Archived News for Health Sector Professionals - May, 2012

Federal Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has refused to support the Federal Government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), describing it as a cruel hoax that will promote false hope before states commit to funding the scheme.

Researchers at the University of South Australia’s Ian Wark Research Institute and Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science at Monash University have developed a way to use innovative nanotechnologies to ensure disease-controlling drugs are absorbed in the body much more efficiently.

The Health Services Union has applied for an administrator to be appointed for its troubled east branch after Acting National President of the Health Services Union, Chris Brown, announced it would comply with the Federal Court in its ruling.

The University of Adelaide has entered a partnership with the Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Zhendong Pharmaceutical Company to form Zhendong Australia China Centre for Molecular Traditional Chinese Medicine.

A new ‘hot floor’ will be developed at the Royal Adelaide Hospital to treat emergency patients who need to be admitted and to assist the flow of patients through the Emergency Department.

The University of Western Australia has opened the State's first laboratory to translate new scientific discoveries based on the latest research in cancer biology into new advanced pathology tests.

A new autism research centre has been launched at Griffith University’s Mt Gravatt campus.

Australian research has shown that computers can be used to identify cancer treatment targets that wouldn't otherwise have been considered.

Professor Mark Ragan from The University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), who led the research team, says they found that computational methods could be used to untangle the intricacies of cancer biology.

“Cancer is not a disease caused by single genes. Rather, it is changes to the underlying gene regulatory networks that prompt tumours to grow and spread,” he said.

“Understanding gene regulatory networks in healthy and diseased tissues is therefore critical to devising effective cancer treatments.

“These networks involve vast numbers of interactions between different molecules, making conventional experimental approaches, which are focused on individual genes, too time-consuming,” he said.

The findings came from the team's analysis of different computational methods of studying gene regulatory networks.

By contrast, computational methods can examine complex networks of interacting molecules across entire systems. The challenge for researchers is determining the accuracy of such methods.

The IMB team undertook a thorough analysis of nine different computational methods that represented a variety of approaches. They then took the method judged most effective and applied it to real ovarian cancer data.

“Our evaluation demonstrated that it's possible in some cases to use computational methods to gain insights into cancer biology.

“These methods can pinpoint targets that wouldn't otherwise have been considered, which can then be validated with laboratory experiments.”

The findings are published in the current edition of the scientific journal Genome Medicine, where it has been nominated as part of the thematic series Cancer bioinformatics: bioinformatic methods, network biomarkers and precision medicine.

The Federal Government has outlined $233.7 million in Budget spending for the continued rollout of a national eHealth system.

The Federal Budget has provided $6 million in funding to construct a Family Medical Practice on the Charles Sturt University ‘s Bathurst Campus as part of the University's health and wellness precinct.

The Federal Government has announced $1 billion in spending over four years to start the roll out of the first stage of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Federal Government has confirmed it will raise the low-income thresholds for the Medicare Levy and Medicare Levy Surcharge as part of the 2012-13 Budget.

In an Australian first, surgeons at Fremantle Hospital and The University of Western Australia believe a new method of repairing perforated ear drums could be a major advance in ear health.

Lupus patients show more severe symptoms of the disease if their vitamin D levels are low, an Australian-first study has found.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which affects more than five million people worldwide, was found to be worse in vitamin D deficient SLE patients than in those with normal levels, in the study led by Professor Eric Morand, head of the Monash Lupus Clinic and Southern Clinical School at Monash Medical Centre.

The research also observed that Australians are more susceptible to the disease due to environmental, genetic and cultural factors, which contribute to vitamin D deficiency.

Professor Morand said although practicing sun avoidance is important for lupus patients, as sunlight can make aspects of the disease worse, this can lead to vitamin D deficiency and an increase in the severity of the disease.

“In multicultural Australia, instances of vitamin D deficiency can be seen in cultural groups where clothing covers the body, in people with dark skin tone who have lower absorption, and those who practice sun avoidance” Professor Morand said.

The findings will be presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Rheumatology Association in Canberra.

Researchers are an important step closer to finding a vaccine that protects against a wide range of strains of meningococcal B - the most common cause of meningococcal disease in Western Australia.

The Imperial College of London has announced a breakthrough in breast cancer research, detailing findings that reveal a strong connection between molecular, or ‘epigenetic’, changes and the risk of blood cancer, meaning that early detection of the disease could be only a blood test away.

The Federal Government has outlined a $515.3 million spending initiative in the 2012-13 Budget aimed at significantly reducing times on public dental waiting lists.

The Victorian Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge has released a consultation paper to drive the reform of Victoria's community-based mental health services.

The Federal Government ihas announced it will provide $490 million over five years for the Medicare Teen Dental Plan.

The fabrication of implantable electronics has begun at the University of New South Wales ahead of planned patient tests of a functional bionic eye next year.