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BackgroundPerinatal morbidity and mortality are significant public health issues with an enduring impact on the health and well-being of women and their families. Millions of pregnant women now download and use mobile applications to access, store, and share health information. However, little is known about the consequences. An investigation of their impact on perinatal health outcomes is particularly topical. ObjectiveTo determine the effects of mobile app interventions during pregnancy on influencing healthy maternal behavior and improving perinatal health outcomes. MethodsSearches of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, WHO Global Health Library, POPLINE, and CABI Global Health were conducted with no date or language restrictions. Randomized and non-randomized studies were included if they reported perinatal health outcomes of interventions targeting pregnant women, using mobile apps compared with other communication modalities or with standard care. The primary outcome measure was the change in maternal behaviors (as defined by trial authors), by intervention goals. Two reviewers independently extracted data using standardized forms. ResultsFour randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 456 participants were included. All studies targeted participants in early pregnancy; however, wide variation was evident in participant characteristics, intervention, and study outcomes measures. Three trials were based in hospital settings, comparing women using mobile apps with routine antenatal care. One community-based trial gave all participants a device to promote physical activity; the intervention arm was also given a mobile app. All studies reported data for the primary outcome measure, describing some benefit from the intervention compared with controls. However, few statistically significant primary or secondary outcomes were reported. Due to insufficient data, the planned meta-analysis and subgroup analyses were not performed. ConclusionsDue to limited numbers, heterogeneity of interventions, comparators, and outcome measures, no firm conclusions can be drawn on the effects of mobile application interventions during pregnancy on maternal knowledge, behavior change, and perinatal health outcomes. As millions of women utilize mobile apps during pregnancy, rigorous studies are essential for health care and maternity care providers to optimally design, implement, and evaluate interventions.

LBA505 Background: Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a common toxicity of CT. Risk depends on type and amount of CT, age, and perhaps ovarian cycling at the time of CT. POEMS is a SWOG-coordinated phase III randomized study to evaluate whether LHRH analog administration with CT for early-stage breast cancer (BC) would reduce POF.Premenopausal patients (PT) age .05). POF rates were 22% in the standard arm and 8% in the GN arm (OR=0.30, 95% CI: 0.10-0.87, p=.03 [unadjusted analysis]; OR=0.36, 95%CI: 0.11-1.14, p=0.08 [adjusted logistic regression analysis]). In a sensitivity analysis defining 2-year POF more liberally as either amenorrhea or elevated FSH, 45% in the standard arm and 20% in the GN arm had POF (OR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.12-0.70, p=.006). There were 13 pregnancies in the standard arm and 22 in the GN arm (OR=2.22, 95% CI: 1.00-4.92, p=.05). DFS and OS were better in the GN arm (Cox regression, including stage: HR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.24-0.97, p=.04; HR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.18-1.00, p=.05, respectively).LHRH analog administration with CT was associated with less POF and more pregnancies. In an exploratory analysis, GN use in premenopausal ER-negative BC was associated with improved DFS and OS.NCT00068601.

LBA505 Background: Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a common toxicity of CT. Risk depends on type and amount of CT, age, and perhaps ovarian cycling at the time of CT. POEMS is a SWOG-coordinated phase III randomized study to evaluate whether LHRH analog administration with CT for early-stage breast cancer (BC) would reduce POF.Premenopausal patients (PT) age .05). POF rates were 22% in the standard arm and 8% in the GN arm (OR=0.30, 95% CI: 0.10-0.87, p=.03 [unadjusted analysis]; OR=0.36, 95%CI: 0.11-1.14, p=0.08 [adjusted logistic regression analysis]). In a sensitivity analysis defining 2-year POF more liberally as either amenorrhea or elevated FSH, 45% in the standard arm and 20% in the GN arm had POF (OR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.12-0.70, p=.006). There were 13 pregnancies in the standard arm and 22 in the GN arm (OR=2.22, 95% CI: 1.00-4.92, p=.05). DFS and OS were better in the GN arm (Cox regression, including stage: HR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.24-0.97, p=.04; HR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.18-1.00, p=.05, respectively).LHRH analog administration with CT was associated with less POF and more pregnancies. In an exploratory analysis, GN use in premenopausal ER-negative BC was associated with improved DFS and OS.NCT00068601.

Psychological distress as seen among 171 female sex workers in Australia is discussed in this brief report. In the sample, which included only 8 street sex workers, 28% were above the GHQ-28 threshold for mild psychiatric morbidity. That rate is not appreciably different from that of women in the general community. The street sex workers reported significant distress. Several factors were independent predictors of poor mental health.

Abstract Background The adoption and maintenance of healthy behaviours is essential in the primary prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a minimal intervention on multiple lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol, delivered through general practice, using computer-tailored feedback. Methods Adult patients visiting 21 general practitioners in Brisbane, Australia, were surveyed about ten health behaviours that are risk factors for chronic, non-communicable diseases. Those who completed the self-administered baseline questionnaire entered a randomised controlled trial, with the intervention group receiving computer-tailored printed advice, targeting those health behaviours for which respondents were not meeting current recommendations. The primary outcome was change in summary lifestyle score (Prudence Score) and individual health behaviours at three months. A repeated measures analysis compared change in these outcomes in intervention and control groups after adjusting for age and education. Results 2306 patients were randomised into the trial. 1711 (76%) returned the follow-up questionnaire at 3 months. The Prudence Score (10 items) in the intervention group at baseline was 5.88, improving to 6.25 at 3 months (improvement = 0.37), compared with 5.84 to 5.96 (improvement = 0.12) in the control group (F = 13.3, p = 0.01). The intervention group showed improvement in meeting recommendations for all individual health behaviours compared with the control group. However, these differences were significant only for fish intake (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.11-1.68), salt intake (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.38), and type of spread used (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.06-1.51). Conclusion A minimal intervention using computer-tailored feedback to address multiple lifestyle behaviours can facilitate change and improve unhealthy behaviours. Although individual behaviour changes were modest, when implemented on a large scale through general practice, this intervention appears to be an effective and practical tool for population-wide primary prevention. Trial Registration The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12611001213932

Abstract Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of death globally and are associated with a limited set of common, modifiable health behaviours: tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diet. General practice offers an ideal avenue for addressing such health behaviours on a population-wide basis. This paper describes the protocol of a multiple health behaviour change intervention designed for implementation in general practice and summarises the baseline characteristics of its participants. Method/Design The 10 Small Steps (10SS) study, a randomised controlled trial, involved 4,678 adult general practice patients in Queensland, Australia. Self-reported data were collected to establish the proportion of participants meeting recommended guidelines for ten health behaviours: physical activity, body mass index, alcohol, smoking and six dietary behaviours. Participants were randomised to four groups: contact at baseline only ('single intervention' and corresponding control group) and contact at baseline and 3 months ('dual intervention' and corresponding control group). At each contact the participants received a computer-tailored feedback and one page information sheet according to their allocation to intervention or control groups. Change in the intervention group compared to the control group was assessed at 3 and12 months after baseline data collection. Responses were summed to calculate an individual lifestyle score (the Prudence Score), which ranged from 0 to 10. The baseline response was 56.5% (4678 of 8343 invited participants) and the study sample was primarily female (68.7%) with an average age of 47 years. The mean Prudence Score was 5.8 (95%CI 5.75-5.85). Discussion Baseline data from the 10SS study show that nearly all participants engage in some health behaviours but relatively few adhere simultaneously to a core set of dietary and lifestyle behaviours associated with risk of NCDs. Ample scope exists to improve health behaviour to reduce NCDs in the general practice setting and the 10SS study trial will provide data on the extent to which a minimal computer-tailored intervention can meet this objective. The protocol developed for the 10SS study has potential for translation into routine general practice as it has minimal impact on practice routine whilst contributing to primary prevention objectives. Trial Registration The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611001213932

Abstract Background Foot ulcers are a frequent reason for diabetes-related hospitalisation. Clinical training is known to have a beneficial impact on foot ulcer outcomes. Clinical training using simulation techniques has rarely been used in the management of diabetes-related foot complications or chronic wounds. Simulation can be defined as a device or environment that attempts to replicate the real world. The few non-web-based foot-related simulation courses have focused solely on training for a single skill or "part task" (for example, practicing ingrown toenail procedures on models). This pilot study aimed to primarily investigate the effect of a training program using multiple methods of simulation on participants' clinical confidence in the management of foot ulcers. Methods Sixteen podiatrists participated in a two-day Foot Ulcer Simulation Training (FUST) course. The course included pre-requisite web-based learning modules, practicing individual foot ulcer management part tasks (for example, debriding a model foot ulcer), and participating in replicated clinical consultation scenarios (for example, treating a standardised patient (actor) with a model foot ulcer). The primary outcome measure of the course was participants' pre- and post completion of confidence surveys, using a five-point Likert scale (1 = Unacceptable-5 = Proficient). Participants' knowledge, satisfaction and their perception of the relevance and fidelity (realism) of a range of course elements were also investigated. Parametric statistics were used to analyse the data. Pearson's r was used for correlation, ANOVA for testing the differences between groups, and a paired-sample t-test to determine the significance between pre- and post-workshop scores. A minimum significance level of p < 0.05 was used. Results An overall 42% improvement in clinical confidence was observed following completion of FUST (mean scores 3.10 compared to 4.40, p < 0.05). The lack of an overall significant change in knowledge scores reflected the participant populations' high baseline knowledge and pre-requisite completion of web-based modules. Satisfaction, relevance and fidelity of all course elements were rated highly. Conclusions This pilot study suggests simulation training programs can improve participants' clinical confidence in the management of foot ulcers. The approach has the potential to enhance clinical training in diabetes-related foot complications and chronic wounds in general.

Background: Surgical mortality audit is an important tool for quality assurance and professional development but little is known about the impact of such activity on professional practice at the individual surgeon level. This paper reports the findings of a survey conducted with a self-selected cohort of surgeons in Queensland, Australia, on their experience of participating in the audit and its impact on their professional practice, as well as implications for hospital systems.Methods: The study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. All surgeons registered in Queensland in 2015 (n = 919) were invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire between September and October 2015. 184 surgeons completed and returned the questionnaire at a response rate of 20%.Results: Thirty-nine percent of the participants reported that involvement in the audit process affected their clinical practice. This was particularly the case for surgeons whose participation included being an assessor. Thirteen percent of the participants had perceived improvement to hospital practices or advancement in patient care and safety as a result of audit recommendations. Analysis of the open-ended responses suggested the audit experience had led surgeons to become more cautious, reflective in action and with increased confidence in best practice, and recognise the importance of effective communication and clear documentation.Conclusions: This is the first study to examine the impact of participation in a mortality audit process on the professional practice of surgeons. The findings offer evidence for surgical mortality audit as an effective strategy for continuous professional development and for improving patient safety initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Serum profiling using proteomic techniques has great potential to detect biomarkers that might improve diagnosis and predict outcome for breast cancer patients (BC). This study used surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (SELDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) to identify differentially expressed proteins in sera from BC and healthy volunteers (HV), with the goal of developing a new prognostic biomarker panel. Methods Training set serum samples from 99 BC and 51 HV subjects were applied to four adsorptive chip surfaces (anion-exchange, cation-exchange, hydrophobic, and metal affinity) and analyzed by time-of-flight MS. For validation, 100 independent BC serum samples and 70 HV samples were analyzed similarly. Cluster analysis of protein spectra was performed to identify protein patterns related to BC and HV groups. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to develop a protein panel to distinguish breast cancer sera from healthy sera, and its prognostic potential was evaluated. Results From 51 protein peaks that were significantly up- or down-regulated in BC patients by univariate analysis, binary logistic regression yielded five protein peaks that together classified BC and HV with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area-under-the-curve value of 0.961. Validation on an independent patient cohort confirmed the 5-protein parameter (ROC value 0.939). The 5-protein parameter showed positive association with large tumor size (P = 0.018) and lymph node involvement (P = 0.016). By matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) MS, immunoprecipitation and western blotting the proteins were identified as a fragment of apolipoprotein H (ApoH), ApoCI, complement C3a, transthyretin, and ApoAI. Kaplan-Meier analysis on 181 subjects after median follow-up of >5 years demonstrated that the panel significantly predicted disease-free survival (P = 0.005), its efficacy apparently greater in women with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumors (n = 50, P = 0.003) compared to ER-positive (n = 131, P = 0.161), although the influence of ER status needs to be confirmed after longer follow-up. Conclusion Protein mass profiling by MS has revealed five serum proteins which, in combination, can distinguish between serum from women with breast cancer and healthy control subjects with high sensitivity and specificity. The 5-protein panel significantly predicts recurrence-free survival in women with ER-negative tumors and may have value in the management of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]