Substantial geographic variation in opioid utilisation was identified, with areas outside of major cities having higher rates of utilisation of all types of opioids. Prescription monitoring and best practice interventions aimed at improving opioid use need to have a particular focus on areas outside of major cities. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Codeine use is common in Australia, with clear distinctions in the geographic and socio-demographic characteristics associated with prescription and OTC codeine use.

The sample comprised 102 people who inject drugs. Internalized stigma was higher among participants who reported being depressed in the past month, and was also associated with greater severity of drug dependence and diminished self-esteem. There was no relationship between internalized stigma and shared use of needles or other injecting equipment in the past month. Conclusions/Importance: Findings underscore the need for further investigation of internalized stigma among people who inject drugs. In particular, future research should assess the impact of implicit (i.e., subconscious) internalized stigma on mental health.

Deepfake and digitally altered nude and sexual imagery is a serious and harmful emerging form of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA). This article reports on a multi-methods and cross-country study of IBSA across the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, with a specific focus on the creation, distribution and threat to distribute deepfake and digitally altered imagery. Our findings suggest this abuse involves poly-victimization and poly-perpetration, and is disproportionately experienced and engaged in by those with mobility and/or communication assistance needs, members of the LGB+ community, males, young people and racial minorities (perpetration only). In this article, we discuss the pervasiveness and harms of deepfake and digitally altered imagery abuse, as well as challenges in legal responses, policing and prevention.

BackgroundThe optimal therapeutic regimen for managing childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) is still under debate. We have evaluated the choice of steroid regimen and of symptomatic treatment adopted by pediatricians and pediatric nephrologists in a large number of centers as the first step towards establishing a shared protocol MethodsThis was a multicenter, retrospective study. A total of 231 children (132 admitted to pediatric units) aged 6 months to <15 years who presented with onset of nephrotic syndrome to 54 pediatric units and six pediatric nephrology units in Italy between 2007 and 2009 were eligible for entry into the study.ResultsMedian steroid dosing was 55 (range 27–75) mg/m2/day. The overall median cumulative dose regimen for the first episode was 3,440 (1,904–6,035) mg/m2, and the median duration of the therapeutic regimen was 21 (9–48) weeks. The total duration and cumulative steroid dose were significantly higher in patients treated by pediatricians than in those treated by pediatric nephrologists (p = 0.001 and p = 0.008). Among the patient cohort, 55, 64 and 22 % received albumin infusions, diuretics and acetyl salicylic acid treatment, respectively, but the laboratory and clinical data did not differ between children treated or not treated with symptomatic drugs. Albumin and diuretic use did not vary between patients in pediatric units and those in pediatric nephrology units.ConclusionsThis study shows major differences in steroid and symptomatic treatment of nephrotic syndrome by pediatricians and pediatric nephrologists. As these differences can influence the efficacy of the treatments and the appearance of side-effects, shared guidelines and their implementation through widespread educational activities are necessary.