Photo of the Week

Professor Anton Peleg, Monash and The Alfred's new Director of Infectious Diseases departments, says drug-resistant bacteria are now 'enemy number one'.

About being a researcher-clinician: "Physicians bring a fantastic perspective to basic research because they are guided by what they are seeing in their patients."

See write up in Alfred Health's Winter 2015 issue - hard copies in the hospital and pdf shortly to be uploaded to their publications archive.

See more CCS photos at:

• CCS Google+ photo galleries (public access)
• CCS Intranet photo gallery index (Monash access only)

Forthcoming CCS events: Seminars, public events, general notices

Dr Justin Chen at the 2014
EMCR AMREP conference

Central Clinical School has regular seminar series and postgraduate presentations. All event notices are maintained on the CCS Events calendar.

CCS staff & students can see details of both public and local events (including professional development courses, trade fairs and Graduate Research Student calendars) and deadlines, at the Intranet's Announcements page.

Various Departments have their own calendars, see CCS seminar index: www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/events/seminars.html

What's on for this week: 22-26 Jun 2015

Mon 22 Jun 11:00 AM ► Mid-year honours Oral examination of thesis: Mr Kyal Young 12:30 PM ► Psychiatry Professorial Grand Round Tue 23 Jun 11:00 AM ► Confirmation of Masters Candidature - Ms Min Joung Kim (Erica) 11:30 AM ► PhD-Mid-candidature review - Dr Sung Kai Chiu Fri 26 Jun 3:45 PM ► IgV Winter Seminar - Prof Alan Baxter
In the Future 4 Aug CCS 3MT thesis heat 13 Aug CCS student information night 30 Sep Translational Research symposium: Alfred Medicine 50th anniversary Save the Date for 9 Oct CCS Public Lecture: Prof Jayashri Kulkarni on women's mental health

Research: Is operative management of fractures safe in the collocated burn and fracture injury?

Previous studies have supported the use of internal fixation for early mobility and simplified wound care. In this paper, the authors review the management of a collocated major fracture and dermal burn injury in adult multi-trauma patients. In particular, this study examines the methods and timing for fracture fixation and the fracture complications observed. They observed a high rate of fracture complications with internal fixation, despite undergoing management within 24 h of presentation. They write, "At this point, we are unable to conclude on the safety of utilising internal fixation in the collocated injury."

Reference: Bradshaw, L., Wasiak, J., Cleland, H. Is operative management of fractures safe in the collocated burn and fracture injury? Injury 46(6) 1 June 2015, pp.1145-1149

Publication: Risk factors for depression during perimenopause

Perimenopause is often associated with varying levels of psychological distress. Research has identified this time as a period of increased risk for both depression and psychosis. However, we know that the majority of women do not experience these difficulties during perimenopause. This chapter examines the current research literature looking at the factors associated with mental health difficulties during perimenopause, including both protective factors and those associated with increased risk.

Reference: Gibbs, Z., Kulkarni, J. Risk factors for depression during perimenopause. Diana Barnes (ed), Women's Reproductive Mental Health Across the Lifespan (2014) pp. 215-233

Research: Getting tested for syphilis - good idea but not being done

Getting tested - good idea. Image AFAO

The rapid rise in syphilis cases has prompted a number of public health campaigns to assist men who have sex with men (MSM) recognize and present early with symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the temporal trend of the duration of self-report symptoms and titre of rapid plasma reagin (RPR) in MSM with infectious syphilis. Alternative strategies such as more frequent testing of MSM should be promoted to control the syphilis epidemic in Australia.
  
Reference: Chow EP, Dutt K, Fehler G, Denham I, Chen MY, Batrouney C, Peel J, Read TR, Bradshaw CS, Fairley CK.Duration of syphilis symptoms at presentations in men who have sex with men in Australia: are current public health campaigns effective? Epidemiology and Infection, 1 June 2015, 10p

Research: Increasing the genetic understanding of Staphylococcus aureus

Image: en.wikipedia.org

To assess the genetic factors contributing to daptomycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, the draft genome of a clinically derived daptomycin-nonsusceptible isolate APS211 was generated and compared to the draft sequence of its susceptible progenitor strain APS210. Four genetic differences were identified including a previously described mutation within the mprF gene.

Reference: Cameron DR, Jiang J-H, Abbott IJ, Spelman DW, Peleg AY. 2015. Draft genome sequences of clinical daptomycin-nonsusceptible methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain APS211 and its daptomycin-susceptible progenitor APS210. Genome Announc 3(3):e00568-15. doi:10.1128/genomeA.00568-15

Proposed improvement for Advanced Trauma Life Support care

Dr Mark Fitzgerald, one of the study authors, is a trauma surgeon
at the Alfred and Acting Director of the National Trauma Research
Institute

This article proposes a counter-argument to standard Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) training - which advocates bladder catheterisation to be performed as an adjunct to the primary survey and resuscitation for early decompression of the bladder and urine output monitoring. We argue the case for delaying bladder catheterisation until after definitive truncal Computed Tomography (CT) imaging.
Reference: Huang, S., Vohora, A., Russ, M.K., Mathew, J.K., Johnny, C.S., Stevens, J., Fitzgerald, M.C. Delaying urinary catheter insertion in the reception and resuscitation of blunt multitrauma and using a full bladder to tamponade pelvic bleeding. Injury (2015) 46 (6) pp.1081 - 1083