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Objective Previous Australian studies have suggested poorer survival of patients with colorectal cancer in remote areas. To date no studies have assessed the geographic disparity in patients with metastatic disease. This retrospective cohort study looks at geographic differences in the surgical care and survival of patients with metastatic colorectal disease. The paper utilises data from the South Australian Clinical Registry for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer ( SACRMCC). Design, participants, interventions and main outcome measures Data on patients' socio-economic status, primary and metastatic tumour characteristics, treatment and survival was extracted from the SACRMCC database. A binomial model analysis was used to identify geographical differences in the surgical treatment of patients and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify any geographic differences in survival. Results The findings showed no differences in the diagnosis of liver metastases or provision of liver surgery between geographic areas, however there was a reduced likelihood of liver surgery with increasing age. The median overall survival rate, from the date of diagnosis of metastatic disease, was 20.0 months and the distribution by geographic remoteness was 19.1 months, 20.2 months, 22.0 months and 20.4 months in Major Cities, Inner Regional, Outer Regional and Remote areas respectively. This was not statistically significant. Conclusion Overall, there was no evidence of a geographical disparity in the diagnosis, surgical treatment or survival in metastatic colorectal cancer. This may be due to the shift toward centralising surgical care in South Australia. Nevertheless, there remains a need to improve the uptake of surgical care in the growing elderly population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal weight loss (SWL) is a major constraint to extensive animal production systems. The Australian sheep production is based on merino sheep, a European breed not tolerant to SWL. Tolerant alternative breeds such as the fat‐tailed Damara and the Dorper have been increasingly used in Australia and elsewhere, due to their robustness. The aim of this study was to understand the mineral profile of muscle and liver tissues of Australian Merino, Damara and Dorper, when subjected to SWL in order to understand SWL‐tolerance physiology. Twenty‐four lambs were divided randomly between growing (control) and nutritionally restricted groups for each breed. The trial lasted 42 days. Animals were weighed bi‐weekly and at the end of the trial, lambs were slaughtered. Liver and muscle samples were taken immediately after slaughter. Mineral assessment was carried out using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry. Analysis of variance showed mineral concentrations were generally increased in the muscle of restricted animals, mainly because of fat tissue mobilization. An increase in Zn and Fe concentrations indicates an increase of enzymatic activity in the liver of restricted sheep as well as differential abundance of Fe‐containing proteins. High concentrations of Cu in the liver of Dorper indicate higher ability to accumulate this element, even under SWL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]