Medical Journal of Australia (MJA)

Cardiovascular diseases Consumer health Emergency medicine Volume 224 - Published ahead of Issue 9 Authors: Hugh N. Burrill Correspondence: ecmosupport@monash.edu Med J Aust 2026 || doi: 10.5694/mja2.70281 Published online: 1 September 2026 Abstract I collapsed at the gym when a massive pulmonary embolism caused my heart to stop. Unbelievably I survived thanks to a clinical trial delivering an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) heart–lung bypass machine directly to me at the gym.

The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only. It does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Medical certificates, also commonly called sick leave certificates, may seem just like another simple administrative task for doctors. However, there are many legal, ethical and professional issues you need to consider when issuing one to a patient.

Volume 224 - Published ahead of Issue 8 Authors: Fadak Mohammadi, Alan J. Wigg, Ken Liu, Simone I. Strasser Correspondence: ken.liu@health.nsw.gov.au Med J Aust 2026 || doi: 10.5694/mja2.70276 Published online: 25 August 2026 Abstract Adult liver transplantation practice in Australia and New Zealand has changed substantially over the past decade in response to shifting liver disease epidemiology and advances in donor organ preservation.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading reason for medically indicated preterm birth (PTB), yet their contribution to population-level PTB trends is poorly understood. We examined temporal trends in PTB overall and HDP-associated PTB in Victoria over an 11-year period spanning the COVID-19 pandemic, and distinguished changes in HDP prevalence from changes in preterm delivery among affected pregnancies.

Overweight and obesity affects approximately 13.2 million Australian adults and is now the  of illness and premature death in Australia. It contributes substantially to the , including type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and osteoarthritis. It is also associated with increased cardiovascular risk, with approximately 80% of Australian adults with cardiovascular disease also living with overweight or obesity.

Memories shape us as people. They are also crucial for our survival. Being able to recall information that we have previously learnt, such as the meaning of a car horn, can help us to safely navigate the world around us. We know that memories are encoded within neurons. But how memory-based information is transferred and stored in our brain’s memory banks, and the process involved in retrieving it when we need it, remains largely unknown.

Before the advent of mRNA vaccines to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) the technology was already under investigation for several decades, mainly for the delivery of therapeutics. Laboratory studies began in the early 1960s, but success was ultimately made possible by a series of breakthroughs in nucleoside modification and in lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems (here). mRNA vaccines differ fundamentally from traditional vaccines.

Disclaimer: This information is general in nature and doesn't take into account your personal financial circumstances. For advice tailored to your situation, please consult a registered accountant or financial adviser. Going out on your own is harder than most GPs anticipate — yet also more rewarding. Australia has around 7,100 accredited general practices, and the number keeps growing.

Ask an MRI patient what they think the machine is doing to them, and you’ll be surprised how often the word radiation comes up. They’re not being uninformed, they’ve been set up by a naming problem decades in the making. The person who scanned them is a radiographer. The department is radiology. Often the sign on the door still says X-ray. Of course they’re confused. MRI does not use ionising radiation.

In Australia, every newborn baby is offered a screening test for 34 serious but treatable conditions (or groups of conditions), such as cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy. The test uses a small blood sample taken from the baby’s heel. Finding these conditions early can save lives and prevent disability.