Meredith Griffiths
What's the state of medical research funding in Australia?
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Australian of the Year recipient Alan Mackay-Sim used his acceptance speech to urge politicians to think beyond the political horizon when it comes to research funding — so where does Australia sit in comparison with the rest of the world?
Topics: medical-research, science-and-technology, health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, human-interest, awards-and-prizes, australia
New campaign demands better access to medicinal cannabis
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Some of Australia's most high-profile medicinal cannabis advocates band together to launch a new campaign for better access to the drug, saying current legislation is leaving those needing it facing a "catastrophic event".
Topics: health, drug-use, laws, law-crime-and-justice, diseases-and-disorders, epilepsy, federal-government, government-and-politics, australia
People at high risk of pancreatic cancer to be tested for deadly disease
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In an Australian first, doctors are screening people at high risk of developing pancreatic cancer to pick up early warning signs of the aggressive disease, something long thought to be ineffective and expensive.
Topics: cancer, diseases-and-disorders, health, medical-research, medical-procedures, sydney-2000, nsw, australia
Call for national database to monitor sports injuries in children
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Revelations a growing number of children are seriously injuring their knees prompt a call for the creation of a national database to record juvenile sports injuries, and for parents and coaches to become better educated about training young athletes.
Topics: health, sports-injuries, adolescent-health, diseases-and-disorders, family-and-children, children, sport, australia
Children 'as young as six' among growing number damaging knees in sport
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Doctors, physiotherapists and sports injury experts say they are seeing a rise in the number of children having knee surgery, with some suggesting kids' sports becoming more "professional" could be part of the problem.
Topics: sports-injuries, health, adolescent-health, diseases-and-disorders, family-and-children, children, community-and-society, sport, australia
Lack of funding 'sees scientists leaving labs in droves'
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Australia's scientists say the "innovation nation" is crumbling as more of them consider leaving the profession because of limited career prospects, a study reveals.
Topics: science, science-and-technology, work, careers, health, australia
'Fit and proper' people can apply to grow cannabis this weekend
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Growing cannabis legally will be a step closer on Sunday when federal legislation comes into effect allowing the drug to be grown for medicinal purposes.
Topics: cannabis, drug-use, health, medical-research, nsw, australia, vic
Abortion laws 'ambiguous, outdated' in Qld and NSW, doctors argue
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Abortion laws in Queensland and New South Wales are outdated, ambiguous, and leave both patients and doctors in a potential legal bind, argues an article in the Medical Journal of Australia.
'Miracle' discovery helped geneticists save Alan's life
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Alan's immune system was killing him and doctors did not know why, but thanks to a relatively new method of genome analysis, doctors were able to pinpoint the problem and find a treatment.
Topics: health, child-health-and-behaviour, genetic-disorders, diseases-and-disorders, genetics, science-and-technology, australia
Health professionals shift blame over asthma drug's severe side effect warnings
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A growing number of parents are reporting their children have had severe psychiatric side effects, including suicidal thoughts, after taking asthma medication Singulair, but health professionals are failing to take responsibility for issuing warnings.
Topics: pharmaceuticals, health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, child-health-and-behaviour, asthma, australia
'She had fits of rage': More stories emerge of asthma drug's side effects
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Australian families claim common asthma drug Singulair is causing psychiatric side effects in their children, after the ABC revealed dozens of cases reportedly linked to the medication.
Topics: asthma, diseases-and-disorders, health, australia
Common asthma tablet linked to serious psychotic episodes in children
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Parents are calling for new warning labels on a common asthma tablet that has been linked to cases of suicidal thoughts and depression in children as young as four.
Topics: asthma, diseases-and-disorders, health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, medical-research, australia
Unis to survey students on sexual harassment and assault
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Universities Australia chair Professor Barney Glover says the survey will help institutions address the "serious concerns" expressed about safety on campuses.
Topics: sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, crime, university-and-further-education, education, australia
Patients to get access to tests used to diagnose rare genetic disease
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Australian patients with rare genetic conditions now have access to world-class technology to get a more accurate diagnosis.
Topics: science-and-technology, dna, genetics, cloning-and-dna, diseases-and-disorders, health, australia
Aboriginal mothers 17 times more likely to die from homicide
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Aboriginal mothers are 17.5 times more likely to die from homicide than non-Aboriginal mothers, according to new research from Western Australia.
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, murder-and-manslaughter, suicide, australia, wa
Flying Doctor Service set to double rural dentistry with major parties' funding pledges
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The Royal Flying Doctor Service says funding pledges from both the major parties will allow it to at least double its dental work in regional Australia.
Topics: health-policy, health, regional, community-and-society, government-and-politics, elections, federal-elections, federal-government, australia, tas
Prescriptions for coughs and colds increasing threat of superbugs
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Thousands of unnecessary prescriptions are being written for Australians, adding to the growing threat of superbugs, a new report shows.
Topics: medical-research, health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, microbiology, biology, science-and-technology, australia
Call for action against 'charlatans' targeting Aboriginal communities
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Aboriginal leaders are calling for a crackdown on "charlatans" who for decades have preyed on Aboriginal communities and misappropriated enormous amounts of money meant for the nation's poorest people.
Topics: corruption, law-crime-and-justice, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, wa, warmun-6743
Fears vulnerable people may fall through cracks in mental health changes
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Vulnerable people could fall through the cracks because reforms to the mental health sector are being rolled out too quickly, experts warn.
Topics: mental-health, health, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
Superbug resistant to last resort antibiotic bound to reach Australia: expert
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Infectious disease experts say it is inevitable that a traveller will bring the antibiotic-resistant superbug into Australia.
Topics: science-and-technology, research, microbiology, biology, health, health-policy, australia
Claims anti-bikie laws used in NSW to target other groups
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New South Wales Police are defending their use of controversial anti-consorting laws, with figures showing more than 8,500 warnings have been issued during the past four years.
Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, police, nsw
First-ever psychiatrist elected as Academy of Science fellow
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Mental health research receives a boost with the Australian Academy of Science electing a psychiatrist as one of its fellows for the first time.
Topics: mental-health, health, science-and-technology, research, research-organisations, australia
Sea snail discovery proving powerful in cancer fight
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Chemicals from the humble sea snail found along Australia's east coast are a powerful weapon in the fight against drug-resistant cancer cells, researchers say.
Topics: medical-research, health, cancer, prostate-cancer, diseases-and-disorders, breast-cancer, wollongong-2500, newcastle-2300, nsw, australia
Global food production could reverse gains made fighting climate change
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Global food production is making it harder to combat climate change, new research finds.
Topics: food-processing, climate-change, forests, australia
Dancing 'lowers risk of heart disease by almost 50 per cent'
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People over 40 who dance almost halve their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, Western Sydney University researchers say.
Topics: dance, heart-disease, medical-research, older-people, nsw, australia
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