The Medical journal of Australia
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Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is re-emerging a century after it began. Activity against antibiotic-resistant pathogens and a lack of serious side effects make phage therapy an attractive treatment option in refractory bacterial infections. ⋯ Combinations of fully characterised, exclusively lytic phages prepared under good manufacturing practice are limited in their availability. Safety has been demonstrated but randomised controlled trials are needed to evaluate efficacy.
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Sexual dysfunction is a frequent, potentially distressing, adverse effect of antidepressants and a leading cause of medication non-adherence. Sexual function should be actively assessed at baseline, at regular intervals during treatment, and after treatment cessation. ⋯ Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction has been recently identified as a potential, although rare, adverse effect of SSRIs and SNRIs. Consider the possibility of post-SSRI sexual dysfunction in patients in whom sexual dysfunction was absent before starting antidepressants but develops during or soon after antidepressant treatment and still persists after remission from depression and discontinuation of the drug.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Optimising epilepsy management with a smartphone application: a randomised controlled trial.
To assess whether a practical intervention based upon a smartphone application (app) would improve self-management and seizure control in adults with epilepsy. ⋯ Using a smartphone app improved epilepsy self-management scores in people in western China. It should be further tested in larger populations in other areas. Our preliminary investigation of building digital communities for people with epilepsy should encourage similar approaches to managing other chronic diseases.
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Observational Study
SmartStartAllergy: a novel tool for monitoring food allergen introduction in infants.
To estimate the proportion of infants introduced to peanut and other common food allergens by 12 months of age; to collect information about parent-reported reactions to food. ⋯ Infant feeding practices in Australia have changed over the past decade; a large majority of infants are now fed peanut before 12 months of age. The SmartStartAllergy program allows monitoring of infant feeding practices in primary care, as well as of parent-reported reactions to food in infants.