Love, sex and babies are the foundation of human existence. Without them the human race ceases to exist. Zika, a virus that few people had heard of a month ago, has suddenly disrupted this normal course of events. [ + ]

The Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) annual Public Hospital Report Card says hospitals are facing “a growing funding crisis” – with their performance virtually stagnant, even declining in certain areas – and lays the blame squarely at the feet of the federal government. [ + ]

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Growing fears about incidents of violence and aggression in public hospitals and other healthcare settings was shared by more than 140 delegates of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) this week. [ + ]

A University of Queensland gynaecological researcher and cancer surgeon is urging women facing hysterectomy  to consider removal of their fallopian tubes to reduce their risk of ovarian cancer. [ + ]

An early intervention program designed to improve the way emergency departments deal with patients with sepsis has been successful in speeding up the process of treating the potentially fatal condition, according to research published online by the Medical Journal of Australia. [ + ]

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Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The same mosquito also transmits 3 other vector-borne diseases -- dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever – across tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The most common symptoms of Zika virus are headache, muscle and joint pain, mild fever, rash, and inflammation of the underside of the eyelid. To lower the risk of being infected with Zika virus: use insect repellent; cover as much of the body as possible with long, light-coloured clothing; empty, clean or cover containers that can hold water to remove places mosquitoes can breed; and sleep under mosquito nets. Key facts [ + ]

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The rate of bloodstream infections caused by central intravenous lines in hospitals can be reduced to almost zero, saving over $200 000 per year, if a modified central line maintenance procedure developed by a group of Victorian researchers is used, according to a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia. [ + ]

Pandit J et al. The 5th National Audit Project (NAP5) - Accidental Awareness During General Anaesthesia in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists UK. Sept 2014. [ + ]

Your thoughts, mood and behaviour are the product of your brain – an exquisite spider’s web of neuronal connections and witch’s brew of neurochemicals according to Paul Bertrand and Trisha Jenkins, RMIT University. It is this brew that is prone to change, and when “unbalanced” can cause dramatically altered behaviour. And your diet may have more to do with how you think than you would first suspect. How your mood is made up Your mood is the product of chemicals in the brain called “neurochemicals”. This includes “neurotransmitters”, which are small molecules nerve cells (neurons) use to communicate with each other. One important neurotransmitter involved in mood is serotonin. [ + ]

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A study of more than 1000 Victorian babies has shown those with hyperactive immune cells at birth, detected in their cord blood, were more likely to develop food allergies in their first year of life. [ + ]