Queensland University of Technology

About: Queensland University of Technology is a education organization based out in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 14188 authors who have published 55022 publications receiving 1496237 citations. The organization is also known as: QUT.

Functional and Biochemical Alterations of the Medial Frontal Cortex in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract: Context: The medial frontal cortex (MFC), including the dorsal anterior cingulate and the supplementary motor area, is critical for adaptive and inhibitory control of behavior. Abnormally high MFC activity has been a consistent finding in functional neuroimaging studies of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the precise regions and the neural alterations associated with this abnormality remain unclear. Objective: To examine the functional and biochemical properties of the MFC in patients with OCD. Design: Cross-sectional study combining volumelocalized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and functional magnetic resonance imaging with a task encompassing inhibitory control processes (the MultiSource Interference Task) designed to activate the MFC. Setting: Healthy control participants and OCD patients recruited from the general community. Participants: Nineteen OCD patients (10 males and 9 females) and 19 age-, sex-, education-, and intelligencematched control participants recruited from the general community.

Frontier Efficiency Measurement in Health Care: A Review of Empirical Techniques and Selected Applications

Abstract: Health care institutions worldwide are increasingly the subject of analyses aimed at defining, measuring, and improving organizational efficiency. However, despite the importance of efficiency measurement in health care services, it is only relatively recently that the more advanced econometric and mathematical programming frontier techniques have been applied to hospitals, nursing homes, health management organizations, and physician practices, among others. This article provides a synoptic survey of the comparatively few empirical analyses of frontier efficiency measurement in health care services. Both the measurement of efficiency in a range of health care services and the posited determinants of health care efficiency are examined.

Stereolithographic biomodelling in cranio-maxillofacial surgery: A prospective trial

Abstract: Stereolithographic (SL) biomodelling is a new technology that allows three-dimensional (3-D) computed tomography (CT) data to be used to manufacture solid plastic replicas of anatomical structures (biomodels). A prospective trial with the objective of assessing the utility of biomodelling in complex surgery has been performed. Forty-five patients with craniofacial, maxillofacial, skull base cervical spinal pathology were selected. 3-D CT or MR scanning was performed and the data of interest were edited and converted into a form acceptable to the rapid prototyping technology SL. The data were used to guide a laser to selectively polymerize photosensitive resin to manufacture biomodels. The biomodels were used by surgeons for patient education, diagnosis and operative planning. An assessment protocol was used to test the hypothesis that 'biomodels in addition to standard imaging had greater utility in the surgery performed than the standard imaging alone'. Biomodels significantly improved operative planning (images 44.09%, images with biomodel 82.21%, P < .01) and diagnosis (images 65.63%, images with biomodel 95.23%, P < .01). Biomodels were found to improve measurement accuracy significantly (image measurement error 44.14%, biomodel measurement error 7.91%, P < .05). Surgeons estimated that the use of biomodels reduced operating time by a mean of 17.63% and were cost effective at a mean price of $1031 AUS. Patients found the biomodels to be helpful for informed consent (images 63.53%, biomodels 88.54%, P < .001). Biomodelling is an intuitive, user-friendly technology that facilitated diagnosis and operative planning. Biomodels allowed surgeons to rehearse procedures readily and improved communication between colleagues and patients.