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There is no universally accepted definition of tongue-tie or ankyloglossia, but it may be described as a congenital abnormality of the lingual frenulum that limits the range of movement of the tongue, interfering with feeding or speech.1,2 There is little consensus among health professionals about how tongue-ties should be managed,1 and little reliable evidence for the benefits of frenotomy.2 A range of techniques are employed to treat clinically significant ties surgically (frenotomy or frenectomy), including scissors and laser surgery. Increases in the number of tongue-tie diagnoses and in lingual frenotomy rates have recently been reported in Canada and the United States.3,4
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Standard deviations (SDs) and standard errors are reported routinely in statistical analyses, but the distinction between them is not always well understood.1,2 Incorrect and also unclear reporting of results adds to the potential for confusion and misinterpretation of these measures.3,4
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Series Editors
John Attia
Michael Jones
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Suffering should not be hierarchical, and care should not be predicated on the prestige that a disease attracts
Symptoms may herald illness, but it is the diagnosis that announces the presence of disease. While the experience of illness is subjective, disease is authorised by a health professional through diagnosis (Box 1).1 A good diagnosis explains pathology, suggests prognosis, enables access to services, grounds evidence-based therapies and provides an explanation that makes sense of a patient’s suffering. Beyond this, a diagnosis justifies sickness, providing the patient with a rationale for their disabilities — for friends, family, employees, but most importantly for patients themselves.2 To be left without a diagnosis is to be left without a story, with no way of making sense of suffering or communicating distress to others. Diagnosis, then, is often a relief, even when the diagnosis suggests a bleak future (“thank goodness, I knew there was something wrong”).3
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Current permissible use of botulinum toxin in Australia does not match newer understandings of human impairment and functioning
The bacterium Clostridium botulinum was first identified in 1895 and, in the 1950s, was first injected into a hyperactive muscle, causing flaccid paralysis by blocking the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from motor nerve endings. However, the therapeutic use of botulinum toxin only became common after 1989, when it was approved for use for strabismus, and then in 2001, when it was synthesised and approved for use as a cosmetic treatment in Canada. In 2017, the idea of paralysing the muscles of the brow and face with a powerful neurotoxin for cosmetic reasons is now widely accepted, or at least conceptually understood, because of frequent reference to the popular procedure in the media.
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We thank Barbara Brougham for editing earlier versions of this article.
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Objective: Salt reduction is a public health priority because it is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. As in Australia there is uncertainty about the current level of salt intake, we sought to estimate current levels.
Study design: Random effects meta-analysis of data from 31 published studies and one unpublished dataset that reported salt or sodium consumption by Australian adults on the basis of 24-hour urine collections or dietary questionnaires.
Data sources: MEDLINE (via Ovid) and EMBASE (to August 2016).
Data synthesis: Thirty-one published studies and one unpublished dataset (1989–2015; 16 836 individuals) were identified. The mean weighted salt consumption estimated from 24-hour urine collections was 8.70 g/day (95% CI, 8.39–9.02 g/day); after adjusting for non-urinary salt excretion, the best estimate of salt intake in Australia is 9.6 g/day. The mean weighted intake was 10.1 g/day (95% CI, 9.68–10.5 g/day) for men and 7.34 g/day (95% CI, 6.98–7.70 g/day) for women. Mean weighted consumption was 6.49 g/day (95% CI, 5.94–7.03 g/day) when measured with diet diaries, 6.76 g/day (95% CI, 5.48–8.05 g/day) when assessed with food frequency questionnaires, and 6.73 g/day (95% CI, 6.34–7.11) when assessed by dietary recall. Salt intake had not decreased between 1989 and 2015 (R2 = –0.02; P = 0.36).
Conclusion: Salt intake in Australian adults exceeds the WHO-recommended maximum of 5 g/day and does not appear to be declining. Measuring salt intake with methods based on self-reporting can substantially underestimate consumption. The data highlight the need for ongoing action to reduce salt consumption in Australia and robust monitoring of population salt intake.
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Bruce Neal is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Principal Research Fellowship. He holds an NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence grant (APP1117300) and an NHMRC program grant (APP1052555).
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Objective: To determine whether a clinician-led chronic disease self-management support (CDSMS) program improves the overall self-rated health level of older Australians with multiple chronic health conditions.
Design: Randomised controlled trial: participants were allocated to a clinician-led CDSMS group (including client-centred goal setting and the development of individualised care plans) or to a control group in which they received positive attention only.
Setting and participants: Patients aged 60 years or more with at least two chronic conditions, recruited between September 2009 and June 2010 from five general practices in Adelaide.
Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was self-rated health. Secondary outcome measures related to health status (fatigue, pain, health distress, energy, depression, illness intrusiveness), health behaviour (exercise, medication adherence), and health service utilisation.
Results: 254 participants were randomised to the CDSMS and control groups, of whom 231 (117 control and 114 CDSMS participants) completed the 6-month programs and provided complete outcomes data (91%). An intention-to-treat analysis found that CDSMS participants were more likely than control participants to report improved self-rated health at 6 months (odds ratio, 2.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.13–5.50; P = 0.023). Between-group differences for secondary outcomes were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: CDSMS may benefit some older people with multiple chronic conditions to a greater extent than positive attention and health education.
Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609000726257.
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This investigation was supported by a grant to Flinders University from the Australian Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) under the Sharing Health Care Initiative – Innovations in Chronic Disease Self-Management Research Grants program. The DoHA had no role in the study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, writing of the article, or the decision to submit it for publication. We thank the patients and general practitioners from Chandlers Hill, Flagstaff Hill and Colonel Light Gardens, and Chris Moschou for their support. We also thank members of the research team for their contributions: the Flinders Program adviser (Vee Pols), Flinders Program clinicians (Angela Eastwood, Katrina Reschke, Melissa Day, Pauline Kelly), attention control group health professionals (Lauren Bullivant, Marie Iannos), our research nurse (Bridgit McAteer-Carr), and the qualitative researchers (Chris Barton, Linda Isherwood, Stacey Masters). Richard Osborne was supported in part by a National Health and Medical Research Council Population Health Research Fellowship (Career Development Award).
Malcom Battersby is the developer of the Flinders Program. He has no financial interest in the Flinders Program, but Flinders University has received funding from government, commercial and charitable sponsors for the research, development and dissemination of the Flinders Program.
Introduction: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a highly prevalent medical condition that has an adverse impact on various health-related quality-of-life domains, including a significant psychosocial and financial burden. This position statement, formulated by members of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and the UroGynaecological Society of Australasia, summarises the current recommendations for clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies in patients with non-neurogenic OAB, and guides clinicians in the decision-making process for managing the condition using evidence-based medicine.
Main recommendations:
Changes in management as a result of this statement:
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Objectives: Many women report declines in cognitive function during pregnancy, but attempts to empirically evaluate such changes have yielded inconsistent results. We aimed to determine whether pregnancy is associated with objective declines in cognitive functioning, and to assess the progression of any declines during pregnancy.
Study design: We undertook a meta-analysis, applying a random effects model, of 20 studies that have reported quantitative relationships between pregnancy and changes in cognition.
Data sources: Full text articles indexed by Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete, MEDLINE Complete, and PsychINFO.
Data synthesis: The 20 studies assessed included 709 pregnant women and 521 non-pregnant women. Overall cognitive functioning was poorer in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women (standardised mean difference [SMD], 0.52 [95% CI, 0.07–0.97]; P = 0.025). Analysis of cross-sectional studies found that general cognitive functioning (SMD, 1.28 [95% CI 0.26–2.30]; P = 0.014), memory (SMD, 1.47 [95% CI, 0.27–2.68]; P = 0.017), and executive functioning (SMD, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.03–0.89]; P = 0.036) were significantly reduced during the third trimester of pregnancy (compared with control women), but not during the first two trimesters. Longitudinal studies found declines between the first and second trimesters in general cognitive functioning (SMD, 0.29 [95% CI, 0.08–0.50]; P = 0.006) and memory (SMD, 0.33 [95% CI, 0.12–0.54]; P = 0.002), but not between the second and third trimesters.
Conclusions: General cognitive functioning, memory, and executive functioning were significantly poorer in pregnant than in control women, particularly during the third trimester. The differences primarily develop during the first trimester, and are consistent with recent findings of long term reductions in brain grey matter volume during pregnancy. The impact of these effects on the quality of life and everyday functioning of pregnant women requires further investigation.
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Abstract
Introduction: In December 2015, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists published a comprehensive set of mood disorder clinical practice guidelines for psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health professionals. This guideline summary, directed broadly at primary care physicians, is an abridged version that focuses on bipolar disorder. It is intended as an aid to the management of this complex disorder for primary care physicians working in collaboration with psychiatrists to implement successful long term management.
Main recommendations: The guidelines address the main phases of bipolar disorder with a particular emphasis on long term management, and provide specific clinical recommendations.
Mania:
Bipolar depression:
Long term management:
Changes in management as a result of the guidelines: The guidelines position bipolar disorder as part of a spectrum of mood disorders and provide a longitudinal perspective for assessment and treatment. They provide new management algorithms for the maintenance phase of treatment that underscore the importance of ongoing monitoring to achieve prophylaxis. As a first line treatment, lithium remains the most effective medication for the prevention of relapse and potential suicide, but requires nuanced management from both general practitioners and specialists. The guidelines provide clarity and simplicity for the long term management of bipolar disorder, incorporating the use of new medications and therapies alongside established treatments.