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Abstract: Introduction: This study aimed to explore United Kingdom (UK) and Australian (Aus) dental hygiene and dental therapy students’ (DHDTS) perception of stress and well‐being during their undergraduate education. Upon qualification, DHDTS in the UK register as dental therapists (DT), and in Australia, they register as Oral Health Therapists (OHT). Materials and methods: A questionnaire was distributed to years 1, 2 and 3 DHDTS at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (UPDA) in the UK and La Trobe Rural Health School in Australia. The questionnaire consisted of 5 well‐used measurement instruments which included the following: Dental Environment Stress questionnaire (DES); Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS‐21); Scales of Psychological Well‐Being (SPWB); Valuing Questionnaire (VQ); and the Adult Hope Scale (AHS) to collect data on students’ perception of levels of stress and well‐being. Results: A response rate of 58% (UK) and 55% (Australia) was achieved. Clinical factors and academic work were perceived as stressful for DHDTS in both the UK and Australia. The Australian DHDTS‐perceived stress in the educational environment was significantly higher (P < .002) than the UK DHDTS. The majority of respondents reported levels of depression, anxiety and stress to be within the normal‐to‐moderate range. All students reported high levels of positive well‐being, with no significant differences between the 2 groups. Conclusions: DHDTS in the UK and Australia identified sources of stress within their undergraduate education, but also perceived themselves as positively functioning individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the current outcome of surgical closure of secundum atrial septal defects (ASD) in an Australian paediatric population.Methodology: A retrospective chart review of 87 children, aged 2 months to 15 years, was performed for surgery between August 1995 and March 1999.Results: There were no deaths in the patients studied. Approximately one in four patients (24.1%) experienced complications requiring further management. Complication rates were similar to those published previously. However, one in nine patients (11.5%) required surgical drainage of a pericardial effusion. A total of five of 87 (5.7%) patients developed post-pericardiotomy syndrome (PPS), of whom four required pericardiocentesis. The risk for developing a pericardial effusion requiring drainage or PPS was more than twice in children older than 5 years of age at the time of surgery compared to those aged under 5 years, although there was an insufficient number of subjects in the study to prove this statistically (Odds ratio 2.31).Conclusions: Most patients have an uncomplicated postoperative course following surgical closure of secundum ASD. However, a significant minority (24.1%) do develop complications requiring further management and have a correspondingly longer period of hospitalization. Patients older than 5 years of age were identified as being potentially at greater risk for the development of PPS or a pericardial effusion requiring drainage. Further research needs to be performed to clarify this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indigenous Australians' infant mortality is three times that of non-Indigenous Australians. Indigenous children's mortality from rheumatic heart disease is 17-21 times that of non-Indigenous male and female children, respectively. No studies have looked specifically at the operative outcomes of cardiac surgery in paediatric Indigenous patients in Australia and little is known about their follow-up., Aims: To describe operative outcomes of all Indigenous paediatric cardiac surgical patients at a single Australian tertiary hospital and assess their follow-up., Methods: Database review of retrospectively collected data of all Indigenous paediatric patients who had cardiac surgery performed at The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane between 2002 and 2009 (112 patients, 123 operations). Follow-up was assessed by chart review and time to first post-discharge echocardiogram recorded in the hospital database., Results: Eighty-one percent of operations were congenital heart disease related and 19% of operations were rheumatic heart disease related. Common co-morbidities included respiratory (9.7%) and renal dysfunction (0.8%). Common complications were, bleeding/tamponade 4.1%, cardiac arrest 4.1% and new atrial arrhythmia 2.4%. Mortality was 1% for congenital operations and 4.4% for rheumatic operations. Only 33% of patients had follow-up within eight weeks documented through letters or chart entry. Only 77.5% of patients had a documented follow-up echocardiogram., Discussion: Operative outcome in Indigenous paediatric patients is similar to that found in the global literature. The follow-up for such an excellent surgical outcome has been disappointing. A coordinated action within and between health, health related and social institutions with sufficient resources will assist., (Crown Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Australian native and introduced plants were examined, using digoxin immunoassays, to detect the presence of cross-reacting cardiac glycosides. These compounds were found in 27 species from 20 genera. The assay technique can also be used on serum samples to confirm cardiac glycoside ingestion.

The potential application of the Digoxin Fab antibody (Wellcome Digibind) in the clinical management of plant poisoning was investigated. The cardiac glycoside contents of various Australian plants were studied using immunoassay techniques. The cross-reactions of the Fab antibody and two digoxin assay antibodies against extracts of these plants were also studied. Results obtained indicated that the Digibind antibody cross-reacted with a wide range of glycosides contained in Australian plants and therefore could be of use in the treatment of life-threatening plant poisoning.

Facial features of infants with truncus arteriosus were photographed and reviewed. Anomalies included hypertelorism, low set ears, micrognathia, down-slanting palpebral fissures, short philtrum and small mouths. Associated cardiovascular defects were interrupted aortic arch, double aortic arch, right aortic arch and aberrant brachiocephalic vessels. Potential teratogenic factors included maternal diabetes, syphilis, alcohol ingestion, carbimazole therapy and infant chromosomal anomalies. The facial features, together with the rare cardiac abnormalities of truncus arteriosus and aortic arch defects are similar to those described in Di George syndrome (defect of fourth branchial arch and derivatives of third and fourth pharyngeal pouches). However none of these patients had symptomatic hypocalcaemia or absence of the thymus. It is concluded that this association of truncus arteriosus, aortic arch abnormalities and facial anomalies involves first and fourth branchial arch maldevelopment, and indicates embryological insult between the fourth and seventh weeks of gestation.