Volume 205 Issue 11

Season’s greetings and the research year in review by the Editor-in-Chief

Nicholas J Talley

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Henry H Woo

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Satvinder S Bakshi

Automated solutions to curb privacy risks

Kieran G Allen · Paul Eleftheriou · John Ferguson

Ancient Roman hypotheses about the transmission of malaria were ahead of their time

Milton J Micallef

Providing health care to the populous but poor nation has required flexibility and determination

Neville D Yeomans

A former senior vascular surgeon remembers the progress of his specialty in Brisbane

H Reginald Magee

The importance of looking twice

Michael Burke

The world is changing for older people left behind in their ancestral villages

Mahmood F Bhutta

Ageing and physical disability are major barriers to accessing health care in northeast India

Rebekah Young

Creating opportunities for Indigenous students in medicine and health sciences

Kym Thomas

Caution is advised for those tempted to listen to Oz rock while undertaking high-risk tasks

Daisy Fancourt · Thomas MW Burton · Aaron Williamon

Some alarming results

Tyler Rouse · Jordan Radigan

Santa’s rosy complexion is charming but is it a sign of disease?

Ludi Ge · Alicia A O'Connor · Margit M Polcz · Deshan F Sebaratnam

A diagnostic delay of 60 years sets the scene for a Christmas surprise

Richard J Epstein

Roll over Paleo

Arjun von Caemmerer

Superstition and statistics: are some days better than others for heart attacks?

Majd B Protty · Mustafa Jaafar · Sahar Hannoodee · Phillip Freeman

Leaving a toxic relationship was the only solution, but it hurts us both

Jonathan T McGuane

An official list from the Society for Advancement of Medical Humour

R John H Massie

A timely warning about a common danger for children

Rose Cairns · Jared A Brown · Nicholas A Buckley

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Rick James Fielke

In reply

Tania M Winzenberg · Gerard Francis Gill

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Bogda Koczwara · Louisa Gordon · Ian N Olver

In reply

Sanchia Aranda · David Currow

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Bridget Effeney · Nicole Phillips · David Sturgess

In reply

Lucy J Modra · Sarah Ann Yong · Danielle E Austin

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Longreach is a 10-doctor town in the centre of Queensland, where a one-practice model is providing access to far-?ung patients …

Cate Swannell

Professor Barend Marais from the University of Sydney has received the 2017 Gustav Nossal Medal for Global Health, announced by the Australian Academy of Science on Friday 18 November 2016. Professor Marais’ research has helped to measure and characterise the tuberculosis (TB) disease burden suffered by children, and to highlight the absence of care in places where it is needed most. His work has been acknowledged by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund through renewed commitments to finding pragmatic solutions to prevent and treat TB in children. Professor Marais has also worked to raise awareness that multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB is actively transmitted within communities, putting children at risk and requiring urgent containment strategies. He wrote the first “survival guide” for paediatricians caring for children with MDR-TB, and contributed to global and regional initiatives to limit its spread. Professor Jian Li, from Monash University was awarded the 2017 Jacques Miller Medal for Experimental Biomedicine for his research targeting multidrug-resistant bacterial “superbugs”. He is a world-leading expert on last-line antibiotics called polymyxins. His research has generated the majority of modern polymyxin pharmacological data and the first scientifically-based dosing recommendations. Dr Kathryn Elizabeth Holt, from the University of Melbourne, won the 2017 Gottschalk Medal for her research tracking the evolution and spread of deadly infectious diseases and the development of antibiotic resistance in Australia and developing countries. Her in-depth studies on the evolution of specific pathogen populations use the most advanced DNA sequencing technologies, allowing detailed comparisons of the genomes of hundreds of closely related isolates of the same pathogen. These have revealed how pathogens are evolving in response to exposure to antibiotics, vaccine-induced immunity, or natural host immunity. Her work has provided important advances in understanding disease transmission and control of infection, and informs public health policy and practice. Dr Sarah Medland, from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, is a statistical geneticist working on neuroimaging genetics, child and adolescent psychopathology and women’s health. She was awarded the 2017 Ruth Stephens Gani Medal. She plays a leading role and was instrumental in the formation of the ENIGMA brain imaging genetics consortium, which is currently the largest brain imaging study in the world. Her work in this area has significantly advanced our understanding of the ways that genetics influences the structure and function of the human brain. The awards will be formally presented in May 2017 at the Academy’s annual 3-day celebration of Australian science, Science at the Shine Dome, in Canberra. https://www.science.org.au/opportunities-scientists/recognition/honorific-awards/past-honorific-awardees/2017-honorific After 17 years as Director of Cancer Medicine at the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, Professor John Zalcberg has taken up the post of Head of Cancer at Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Professor Zalcberg is also the inaugural Tony Charlton Chair of Oncology at the Alfred Hospital. An esteemed researcher and clinician in the field of oncology, specialising in gastrointestinal cancer, Professor Zalcberg has been involved in numerous groups and organisations. He was a founder of the Lorne Cancer Conference and the Australasian Gastrointestinal Trials Group (AGITG) and the immediate past Chair of the Board of AGITG after serving in this role for over 15 years; a past Board Member of Cancer Trials Australia; a past Board Member of the NSW Cancer Institute; past President of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia; and a past Member of the Consultative Council of the Victorian Cancer Agency. He is the current Co-Chair of the Cancer Drugs Alliance and Chair of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance. http://sphpm.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/sphpm-welcome-prof-john-zalcberg.html#more http://sphpm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/sphpms-professor-john-zalcberg.html The University of Queensland’s Professor John McGrath has won an international fellowship in the Niels Bohr Professorship Program in Denmark to continue his research into schizophrenia. Professor McGrath, a psychiatrist and researcher with the Queensland Brain Institute and Director of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, will divide his time between Australia and Denmark while building a new program with colleagues at the Aarhus BSS – Aarhus University. This work will include investigating the link between schizophrenia and Vitamin D levels in 80 000 newborns. Professor McGrath’s team was the first in the world to show that low vitamin D status in pregnant women and babies could affect brain development and increase risk of schizophrenia later in life. He will use the Neils Bohr Professorship to repeat the study with a much larger population of Danes, building on a long-standing collaboration with Professor Preben Bo Mortensen at Aarhus University National Centre for Register-Based Research. https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2016/11/ground-breaking-schizophrenia-research-recognised Two companies founded on University of Queensland research have won praise at the National AusBiotech Conference in Melbourne. The AusBiotech and Johnson & Johnson’s Innovation Industry Excellence Awards recognised Protagonist Therapeutics as Australian Company of the Year and ResApp Health as the Australian Emerging Company of the Year. Protagonist Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, is developing oral drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease. The work is founded on research from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. In August, Protagonist raised $US90 million in its initial public offering of 7.5 million shares on the NASDAQ stock market. ResApp is developing a smartphone medical application for the diagnosis and management of respiratory disease, based on research from the UQ Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology. ResApp this year announced the results of an adult clinical study, showing that the company’s algorithms analysing the sound of patients’ coughs achieved between 91% and 100% accuracy in differentiating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from those with asthma or pneumonia, and from those with no apparent respiratory disease. ResApp Health has raised more than $16 million since listing on the Australian Stock Exchange mid last year. https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2016/10/uq-medical-research-recognised-national-stage

Cate Swannell

This calendar will be updated each month. If you have an event you would like to add, please include relevant details in an email to cswannell@mja.com.au. The full version of the calendar is available online at www.mja.com.au December 2016 12-14 14th Annual Privacy, Security and Trust Conference, Auckland, NZ 15 RACGP CPR Certification Course, Perth, WA January 2017 14-15 Yardsticks in Surgical Pathology, Macquarie Park, NSW February 2017 3-6 MRI in Practice, Sydney, NSW 4-5 ANZGIG Scientific Meeting, Brisbane, QLD 5-8 ARVO – Asia, Brisbane, QLD 7-14 Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians ASM: Keeping You Active, Gold Coast, QLD 11-12 ARGANZ 2017, Darling Harbour, NSW 20-21 Conflict Resolution and Motivation, Rotorua, NZ 23 Research in Routine Diagnostic Laboratory, Darling Harbour, NSW 23-25 26th ASM of the Australasian Brachytherapy Group, Melbourne, VIC 24-25 Australia and New Zealand Strabismus Society – Squint Club Annual Meeting, Graft, NZ 24-26 Pathology Update 2017, Sydney, NSW March 2017 1-3 ACEM Evidence Review in Emergency Medicine 2017, Wollongong, NSW 2-4 Annual Scientific Meeting of the New Zealand Pain Society, Nelson, NZ 3-5 Managing Obstretric Emergencies and Trauma, Wellington, NZ 6-9 TROG ASM, Auckland, NZ 10 International Medical Symposium, Melbourne, VIC 15-17 Sydney International Endoscopy Symposium 2017, incorporating the Westmead Endoscopy Symposium Nurses’ Workshop, Sydney, NSW 18 RACP Rise to the Challenge – AChSHM Annual Scientific Meeting, Sydney, NSW 24-26 2nd International Conference on Chest, Melbourne, VIC 24-26 International Medicine in Addiction Conference 2017, Sydney, NSW 24-28 International Society of Ocular Oncology Biennial Conference and the RANZCO-NSW ASM, Sydney, NSW 25 Trauma Tasmania 2017, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 26-28 2017 Queensland AOA ASM, Noosa, QLD 26-29 12th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (LUPUS 2017) and the 7th Asian Congress on Autoimmunity (ACA 2017), Melbourne, VIC 29 A Day With Dan Siegel: The New Frontiers of Interpersonal Neurobiology, Newcastle, NSW April 2017 3-7 15th World Congress on Public Health: Voices, Vision, Action, Melbourne, VIC 4-7 LIME Connection VII: The future of Indigenous Health Education: Leadership, Collaboration, Curriculum, Melbourne, VIC 7-8 2nd International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group Educational Conference: Radiotherapy in Modern Lymphoma Management, Melbourne, VIC 8-9 Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand 12th Annual Scientific Meeting, Adelaide, SA 9-12 2017 Australian Pain Society 37th ASM, Adelaide, SA 21-23 Trauma 2017 Conference: Bridging the Gaps in Trauma Care, Melbourne, VIC 29 Apr-2 May 14th World Rural Health Conference 2017, Cairns, QLD May 2017 5 Vitiligo Master Class, Sydney, NSW 6-7 21st ASM of the Australasian Musculoskeletal Imaging Group, Melbourne, VIC 6-9 Australasian College of Dermatologists ASM, Sydney, NSW 8-10 RACP Congress 2017: Bringing Specialists Together, sharing knowledge, building skills, Melbourne, VIC 8-12 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress 2017, Adelaide, SA 10-12 Airway Management SIG Meeting 2017, Brisbane, QLD 10-12 Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine ASM 2017, Rotorua, NZ 12-13 RANZCO New Zealand Branch ASM 2017, Paihia, NZ 19-20 Australian Symposium organised by the Falk Foundation: Mucosal Microbiome and Mucosal or Systemic Dysfunction: Mechanisms, Clinical Manifestations and Interventions, Brisbane, QLD 20-21 Neurorad 2017, Melbourne, VIC June 2017 1-2 NSW branch of Australian Resuscitation Council and Take Heart: Resus @ the Park, Sydney, NSW 2-4 41st ASM of the Australasian Division of the International Academy of Pathology, Darling Harbour, NSW 3-4 EMCORE 2017, Melbourne, VIC 15-17 Cancer Nurses Society of Australia Annual Congress, Adelaide, SA 20-22 Tinnitus 2017, Melbourne 2017 26-27 2017 No More Harm National Conference, Brisbane, QLD July 2017 6-9 ANZSNR ASM 2017, Darwin, NT 7-8 2017 Rural SIG Meeting, Broome, WA 11-13 Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia ASM 2017, Port Douglas, QLD 13-15 RANZCO Paediatric Special Interest Group Scientific Meeting, Sydney, NSW 17-19 12th Asian Obesity Specialists and Endocrinologists Annual Meeting, Melbourne, VIC 23-26 Cardiac Thoracic Vascular and Perfusion SIG Meeting, Queenstown, NZ 24-25 17th International Conference and Exhibition on Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology in Health Care, Brisbane, QLD 24-26 8th World Conference on Pharmacology and Toxicology, Melbourne, VIC 26-29 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Winter Symposium, Barossa Valley, SA 27-30 RNZCGP Conference for General Practice and Quality Symposium, Dunedin, NZ 31 Jul-2 Aug World Congress on Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Melbourne, VIC August 2017 11-13 ACD Rural Dermatology Meeting, Broome, WA 16-19 NZDSI Annual Conference, Queenstown, NZ September 2017 1 Epworth HealthCare Eighth Obstetrics & Gynaecology Clinical Institute Symposium, Melbourne, VIC 8-10 Joint Neuroanaesthesia and Trauma SIG Meeting, Byron Bay, NSW 9-10 ANZCA/ASA SA NT Burnell Jose Visiting Professionals ASM, Rowland Flat, SA 14 RUOK? Day 14-17 Neuro-Ophthalmology Society of Australia 33rd Clinical and Scientific Meeting and NeuroVision Training Weekend, Sydney, NSW 16-17 ANZAAG Symposium, Auckland, NZ 27-29 Joint 2017 ACHSM/ACHS Asia-Pacific Congress, Sydney, NSW October 2017 2-4 16th Global Pathologists Annual Meeting, Melbourne, VIC 4-6 Global Alcohol Policy Conference, Melbourne, VIC 8-12 AOA 77th ASM and AGM, Adelaide, SA 16-18 3rd International Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Melbourne, VIC 18-21 9th World Congress of Melanoma and 14th International Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research, Brisbane, QLD 24-27 Australian Association of Practice Managers National Conference, Perth, WA 26-28 GP17 RACGP Annual Conference, Sydney, NSW 28 Epworth HealthCare Seventh Cardiac Sciences Clinical Institute Symposium, Melbourne, VIC 28 Oct-1 Nov 49th RANZCO Annual Scientific Congress, Perth, WA November 2017 1-3 10th Health Services and Policy Research Conference, Gold Coast, QLD 2-4 Perioperative Medicine SIG Congress 2017 8-11 NZ Anaesthesia ASM 2017, Rotorua, NZ 17-19 National Histology Conference, Hobart, TAS 19-23 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, 34th ASM, Sydney, NSW (provisional dates) 20-22 9th International Conference on Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, Melbourne, VIC 20-22 Psychiatry and Mental Health 2017, Melbourne, VIC 20-24 Psychiatry Update 2017, Christchurch, NZ 23-26 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Congress 2017, Sydney, NSW February 2018 9-10 4th International 4 Corners of Cardiology Meeting, Melbourne, VIC March 2018 2-4 Pathology Update 2018, Sydney, NSW 8-11 APSCVIR 2018, Auckland, NZ April 2018 11-13 2nd International Selection in the Health Professions Conference, Melbourne, VIC May 2018 7-11 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress 2018 with the ANZ College of Anaesthetists, Sydney, NSW 18-22 Australasian College of Dermatologists ASM, Gold Coast, QLD November 2018 18-22 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, 35th ASM, Perth, WA November 2021 10-13 XIII International Congress of Dermatology, Melbourne, VIC December 2021 TBA FIGO World Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Sydney, NSW

Cate Swannell