John Naish’s contribution to the literature and history of the Queensland canefields

BackgroundThere is an overwhelming burden of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease among Indigenous Australians. In this high risk population, it is vital that we are able to measure accurately kidney function. Glomerular filtration rate is the best overall marker of kidney function. However, differences in body build and body composition between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians suggest that creatinine-based estimates of glomerular filtration rate derived for European populations may not be appropriate for Indigenous Australians. The burden of kidney disease is borne disproportionately by Indigenous Australians in central and northern Australia, and there is significant heterogeneity in body build and composition within and amongst these groups. This heterogeneity might differentially affect the accuracy of estimation of glomerular filtration rate between different Indigenous groups. By assessing kidney function in Indigenous Australians from Northern Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia, we aim to determine a validated and practical measure of glomerular filtration rate suitable for use in all Indigenous Australians.Methods/DesignA cross-sectional study of Indigenous Australian adults (target n = 600, 50% male) across 4 sites: Top End, Northern Territory; Central Australia; Far North Queensland and Western Australia. The reference measure of glomerular filtration rate was the plasma disappearance rate of iohexol over 4 hours. We will compare the accuracy of the following glomerular filtration rate measures with the reference measure: Modification of Diet in Renal Disease 4-variable formula, Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation, Cockcroft-Gault formula and cystatin C- derived estimates. Detailed assessment of body build and composition was performed using anthropometric measurements, skinfold thicknesses, bioelectrical impedance and a sub-study used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. A questionnaire was performed for socio-economic status and medical history.DiscussionWe have successfully managed several operational challenges within this multi-centre complex clinical research project performed across remote North, Western and Central Australia. It seems unlikely that a single correction factor (similar to that for African-Americans) to the equation for estimated glomerular filtration rate will prove appropriate or practical for Indigenous Australians. However, it may be that a modification of the equation in Indigenous Australians would be to include a measure of fat-free mass.

What is the difference between Indigenous Australian and non-Indigenous Australian undergraduate students' alcohol use, and alcohol-related harms at one regional Australian university?

BackgroundMalnutrition is associated with adverse outcomes for hospital inpatients and is a significant economic burden on hospitals. Malnutrition is frequently under-recognised in this setting and valid screening and early diagnosis are important for timely nutritional management. Aboriginal Australian and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples (Indigenous Australians) are likely to be at increased risk of malnutrition due to their disproportionate burden, pattern and age-distribution of chronic diseases. Despite this increased risk, the burden and impact of malnutrition in Indigenous Australians is poorly understood. Furthermore, a suitable screening tool has not been validated for this vulnerable patient group. The aim of this study is to determine the burden of malnutrition, understand its impact, and validate a malnutrition screening tool for Indigenous Australian inpatients.MethodsThis project involves cross-sectional, prospective cohort and diagnostic validation methodologies to assess the burden and impact of malnutrition and to validate a malnutrition screening tool. A target of 752 adult Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian inpatients will be recruited across three different public hospitals in the Northern Territory and far north Queensland of Australia. Cross-sectional data collection will be used to determine the prevalence of malnutrition using the Subjective Global Assessment and to stratify participants based on the International Consensus Guideline Committee malnutrition aetiology-diagnostic framework. Subjects will then be followed prospectively to measure short and long-term health outcomes such as length of hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, 30-day and 6-month readmission rates. Finally, the utility of a new screening tool, the Australian Nutrition Tool, will be assessed against an existing screening tool, the malnutrition screening tool, used in these settings and the malnutrition reference standard, the Subjective Global Assessment.DiscussionIndigenous Australians continue to experience poorer levels of health than non-Indigenous Australians and issues such as food insecurity, poor diet, and a disproportionate burden of chronic disease play a key contributing role for malnutrition in Indigenous Australians. To improve the health and hospital outcomes of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, it is important that patients are routinely screened using a validated screening tool. It is also imperative that the burden and impact of malnutrition is properly understood, and fully appreciated, so that early and appropriate nutritional management can be provided to this group of hospital patients.

[Extract] Public health initiatives aimed at promoting the negative health impacts of smoking have led to decreases in smoking among non-indigenous populations; however, higher rates of smoking continue to be the leading cause of disease burden among indigenous populations throughout the developed world. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (hereafter referred to as Indigenous Australians), the situation is dire with Indigenous Australians 1.9 times more likely to die of lung cancer Rates of smoking vary within and between Indigenous communities with significantly higher rates reported for Indigenous populations (41%) compared with non-Indigenous Australians (16%). Remoteness and younger age appear to be critical risk factors for higher rates of smoking among Indigenous Australians with rates as high as 62% reported for women aged 15 to 34 years in a remote community in North Queensland and 76% among men in a community in the Northern Territory.

Risk and protective factors for violent behaviour and incarceration for Indigenous and non-Indigenous men in North Queensland

Books reviewed:Anthropology and historyHare, Tom, Remembering Osiris: number, gender, and the word in ancient Egyptian representational systemsHarlan, Jack R., The living fields: our agricultural heritageInomata, Takeshi & Stephen D. Houston (eds), Royal courts of the ancient Maya. Vol. 1: theory, comparison, synthesisLockwood, Matthew, Fertility and house– hold labour in Tanzania: demography, economy, and society in Rufiji district, c.1870–1986Pollock, Susan, Ancient Mesopotamia: the Eden that never was (Case Stud. early soc.)Quijada, Mónica, Carmen Bernand & Arnd Schneider, Homogeneidad y nación: con un estudio de caso: Argentina, siglos XIX y XX (Coll. tierra nueva e cielo nuovo 42)Anthropology of religionAssayag, Jackie & Gilles Tarabout (eds), La possession en asie du sud: parole, corps, territorie / Possession in South Asia: speech, body, territoryKlass, Morton & Maxine K. Weisgrau (eds), Across the boundaries of belief (Contemp. issues in anthr. relig.)Rakotomalala, Malanjaona, Sophie Blancy & Françoise Raison–Jourde, Madagascar: les ancêtres au quotidien: usages sociaux du religieux sur les Hautes–Terres MalgachesDevelopmentBierschenk, Thomas, J.–P. Chaveau & J.–P. Olivier de Sardan (eds), Courtiers en développement: les villages africains en quête de projets (Collection ‘Hommes et Sociétés’)Zerner, Charles (ed.), People, plants, and justice: the politics of nature conservationGeneralArmbrust, Walter (ed.), Mass mediations: new approaches to popular culture in the Middle East and beyondDupont, Veronique, Emma Tarlo & Denis Vidal (eds), Delhi: urban space and human destiniesKing, Victor T. (ed.), Rural development and social science research: case studies from Borneo (Borneo Res. Counc. Proc. 6)Privratsky, Bruce G., Muslim Turkistan: Kazak religion and collective memoryVan Beek, Martijn, Kristoffer Brix Bertelsen & Poul Pedersen (eds), Ladakh: culture, history, and development between Himalaya and Karakoram (Recent research on Ladakh 8)Winzeler, Robert L. (ed.), Indigenous architecture in Borneo: traditional patterns and new developments (Borneo Res. Counc. Proc. 5)Human evolutionAgustí, Jorge, Lorenzo Rook & Peter Andrews (eds), The evolution of Neogene terrestrial ecosystems in Europe (Hominoid Evol. clim. chge Eur 1)Curtiss, Garniss, Carl Swisher & Roger Lewin, Java man: how two geologists changed the history of human evolutionde Bonis, Louis, George Koufos & Peter Andrews (eds), Phylogeny of the Neogene hominoid primates of Eurasia (Hominoid Evol. clim. chge Eur. 2)Ghiglieri, Michael P., The dark side of man: tracing the origins of male violenceLegal anthropologyJust, Peter, Dou Donggo justice: conflict and morality in an Indonesian societyKahn, Paul W., The cultural study of law: reconstructing legal scholarshipNiezen, Ronald, Defending the land: sover– eignty and forest life in James Bay Cree society (Cult. Surv. Stud. Ethn. Chge)Peterson, Nicolas & Will Sanders (eds), Citizenship and indigenous Australians: changing conceptions and possibilities (Reshaping Australian Institutions ser.)MethodGuneratne, Katharine Bjork, In the circle of the dance: notes of an outsider in NepalMihesuh, Devon A. (ed.), Natives and academics: researching and writing about American IndiansMukherji, Partha Nath (ed.), Methodology in social research: dilemmas and perspectives: essays in honour of Ramkrishna MukherjeeNewman, Paul & Martha Ratliff (eds), Linguistic fieldworkSocial anthropologyFonseca, Isabel, Bury me standing: the Gypsies and their journeyForshee, Jill, Between the folds: stories of cloth, lives, and travels from SumbaHua, Cai (transl. Asti Hustvedt), A society without fathers or husbands: the Na of ChinaJackson, Peter, Michelle Lowe, Danielle Miller & Frank Mort (eds), Commercial cultures: economies, practices, spaces (Leisure, consumption and culture)McKnight, David, People, Countries, and the Rainbow Serpent: systems of classification among the Lardil of Mornington Island (Oxford studs. in anthrop. ling. 12)Palerm Viqueira, Jacinta & Tomás Martínez Saldaña (eds), Antologia sobre pequeño riego, Vol. II (Organizaciones Autogestivas)Pottier, Johan, Anthropology of food: the social dynamics of food securitySchmidt, Bettina E. & Ingo W. Schröder (eds), Anthropology of violence and conflict (EASA)Schneider, Arnd, Futures lost: nostalgia and identity among Italian immigrants in ArgentinaSmith–Hefner, Nancy J., Khmer American: identity and moral education in a diasporic communityTheoryDube, Leela, Anthropological explorations in gender: intersecting fieldsKuper, Adam, Among the anthropologists: history and context in anthropologyLatta, Robert L., The basic humor process: a cognitive–shift theory and the case against incongruity (Humor Res. 5)Linke, Uli, Blood and nation: the European aesthetics of raceLittlewood, Roland, Religion, agency, restitution (Wilde Lectures in Natural Religion 1999)Martin, Calvin Luther, The way of the human beingMiller, Dean A, The epic heroStedman Jones, Susan, Durkheim reconsideredTilley, Christopher, Metaphor and material cultureTodorov, Tzvetan (transl. K. Golsan & L. Golsan), Life in common: an essay in general anthropology (European Horizons)Wolf, Eric R., Pathways of power: building an anthropology of the modern world

There is very little information known about esophageal cancer in Indigenous persons. In this retrospective study, we investigated the epidemiological and clinical features of Indigenous Australians with esophageal cancer. A retrospective study was carried out on Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians diagnosed with esophageal cancer at Cairns Base Hospital during the period 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2006. Information was obtained from hospital medical records, Queensland Cancer Registry survival data and Queensland Health Pathology Services laboratory results. Thirteen Indigenous and 53 non-Indigenous patients were diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma accounted for a significantly higher proportion of esophageal cancers among Indigenous (11/13) than non-Indigenous patients (24/53) (P = 0.0135). Among patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer, Indigenous patients were more likely than non-Indigenous patients to present with metastatic disease (P = 0.0271) at a younger mean age (50.7 years vs 67.2 years; P = 0.0002). There was no significant difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients concerning their mean survival time from date of biopsy (P = 0.7834) and whether patients had ever smoked (P = 0.0721) or consumed alcohol (P = 0.2849). There is a high incidence of squamous esophageal cancer in the Indigenous population in Far North Queensland. Indigenous persons tend to present at a younger age and with metastatic disease.

The burden and nature of malnutrition among patients in regional hospital settings: A cross-sectional survey

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and social disadvantage are related. In Australia, this association is most pronounced among Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples). Indigenous Australians are among the most socially disadvantaged in the country, having the worst social determinants of health (SDoH). SDoH are typically addressed at a population level, and not on an individual or a clinical level. However, the SDoH-related needs of individuals also require attention. The adverse link between type 2 diabetes and SDoH suggests that simultaneous consideration at an individual, clinical level may be beneficial for type 2 diabetes care and self-management. Identifying and addressing SDoH-related barriers to type 2 diabetes self-management may augment current care for Indigenous Australians. This study aimed to combine the perspectives of Indigenous Australians with type 2 diabetes and Indigenous health workers to explore the SDoH-related barriers and facilitators to self-managing type 2 diabetes, and how SDoH could be incorporated into the usual clinical care for Indigenous Australians with type 2 diabetes. Under the guidance of a cultural advisor and Indigenous health workers, seven Indigenous Australians with type 2 diabetes and seven Indigenous health workers from rural and remote north Queensland, Australia, participated in a series of semi-structured, in-depth face-to-face interviews and yarning circles. A clinical yarning approach to data collection was used, and both an inductive and a deductive data analysis were applied. Data were analysed, and themes were identified using NVivo v12. Study participants described a holistic view of health that innately includes SDoH. Specific to type 2 diabetes care, participants identified that culturally responsive service delivery, suitable transport provision, an infinite flexible approach to accommodate for individuals' unique social circumstances, appropriate client education and appropriate cultural education for health professionals, support mechanisms and community support services were all essential components. These were not seen as separate entities, but as interrelated, and all were required in order to incorporate SDoH into care for Indigenous Australians with type 2 diabetes. SDoH are implicit to the Indigenous Australian holistic view of health. Consequently, an approach to type 2 diabetes care that complements this view by simultaneously considering SDoH and usual type 2 diabetes clinical management could lead to enhanced type 2 diabetes care and self-management for Indigenous Australians.

Reviewed by: Undermining Race: Ethnic Identities in Arizona Copper Camps, 1880-1920 Marshall Schott Undermining Race: Ethnic Identities in Arizona Copper Camps, 1880-1920. By Phylis Cancilla Martinelli. (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2009. Pp. 238. Map, table, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN 9780816527458, $50.00 cloth.) Phylis Martinelli, a professor of sociology at St. Mary's College in California, has spent most of her professional career studying the history and experiences of Italian immigrants in the United States. In her most recent work, she has raised important questions regarding the development of racial/ethnic identity and the complexity of understanding the relationships between majority and minority groups in American society. In Undermining Race, Martinelli examines the formation of ethnic identity in three Arizona mining camps and the social, economic, and political exchanges that occurred between the multiplicity of groups settling the Arizona frontier. Her work further contributes to the literature of New Western History and the evolving discussions about the place of race and ethnicity in shaping American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Martinelli examines the history and socio-economic development of Globe, Bisbee, and Clifton-Morenci, Arizona, during the copper mining boom of the late nineteenth century. The study focuses on the place of Italian immigrants in their respective "microclimates" and the way they establish their ethnic identity through their interactions with each other and the various other racial/ethnic groups in their respective communities. What Martinelli confirms is that the formation and persistence of ethnic identity varies a great deal from community to community based on a myriad of factors. These include the acceptance of the ethnic minority by ruling elites, access to jobs, affiliations and affinity with other ethnic minority groups based on religious and linguistic similarities, and their ability to navigate through the challenging socio-cultural hierarchy between majority and minority populations, to name a few. A real strength of Undermining Race is the extent to which it develops a holistic account of the formation of ethnic/racial identity among Italian immigrants within the context of other ethnic/racial minorities on the Arizona frontier. In the case of Globe, Arizona, for example, white community leaders provided many [End Page 104] opportunities to Italian immigrants as an "in-between" group. They were generally accepted as equivalent to whites and received higher wages and better jobs than their black or Mexican counterparts. These factors helped Italian immigrants prosper and develop a relatively self-sufficient ethnic enclave, a "Little Italy" with stores, bars, and saloons that catered to their specific needs and wants as well as those of the dominant white community. On the other hand, Italian immigrants faced greater challenges in Bisbee and Clifton-Morenci, where they found themselves subordinated within the ethnic/racial hierarchy. In the latter example, Italians fraternized closely with Mexican laborers, held offices in multiethnic mutual aid associations, attended multiethnic services at the Catholic church, and collaborated on Western Federation of Miners' activities aimed at improving wages in the region for nonwhite miners. Over time, bonds between Italians and Mexicans grew stronger with repeated union efforts to reverse the unequal wage structure. In the end, Martinelli concludes, the shared struggles of Mexicans and Italians created a melding of cultures that challenged the rigid economic and social hierarchy established by the copper barons. Perhaps the best assessment of the experience of Italians in the camps was spoken by Jeanette Monsegur Frick, a descendant of immigrants from Italy's Piedmont region, when she remarked that her "outlook is American through an Italian-Mexican view." (163-64) Although Undermining Race does not fully develop the factors shaping the world-views held by the copper barons and local ruling elites who largely established the social and economic constructs in which ethnic identity was formed, Martinelli's work does provide an interesting and innovative means through which we can gain a better understanding of the American West's multiethnic past. Marshall Schott University of Houston Copyright © 2010 The Texas State Historical Association

Aim: To describe clinical and histopathological features of statin associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathies (NAM) in Indigenous Australians and increase awareness of this condition amongst treating physicians. Methods: Cases were collected through the Rheumatology Department at The Townsville Hospital between March 2012 and January 2015. A chart review was performed to obtain retrospective information about each case. We detail patient demographics, presenting features, histopathological findings, autoimmune profile, treatment and outcomes. Results: 4 Indigenous Australians were identified as having a biopsy confirmed statin associated NAM. All patients had been on atorvastatin for at least 2 years and had significant proximal weakness with average CK level on presentation 16,820 U/L. Predisposing factors for myopathy included vitamin D deficiency and diabetes mellitus (all cases), with primary hypothyroidism and liver cirrhosis identified in two other cases. Two individuals were positive for the auto-antibody anti-HMGCR. Histopathological findings included muscle necrosis with varying degrees of inflammation, membrane attack complex (MAC) deposition and MHC-1 upregulation. Treatment involved various combinations of prednisolone, IVIG, methotrexate and mycophenolate. Recovery was slow but favourable in all cases with an average length of inpatient stay of 54 days. There was a significant delay in diagnosis of 1–3 months in two of the cases. Conclusions: The statin associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathies are rare but important disorders that cause significant morbidity to affected individuals. Given the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Indigenous Australians, further research is required to facilitate earlier diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes.

The Study of Australian Jazz and the Issue of Methodological Nationalism

To investigate the prevalence, extent, and severity of oral-health-related quality of life among dental patients in far north Queensland, Australia. A questionnaire was designed consisting of two parts: socio-demographic questions and the short form of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) in part 1 and 2 respectively. The survey was conducted from July to August 2014 among patients attending the James Cook University Dental Clinic. Five hundred and nineteen questionnaires were distributed and collected. Of these, 40 were excluded from the analysis due to being incomplete. Therefore, a total of 479 questionnaires were available for the analysis. Half the respondents (50.9%) reported one or more of the 14 impacts as "fairly often" or "very often." The individual OHIP items with the highest prevalence recorded were physical pain and psychological discomfort. Females (52.2%) experienced a slightly higher prevalence compared to males (49.3%) but this difference was not statistically significant (Chi-square test: P>0.05). Participants who identified as Indigenous Australian or Torres Strait Islanders and those in the 36-50 age group recorded the highest prevalence (Kruskal-Wallis test: P<0.05). Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders also reported the highest mean extent score (4.39) and mean severity score (23.19). This study revealed comparatively higher prevalence, extent, and severity scores reflecting a significantly poor oral-health-related quality of life among dental patients living in far north Queensland, Australia.

To estimate the incidence of type 2 diabetes in two ethnically distinct Indigenous populations in north Queensland, Australia. A community-based follow-up study of 1814 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults from 1999 to 2007. Participants were initially free of diabetes and lived in 19 remote communities in Far North Queensland. Fasting blood glucose level; diagnosis of diabetes; blood lipid levels; weight; waist circumference (WC); and blood pressure. Of the 554 adults who completed the study, 100 developed diabetes over 3412 person-years (py) of follow-up. The incidence of diabetes was similar for Aboriginals (29.7 [95% CI, 20.4-38.4] per 1000 py) and Torres Strait Islanders (29.0 [95% CI, 21.8-38.6] per 1000 py) despite large differences in baseline body mass index (BMI) and WC. The age-standardised incidence for both populations was 30.5 per 1000 py. Obesity defined by WC increased the risk of developing diabetes for Aboriginals (rate ratio [RR], 2.0 [95% CI, 1.1-3.6]) and for Torres Strait Islanders (RR, 6.3 [95% CI, 2.5-16.1]) compared with normal WC. Presence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) was a strong predictor of incident diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.4 [95% CI, 1.6-3.7]). For both groups, waist-to-hip ratio and the presence of the MetS better predicted diabetes than WC or BMI. The incidence of diabetes in these Indigenous Australians is nearly four times higher than for the non-Indigenous population and 50% higher than the incidence reported 10 years ago in Australian Aboriginals. Currently used BMI cut-off points are not appropriate for Indigenous Australians to predict diabetes.

This paper has two purposes. First, we examine crime associated with the consequences of card and commercial gambling by Indigenous Australians in two states, in north Queensland (QLD) and in northern New South Wales (NSW). Second, we identify public health interventions potentially useful for reducing harmful gambling consequences. Permission was granted by Indigenous Elders and a university ethics committee to conduct this research. Using qualitative methods and purposeful sampling, interviews were conducted with 229 Indigenous Australians and 79 non-Indigenous gambling help counsellors, gaming venue managers and others. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews. Results show two types of crime were most evident, those committed to support a gambling habit (fraud and theft) and family dysfunction. Potential interventions reported to hold promise for minimising some harmful gambling consequences include: appropriate community education and awareness campaigns targeting Indigenous gamblers, families and their communities; the provision of Indigenous gambling outreach services; and culturally appropriate gambling counselling and treatment services. As gambling issues are interlinked with cultural, social and economic influences, the real challenge is to work with regional Indigenous communities to develop and deliver relevant holistic interventions appropriate to their needs.