The Medical journal of Australia
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A comparison of health status between 779 Seventh-day Adventists, who have a strong commitment to heal-related life styles, and two other groups of people--8363 persons referred by general practitioners and 9825 volunteers--was made. The Seventh-day Adventists showed less impairment of systolic and diastolic blood pressures, of plasma cholesterol and plasma urate concentrations, and of lung ventilatory capacity; and less obesity at most specific ages. ⋯ Depression, sleeplessness, use of sedatives and tranquillizers were lower in the Seventh-day Adventists; although, once again, a drawing together of the three groups in older age categories was evident. It is concluded that the life style of Seventh-day Adventists is conducive to lessened morbidity, delayed mortality, and decreased call on health services in comparison with the general population.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Evaluation of a new antihelminthic for trichuriasis, hookworm, and stronglyloidiasis.
Mebendazole was tested in a double-blind trial for its efficacy in the treatment and control of enteric helminths. One hundred and twenty-two children from a community near the Gulf of Carpentaria, and from a community in Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland were divided into two equal groups to receive a course of either mebendazole or placebo after the identification of one or more intestinal helminths in a single pretreatment specimen of faeces. Between the tenth and twentieth days after a four-day course of treatment, three specimens of faeces were collected from each child. ⋯ No cases of Ascaris lumbricoides infestation were present. No side effects or adverse reactions to the drug were noted and patient acceptance was excellent. Mebendazole appears to be a safe drug for use in the treatment of human parasitic intestinal nematode infestations, and should be especially useful in the treatment and control of trichuriasis.
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A screening programme which was already established to detect phenylketonuria in the newborn period in South Australia was extended to include screening for galactosaemia, homocystinuria, hereditary tyrosinaemia, histidinaemia, maple syrup urine disease and severe alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency for a trial period. Later, screening for hypothyroidism was introduced. Results suggest that screening for galactosaemia and hypothyroidism are useful additions to the programme. ⋯ Histidinaemia was detected only once. Screening for tyrosinaemia, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, maple syrup urine disease and histidinaemia has been discontinued. Newborn screening in South Australia currently includes tests for phenylketonuria, hypothydroidism, galactosaemia and homocystinuria.
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Thirty of the 39 patients treated at the Blacktown Dialysis Centre, the first "satellite" dialysis centre in the greater metropolitan Sydney, had been referred from four Sydney renal units for long-term dialysis therapy. The move save approximately 150 kilometres in travelling and eight hours time each week for each of these patients. The cost of running the unit was approximately $10,000 per patient per year in the first year--no greater than that of home dialysis, and less than that of dialysis in a teaching hospital. The advantages of establishing satellite dialysis centre, the method of operation, and the results of the first year of operation of the Blacktown Dialysis Centre are described.