Changes over time in novel benzodiazepines contributing to fatal overdoses in Victoria, Australia.

Introduction: Novel benzodiazepines (NBZN) have increased in availability and use since the mid-2000s, with a corresponding rise in associated harms including deaths.

Methods: The study used data from the Victorian Overdose Deaths Register to explore which specific NBZNs and combinations of NBZNs contributed over time to Victorian overdose deaths between January 2009 and December 2023.

Results: There were 140 NBZN-involved overdose deaths in Victoria, with an observable increase in deaths from 2019 onward.

A population-based cross-sectional study examining homicides among community-dwelling older adults in Victoria, Australia: A study protocol.

Background: There is a need for both descriptive and analytical evidence on the factors associated with older adult homicide. The current landscape is insufficient because most published research is confined to the United States, and contains insufficient data about the homicide context. This study protocol describes the proposed method for examining the characteristics and factors associated with older adult homicide in the Australian state of Victoria, using data generated for the criminal and coronial investigation into these deaths stored in the Victorian Homicide Register (VHR).

Undiagnosed gastric adenocarcinoma causing progressive respiratory failure.

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rare manifestation of malignancy. Pulmonary tumor emboli and associated fibrous intimal hyperplasia cause widespread pulmonary vascular stenosis/occlusion, which in turn increase pulmonary vascular resistance and lead to pulmonary hypertension. Gastric cancer is the most common underlying malignancy that leads to PTTM, and patients may present with dyspnea or other features of pulmonary hypertension prior to the diagnosis of cancer.

Jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, and portal lymphadenopathy in a middle-aged female: Is it lymphoma?

Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare liver disease which often progresses to cirrhosis. It can be difficult to diagnose as patients are often asymptomatic initially or merely complain of fatigue or pruritus. We describe the case of a 56-year-old female who presented with a 2-month history of painless jaundice and constitutional symptoms.

Augmentation with pre-emptive macrogol-based osmotic laxative does not significantly improve standard bowel preparation in unselected patients: A randomized trial.

Background And Aim: The addition of a laxative prior to a standard bowel preparation (BP) has shown variable results in efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the BP. This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of a macrogol-augmented BP (M-BP) with standard BP for routine colonoscopy in unselected patients.

Methods: Adults undergoing outpatient colonoscopy were randomized to either M-BP (one sachet of macrogol-based osmotic laxative (MBOL) twice daily for eight doses prior to standard preparation) or BP (split-dose of polyethylene glycol and sodium picosulfate).

Understanding fatal older road user crash circumstances and risk factors.

Objective: This study used medicolegal data to investigate fatal older road user (ORU) crash circumstances and risk factors relating to four key components of the Safe System approach (e.g., roads and roadsides, vehicles, road users, and speeds) to identify areas of priority for targeted prevention activity.