Screen time: what is a screening test and why do we have them?

Most of us will be familiar with a few of Australia’s screening programs, like the bowel cancer screening program or mammograms for breast cancer screening, but what does screening actually mean, an

Politicians roll up their sleeves in Canberra as Diabetes Australia calls for wider blood testing to arrest Australian diabetes epidemic

Usually when politicians roll up their sleeves in Canberra it involves some form of parliamentary fisticuffs, but recently Parliament House saw pollies rolling up their sleeves to have their blood tes

Pathology and kidney disease: from diagnosis to exciting research on transplants

Kidney conditions can manifest themselves with a variety of symptoms, such as general tiredness or the swelling of limbs from the retention of excess fluid. However, 90% of kidney function can be lost

In Focus: Haemochromatosis or ‘Iron Overload’ (sadly nothing to do with Iron Man)

In Australia, it’s estimated that roughly one in 200 Australians of Caucasian heritage suffer from haemochromatosis, making it the country’s most common genetic disorder. Yet, it’s still an unfa

Babymakers: how pathology helps people get pregnant

Assisted reproductive technologies – more generally referred to as in-vitro fertilisation or IVF – are increasingly common around the world. In fact, in Australia and New Zealand alone, more than

Pathology at the forefront of the fight against HIV

Since HIV first appeared in Australia almost forty years ago, there have been huge advancements in diagnosis and treatment. These days, HIV testing is more than 99% accurate and providing there is ong

Fabry disease: the genetic condition you’ve probably never heard of

Fabry disease is a rare genetic condition with a range of symptoms from skin lesions to heart problems. You’d be forgiven for never having heard of it – there are currently only 300 Australians at

DNA dilemmas – what do ancestry DNA test results mean?

Online DNA testing kits have become popular in recent years, promising a range of insights from how your body metabolises caffeine to what type of exercise you should be doing. Those interested in
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