Irish journal of medical science
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Sentinel lymph node (SLN) positivity is an important prognostic factor in cutaneous melanoma. A nomogram has been developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC) to predict SLN positivity and this may be useful to select patients for SLN biopsy. ⋯ This nomogram is valid and accurate at predicting SLN positivity in an Irish population. This may facilitate the clinical decision to perform a SLN biopsy in malignant melanoma.
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Reconstruction of a urethral stricture poses a difficult surgical problem. Anastomotic repair remains the gold standard. Strictures longer than 2 cm may require substitution urethroplasty. This is a retrospective review of all patients who underwent urethral reconstruction with an autologous free buccal mucosa graft at a Regional hospital between 1998 and 2009. ⋯ This study suggests that anterior urethral strictures up to 6 cm in length may be predictably and safely managed with buccal mucosal urethroplasty. The buccal mucosa is easy to harvest, and can be used successfully in one- and two-stage grafting procedures. The rate of complications, from both a urological and maxillofacial perspective, in the group of patients studied was low.
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The aim of this study was to measure any incremental costs or savings within the health system associated with the introduction of the new technology, prucalopride, for the management of chronic constipation. ⋯ This study validated the findings of the NICE costing template and suggests that the use of prucalopride for the treatment of chronic constipation in women refractory to laxatives has the potential to reduce secondary care resource use and hence led to cost savings.
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GPs, as healthcare professionals with whom young people commonly interact, have a central role in early intervention for mental health problems. However, successfully fulfilling this role is a challenge, and this is especially in deprived urban areas. ⋯ GPs have a key role in addressing youth mental health and this study highlights the key domains of this role and the key components of a complex intervention to support this role.
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Urinary bladder cancer is a quite common cancer type in men and women all over the world. Genetic polymorphisms of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes could increase individual susceptibility to various cancer types. ⋯ Polymorphisms of these genes have been assessed to evaluate the relative risk of various cancers. Our intention is to continue this study with larger series of bladder cancer patients in a group of Turkish population from Central Anatolia.