Letters

A rare benign carcinoma is caused by a mutation in the fumarate hydratase gene

Nira Chinniah MB BS(Hons), MMed(Clin Epi) · Patricia Lowe MB BS(Hons), MMed, FACD

Heatwave conditions correlate with increased heat exhaustion, sunburn and contact burns in kids

Lisa Martin RN, MPubHealth · Sally A Burrows BMath, GradDipMedStat · Fiona M Wood FRACS

Counselling and pharmacotherapy are more effective than unassisted cessation of smoking

Colin P Mendelsohn MB BS(Hons) · Paul V Camp MN, GradDipHealthPromotion, CertSmokingCessation

Many smokers quit on their own, and unassisted quitting should be considered before other methods

Peter L Thompson MD, FRACP, FACC · Alistair W Vickery MB BS, FRACGP

Improving health care access in northern Australia

Simon Quilty BEng, MPhilPH, FRACP · Lisa Bachmayer BAppSc(OT) · Andrew Congdon BAppSc(OT)

Should antenatal care of women in northern Australian communities include S. stercoralis ELISA testing in routine screening?

Russell Hays MB BS, DTM · Robyn McDermott FAFPHM, MPH, PhD

The problem of amphetamine-type stimulant use in Indigenous communities must be faced now

Alan R Clough PhD, MSc · Michelle Fitts PGradDipCrim · Jan Robertson DPH, RN

Our best opportunity to reduce melanoma mortality still lies with early detection

Sarah L Smithson MB BS · Yan Pan MB BS(Hons), BMedSc(Hons), FACD · Victoria Mar MB BS, FACD

Clinical research embedded in cancer treatment centres improves both outcomes and cure rates at minimal cost

Catherine H Cole MB BS, FRACP, FRCPA

Improving use of antimicrobials in Australia requires change in doctors’ practice and PBS arrangements

Angus J Thompson BPharm(Hons), MSc, CGP · Ivan Bindoff BComp(Hons), PhD · Andrew C Stafford BPharm(Hons), PhD, AACPA

Unnecessary or unnecessarily long courses of antibiotics promote resistance

Gwendolyn L Gilbert MD, FRACP, MBioethics

Two paediatricians who have recently visited Nauru disagree with statements made by IHMS doctors

Hasantha Gunasekera MIPH(Hons), FRACP, PhD · David Isaacs MD, FRACP, FRCPCH

Reducing particulate levels in our air should be a health priority

Ben D Ewald BMed, PhD

“Gluten-free” foods are not always gluten-free

Geoffrey M Forbes MB BS, MD, FRACP

The current legal situation helps neither patients nor doctors

Kerry J Breen MB BS, MD, FRACP · David Weisbrot BA(Hons), JD

Clinical care may be handicapped by older testing technology

Simon M Holliday BMed, FAChAM, FRACGP · Huy A Tran FRACP, FRCPA, MD

Overdependence on rapid response systems has not improved patient safety in hospitals

Michael D Buist FRACP, FCICM, MD

In reply: It's not overdependence, but a strong association of reduction in deaths and cardiac arrests with uptake of RRS

Kenneth M Hillman MD, FRCA, FCICM

Eliminating the disease in Indigenous communities depends on accurate data

Richard Speare BVSc, PhD, DVSc · Adrian Miller · Wendy A Page

Coordinated support from major national institutions is necessary

Peter Stewart · Raymond C Chan PhD, FRACP, FRCPA · Wendy Pryor PhD, FRCPA

GPs have an important role in communicable disease control

Catherine R Bateman-Steel MB ChB, BSc, MSc · Aditya Vyas MB BS, MPH · Leena Gupta MB BS, MPH, FAFPHM

One centre of research excellence is not sufficient to make a serious dent in the problem of suicide and self-harm in Australia

Helen Christensen MPsych(Hons), PhD, FASSA · Karolina Krysinska PhD · Sue Murray MStud(Ed), BEd

MRI is mostly unhelpful in diagnosing paediatric musculoskeletal complaints

Sam L Francis · Nicole Williams BMedSc(Hons), BMed, FRACS · Peter J Cundy MB BS, FRACS

Loss of clinical academic leadership will be to the detriment of patient care in Australia

Stephen Allison MB BS, FRANZCP · Tarun Bastiampillai MB BS, BMedSci, FRANZCP · Bernhard T Baune MD, PhD, FRANZCP

Remote Primary Health Care Manuals are developed with users in mind

Sandeep Reddy MB BS, MSc, MMgmt · Sally E Herring BA(Hons), DPsych(Clin)