Jenny Maree Wilkinson

Endeavour College of Natural Health

Rural areas worldwide face a continued shortage of suitably trained workforce to deliver healthcare services. In Papua New Guinea, workforce shortages are a continuous stressor on the delivery of healthcare services, including in the allied health professions, which are in their infancy in terms of provision of university-qualified practitioners. T...

Introduction To report for the first time the image quality of mammograms performed in Papua New Guinea (PNG) using the Perfect, Good, Moderate, Inadequate (PGMI) image evaluation system (IES); and to benchmark the image quality against BreastScreen Australia (BSA) National Accreditation Standards (NAS). Methods A retrospective image quality analy...

Introduction: Women with increased breast density are at increased risk of breast cancer. The aim of this research is to evidence for the first time the mammographic breast findings of Papua New Guinean (PNG) women and the relationship between Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) assessment, mammographic parenchymal patterns (MPPs) a...

Introduction To investigate compliance to the ‘30% rule’ and key factors which may influence visualisation of the pectoralis major muscle (PMM) on the craniocaudal (CC) view of the breast. Methods A retrospective review of 2688 paired full‐field digital mammography (FFDM) CC view mammograms of women attending BreastScreen NSW between August and Oc...

Introduction Radiographers in Oman are believed to be engaged with varying levels of role extension however the nature and extent of this currently unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate role extension for radiographers in Oman, and to evaluate radiographers and the radiologists’ opinions and attitudes toward role extension. Methods A c...

Aim: This study seeks to document the imaging series used in contemporary Australian practice for imaging the augmented breast, with a secondary focus on differences in practice and opinion between BreastScreen Australia and diagnostic imaging services. Methods: A SurveyMonkey link was distributed through the Australian Society of Medical Imagin...

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of resistance to commonly used antimicrobials in C. jejuni isolates from clinical fecal samples in NSW, Australia METHODS: In this study 117 Campylobacter jejuni isolates from human fecal samples from regional and metropolitan New South Wales (Australia) were examined for antimicro...

Campylobacteriosis is a leading cause of bacterial foodborne disease in many industrialized countries including Australia. New South Wales (NSW) is the most populous state in Australia yet the lack of any Campylobacter species surveillance programs has led to a knowledge gap in the importance of these pathogens as causes of diarrhoea. The data coll...

A common procedure within intensive care units (ICUs) is the suctioning of respiratory secretions in patients who have been intubated or who have undergone tracheostomy. Previous studies have shown a wide variation in suctioning practices, and although current evidence does not support the routine practice of normal saline instillation (NSI), anecd...

This paper reports on an evaluation of the introduction of a blood bank automation system (Ortho AutoVue(®) Innova) in a hospital blood bank by considering the performance and workflow as compared with manual methods. The turnaround time was found to be 45% faster than the manual method. The concordance rate was found to be 100% for both ABO/Rh(D)...

This review addresses the issue of health care avoidance and obesity. English language journal articles published between 1990 and 2012 that addressed the review question|“is being overweight or obese an unrecognized factor in healthcare avoidance?” were located using major databases. A modified JADAD scoring system was then used to assess papers....

Data on campylobacteriosis in developed countries are well documented; in contrast, few studies on campylobacteriosis have been conducted in developing countries. This study was undertaken to test for Campylobacter in human faecal samples sent to the two major pathology laboratories in Fiji. A total of 408 diarrhoeal faecal samples were collected f...

Background: This study determined the prevalence, types, and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) and therapies in cancer patients actively undergoing conventional cancer treatment at a regional cancer centre. Methods: Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire provided to adult cancer patients attend...

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is a rare acquired immune-mediated progressive or relapsing disorder causing peripheral neuropathic disease of duration more than two months. Many individuals with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy fail to make a long-term recovery with current treatment regimes. The...

To investigate the profile and health attitudes of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners in Singapore. A descriptive survey with convenience and snowball sampling were used. An anonymous self-administered survey was sent to 130 practitioners found in publicly accessible online practitioner registers, groups, and directories pra...

The practice of naturopathy and Western herbal medicine (WHM) was built on traditional evidence but may be undergoing change with the advent of scientific evidence. The aims of this research were to provide a better understanding of practitioners' attitudes towards evidence, information sources, professional regulation and their knowledge about the...

Naturopaths and Western herbal medicine (WHM) practitioners were surveyed to identify their extent, experience and roles within the community pharmacy setting and to explore their attitudes to integration of complementary medicine (CM) practitioners within the pharmacy setting. Practising naturopaths and WHM practitioners were invited to participat...

Four medicinal plants (Quercus infectoria, Kaempferia galanga, Coptis chinensis and Glycyrrhiza uralensis) as well as one traditional Thai treatment for aphthous ulcers based on these four plants were tested for antimicrobial activity. MIC values for a range of bacteria and Candida albicans were determined, with both type strains and clinical isola...

Objectives The primary aim was to determine the prevalence of adverse reactions to over-the-counter complementary medicines and their severity, as described by consumers. Secondary aims were to identify consumers' reporting behaviours and understanding of the AUST L designation on product labels. Methods An anonymous, self-administered survey was c...

Appendix. Customer CAM Survey

Complementary medicines (CMs) are popular amongst Australians and community pharmacy is a major supplier of these products. This study explores pharmacy customer use, attitudes and perceptions of complementary medicines, and their expectations of pharmacists as they relate to these products. Pharmacy customers randomly selected from sixty large and...

Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and stroke survivors make up the largest group of patients in rehabilitation. These individuals also have one of the longest lengths of stay in rehabilitation. It has been suggested that acupuncture may be beneficial in post-stroke rehabilitation and in this study we examine how stroke patients v...

A variety of assays were utilized to determine the effects of Leptospermum petersonii essential oil on both Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Hyphal morphology, susceptibility of spheroplasts and uptake of propidium iodide following exposure to the oil suggest that the mode of action of L. petersonii essential oil is through direct distur...

The widespread use of complementary medicines (CMs) within the general community, the health benefits and risks, and the role of pharmacists as advocates of appropriate use of medicines make it imperative to identify how pharmacists' meet customers CM information needs and lead quality use of medicine practices in regards to CMs within the pharmacy...

This study investigates the volatile (vapour) component of an essential oil derived from the Australian native Leptospermum petersonii as a potential treatment for aspergillosis. The in vitro antifungal effects of the volatiles were assayed by a variety of methods. In vitro mammalian cell toxicity of the oil and the oil volatiles was also determine...

Extracts of Clitoria ternatea (butterfly pea) flowers are used in Thailand as a component of cosmetics and the chemical composition of the flowers suggest that they may have antioxidant activity. In this study the potential antioxidant activity of C. ternatea extracts and an extract containing eye gel formulation was investigated. Aqueous extracts...

The objective of this study is to review the existing scientific evidence on the potential role of acupuncture on induction of labor during pregnancy. The Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, AMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine), and NCCAM (The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) databases wer...

The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) is growing rapidly within the western world and the nexus with conventional health care services is expanding. Many nurses and other conventional health care providers are not only using CAM themselves but see many of their clients using these medicines and therapies. The attitudes to CAM can...

This study demonstrates the perceived benefits of complementary medicines in improving quality of life (QOL) and reducing side-effects associated with conventional cancer treatments.

The objective of this study was to investigate the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) in a group of older rural Australian attending a multi-disciplinary health screening clinic. The average age of all participants (n=102) was 66+/-10 years (range 49-89) and 61% were female. Three-quarters (78%) of respondents had used at least on...

This study evaluated the effects of an essential oil mouthwash on radiation induced mucositis of the oropharyngeal area during treatment for head and neck cancers. Nineteen adult patients completed the randomized placebo controlled trial which involved the use of a gargle containing 2 drops of a 1:1 mix of the essential oils of manuka (Leptospermum...

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is one of the fastest growing areas of health care. This has necessitated an increased awareness and understanding of CAM by conventional health professionals. A questionnaire seeking information about use of and attitudes toward CAM was mailed to 1,365 Australian podiatric physicians. Ninety-one percent...

In this study the impact of the use of the terms complementary medicine and alternative medicine on participants' responses to surveys about the use of, and beliefs about, these therapies was explored. Two identical surveys were prepared, one of which referred to alternative medicines and the other which referred to complementary medicine. A teleph...

Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct are a significant issue in higher education. In this study, the attitudes of academic staff and students in a 3 year undergraduate nursing program to various forms of academic misconduct were assessed and compared. Forty- nine percent of staff and 39% of students thought that cheating on...

The fresh leaves of Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr., Toddalia asiatica (Linn.) Lan. and Zanthoxylum budrunga Wall. ex Hook.f. (Rutaceae) were hydrodistilled using a Clevenger apparatus. The resulting essential oils were analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and antimicrobial activity evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis,...

In this study the antifungal activity of eight essential oils and three hydrosols (aqueous distillates) from Australian grown lavenders was determined. The oils and hydrosols were assayed against four fungi, Aspergillus nidulans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Leptosphaeria maculans and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, using a disc diffusion method. No evid...

We conducted a pilot study using a self-administered survey to investigate the current use of homeopathic treatments for various bites and stings by Australian practitioners. While the response rate for this study was low (n=35), we found that 91% of respondents had used homoeopathic treatments for bites and stings, with the most frequent being tre...

Although there is considerable anecdotal information about the antibacterial activity of lavender oils, much of this has not been substantiated by scientific or clinical evidence. In this study we assessed the activity of lavender essential oils, hydrosols and aqueous and ethanolic foliage extracts from a range of Australian grown Lavandula species...

IntroductionAntibacterial Assays Semi-Solid Substrate Methods Disk Diffusion MethodAgar Dilution MethodBroth Dilution MethodsThin-Layer Chromatography–BioautographyAntifungal AssaysIn vivo Assessment of Antibacterial and Antifungal ActivityMethods for Assessing Antiviral ActivityScreening of Plant Extracts for Antiparasitic ActivityConclusions Refe...

Two essential oils derived from Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula x intermedia were investigated for any antiparasitic activity against the human protozoal pathogens Giardia duodenalis and Trichomonas vaginalis and the fish pathogen Hexamita inflata: all of which have significant infection and economic impacts. The study has demonstrated that lo...

The disc diffusion assay is often used for screening of essential oils for antimicrobial activity. In this paper we describe an investigation into whether differences exist in the zone of inhibition obtained with two agar types; IsoSensitest and nutrient agar. Standard disc diffusion assay was performed using both agar types using three essential o...

The increased interest in complementary therapies has led to the investigation of products traditionally believed to have a beneficial effect in wound healing. Two such products are honey and lavender essential oil. In this study a rat excisional wound model was used to investigate the action of Lavandula x allardii honey and essential oil, and a s...

The objective of this study was to determine the cytotoxic effect of four Thai edible plants using Hep2 cells. These four plants namely Azadirachta indica A.Juss. (Meliaceae), Boesenbergia pandurata (Roxb.) Schltr. (Zingiberaceae), Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Colebr. (Menispermaceae) and Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz. (Bignoniaceae) were extracted...

The aim of this study was to explore the reasons why clients initially consult a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner, the reasons that influence clients to seek treatment, and the factors that influence clients to be compliant with their treatment. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Quantitative d...

Essential oil is obtained from manuka, Leptospermum scoparium and kanuka, Kunzea ericoides, which are indigenous plants to New Zealand. The oil from these plants has been commercially available to aromatherapists for more than a decade. In this time, attention has been given to the antiseptic and antimicrobial actions of the oils. Of most interest...

A survey investigating the knowledge and perception of biotechnology by high school students living in the rural Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, was undertaken. Data relating to the student' preferred and trusted information sources was also gathered. This study has demonstrated that at least two-thirds of students had a good knowled...

Patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment will receive some degree of skin damage. Internationally there are many preventative and treatment options recommended, with varying degrees of evidence of success. This review explores the possible benefits of various plant-based treatments within the context of other novel treatments. The evidence sugges...

The increase in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the general public has led to increasing interest in how health professionals view these therapies. To determine the knowledge and attitudes of pharmacists toward CAM. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was designed and mailed to 1500 randomly selected pharmacists...

Renewed interest in honey for various therapeutic purposes including treatment of infected wounds has led to the search for new antibacterial honeys. In this study we have assessed the antibacterial activity of three locally produced honeys and compared them to three commercial therapeutic honeys (including Medihoney and manuka honey). An agar dilu...

A survey investigating the knowledge and perception of biotechnology by high school students living in the rural Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, was undertaken. Data relating to the student' preferred and trusted information sources was also gathered. This study has demonstrated that at least two-thirds of students had a good knowled...

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol.8 No.2, Issue of August 15, 2005 © 2005 by Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso -- Chile Received June 29, 2004 / Accepted March 15, 2005

To date, of the Australian essential oils, only tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) and Eucalyptus spp. have undergone extensive investigation. In this study a range of Australian essential oils, including those from Anethole anisata, Callistris glaucophyllia, Melaleuca spp. and Thyptomine calycina, were assayed for in vitro antibacterial activity. M...

Lavender essential oil is popular as a complementary medicine in its own right and as an additive to many over the counter complementary medicine and cosmetic products¹⁻³. Indeed, products derived from the popular garden herb Lavender (Lavandula spp.) have been used for centuries as a therapeutic agent, with the more ’recent’ addition, the essentia...

Over the past 5 years there has been enormous growth in the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), with approximately 75% of Australians reporting use of one of more CAM. At the same time, there is increasing interest in how various health professionals view CAM and how they might be incorporated into clinical care. This review descr...

A comparison of a traditional herbal and standard western medicine for dyslipidemia was conducted in 316 Thai patients. Therapeutic equivalence of five brands of gemfibrozil available in Thailand and the therapeutic efficacy of gemfibrozil compared with safflower were studied using a randomized controlled double-blind design. The purpose of this st...

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are widely used by those with pain and/or musculoskeletal problems, and previous research has shown that high proportions of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis have used these therapies. One of the largest CAM modalities is that of naturopathy, which combines nutritional, herbal, and other complement...

In this study the activity of 13 honeys, including three commercial antibacterial honeys, against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was determined. Antibacterial activity of the honeys was assayed using standard well diffusion methods. All honeys, and an artificial honey, were tested at four concentrations (10%, 5%, 2.5%, and 1% wt/vol) a...

The role of pH on the antimicrobial activity of essential oils has not been well studied. The effect of four essential oils: Backhousia citriodora, Melaleuca alternifolia, Lavandula angustifolia and Santalum spicatum (0.1% to 10%) on the pH of two commonly used media, nutrient broth and Iso-sensitest broth, was therefore undertaken. Small (less tha...

The use of aromatherapy in nursing care continues to be popular in many settings. Most of the nursing literature relates to the use of essential oils in low doses for massage or use of the oils as environmental fragrances. Information from the wider literature may add to the evidence base for use of this therapy in nursing. This paper reports a lit...

The essential oil composition of Satureja thymbra was analyzed by direct thermal desorber and Headspace GC/MS analysis methods. Its constituents were determined to be mainly carvacrol (40.15%), gamma-terpinene (26.56%), p-cymene (16.39%), and thymol (13.16%). The other techniques, thermal desorber and Headspace GC/MS, were used for the plant leaves...

Although individuals are using Complementary and Alternative Medical (CAM) therapies to help manage their asthma, there is no clear direction in the current guidelines for the use of CAM in asthma. This literature review undertakes to determine the current science regarding the use of CAM in asthma management. Electronic literature searched all EBM...

The use of essential oils as therapeutic agents has become increasingly popular; however, research into the antimicrobial activity of these products has been hampered by the lack of standardized and reliable screening methods. The lack of standardized methods also makes direct comparison of results between studies impossible. In this study, the mos...

Backhousia citriodora products are used as bushfoods and flavorings and by the aromatherapy industry. The antimicrobial activity of 4 samples of B. citriodora oil, leaf paste, commercial tea (0.2 and 0.02 g/mL), and hydrosol (aqueous distillate) were tested against 13 bacteria and 8 fungi. Little or no activity was found to be associated with the l...

Increasing interest in the health benefits of various culinary berries has led to investigation of their antibacterial activity. Commercial raspberry, blackcurrant, cranberry, and blackberry cordials (100% fruit) as well as fresh berries were assessed for their ability to inhibit the growth of various bacteria and the yeast Candida albicans. Three...

Although honey has been used as a traditional remedy for burns and wounds, the potential for its inclusion in mainstream medical care is not well recognized. Many studies have demonstrated that honey has antibacterial activity in vitro, and a small number of clinical case studies have shown that application of honey to severely infected cutaneous w...

In this study, we investigate the personal and professional use of complementary therapies by nurses in NSW, Australia. We found that the therapies and products used by respondents were similar to those used by the general population. Seventy-four percent of respondents had used a complementary therapy in the last year and 38% had used them with a...

Essential oils distilled from members of the genus Lavandula have been used both cosmetically and therapeutically for centuries with the most commonly used species being L. angustifolia, L. latifolia, L. stoechas and L. x intermedia. Although there is considerable anecdotal information about the biological activity of these oils much of this has no...

Objective: This paper reports a descriptive study of the first cohort of graduates from a non‐metropolitan university. The objective was to elucidate students' future practice intentions. Methods: A questionnaire was developed and administered to students in their second and third year of study in the Bachelor of Pharmacy course offered at Charles...

Raspberry juice cordial has a long anecdotal use in Australia for the prophylaxis and treatment of gastroenteritis in livestock, cage birds and humans. The antimicrobial properties of raspberry juice cordial, raspberry juice, raspberry leaf extract and a commercial brand of raspberry leaf tea were investigated against five human pathogenic bacteria...

In this study a postal questionnaire was used to investigate the use of complementary therapies (CT) in a rural region of New South Wales (NSW). A total of 70.3% of respondents reported using one or more therapies with 62.7% having visited a complementary practitioner. Vitamin/mineral therapy (68.7%), chiropractic (26.1%) and massage therapy (25.1%...

Attitudes towards the use of complementary therapies by students of undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences were determined using a self-administered questionnaire. Overall, 78% of students had used a complementary therapy in the past year and 56% had visited a complementary therapy practitioner. The therapies most used...

The use of formalin as a fixative in the histology laboratory is a potential danger to laboratory workers. Formalin results in common complaints such as eye, nose, and throat irritations, and less commonly neurological disorders such as bronchitis and neoplasia. A substitute of formalin is needed in a society that is becoming increasingly ‘work saf...

This study investigated the effect of ginger, a common morning sickness remedy, on fetal development. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were administered, from gestation day 6 to 15, 20 g/liter or 50 g/liter ginger tea via their drinking water and then sacrificed at day 20. No maternal toxicity was observed, however embryonic loss in the treatment group...

A literature survey investigating the use of herbs to treat morning sickness, with particular reference to what is known about their safety. All major English language medical, nursing and scientific databases as well as 300 World Wide Web sites, Internet newsgroups, books and magazines were searched for information about the use and safety of herb...

The choice of experimental animal can have a large impact on experimental results, an example is the anecdotal evidence suggesting that Dark Agouti (DA) rats have a lower reproductive capacity than other rat strains. In this paper we report on an investigation into male reproductive characteristics in three rat strains--Wistar, Sprague-Dawley (outb...

There is little published information describing the differences in adrenal structure between strains of a single species despite quite well known functional differences. In this paper we report morphological differences in the adrenal glands between three strains of laboratory rat; Dark Agouti (DA), Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Wistar (W). Significant...

Human and animal experimental data demonstrate that in utero exposure to caffeine results in intrauterine growth retardation and long-term behavioural and reproductive effects. We have suggested that the disruption of normal transcription and translation associated with the initiation of the heat shock response may be a possible mechanism of action...

We have investigated the effect of caffeine on embryo growth and development. Caffeine (25 mg/kg) was administered on gestation day (g.d.) 8-9 and the embryos examined histologically 24 h after the final dose. The crown-rump length of caffeine treated embryos (1.92 +/- 0.08 mm) was significantly smaller (P < 0.001) than the controls (2.91 +/- 0.26...

The distribution of the 25 kDa heat shock protein (hsp 25) in a number of tissue types from unstressed rats was investigated. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that hsp 25 was not found in the thymus, brain (cerebral cortex and cerebellum), testis, adrenal, liver, spleen, or kidney. A number of cells in the anterior pituitary showed strong staini...

This paper describes the disposition of caffeine and its metabolites, theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine in the 20-day fetal and adult brains following a single maternal dose of 5 or 25 mg/kg caffeine. Brains and plasma were collected 5 and 30 min, and 1, 3, 8 and 24 h after dosing. It was found that fetal and adult caffeine AUC (area under...

Caffeine exposure in utero in rats is known to result in intrauterine growth retardation and lowered birth weight as well as changes to behaviour and brain biochemistry. We have investigated whether caffeine's embryotoxicity is a result of the events associated with increased hsp synthesis, i.e., disruption to normal protein synthesis. Caffeine (30...

1. The dispositions of caffeine and its immediate dimethylxanthine metabolites, theobromine, theophylline and paraxanthine were studied after a single oral dose of 5 and 25 mg/kg caffeine administered to 20-day pregnant and non-pregnant rats, respectively. 2. Peak plasma levels were reached between 1 and 3 h in all fluids and tissues studied. 3. Th...