Irish journal of medical science
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Observational Study
Taking histories: joint working of disciplines in medical history scholarship.
While there is an increasing emphasis on the value of interdisciplinarity in scholarship in the medical humanities, it is unknown to what extent there is joint working between historians and clinicians in medical history. We aimed to quantify evidence of joint working in authorship of medical history papers. ⋯ Scholarship engaging both historians and clinicians is rare in medical history journals. Possible solutions include enhanced research collaborations between historians and clinicians, interdisciplinary educational seminars and cross-institutional knowledge exchanges.
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Bilateral joint arthroplasty is currently not common, but its usage is expected to increase in the future. This may result in larger amounts of opioids being consumed by patients due to anticipated increased pain and prolonged recovery from this procedure. ⋯ We recommend the use of perioperative steroids in bilateral THA to reduce the consumption of potentially problematic opioid-based analgesics.
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The methods used in the diagnosis and screening of sarcopenia are not available everywhere. There is a need for more practical tests that can be used especially in the first step. ⋯ Our study indicated the relationship between blink rate with dynapenia and grip strength. Especially in patients with limited mobilization and where it is not possible to reach the hand dynamometer to measure grip strength, the blink rate can be used as an alternative test to detect dynapenia.
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For evaluating the severity of coronary heart disease (CHD), coronary arteriography may not be available everywhere due to technical limitations. MicroRNA-101a (miR-101a) associated with inflammation and cholesterol homeostasis. However, whether it related to presence and stratification of CHD is still unknown. ⋯ Circulating miR-101a may be considered as a novel biomarker for evaluating the presence and severity of CHD.
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Smoking during pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Tobacco tax avoidance and tax evasion undermine the effectiveness of tobacco tax policies, resulting in cheaper prices for smokers and increased tobacco usage. ⋯ Use of illicit tobacco is low and only a minority of women engaged in tobacco tax avoidance. As the average price of tobacco in Ireland increases, weekly expenditure on tobacco products is a significant financial impact on low-income women. Smoking cessation would deliver significant financial gains in addition to health benefits.