The Health News Australia July 12 2017
Overview
- Perth researchers are moving closer to preventing blood clots that can cause miscarriage. While blood clots could affect anyone, they were the second leading cause of death in pregnant women and could cause fertility problems and miscarriage
- According to Australian researchers people who self-harmed as teens are more than twice as likely to be weekly cannabis users at the age of thirty five. Teenagers who self-harm are more likely to suffer mental health problems, have substance abuse issues and relationship failures, even decades after the behaviour stops.
- Quentin Smith, 49, from Goodna, south-west of Brisbane, sought help from Ipswich Hospital’s emergency department on January 12 this year. The following day, Quentin took his own life at his home. His mother Joyce Smith said the hospital should also have contacted her or Quentin’s brother as soon as he presented to the hospital’s emergency department, to discuss his treatment. She said its failure to do so was a breach of the Mental Health Act.
News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 11th of July 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto. Health News
http://health.thewest.com.au/news/3772/improving-blood-flow-to-avoid-miscarriage
Perth researchers are moving closer to preventing blood clots that can cause miscarriage.
High levels of oestrogen in women who are pregnant or using oral contraceptives are known to be linked to low levels of anti-clotting factor, but how the process occurs is unclear.
Murdoch University researchers are now studying the role of small molecules known as microRNAs. Doctor Jasmine Tay, from the WA Centre for Thrombosis and Haemostasis, said the study was trying to unravel how abnormal blood clots formed during pregnancy and how to predict women at higher risk. Thrombosis occurred when a blood clot stopped blood flowing through a blood vessel.
While blood clots could affect anyone, they were the second leading cause of death in pregnant women and could cause fertility problems and miscarriage.
Oestrogen levels typically surged in pregnant women to help with foetal development and prepare the mother’s body for birth.
This resulted in a rise in levels of clotting factor and a fall in anticoagulants to prevent women bleeding in childbirth. Doctor Tay said laboratory tests showed that high oestrogen levels similar to those seen in pregnancy caused changes to microRNA levels, which in turn reduced the production of a powerful anti-clotting factor known as Protein S.
The researchers were now hoping to confirm the link in a clinical study of one hundred and fifty women, including some who were pregnant or taking the contraceptive pill.
According to Australian researchers people who self-harmed as teens are more than twice as likely to be weekly cannabis users at the age of thirty five. Teenagers who self-harm are more likely to suffer mental health problems, have substance abuse issues and relationship failures, even decades after the behaviour stops, a new study suggests.
For twenty years, researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute have been tracking the same set of Victorian teenagers and the results are clear. The risks of self-harm don’t end when the behaviour stops and can extend almost to middle age, and possibly beyond.
The study began in August nineteen ninety two and has tracked health and life outcomes for one thousand nine hundred forty three Victorians.
Participants were fourteen when they were randomly selected from forty four schools across Victoria, and regular follow ups have revealed relatively poor prospects for the one hundred thirty five who harmed themselves at least once during their teenage years.
At the last check in, when participants were thirty five , self-harmers were found to be more likely to suffer from mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
They were also more likely to smoke and take drugs, had higher divorce rates, and were more likely to suffer various forms of social disadvantage, including unemployment.
Doctor Rohan Borschmann, a MCRI psychologist said most of the problems reported by self-harmers when they reached their mid-thirties could be partly explained by factors such as the mental or substance abuse issues they suffered as teens.
Quentin Smith/, forty nine years old/, from Goodna, south-west of Brisbane/, sought help from Ipswich Hospital’s emergency department on January twelve this year./
His mother/, Joyce Smith/, said he was assessed for more than five hours before being discharged./The following day/, Quentin took his own life at his home./
Mrs. Smith/, from Durack in Brisbane’s south-west/, said no-one from the hospital contacted close family members or his treating psychologist to learn more about his mental health history while assessing him/. His psychologist would have provided all the information necessary to have Quentin admitted as a mental illness patient./
Mrs Smith said the hospital should also have contacted her or Quentin’s brother as soon as he presented to the hospital’s emergency department to discuss his treatment./
She said its failure to do so was a breach of the Mental Health Act./
The Mental Health Act states that family and carers of people with a mental illness are to be involved in decisions about the person’s treatment and care/, subject to the patient’s right to privacy./
Clinical psychologist Malcolm MacKenzie/, who was treating Quentin/, confirmed he had not been contacted by Ipswich hospital regarding a patient in January./
He said hospitals would generally contact him when a patient was being discharged./ Mister MacKenzie said the more people involved in supporting people with a mental illness the better the chance of helping them/. However/, he said that there should be a balance with protecting a patient’s right to privacy./
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