General Practice Receptionists (GPRs) are an under-researched and undervalued group of healthcare workers, both in Aotearoa/New Zealand and internationally, evidenced by the limited data on—and research involving—GPRs. As ...

Substandard, insecure, and unaffordable housing affects health, contributing to the spread of infectious disease, susceptibility to respiratory illness, and to feelings of stress and anxiety. In New Zealand, people who ...

Civil aviation authorities worldwide consider cardiovascular disease (CVD) an important medical condition because it can cause sudden pilot incapacitation. This group of related conditions is the most common reason for ...

Background Attitudes and beliefs about back pain have considerable influence on pain and recovery. Poor clinical outcomes are more likely when activities are avoided due to fear of pain or injury, when people are anxious, ...

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition affecting women. POP symptoms are associated with perineal, abdominal and pelvic discomfort, bladder and bowel disorders and psychological distress. POP is often treated ...

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin condition characterised by the development of pruritic and inflamed lesions. One key component of AD pathogenesis is a cutaneous hyper-reactivity to allergens influenced ...

Background Personality disorder is now an integral part of psychiatric practice. Although no longer a ‘diagnosis of exclusion’, the place of personality disorder in clinical practice remains unclear. This thesis examines ...

Within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract a rich, diverse microbiota exists, which provide a number of benefits to the host including nutrient acquisition and immune maturation. However, strict immunological control is required ...

Allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis (AD), asthma and allergic rhinitis are among the most common chronic illnesses around the world. Although they cause significant discomfort to those affected, effective treatments ...

Background: Given the discovery of cancer stem cells (CSCs) within haematological and solid tumours and the expression of primitive markers by infantile haemangioma, it was hypothesised that a CSC population would also be ...