SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Victoria”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Sudden infant death syndrome: factors contributing to the difference in incidence between Victoria and Tasmania.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how much of the difference in incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) between Tasmania and Victoria could be accounted for by the effect of differing climatic temperature and the effect of the differing prevalence of maternal and infant characteristics in the two State populations. DESIGN: A two population ecological comparison. Two previously published predictive models were applied to quantify the contribution of several factors to the higher incidence of SIDS in Tasmania compared with Victoria. SETTING: A population based study involving the two Australian States of Tasmania and Victoria. PATIENTS: The characteristics of the 1985 to 1987 live birth cohorts of Tasmania and Victoria were examined. Cases were defined as all infants dying in 1985 to 1987 whose cause of death was stated as SIDS. RESULTS: The rate of SIDS for Tasmania and Victoria 1985 to 1987 was 3.76 per 1000 live births and 2.18 per 1000 live births respectively. Adjustment of the Tasmanian rate for the effect of the interstate difference in climatic temperature resulted in a lower Tasmanian rate of 2.92 per 1000 live births. Adjustment for the effect of interstate differences in maternal age, birthweight, infant sex, month of birth and intention to breast-feed at hospital discharge decreased the Tasmanian rate to 2.47 per 1000 live births. CONCLUSION: Approximately 82% of the interstate difference in SIDS incidence between Tasmania and Victoria from 1985 to 1987 can be accounted for by differences in climatic temperature, maternal age, birth-weight, infant sex, month of birth and feeding intention at hospital discharge.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Victoria blue B--a nuclear stain for cytology. A cytophotometric study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the staining characteristics of Victoria Blue B in alcohol solutions. Cytological specimens (liver and spleen tissue imprints, blood smears) were stained with methanol solutions of commercially available Victoria Blue B-Cl and with pure Victoria Blue B-BF4. The dye concentration, staining time, and protone concentration of the dye solution were varied. The dye solutions were characterized using spectrophotometry and thin-layer chromatography. Cytophotometry and image analysis were used to quantitate the staining pattern of cell nuclei. Feulgen-stained slides were used as controls. Victoria Blue B-BF4 gave excellent nuclear staining exhibiting a quantitative dye-substrate relationship, whereas commercial dyes resulted in lower staining intensity and less distinct nuclear texture. Dye concentration and staining time were, over wide ranges, not of critical importance for the quality of the staining. Under certain staining conditions, only cell nuclei were stained, with the background remaining completely unstained. We presume that, in alcohol solutions, Victoria Blue dye binds as a neutral dye molecule in conjunction with its anion. Victoria Blue B-BF4 staining provides a simple and reproducible staining technique for cytology which is suitable for use in automated cell-pattern recognition.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Entry of human immunodeficiency virus infection into a population of injecting drug users, Victoria, 1990.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pathway by which the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is entering populations of injecting drug users (IDUs) in Victoria. DESIGN: A retrospective case-control study comparing the prevalence of self reported risk behaviour in HIV-infected and uninfected Victorian IDUs. SETTING: Subjects were recruited by trained peer outreach workers from their personal networks, community agencies and Fairfield Hospital outpatients, and by a research worker from the major metropolitan prison. PARTICIPANTS: People who had been resident in Victoria for the past 12 months and had injected an illicit drug more than once in the previous three years were eligible to participate. Sixty-two such people (28 HIV-infected, 34 not infected) were included in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The two main hypothesised portals of entry were from the non-IDU homosexual population in Victoria, and from HIV-infected IDUs elsewhere. RESULTS: male homosexual contact was the most consistent risk factor identified by this study (odds ratio [OR], 6.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7-23.8). Having lived in or visited Sydney before 1986 was also associated with being infected with HIV (OR, 13.2; 95% CI, 1.5-603), and this was associated with homosexuality. Infected IDUs reported more sharing of injecting equipment than controls (OR, 9.0; 95% CI, 1.5-92.5), particularly with sexual partners; when this was the case, they were more likely to always use the injecting equipment after their partner (61% of cases, 0% of controls; OR, greater than or equal to 4.1; P = 0.0006). CONCLUSION: Men who have a history of both homosexual contact and injecting drug use represent the group of IDUs at highest risk of HIV infection in Victoria. Although heterosexual and homosexual IDUs may have limited contact only, a larger epidemic of HIV infection in heterosexual IDUs could spread from homosexual IDUs through the sharing of injecting equipment.

Adult↗

PubMed1979

Reduction in road fatalities and injuries after legislation for compulsory wearing of seat belts: experience in Victoria and the rest of Australia.

In 1970 the Government of the State of Victoria became the first in the 'western' world to introduce legislation for compulsory wearing of seat belts. Within 14 months the other Australian states followed. Seat belt wearing rates increased to attain 90 per cent in 1977. This paper presents an evaluation of changes during the period 1955--77 in the incidence of road crash fatalities and injuries for vehicle occupants in Victoria and the rest of Australia. The introduction of the legislation in Victoria and subsequently in the other Australian states coincided with significant and marked decreases in driver and passenger fatality and injury rates (numbers per 10 000 registered vehicles). The decreases were enough to reduce the total numbers of vehicle occupant fatalities and injuries for all post-legislation years in Victoria. The improvements have been maintained throughout the entire post-legislation period. The legislation did not apply to child passengers of less than 8 years of age and the frequency of seat belt or harness wearing among them remained low. These children did not share in the overall improvement for passengers. The Australian experience supports the view that legislation for compulsory wearing of seat belts is the single most effective method available for the protection of vehicle occupants in road crashes.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1990

Haemophilus influenzae type b infections in Victoria, Australia, 1985 to 1987.

Invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB) infections occurring from 1985 to 1987 in children younger than 16 years of age living in the state of Victoria were reviewed. There were 547 cases which fulfilled the case definition, including 231 cases of meningitis, 219 of epiglottitis and 97 other infections; 14 (2.6%) children died, 8 with meningitis, 5 with epiglottitis and 1 with pneumonia. Ninety-five percent of cases occurred in children younger than 5 years of age, in whom the case attack rate was 58.5/100,000/annum. Nearly two-thirds of cases (46% of meningitis; 91% of epiglottitis; 45% of other infections) occurred in children more than 18 months of age (the age at which vaccine is presently given in the United States). Compared with the United States, the case attack rate for HIB disease in Victoria is lower, the mean age of affected children higher and the proportion with epiglottitis is greater. However, the incidence, age distribution and clinical manifestations of HIB disease in Victoria are similar to those described in Scandinavia before the successful introduction of vaccines. Effective conjugate vaccines against HIB disease are now available and the majority of cases are preventable (depending on the immunization schedule used). These data suggest that immunization of Victorian children against HIB infection should be cost-effective.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo is not a major cause of bovine abortion in Victoria.

The aim of this study was to determine whether evidence could be obtained of foetal infection with Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo in aborted foetuses collected from dairy farms. Material from 197 abortions occurring over a wide area of Victoria was collected over 3 years. None of 195 foetal kidney cultures or 7 cultures from membranes was positive for leptospiral organisms. Immunogold silver staining for leptospires was performed on sections of kidneys, lungs or heart from 156 foetuses, with negative results. Evidence of transient leptospiral infection in 11 of 123 foetuses was obtained by foetal heart blood serology. Two isolates of L. interrogans serovar hardjo were obtained from the urine of milking cows. These strains were examined by restriction endonuclease analysis and both were shown to be of the genotype Hardjobovis, as have been all Australian isolates studied so far. It appears that foetal infection with serovar hardjo is not associated with any substantial proportion of bovine abortions in Victoria, in contrast to the situation in Northern Ireland. The apparent absence from Victoria of the pathogenic genotype Hardjoprajitno is a possible explanation.

Abortion, Veterinary↗

PubMed1991

Where people die in Victoria.

OBJECTIVE: To describe where deaths occur in Victoria and to determine to what extent the probability of dying in certain institutions is associated with cause of death and sociodemographic variables. DESIGN: Descriptive study of death certificates and multivariate analysis of 7697 deaths that occurred in a three-month period in 1988. SETTING: The State of Victoria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cause of death, age, sex, marital status, and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Most deaths occurred in public hospitals (48%) followed by private homes (21%), nursing homes (14%) and private hospitals (9%). Only 2% of all deaths (90% from cancer) occurred in hospices. Women were more likely to die in a nursing home than were men (21% v. 8%) and less likely to die at home (17% v. 24%). The proportion of deaths increased with age in nursing homes and declined in private homes. Significant predictors of death in a public hospital were age and socioeconomic status; the probability diminished with increasing age and was lower for those in the upper third for socioeconomic status. Predictors for dying in a private home were age and marital status; the probability diminished with age and in the absence of a spouse. CONCLUSIONS: Death as a hospice inpatient is comparatively rare in Victoria and the impact of hospice outpatient or domiciliary care on dying at home has yet to be established. Should death at home become a preferred option, the presence and ability of a spouse or other caregiver will be a significant factor.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1992

Primary structure of the Aequorea victoria green-fluorescent protein.

Many cnidarians utilize green-fluorescent proteins (GFPs) as energy-transfer acceptors in bioluminescence. GFPs fluoresce in vivo upon receiving energy from either a luciferase-oxyluciferin excited-state complex or a Ca(2+)-activated phosphoprotein. These highly fluorescent proteins are unique due to the chemical nature of their chromophore, which is comprised of modified amino acid (aa) residues within the polypeptide. This report describes the cloning and sequencing of both cDNA and genomic clones of GFP from the cnidarian, Aequorea victoria. The gfp10 cDNA encodes a 238-aa-residue polypeptide with a calculated Mr of 26,888. Comparison of A. victoria GFP genomic clones shows three different restriction enzyme patterns which suggests that at least three different genes are present in the A. victoria population at Friday Harbor, Washington. The gfp gene encoded by the lambda GFP2 genomic clone is comprised of at least three exons spread over 2.6 kb. The nucleotide sequences of the cDNA and the gene will aid in the elucidation of structure-function relationships in this unique class of proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1979

Urbanization and mental health: psychiatric morbidity, suicide and violence in the State of Victoria.

Australia is one of the most urbanized countries in the world with over 85% of the population living in metropolitan and other urban areas. More important, the change from a predominantly rural society to an urbanized society has occurred within the last 100 years. To assess the effects of urbanization on mental health, rates of admissions to psychiatric institutions, suicides and violent crime in Victoria have been analysed for the last hundred years. Data on admissions to psychiatric facilities in Victoria from metropolitan, other urban and rural areas, as well as results of community health surveys carried out in metropolitan and rural areas were compared to examine for evidence of urban-rural differences in psychiatric morbidity. The findings do not support the notion that the level of psychiatric and psychosocial disorders in Victoria are related to urbanization or to urban living.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

Medical manpower in Victoria, 1977.

A medical manpower survey in Victoria in 1977 revealed that there were 7823 registered medical practitioners, giving an apparent ratio of doctors to population of 1:483. However, only 81% of respondents were working in Victoria, and therefore the ratio of doctors in active practice in the State to population was estimated to be 1:597. Data from the survey revealed that the median age was 40 years. Female doctors comprised 17%, but the proportion of women was much higher amongst younger graduates. Private practitioners accounted for 60% of respondents (general practitioners, 36%; specialists, 24%), full-time hospital staff members for 28%, and practitioners in other salaried appointments for 12%. The ratio of general practitioners to population was estimated to be 1:1560 in the Melbourne statistical division, 1:1780 in the country, and 1:1617 in Victoria as a whole. Long hours of work were reported by the great majority of doctors. The impact of changing numbers and distribution of various categories of medical manpower on future work and postgraduate training is discussed. Early consideration of regulating the number of doctors by reducing the number of undergraduates entering Australian medical schools and by restricting the immigration of doctors from overseas is advocated.

Adult↗

PubMed2026

Changes in heroin-related ambulance attendances following the introduction of a medically supervised injecting room in Victoria, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Injecting drug use contributes significantly to morbidity, mortality and broader social harms globally. Supervised Injecting Facilities (SIFs) are harm reduction interventions that reduce overdose risk and facilitate access to health services for marginalised individuals. While international evidence supports the effectiveness of SIFs, Australian population-level surveillance data quantifying their impact on emergency medical service utilisation remain limited. METHODS: Using data from the National Ambulance Surveillance System, we conducted a retrospective, interrupted time series analysis of heroin-related ambulance attendances within the local catchment of the Medically Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR) between January 2015 and December 2023. Supplementary analysis included comparisons with central Melbourne suburbs and the broader state of Victoria. Key intervention timepoints, including the opening of the MSIR on 30 June 2018, expansion of its operating hours in July 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2020 to October 2021, were examined to assess changes in heroin-related attendances over time. Segmented regression models were used to assess changes in heroin-related ambulance attendance trends over time. RESULTS: At the time the MSIR opened, the model-predicted heroin-related ambulance attendance rate within the MSIR catchment was 123 per 100,000 population per month, equivalent to approximately 48 heroin-related ambulance attendances per month. Prior to implementation, the attendance rate was increasing by an estimated 0.74 per 100,000 population per month. Following the opening of the MSIR, the previously increasing trajectory reversed, with ambulance attendance rates declining by approximately 2.3 per 100,000 population per month relative to the pre-intervention trend. By the end of the study period (December 2023), the predicted monthly heroin-related ambulance attendance rate had declined to 36 per 100,000 population (approximately 14 attendances per month), representing an overall reduction of 70.7% from the time of MSIR implementation. These reductions persisted throughout the COVID-19 lockdown period and were sustained after restrictions lifted. Supplementary analysis showed no comparable reductions in the central Melbourne region or the remainder of Victoria. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of the MSIR in Richmond was associated with a sustained reduction in heroin-related ambulance attendances within its catchment area. These findings provide strong population-level evidence that SIFs reduce acute heroin-related harms requiring emergency ambulance response, reinforcing their role as an effective harm reduction strategy within the Australian context.

Humans↗

PubMed1989

Process evaluation of the bassinet restraint loan scheme in Victoria.

The value of the use of safety restraints for all vehicle occupants has been recognized, and corresponding legislation has been implemented in Australia. However, legislation alone has not been sufficient to increase significantly the use of safety restraints for infants. In an attempt to address this issue, a statewide infant safety restraint loan scheme has been in operation in Victoria since May 1985. At the time of this study, 203 of 210 municipalities in Victoria were participating in the scheme. An operational evaluation of the Bassinet Loan Scheme (BLS) was undertaken after 18 months of operation. Questionnaires were completed by 426 parents attending selected maternal and child health centres. The questionnaire was designed to provide information about the use of safety restraint for infants aged 0-6 months, parental attitudes towards the restraint, and sociodemographic characteristics. The study demonstrated that 81% of the population surveyed used the infant safety restraint, but only 52% were in the BLS. The pattern of usage of safety restraints for infants was related to maternal age and educational level.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1990

Epidemiology of an avian influenza outbreak in Victoria in 1985.

In May 1985 an outbreak of avian influenza, a disease exotic to the Australian poultry industry, occurred on a farm in central Victoria. The outbreak was contained on that farm by immediate depopulation and disinfection measures. A description of the epidemiology of the outbreak was made during and after the event by interviewing involved personnel and by an extensive sampling and surveillance program both on the affected farm and across Victoria. Although the origin of the infection was not established, it is considered most likely that wild birds introduced the virus. The infection status of wild bird populations in the area has not been ascertained but sampling surveys of the poultry industry indicated that there were no other infected flocks in the state. The infection may have entered the affected flock as long as 2 weeks prior to the clinical outbreak although the exact timing could not be ascertained. The spread of disease on the farm appeared to be largely due to humans acting as mechanical vectors.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Regulating the construction of hospitals or vice versa: the courts and private hospital planning in Victoria.

This paper examines the legal framework for regulating the development of new private hospitals in Victoria. It first reviews the genesis of the statutory power for private hospital regulation and outlines the two court cases which clarified the interpretation of the statute. The legislation and its interpretation by the courts emphasise a particular approach to private hospital planning which does not necessarily address the problems faced by consumers of hospital services in Victoria. It is argued that the law has constructed a particular framework for private hospital regulation which does not address the critical problems facing the hospital system in the 1990s. The legal framework for regulation is based on property rights rather than the needs of hospital users, despite the language used in the legislation.

Health Planning Guidelines↗

PubMed1990

An evaluation of a campaign to increase cervical cancer screening in rural Victoria.

This paper reports on the second of four regionally-based campaigns co-ordinated in rural Victoria by the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria. The campaign encompassed community-based activities, general practitioner involvement and screening clinics. The impact of the campaign on Pap test rates and on the profile of women whose tests were reported by the Victorian Cytology Gynaecological Service is examined. We conclude that the campaign was successful in achieving its primary objective of attracting older and relatively underscreened women into having a Pap test. The special screening clinics were considered particularly effective in reaching women in the target audience. As a result of this campaign, new initiatives, were incorporated into subsequent programs.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Survey of dental practice/dental education in Victoria. Part IV. Specialist dental practice.

A survey of dentists registered with the Dental Board and resident in the State of Victoria included two sections, one for specialist/restricted practitioners and the other for practitioners, who had gained a postgraduate degree from the University of Melbourne between December 1982 and 1987. The responses of the former suggested that demand for most specialist services appears to be reasonably healthy at the moment and the majority of the latter indicated that they had been adequately trained for specialist practice. It was suggested that there are several market forces which could influence the number of applicants seeking specialist training in future. Strongest demand was likely to be sustained for oral surgery and orthodontics. This is despite evidence of a decline in demand for specialist orthodontic services in private practice. Attention was drawn to the 1986 Ministerial Review of Dental Services in Victoria, in which concern was expressed for the lack of access to orthodontic services for low income families. It was proposed that more cost-effective methods of deploying orthodontic personnel could be used, as in other countries, to provide this access. Demand for specialist services in endodontics, paediatric dentistry, periodontics and prosthodontics could decline in future as general practitioners steadily broaden their range of services through continuing education courses.

Dentists↗

PubMed1992

Survey of drug-related deaths in Victoria.

OBJECTIVE: To audit drug-related deaths to determine the types of agents causing death in Victoria and to identify possible strategies for prevention of deaths in future. DESIGN: Retrospective audit of Coroner's case records. SUBJECTS: All deaths reported to the Coroner during 14 months from 1 July 1989 to 31 August 1990 in Victoria in which toxicological investigation was undertaken and drugs or poisons were detected and were believed to be a major cause of death. RESULTS: Of the 231 people who had drug-related deaths, 156 were males, 75 were females and the average age was 35.5 +/- 14 years. Heroin and morphine were judged to be the primary cause of death in 35% of subjects and methadone in a further 4.8%. Tricyclic antidepressants were responsible for 14% of deaths, with no deaths due solely to mianserin. Benzodiazepines were the prime cause of death in 6.5% of subjects, but were identified in 40%. Poisons and chemicals were involved in only 3% of deaths. Prescription drugs were primarily responsible for 47% of deaths. Forty-eight per cent of deaths occurred in known injecting drug users and 42% of all subjects had a clear history of antecedent depression. Only one drug-related death was clearly accidental, that of a two-year-old child taking his parents' medications, but the mode of most deaths was not clear, and may not have been suicide. Most deaths occurred outside hospital, only 25 subjects reaching hospital alive. CONCLUSIONS: Barbiturates and chloral hydrate are no longer major causes of drug-related deaths, probably because of decreased availability. Some drug-related deaths, especially those related to tricyclic antidepressants, may be prevented if deaths and hospitalisations due to toxic substances are monitored and the availability and scheduling of toxic substances are regularly reviewed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

Adenocarcinoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses in woodworkers in the state of Victoria, Australia.

The case index of the Cancer Institute of Victoria (Australia) contained 19 cases of adenocarcinoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses. Eighteen of the cases were in men and 1 in a women. Routine questioning of these patients revealed an occupation involving woodworking in 7 cases, whereas among 80 cases of other malignant tumors of the nose and sinuses there were only 4 who had been woodworkers. Among the patients with adenocarcinoma of the nose and sinuses, there was a significantly higher proportion of woodworkers than in the general population. The findings are consistent with European reports associating nasal adenocarcinoma with wood dust, but whereas the workers at risk in Europe are mainly in the furniture industry, some of the workers affected in Victoria have been sawmillers or carpenters. The specific salivary patterns of tumors of mucous glands are not associated with woodworking.

Adenocarcinoma↗