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On the 1st of November 2023, the Australian Government will release new guidelines for screening prostate cancer with the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test. These guidelines are based upon the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) published in 2016 with new items to be included in the Medicare schedule. These items are based upon the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Council of Australia guidelines that have been endorsed by the NHMRC, RACGP, and USANZ. We speak to Professor Ken Sikaris who has been at the forefront of these new recommendations.

Our special guest is Professor Ken Sikaris who is a chemical pathologist and Director of Chemical Pathology at Melbourne Pathology.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

On the 1st of November 2023, the Australian Government will release new guidelines for screening prostate cancer with the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test. These guidelines are based upon the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) published in 2016 with new items to be included in the Medicare schedule. These items are based upon the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Council of Australia guidelines that have been endorsed by the NHMRC, RACGP, and USANZ. We speak to Professor Ken Sikaris who has been at the forefront of these new recommendations.
Our special guest is Professor Ken Sikaris who is a chemical pathologist and Director of Chemical Pathology at Melbourne Pathology.
This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

Welcome to the This Medical Life podcast. Our mission is to share stories about the triumphs and tragedies of diseases and illnesses from ancient times up until what we know today. It is about those scientific and medical minds who came before us and how, every single day, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a podcast about the stories of medicine.


Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Production by Tim Whiffen

Design by Tom Buzz

This Medical Life

Auscast Medical Channel is a podcast channel that provides a wide range of medical-related content. The podcasts feature interviews with experts in various medical fields, including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, as well as discussions on the latest medical research and treatment options. The channel covers a wide range of topics, including general health, mental health, and specific medical conditions. The podcasts are aimed at both healthcare professionals and the general public, and provide listeners with the latest information and insights on healthcare topics. Auscast Medical Channel is a great resource for staying informed about medical issues and trends, and for learning more about how to care for yourself and your loved ones.

Auscast Medical Channel is a podcast channel that provides a wide range of medical-related content. The podcasts feature interviews with experts in various medical fields, including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, as well as discussions on the latest medical research and treatment options. The channel covers a wide range of topics, including general health, mental health, and specific medical conditions. The podcasts are aimed at both healthcare professionals and the general public, and provide listeners with the latest information and insights on healthcare topics. Auscast Medical Channel is a great resource for staying informed about medical issues and trends, and for learning more about how to care for yourself and your loved ones.

Auscast Medical

Episode 48: Prostate Cancer Screening | PSA on PSAs

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In 1901, the state of Montana organised for scientists and doctors to investigate a mysterious illness from the Bitterroot Valley called ‘Black measles’ and ‘Black typhus’. People of all ages were affected but predominantly those who worked in the brush and were exposed to tick bites. The investigators called it ‘tick fever’ and this particular strain had a mortality rate over eighty percent.



Today this disease is known as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In Australia, it is sometimes called ‘spotted fever’ or ‘Queensland tick typhus’. It is caused by an obligate intracellular bacterial micro-organism (needs a cell to survive). This organism is very difficult to culture and can be even more difficult to diagnose but surprisingly easy to treat. Rickettsial disease is an under-recognised infection and important in the differential diagnosis of any patients presenting with fevers, headaches and rash.



This is the story of Rickettsia

Our special guest:  

Our special guest is Professor Stephen Graves who is a medical microbiology and founder of the Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory (ARRL). He specialises is infectious diseases transmitted by ectoparasites such as ticks, lice, fleas and mites.



This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

In 1901, the state of Montana organised for scientists and doctors to investigate a mysterious illness from the Bitterroot Valley called ‘Black measles’ and ‘Black typhus’. People of all ages were affected but predominantly those who worked in the brush and were exposed to tick bites. The investigators called it ‘tick fever’ and this particular strain had a mortality rate over eighty percent.
 
Today this disease is known as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In Australia, it is sometimes called ‘spotted fever’ or ‘Queensland tick typhus’. It is caused by an obligate intracellular bacterial micro-organism (needs a cell to survive). This organism is very difficult to culture and can be even more difficult to diagnose but surprisingly easy to treat. Rickettsial disease is an under-recognised infection and important in the differential diagnosis of any patients presenting with fevers, headaches and rash.
 
This is the story of Rickettsia
 Our special guest: 
Our special guest is Professor Stephen Graves who is a medical microbiology and founder of the Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory (ARRL). He specialises is infectious diseases transmitted by ectoparasites such as ticks, lice, fleas and mites.
 
This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

Discover the history of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, once called 'tick fever,' with Prof. Stephen Graves on This Medical Life Podcast.

Episode 58: Ticking the spotted fever box | Rickettsia

Our understanding of infectious disease and pathology stems from the 19th century with Robert Koch pioneering research. Dr Koch help to shaped modern microbiology and medicine when he identified the causative agents for anthrax and tuberculosis. Since that time, the number of infectious microorganisms that we know of that cause illness and diseases has increased exponentially. Thanks to modern day techniques, laboratories can test for these agents directly or indirectly and get an answer often within hours.

As such, microbiology is on the verge of a new era. Instead of the principle of one test: one micro-organism, we are moving into the realm where one test can detect hundreds of potential pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes in a single stool sample. The new test is called Metapanel. This includes 175 gene targets using metagenomics (shotgun gene sequencing) and is able to detect bacteria, viruses, helminths, protozoa, fungi, microsporidia. This information is collated and reported by a pathologist and advice given as to what is the implications of the result. The test is ideally suited for patients with chronic diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel disease and/or inflammatory bowel syndrome.

This is the story of advanced faeces testing and Metapanel

** Please note: General Practitioners in Australia, will be able to claim CPD points after listening to this episode. Full details and registration, coming shortly.

Our special guest: 

Dr Michael Wehrhahn is the Director of Molecular Biology and Infectious serology at Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology. Michael has a Master in Public Health, is an Infectious Disease Specialist as well as a Microbiologist and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Notre Dame.

Dr Wehrhahn is actively involved in research on clinical and laboratory aspects of a range of microorganisms and is a reviewer for a number of journals. Michael has been involved in researching and validating the new Metapanel available through Sonic in conjunction with Microba.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us at https://www.patreon.com/ThisMedicalLife

Our understanding of infectious disease and pathology stems from the 19th century with Robert Koch pioneering research. Dr Koch help to shaped modern microbiology and medicine when he identified the causative agents for anthrax and tuberculosis. Since that time, the number of infectious microorganisms that we know of that cause illness and diseases has increased exponentially. Thanks to modern day techniques, laboratories can test for these agents directly or indirectly and get an answer often within hours.
As such, microbiology is on the verge of a new era. Instead of the principle of one test: one micro-organism, we are moving into the realm where one test can detect hundreds of potential pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes in a single stool sample. The new test is called Metapanel. This includes 175 gene targets using metagenomics (shotgun gene sequencing) and is able to detect bacteria, viruses, helminths, protozoa, fungi, microsporidia. This information is collated and reported by a pathologist and advice given as to what is the implications of the result. The test is ideally suited for patients with chronic diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel disease and/or inflammatory bowel syndrome.
This is the story of advanced faeces testing and Metapanel
** Please note: General Practitioners in Australia, will be able to claim CPD points after listening to this episode. Full details and registration, coming shortly.
Our special guest: 
Dr Michael Wehrhahn is the Director of Molecular Biology and Infectious serology at Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology. Michael has a Master in Public Health, is an Infectious Disease Specialist as well as a Microbiologist and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Notre Dame.
Dr Wehrhahn is actively involved in research on clinical and laboratory aspects of a range of microorganisms and is a reviewer for a number of journals. Michael has been involved in researching and validating the new Metapanel available through Sonic in conjunction with Microba.
This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/ThisMedicalLife">https://www.patreon.com/ThisMedicalLife</a>

Episode 57: Fantastic Faeces and Where to Find Pathogens. Dive into Metapanel, detecting hundreds of pathogens in one test, transforming diagnostics.

Episode 57: Fantastic Faeces and Where to find pathogens | Metapanel

In episode 56 of This Medical Life, Dr Travis Brown and Steve Davis delve into the critical topic of iron studies, with a special focus on iron deficiency, under the expert guidance of returning guest, Professor Ken Sikaris.

Iron deficiency’s prevalence is influenced by factors such as age, sex, and ethnicity, noting that women, especially those of childbearing age and pregnant women, are at higher risk. Prof Sikaris addresses the challenges and misconceptions surrounding iron studies, particularly the reliability of various tests like serum iron, transferrin saturation, and ferritin. While ferritin is the most reliable marker for total body iron stores, it can be influenced by factors like inflammation.

Through this episode, we provide This Medical Life provides a comprehensive exploration of iron deficiency, combining historical context, clinical insights, and practical advice, all aimed at improving understanding and management of this prevalent health issue.

Our special guest:

Professor Ken Sikaris is a chemical pathologists and Director of Chemical Pathology at Melbourne Pathology. Professor Sikaris is a NATA-accredited laboratory assessor, Founding Fellow of the RCPA Faculty of Science and a principle examiner in Pathology Informatics. He is a Fellow of the Department of Pathology at the University of Melbourne.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify

In episode 56 of This Medical Life, Dr Travis Brown and Steve Davis delve into the critical topic of iron studies, with a special focus on iron deficiency, under the expert guidance of returning guest, Professor Ken Sikaris.
Iron deficiency’s prevalence is influenced by factors such as age, sex, and ethnicity, noting that women, especially those of childbearing age and pregnant women, are at higher risk. Prof Sikaris addresses the challenges and misconceptions surrounding iron studies, particularly the reliability of various tests like serum iron, transferrin saturation, and ferritin. While ferritin is the most reliable marker for total body iron stores, it can be influenced by factors like inflammation.
Through this episode, we provide This Medical Life provides a comprehensive exploration of iron deficiency, combining historical context, clinical insights, and practical advice, all aimed at improving understanding and management of this prevalent health issue.
Our special guest:
Professor Ken Sikaris is a chemical pathologists and Director of Chemical Pathology at Melbourne Pathology. Professor Sikaris is a NATA-accredited laboratory assessor, Founding Fellow of the RCPA Faculty of Science and a principle examiner in Pathology Informatics. He is a Fellow of the Department of Pathology at the University of Melbourne.
This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify

Explore iron deficiency with Prof. Ken Sikaris on This Medical Life Podcast, covering diagnosis, risks, and management for healthier outcomes.

Episode 48: Prostate Cancer Screening | PSA on PSAs

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