Personalised estimates of dosage within a population-based cohort suggest limited evidence that drinking water chemistry modulates health outcomes.

Access to clean drinking water is crucial for human health, but there are concerns that consumption levels of particular solutes may be linked to negative health outcomes. Many studies use data aggregated to area-level to assess consumption-health associations, but these do not account for differences in behaviour between individuals. Therefore, we combined publicly reported tap water chemistry from compliance data with estimated drinking water consumption within the home calculated from a water habits survey for 1970 UK adults from the TwinsUK cohort.

Putting the patient first: Should general practitioners start people with probable Parkinson's disease on levodopa while awaiting diagnostic confirmation?

Background: Parkinson's disease poses challenges for timely diagnosis and specialist care, particularly in rural areas.

Objective: This paper aims to assist general practitioners (GPs) who wish to collaborate with their patient with probable Parkinson's disease to improve access to appropriate medication when there might be a delay in obtaining a confirmatory diagnosis from a Parkinson's disease specialist. The feasibility and rationale for commencing levodopa as well as an approach to initiating and monitoring its response are discussed.

Emotion regulation during pregnancy: A pathway from maternal childhood maltreatment to perinatal mental health.

The perinatal period is a critical time during which the effects of maternal early life adversity can manifest for both the pregnant individual and their child. Early life adversity in the form of childhood maltreatment (CM) - encompassing abuse, neglect, and witnessing interpersonal violence - is widely prevalent. History of CM is linked to elevated perinatal mental health problems.

Consensus recommendations on multiple sclerosis management in Australia and New Zealand: part 2.

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system with rapidly evolving treatment options and strategies. An iterative modified Delphi process was used to develop 80 consensus recommendations for the management of MS in Australia and New Zealand. Part 1 of these guidelines includes recommendations related to selection of initial disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for MS, assessments before commencing DMT, monitoring disease activity on DMT, switching DMT, and discontinuing DMT.

Consensus recommendations on multiple sclerosis management in Australia and New Zealand: part 1.

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. There were 33 335 people with MS in Australia in 2021 and 2917 in New Zealand in 2006 and the prevalence and incidence are increasing with time. Although new treatments have substantially improved outcomes in recent decades, the treatment landscape has become increasingly complex due to the expanding number of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and associated safety considerations.

The role of prenatal perceived stress and hair cortisol as they relate to toddler socioemotional outcomes over the first three years.

Prenatal maternal psychological distress and physiological stress (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] activity) can negative impact early child development. Research rarely examines the combined or interactive role of prenatal perceived stress and HPA activity on child outcomes. The current longitudinal study examined how prenatal distress and HPA activity impacted child socioemotional functioning from age 1-3.

The multiple sclerosis self-concept change scale: Development and validation of a new measure.

Background: Self-concept change may impact psychological wellbeing and functioning in people with MS (pwMS). However, the extent and nature of change in self-concept that pwMS experience is poorly understood, owing to the lack of quantitative measures available to assess this construct.

Objective: To examine the factor structure, validity, and internal consistency of the newly developed Multiple Sclerosis Self-Concept Change Scale (MSSCCS).

Modelling accessibility of adult neurology care in Australia, 2020-2034.

Introduction: In 2015/2016, annual national expenditure on neurological conditions exceeded $A3 billion. However, a comprehensive study of the Australian neurological workforce and supply/demand dynamics has not previously been undertaken.

Methods: Current neurological workforce was defined using neurologist survey and other sources.

Trajectories of distress from pregnancy to 15-months post-partum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly burdened pregnant and postpartum women. It remains unclear how distress levels of pregnant and postpartum people have changed (or persisted) as the pandemic continues on and which factors may contribute to these trajectories of distress.

Methods: This longitudinal study included 304 pregnant people, who were followed during pregnancy, 6-weeks, 6-months and 15-months postpartum.

Associations between psychological distress and hair cortisol during pregnancy and the early postpartum: A meta-analysis.

Pregnancy and the early postpartum signify a period of high stress. Perinatal stress can include psychological distress (PD), such as anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as neuroendocrine stress, indexed by activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the production of the hormone cortisol. Elevated PD and cortisol levels during the perinatal period can have long-term implications for the mother and child.

Cervical CT scan-guided epidural blood patches for spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

We describe two patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), presenting with postural headache due to C1-C2 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. Both patients were refractory to lumbar epidural blood patching (EBP), and subsequently underwent successful CT scan-guided cervical EBP. SIH affects approximately 1 in 50,000 patients, with females more frequently affected.

Primary angiitis of the central nervous system presenting as a mass lesion.

We report a 51-year-old Asian man with primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) with atypical presentation as a mass lesion. PACNS is an uncommon condition causing inflammation and destruction of the blood vessels of the central nervous system. The aetiology is unclear and multiple mechanisms have been proposed.

Drug related problems identified by community pharmacists on hospital discharge prescriptions in New Zealand.

Background: There can be a lack of transfer of information between hospitals and community pharmacies following patient discharge, which puts patients at a high risk of suffering drug related problems (DRPs). Community pharmacy plays a vital role in identifying and solving these discharge DRPs and taking action before these DRPs can lead to patient harm.

Objective: To identify the types and quantities of DRPs that community pharmacies detect within a single district health board (DHB) in New Zealand.

A randomized controlled trial of CBT therapy for adults with ADHD with and without medication.

Background: Previous studies of psychological treatment in adults with ADHD have not controlled for medication status and include either medicated participants or mixed samples of medicated and unmedicated participants. The objective of this study is to examine whether use of medication improves outcome of therapy.

Method: This was a secondary analysis comparing 23 participants randomized to CBT and Dextroamphetamine vs.

A naturalistic study of predictors and risks of atypical antipsychotic use in an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder clinic.

Objective: This was an exploratory study to examine the use of atypical antipsychotics in an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) clinic.

Method: A total of 194 patients was examined to compare those receiving atypical or second-generation antipsychotics (atypicals) from those who were not. A sample of 27 children on atypicals received laboratory investigation for indicators of possible metabolic effects.