Suburbs Of Sydney Research Articles

Earlier testing after vasectomy, based on the absence of motile sperm

To review the results of postvasectomy testing when clearance was based on the absence of motile sperm and to compare them with regimens based on complete azoospermia. A review of 2,260 seminal assay results from 3,178 consecutive vasectomies performed during a 17-year period. An outpatient vasectomy service in a private group practice in suburban Sydney. Clearance was given sooner and with less testing than with other reported regimens, without loss of reliability. Testing can be done 4 weeks after vasectomy, regardless of the number of postvasectomy ejaculations. If specimens are examined within 12 hours of collection, clearance may safely be given if motile sperm are absent. Repeat tests are essential if any motile sperm remain but are not needed if only nonmotile sperm are found.

Investigation of hepatitis A cases in a single street

Between February and April 1993 the Western Sector Public Health Unit was notified of eight cases of hepatitis A. All cases were resident in the same street in a western suburb of Sydney.

Mobile community treatment in inner city and suburban Sydney.

Intensive and assertive community based treatment was provided to 27 inner city and 45 suburban severely and chronically mentally ill patients in Sydney. The teams use assertive outreach methods to address the needs of these most difficult to treat patients who have only sporadically complied with outpatient treatment and who frequently required hospitalisation. The staff-patient ratio at 1:10 on both teams is much higher than in the conventional mental health centres. Preliminary outcomes indicate that the number of hospital bed days of the suburban patients dropped by 67%, that stability in accommodation for inner city patients increased, and that functioning improved significantly for patients treated by both teams.

Shell Bed Or Shell Midden

Distinguishing natural accumulations of shell from Aboriginal shell middens is a problem often faced by archaeologists working in coastal regions (Attenbrow 1984; Ceci 1984; Dortch 1991; McBryde 1973; Statham 1892). I recently investigated two buried layers of shell which their discoverers thought could be Aboriginal shell middens. One was in Cumberland Street in Sydney's CBD and the other in St Ives, a northern suburb of Sydney. My initial field examinations suggested the former was an Aboriginal shell midden and the latter natural shell bed material. It was obvious from their locations, well above the shoreline, that neither were in situ natural shell beds. However, because of the contexts in which they occurred, the question remained: were they, (1) in situ Aboriginal shell middens; (2) humanly redeposited natural shell bed material; (3) humanly re-deposited Aboriginal shell midden; or (4) in the case of Cumberland Street, food remains of early British settlers?       Â

Dirofilaria immitis in cats from inner Sydney

Two hundred feral cats from the inner suburbs of Sydney were examined post mortem for adult Dirofilaria immitis and circulating microfilariae, and 101 of these cats were tested for heartworm antigens by an ELISA. Only 2 cats (1%) had adult heartworms, the blood sample from another cat contained a single microfilaria. The blood of a further three cats contained small amounts of D immitis antigen. Although D immitis occurs in cats in Sydney, the prevalence is not high enough to warrant prophylactic treatment.

Chelmsford and its aftermath

In mid-1963, Dr Harry Richard Bailey admitted a patient to Chelmsford, a small private hospital in a north-western suburb of Sydney. Between then and April 1979 he, and subsequently a handful of associates, treated a large number of patients with deep sedation, often combined with ECT. The patients' diagnoses included schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and drug addiction; nothing suggests that the diagnosis and the treatment had any particular connection. Records exist for some 1,100 patients, 24 of whom died as a consequence of the treatment; 16 of them were under the age of 50. Others suffered brain damage, convulsions, delirium, pneumonia, hallucinations, cardiac irregularities, abscesses, urinary tract infections, fractures, and other complications.

Interaction between diabetic patients, their general practitioners and a hospital diabetic clinic

The aim of this study was to examine the sociodemographic data of diabetic patients referred to our clinic and to correlate these with characteristics of their individual general practitioners. How these factors affect the interaction between patients, general practitioners and a hospital diabetic clinic was evaluated. Prospective recruitment of consecutive referrals. The diabetic clinic of a teaching hospital located in the inner city suburbs of Sydney. Two hundred and forty-six patients with diabetes (10% insulin dependent), aged 20-86 years, participating in our Shared Care Project, a randomised controlled study on various methods of following up diabetic patients. Data for the study were gathered by interview and questionnaire during first assessment at the clinic. Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of patients; the location of general practitioners, their diagnostic equipment and type of practice; and the level of detail recorded in referral letters from general practitioners. Diabetic patients of migrant background who cannot speak English are older and have less formal education. They see their doctors more often and seek out general practitioners who speak their language, even if it means travelling longer distances. Patients referred from 24 hour medical centres are younger, more educated and have less contact with their doctors both in duration and frequency of visits when compared with patients whose general practitioners operate in conventional sole or partnership practices. Many patients have more than one general practitioner, making communication with hospitals difficult. In their referral letters, general practitioners usually concentrate on hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and metabolic aspects of diabetes, but under-emphasise diabetic complications; they make insufficient use of measurement of the glycosylated haemoglobin level to assess diabetic control while over-using glucose tolerance testing in making the diagnosis. The referral letter often does not contain enough information to help clinical decision making. Demography of patients and characteristics of general practitioners are important factors which can affect their interaction with public hospitals. Bearing in mind the work load of general practitioners and the diverse nature of patients, hospitals must implement systems which make it easier for general practitioners and patients to interact with them.

Consumerism in the health care setting: an exploratory study of factors underlying the selection and evaluation of primary medical services

Recent policy initiatives in Australia have continued the debate concerning the appropriate model of health care for this country. A market economy model, predicated on the existence of true consumerism, has been promoted by influential organisations to replace the current system. To test the validity of this perception and to explore the level of consumerism which exists in the Australian health care setting, we undertook a cross-sectional survey of general practitioner attenders in the outer western and northern suburbs of Sydney. Three hundred and thirty-three patients from six general practices were polled over a two-week period in March 1990. Far from demonstrating consumerist behaviour (especially the considered selection and evaluation of services), the survey population was strongly attracted to the traditional model of medical care, which is characterised by the trusting and dependent relationship of patients with their doctors.

Recreating the village: the development of groups to improve social relationships among mothers of newborn infants in Australia

There is a clear link between social relationships and health in terms of both morbidity and mortality. The study was conducted during 1989 and 1990 among mothers of newborn infants from a middle-ranking socioeconomic status suburb in Sydney (Ryde). Thirty-four per cent of the study group had a moderate level of social isolation and 16 per cent had a high level of social isolation. These mothers strongly valued participation in the groups: virtually all original participants remained with the group both during a five-week formal period with a nursing staff member as the leader and during months and up to five years of continued meetings. The outcomes appear to be favourable in terms of the development and continuation of strong interpersonal relationships among members of the group and by improved confidence and knowledge about infant rearing. The development of groups of mothers adds no cost to the provision of health services and provides a sound and practical way of reducing social isolation and increasing mothercraft skills in an Australian suburb.

Breast cancer diagnosis by screening mammography: early results of the Central Sydney Area Health Service Breast X‐ray Programme

The Central Sydney Area Health Service (CSAHS) Breast X-ray Programme is a pilot mammography screening project for breast cancer detection funded by the NSW Government. Screening by two-view mammography is carried out in a mobile van and is offered free to women aged over 45 years living in the CSAHS region, the inner western suburbs of Sydney. In the first 18 months of operation from March 1988, 7193 women were screened: 99 women underwent excision biopsy and 53 cancers were diagnosed. This is an overall detection rate of seven cancers per thousand women screened. Sixty per cent of the cancers were impalpable to the examining surgeon; 19% of all cancers were shown to have axillary node metastasis at the time of diagnosis. These results compare well with those of the major European screening studies.

Nutrient composition of australian fresh retail sausages and the effects of cooking on fat content

AbstractThree types of fresh sausages (beef, thick and thin; and pork, thick) were purchased in ten Sydney suburbs and analysed as composite samples for proximate principles, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and cholesterol. Fat, moisture and meat species were also analysed in individual purchases. In a controlled experiment replicate samples of sausages were analysed for moisture and fat, raw and after cooking by grilling, dry‐frying, shallow‐frying and deep‐frying. Results indicated widespread use of cow, pig and sheep meat in all types of sausages regardless of label identification. Some purchased sausages exceeded regulation limits for fat and starch content. Fat retention was lowest in beef sausages cooked by frying rather than grilling. Pork sausages retained most of their fat on cooking, regardless of method.

KID'S PALS: AN INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITY PROJECT

ABSTRACT“Kids Pals” is an intergenerational project which has been running in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney since 1985. It was designed to link children who are behind in their reading with an understanding and caring elderly person. The project addresses the myth of aged persons as dependent and a drain on the community and provides benefits for both the children and the elderly volunteers.

Recreational Use of the Catchments and Storages of Sydney Water Board (Australia)

The Water Board has a number of catchment areas under its control. These catchment areas are used to supply water of acceptable quality and quantity to over 3.4 million people. A range of catchment protection measures is applied to these catchment areas depending on distance from and length of time from the offtake points. Several recreation pursuits have been permitted within the terms of the protection measures. To gain a view of public perception and acceptance the Board in 1986 completed a public review and survey of the present and potential future use of its water supply catchment areas and storages for recreational purposes. The study considered whether community recreational demands were being met and whether some or all of these demands can be satisfied without harming water quality or the environment. From the study, the Board has concluded that there is both broad community support for its strong protection of the water supply and significant interest in use of additional recreational facilities. Accordingly, the Board has identified a number of additional requested recreational opportunities that can be introduced while maintaining present levels of water quality protection and conservation values. These additional items include additional nature walks near some of the existing dam picnic areas, escorted tours of the catchment areas, walking trails on catchment perimeters and increased river bank fishing in the Warragamba Catchment Area. Additional facilities are being introduced at Prospect Reservoir in the populated western suburbs of Sydney including a bicycle/jogging/walking track, BMX track, skateboard area and historic lookout and picnic area. These new initiatives will be introduced as part of an ongoing programme of review. Additional future activities will be introduced where possible. The Board however is concerned that no recreational activity should be introduced that is likely to cause future problems with water quality protection. Future introduction of increased water treatment levels will enable a further review of catchment protection policies but the high costs of such treatment will cause the Board to delay those introductions as long as practicable. In brief, the Board has fully reviewed its present policy on recreational use and has concluded that the general pol icy is appropriate and has strong community support. The implementation of that policy is being modified, however, to provide for acceptable additional facilities for which there is a demonstrated community need.

Total DDT and dieldrin content of human adipose tissue.

As far as the authors could ascertain only 4 well-documented analytical studies have been carried out in Australia determining the total DDT and dieldrin content of human adipose tissue. The latest of these studies was published over 16 years ago. Therefore it is timely and important to re-examine the total DDT and dieldrin concentration within the adipose tissue of the Australian population. The present investigation has analyzed 290 samples of human adipose tissue obtained from Westmead Hospital situated in an outer suburb of Sydney, New South Wales for their content of total DDT and dieldrin.

An evaluation of planned early postnatal transfer home with nursing support

A community-based programme of planned early postnatal transfer home with the continuity of hospital nursing care was instituted in a defined geographic area of the western suburbs of Sydney in 1983. Mothers were offered the option of discharge in 24-48 hours after delivery, with home visits by a hospital midwife, subject to certain medical and social criteria. An evaluation of the programme in terms of morbidity, psychosocial impact on the family and costs was undertaken. For evaluation, a quasi-experimental study of parallel groups was designed in preference to randomized selection as it was believed that the personal choice would be fundamental to the success of the scheme. A contemporary control group was achieved with volunteer mothers who opted for the traditional five- to seven-day hospital stay. Studies of maternal response and the partner's response and adjustment were undertaken, including the administration of questionnaires that were designed to detect the presence of mild postnatal depression. No increased morbidity occurred in the early discharge group. The early discharge group performed more favourably on the questionnaire that was designed to measure their postpartum adjustment. Continued postnatal domiciliary surveillance reduces the risk that early neonatal pathological changes, especially jaundice, may be overlooked.

The Vermont longitudinal study of persons with severe mental illness, I: Methodology, study sample, and overall status 32 years later.

The authors report the latest findings from a 32-year longitudinal study of 269 back-ward patients from Vermont State Hospital. This intact cohort participated in a comprehensive rehabilitation program and was released to the community in a planned deinstitutionalization effort during the mid-1950s. At their 10-year follow-up mark, 70% of these patients remained out of the hospital but many were socially isolated and many were recidivists. Twenty to 25 years after their index release, 262 of these subjects were blindly assessed with structured and reliable protocols. One-half to two-thirds of them had achieved considerable improvement or recovery, which corroborates recent findings from Europe and elsewhere.

Is this a good place to grow up in? Neighbourhood quality and children's evaluations

A random sample of 9–11-year-old children living in 18 suburbs of Sydney, Australia, were interviewed regarding their likes and dislikes about their neighbourhood, and their overall evaluation of their area as a “place for children to grow up in”. The 18 suburbs were selected to represent a range of scores on the Vinson-Homel risk scale, a composite index of neighbourhood quality derived from health, income, employment, education and welfare statistics that are available on an areal basis. Children's evaluations were strongly related to areal risk scores, with the two highest-risk (inner city) neighbourhoods particularly disfavoured. The major reasons advanced for liking or disliking a neighbourhood were plotted against risk scores, showing a complex pattern of associations, with parks particularly valued by children in the highest-risk areas. A canonical correlation analysis of likes, dislikes and overall ratings showed two canonical variables to be statistically significant. The first was a good-bad dimension, which was strongly associated with risk score. The second contrasted open playspace with private peace and quiet, bringing together the six highest- and lowest-risk areas in comparison to the twelve middling-risk areas. No variables other than risk were found to be predictive of children's evaluations of their neighbourhoods.

Urban stormwater design: lessons from the 8 November 1984 Sydney storm

SUMMARY Severe flooding in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney resulting from the 8 November 1984 storm, one of the most intense recorded in Sydney, illustrated the limitations and problems of stormwater drainage in the area. Many of the flood problems can be traced to piped systems which are meant to fail (surcharge) during high intensity storms or failed because of inlet blockage. Residents do not appear to understand that such systems do fail and hence take no precautions to reduce potential losses.

Bowel symptoms in an apparently well population.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of various kinds of bowel behavior and symptoms thought to be indicative of colorectal cancer in people randomly selected from the community. A probability sample of 330 dwellings in the inner western suburbs of Sydney yielded 202 completed interviews with occupants aged 30 years and older. Eight percent reported annoying abdominal pain that had lasted for two weeks or more in the preceding six months, while 19 percent reported a feeling of incomplete evacuation at least once every two weeks. Blood on the toilet paper was reported by 14 percent and blood in the toilet bowl by 2 percent. Twenty-one percent said they always looked at their stool in the toilet bowl and 34 percent always looked at the toilet paper after using it, but 43 percent seldom or never looked at either their stool or the paper. Of the 75 who said they looked at their stool about half the time or more, two (3.1 percent) reported seeing blood during the preceding six months. Symptoms that may be associated with colorectal cancer are common in apparently well adults. Whilst this includes bleeding from the rectum in toto, it may not be true for blood seen specifically in the toilet bowl. Because this latter symptom has potential discriminating value, it may be worthwhile to promote public education encouraging people to inspect their stools regularly, and to visit their doctor if blood is seen.

Sidetrack: Discovering the Theatricality of Community

In the interview above, Malcolm Blaylock referred to Sidetrack, a community theatre company in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, as ‘arguably the best company in Australia’. Here, Tom Burvill examines some of the company's recent work, and sets it in the context of an understanding of community theatre which he traces back to Brecht and Walter Benjamin. Tom Burvill, who has himself acted as a dramaturg for Sidetrack, lectures in English and linguistics at Macquarie University.