Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Post-traumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Patients - a Systematic Review Breast cancer;PTSD;PTG;psychological status;quality of life;psychological distress; Breast cancer (BC) is potentially a traumatic stressor which may be associated with negative outcomes, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or positive changes, such as post-traumatic growth (PTG). This study aims to identify the core issues of BC related PTSD, PTG and psychological distress by interrogating the literature in BC survivors. We have also highlighted issues related to the assessment, diagnosis and clinical management of PTSD and PTG. The authors systematically reviewed studies published from 1985 to 2014 pertaining to PTSD, psychological distress and PTG in BC survivors with particular attention paid to incidence rates and causative factors. Multiple studies intimated that women with BC have evidence of PTSD at the initial stages of diagnosis, whereas PTG develops once patients undergo treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment of PTSD/PTG is paramount from literature review but the previously mentioned relationship between PTSD and PTG in BC patients could not be verified. It is evident from the literature that a small percentage of BC patients experience PTSD, while the majority experience PTG after BC diagnosis and treatment. Future research should include prospective studies focusing on high-risk patients, causative factors and the development of psychological interventions.

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of yoga on glycemic control, lipid profiles, body composition and blood pressure in people in the pre-diabetic state. Studies on the effectiveness of yoga on population groups under high risk for diabetes, called prediabetic or suffering from metabolic syndromes were extracted from a thorough search of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EBSCO and IndMED databases. Both Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) and non-RCT studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies published between Jan 2002 and Dec 2018 were included. Studies were considered for evaluation if they investigated a yoga intervention to prevent T2DM, against a control group, while also reporting glycemic control and other health parameters of T2DM management. Summary effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software in addition to publication bias. Of the 46,500 identified studies, 14 studies with 834 participants of whom were 50% women, were found to be eligible for inclusion in our systematic review. Our quantitative synthesis included 12 randomized control trials and 2 non-randomized control trials, with the follow-up period ranging from 4 to 52 weeks. Compared to controls, yoga intervention improved fasting blood glucose (FBG) [Standard Mean Difference (SMD -0.064 mg/dL (95% CI -0.201 to 0.074)]; low density lipoprotein (LDL) [SMD-0.090 mg/dL (95% CI -0.270 to 0.090)]; triglycerides [SMD -0.148 mg/dL (95% CI -0.285 to -0.012)]; total cholesterol [SMD -0.058 mg/dL (95% CI -0.220 to 0.104)] and systolic blood pressure [SMD -0.058 mm Hg (95% CI -0.168 to 0.053)]. This meta-analysis uncovered clinically improved effects of yoga intervention on glycemic control, lipid profiles and other parameters of T2DM management in prediabetic population. These results suggest that yoga intervention may be considered as a comprehensive and alternative approach to preventing T2DM. Further adequately powered, well designed RCTs are needed to support our findings and investigate the long-term effects of yoga in T2DM patients.

The per capita alcohol consumption of the Northern Territory, Australia, is second highest in the world, estimated 15.1 liters of pure alcohol per year. Alcohol abuse is a major public health concern among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Northern Territory consume approximately 16.9 liters of pure alcohol per year. This descriptive review is based on current published and grey literature in the context of high risk alcohol use, with a special focus on the epidemiological, etiological, and social factors, to predict alcohol misuse among the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Northern Territory. The methodology involved a descriptive search on PubMed, Northern Territory government reports, health databases, and Web sites with an emphasis on the etiology and epidemiology of high-risk alcohol consumption among the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of the Northern Territory. This review has its own limitations because it does not rely on systematic review methodologies. However, it presents real data on the motives for binge drinking and alcohol-related violent assaults of this vulnerable population. Alcohol abuse and alcohol-related harms are considerably high among the rural and remote communities where additional research is needed. High-risk alcohol misuse within Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders communities often leads to a series of physical and social consequences. This review highlights the need for culturally appropriate intervention approaches focusing on alcohol misuse among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders population of the Northern Territory.

The purpose of this article is to provide a descriptive review of risk factors of head and neck cancer (HNC), with particular interest in their general patterns in Australia. All these risk factors are deeply perplexing, with socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic variables. We reviewed articles from PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar by using keywords such as risk factors, alcohol, tobacco, human papilloma virus (HPV), environmental risk factors, and other risk factors. We selected relevant articles after they completely fit into the inclusion criteria for this review. Previous reports highlight that smoking tobacco, consuming alcohol, and HPV infection are the major risk factors for HNC. Geographical variations in incidence rates are indicative of differences in the prevalence of risk factors among countries. HNC could be prevented by reducing the prevalence of established risk factors.

Trends in Incidence of Head and Neck Cancer in the Northern Territory, Australia, between 2007 and 2010 Head and neck cancer;incidence;Northern Territory;tobacco smoking;alcohol;epidemiology; Incidence trends of head and neck cancer (HNC) have implications for screening strategies, disease management, guiding health policy making, and are needed to further oral cancer research. This paper aims to describe trends in age-adjusted HNC incidence rates focusing on changes across calendar period between 2007 and 2010 in Australian Northern Territory. Age-adjusted incidence rates of HNC were calculated for 2007-2010 using Northern Territory population based data assembled by Department of Health, Northern Territory Government of Australia. Changes in the HNC rate ratio (RR) and Estimated Annual Percentage Change (EAPC) between 2007-2008, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 were calculated. A total of 171 HNC patients were recorded by the Northern Territory Department of Health during the time period between 2007 and 2010, out of which, 135 were males (78.9% of male HNC patients) and 36 were females (21.1% of female HNC patients). In conclusion, HNC incidence rate has decreased in the Northern Territory Australian males but remains unchanged in Australian females. High incidences of HNC may be associated with the high smoking rate and high alcohol consumption in the Northern Territory. Continued monitoring of trends in HNC incidence rates is crucial to inform Northern Territory based cancer prevention strategies.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is becoming a leading problem worldwide. Emerging reports reveal alarming evidence of increasing prevalence of T2DM that has reached pandemic levels. Despite the significant incidence, there are limited reliable data resources and comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of yoga on people who are a prediabetic or high risk for developing T2DM. Objective: The objective of this protocol is to conduct a full-scale systematic review and meta-analyses on the effects of yoga on people who are prediabetes or high risk of developing T2DM. Methods: The articles enrolled in the study will be retrieved from the online databases between 2002 and the date the searches are executed. The searches will be repeated just before the final analyses and further relevant studies for inclusion. We will conduct a bibliographic search in databases: Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, and IndMED using keywords including prediabetes state, high risk for diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and yoga. A defined search strategy will be implemented along with selection criteria to obtain full-text articles of relevant studies. This study protocol was prepared according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for Protocols 2015 guidelines. There will be no language restrictions. Ethics and dissemination: The proposed study will be based on published studies and publicly available anonymized data without directly involving human participants and therefore requires neither formal human ethical review nor approval by a human research ethics committee. We published an outline of the protocol in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) in 2018. We plan to disseminate the findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentation at relevant conference proceedings. In addition, we believe the results of the systematic review will have implications for policy and practice. We will prepare policymaker summary using a validated format, disseminate through social media and email discussion groups. Review registration number: PROSPERO registration number CRD 42018106657