Search

Objectives: We sought to identify associations between the experience of traumatic life events and vaccination intention to inform whether trauma-affected individuals require targeted interventions when addressing vaccine hesitancy., Study Design: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey to identify whether direct or indirect exposure to various traumatic life events and the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in an Australian sample., Methods: A national online questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of 1050 Australian adults in September 2021., Results: Lower willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine was associated with direct experience of a fire or explosion (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23-0.78; P = 0.006), direct experience of severe human suffering (aOR:0.39; 95% CI: 0.21-0.71; P = 0.002) and screening positive for PTSD symptoms (aOR:0.52; 95% CI: 0.33-0.82; P = 0.005). Conversely, higher willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine was associated with indirect exposure to severe human suffering (aOR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.21-3.22; P = 0.007)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the experience of traumatic events and the presence of PTSD symptoms can contribute to vaccination decisions. Our work adds to the growing recognition of the need to effectively mediate the influence of traumatic experiences on encounters within the medical setting and supports the importance of addressing the needs of trauma-affected individuals in their vaccination experiences., (Copyright © 2022 The Royal Society for Public Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pregnant women and their unborn children are at high risk from both pandemic and seasonal influenza., Aim: To explore views about influenza vaccination during pregnancy, in a pandemic and immediate post-pandemic context, among mothers and other carers of young children., Methods: In a mixed methods study, caregivers from 16 childcare centres in Sydney, Australia, were surveyed in November and December 2009, and interviews were conducted with caregivers from six childcare centres between June 2009 and May 2011., Findings: Emerging themes from 41 interviews conducted with mothers included: 'pregnancy as a protected state', 'risk negotiation' and 'centrality of healthcare worker interaction'. Of 972 surveys distributed, 431 were completed (a response rate of 44%). Respondents perceived pandemic influenza risks to be greater for pregnant women than for their unborn children. Only 2% (9/383) of women reported being vaccinated against swine flu during pregnancy and 45% (168/383) indicated intent to receive swine flu vaccination in a future pregnancy., Discussion: The low rates of maternal influenza vaccination revealed in this study contrast to recent gains in vaccine uptake. Vaccination decision-making in pregnancy can be complex and contextually driven for some women. Healthcare workers, including midwives, have a key role in addressing women's concerns about maternal influenza vaccination in both pandemic and interpandemic periods., Conclusions: Policy makers need to be cognisant of women's concerns and develop resources for both pregnant women and healthcare workers as part of both future pandemic planning and seasonal vaccination efforts., (Copyright © 2018 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: For reasons that have yet to be elucidated, the uptake of preventive measures against infectious diseases by Hajj pilgrims is variable. The aim of this study was to identify the preventive advice and interventions received by Australian pilgrims before Hajj, and the barriers to and facilitators of their use during Hajj., Methods: Two cross-sectional surveys of Australians pilgrims aged ≥18 years were undertaken, one before and one after the Hajj 2014., Results: Of 356 pilgrims who completed the survey (response rate 94%), 80% had the influenza vaccine, 30% the pneumococcal vaccine, and 30% the pertussis vaccine. Concern about contracting disease at Hajj was the most cited reason for vaccination (73.4%), and not being aware of vaccine availability was the main reason for non-receipt (56%). Those who obtained pre-travel advice were twice as likely to be vaccinated as those who did not seek advice. Of 150 pilgrims surveyed upon return, 94% reported practicing hand hygiene during Hajj, citing ease of use (67%) and belief in its effectiveness (62.4%) as the main reasons for compliance; university education was a significant predictor of hand hygiene adherence. Fifty-three percent used facemasks, with breathing discomfort (76%) and a feeling of suffocation (40%) being the main obstacles to compliance., Conclusion: This study indicates that there are significant opportunities to improve awareness among Australian Hajj pilgrims about the importance of using preventive health measures., (Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

A gene or genes on chromosome 8p22-23 have been implicated in prostate carcinogenesis by the observation of frequent deletions of this region in prostate cancer cells. More recently, two genetic linkage studies in hereditary prostate cancer (HPC) families suggest that germline variation in a gene in this region may influence prostate cancer susceptibility as well. DLC1 (deleted in liver cancer), a gene in this interval, has been proposed as a candidate tumor suppressor gene because of its homology (86% similarity) with rat p122 RhoGAP, which catalyzes the conversion of active GTP-bound rho complex to the inactive GDP-bound form, and thus suppresses Ras-mediated oncogenic transformation. A missense mutation and three intronic insertions/deletions in 126 primary colorectal tumors have been previously identified. However, there are no reports of DLC1 mutation screening in prostate tumors or in germ line DNA of prostate cancer patients. In this study, we report the results of the first mutation screen and association study of DLC1 in genomic DNA samples from hereditary and sporadic prostate cancer patients. The PCR products in the 5' UTR, all 14 exons, exon-intron junctions, and 3' UTR were directly sequenced in 159 HPC probands. Eight exonic nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, only one of which resulted in an amino acid change. Twenty-three other SNPs were identified in intronic regions. Seven informative SNPs that spanned the complete DLC1 gene were genotyped in an additional 249 sporadic cases and 222 unaffected controls. No significant difference in the allele and genotype frequencies were observed among HPC probands, sporadic cases, and unaffected controls. These results suggest that DLC1 is unlikely to play an important role in prostate cancer susceptibility.