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder. Despite a refined definition and criteria in the DSM 5, released May 2013, there are calls that loose diagnostic boundaries may lead to over- and under-diagnosis.

Overview

• More than 500 Queensland doctors have voted to reject individual work contracts proposed by the State Government.

• The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says the number of people practicing medicine increased by 11,000 over the four years to 2012 with two-thirds of the new medical staff trained in Australia.

• In South Australia, the state opposition has promised to fund a permanent dialysis facility on the Indigenous-run APY lands, as the number of patients having to leave the area for dialysis takes a toll on the community.

• South-West QLD residents will see an increase in the availability of telehealth services this year. South West Hospital and Health Service TeleHealth Coordinator Jodie Turvey has plans to implement telehealth more widely throughout the region.

Overview

• The mid-west Western Australian coroner has referred the case of a six-year-old boy, who died from swine flu and pneumonia in Geraldton, to the state coroner.