United States. Report on the constitution, attributes, and legal status of "trusts" in the United States. Presented to both houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. July, 1890.

Mode of access: Internet.

Technology and the American economic transition : choices for the future.

Mode of access: Internet.

Hypertension, dyslipidemia, body mass index, Diabetes and smoking status in aboriginal australians in a remote community

Objectives: Study objectives were: 1) to describe the differences in the prevalence of CHID risk factors between Aboriginal people in a remote community and the general Australian population; and 2) to compare the predicted risks of CHD events between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Design: A cross-sectional study. Participants: 681 Aboriginal adults aged 25 to 74 years. Results: Aboriginal young adults had substantially higher prevalence of diabetes compared to non-Aboriginal Australians. The prevalence ratios for diabetes were 12.5, 5.6, 3.2, 1.3, and 0.73 for 25-, 35-, 45-, 55-, and 65- to 74-year-old females, respectively, The corresponding values for males were 12.1, 2.7, 2.9, 0.69, and 0.42. Young females had a higher prevalence of obesity, overweight, and abnormal waist circumference, while males and females 45 years and older tended to have a lower prevalence of overweight and ab. normal waist circumference. Compared to the general population, Aboriginal adults had a lower prevalence of abnormal total cholesterol but a higher prevalence of abnormal HDL, triglycerides, hypertension, and smoking. The risk ratios of abnormal total cholesterol for females ages 2534, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and 65-75 years were 0.38, 0.53, 0.48, 0.48, and 0.41, respectively. Conclusions: Aboriginal people in the remote community experienced different levels of CHD risk predictors from the general Australian population. They had a lower prevalence of abnormal total cholesterol and a higher prevalence of abnormal HDL, smoking, diabetes, and hypertension.

Low-density koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations in the mulgalands of south-west Queensland. IV. Abundance and conservation status

Urban encroachment on dense, coastal koala populations has ensured that their management has received increasing government and public attention. The recently developed National Koala Conservation Strategy calls for maintenance of viable populations in the wild. Yet the success of this, and other, conservation initiatives is hampered by lack of reliable and generally accepted national and regional population estimates. In this paper we address this problem in a potentially large, but poorly studied, regional population in the State that is likely to have the largest wild populations. We draw on findings from previous reports in this series and apply the faecal standing-crop method (FSCM) to derive a regional estimate of more than 59 000 individuals. Validation trials in riverine communities showed that estimates of animal density obtained from the FSCM and direct observation were in close agreement. Bootstrapping and Monte Carlo simulations were used to obtain variance estimates for our population estimates in different vegetation associations across the region. The most favoured habitat was riverine vegetation, which covered only 0.9% of the region but supported 45% of the koalas. We also estimated that between 1969 and 1995 similar to 30% of the native vegetation associations that are considered as potential koala habitat were cleared, leading to a decline of perhaps 10% in koala numbers. Management of this large regional population has significant implications for the national conservation of the species: the continued viability of this population is critically dependent on the retention and management of riverine and residual vegetation communities, and future vegetation-management guidelines should be cognisant of the potential impacts of clearing even small areas of critical habitat. We also highlight eight management implications.

Environmental influences on helminthiasis and nutritional status among Pacific schoolchildren

This paper describes a study undertaken to: (1) determine the prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworm infections and nutritional status among Pacific Island school children; (2) identify factors influencing helminthiasis; (3) identify interventions to improve school health. A total of 3,683 children aged 5-12 years attending 27 primary schools in 13 Pacific Island countries were surveyed along with school environmental data. Stool samples were collected from 1996 children (54.2%) and analysed for ova and helminths. Total prevalence of helminthiasis was 32.8%. Anaemia prevalence was 12.4%. Children with helminthiasis and anaemia were found to be 8.7 times more likely to be stunted and 4.3 times more likely to be underweight than non-anaemic and non-infected children. Four significant environmental influences on helminthiasis were identified: (1) an inadequate water supply; (2); availability of a school canteen; (3) regular water/sanitation maintenance regimes; and (4) overcrowded classrooms. Helminthiasis was found to be strongly associated with anaemia, stunting and underweight and environmental influences identified. Although mass anti-helminthic drug administrations (MDA) have been taking place, reinfection is common as drug therapy alone is not enough. Programme effectiveness depends upon upgrading school environments to include an adequate water supply, controlled food preparation/provision, well-maintained water/sanitation facilities and class sizes of 30 students or less.

Mental illness and employment status

No Abstract

Greene Climacteric Scale: norms in an Australian population in relation to age and menopausal status

Objectives The aim of this study was two-fold: to assess climacteric symptoms and provide normative data for the Greene Climacteric Scale during the menopause transition, and to investigate the prevalence of climacteric symptoms in a representative sample of postmenopausal Australian women. Method A cohort of 500 premenopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women aged 40-80 years participated in the Longitudinal Study of Ageing in Women (LAW study) at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. In year 1 of the study (2001), all participants completed the Greene Climacteric Scale and information regarding their menopausal status and the use of hormone therapy (HT) was obtained through a clinical interview with a qualified medical practitioner. Results The 50-59-year age group achieved the highest scores on the vasomotor and the depression scales in comparison to other age groups. Significant differences were also evident on the vasomotor and the depression scales on the basis of menopausal status, especially in perimenopausal women. Approximately 10% of women in the 60-79-year age group continued to experience vasomotor symptoms. Conclusion Vasomotor symptoms, as assessed by the Greene Climacteric Scale, are common during the menopause transition and remain elevated for some years in a minority of older postmenopausal women. The norms presented in this study are appropriate for use in an Australian population.

Subjective and predicted sleepiness while driving in young adults

Sleepiness is a significant contributor to car crashes and sleepiness related crashes have higher mortality and morbidity than other crashes. Young adult drivers are at particular risk for sleepiness related car crashes. It has been suggested that this is because young adults are typically sleepier than older adults because of chronic sleep loss, and more often drive at times of increased risk of acute sleepiness. This prospective study aimed to determine the relationship between predicted and perceived sleepiness while driving in 47 young-adult drivers over a 4-week period. Sleepiness levels were predicted by a model incorporating known circadian and sleep factors influencing alertness, and compared to subjective ratings of sleepiness during 25 18 driving episodes. Results suggested that young drivers frequently drive while at risk of crashing, at times of predicted sleepiness (>7% of episodes) and at times they felt themselves to be sleepy (>23% of episodes). A significant relationship was found between perceived and predicted estimates of sleepiness. However, the participants nonetheless drove at these times. The results of this study may help preventative programs to specifically target factors leading to increased sleepiness when driving (particularly time of day), and to focus interventions to stop young adults from driving when they feel sleepy. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pubovaginal sling versus transurethral Macroplastique for stress urinary incontinence and intrinsic sphincter deficiency: a prospective randomised controlled trial

Objective To compare the pubovaginal sling and transurethral Macroplastique in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD). Design A prospective randomised controlled trial comparing two surgical treatments for SUI and ISD. Setting Tertiary referral urogynaecology unit in Australia. Population Women with SUI and ISD who were suitable for either surgical technique. Methods Forty-five women with SUI and ISD were randomly allocated the pubovaginal sling (n = 22) or transurethral Macroplastique (n = 23). Subjective and objective success rates, patient satisfaction and cost measurements at six months and one year following surgery were the primary outcome measures. A telephone questionnaire survey was performed at a mean follow up period of 62 months (43-71). Main outcome measure Comparison of success rates, complications and costs. Results The symptomatic and patient satisfaction success rates were similar following the sling and Macroplastique with the objective success rate being significantly greater (P < 0.001) following the sling (81% vs 9%). Macroplastique had significantly lower morbidity but was more expensive than the sling (P < 0.001). Response rate at 62 months follow up was 60% in both groups with the sling group reporting better continence success (69% vs 21%) and satisfaction rates (69% vs 29%, P = 0.057). Conclusions The pubovaginal sling was more effective and economical than transurethral Macroplastique for the treatment of SUI and ISD. However, transurethral Macroplastique remains an appropriate treatment in selected cases of SUI and ISD.