Irish journal of medical science
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In experimental models, the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) has been reported as a key mediator in cerebral ischemia. In this study, the clinical significance of serum RAGE levels in acute ischemic stroke patients with type 2 diabetes was determined. ⋯ Acute ischemic stroke is associated with elevated serum RAGE level, which, at admission, is an independent predictor of poor outcome for stroke in type 2 diabetes.
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Measurement of late night salivary cortisol (LNSF) is useful in the identification of cyclical Cushing's syndrome (CS); the usefulness of its metabolite cortisone (late night salivary cortisone, LNSE) is less well described. ⋯ LNSF appears more sensitive than LNSE and UFC in the diagnosis of CS, combining LNSF and LNSE results leads to superior sensitivity. Half of our cohort had evidence of cyclical or variable hormonogenesis. Fluctuations in LNSF did not always correlate with changes in UFC concentration, emphasising the importance of performing more than one screening test, particularly if pretest clinical suspicion is high.
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Whilst discharge summaries are important for ensuring patient continuity of care, they often lack important information. Medical students and newly qualified doctors have attributed this to insufficient teaching, thereby indicating a need to improve discharge summary education within the undergraduate medical curriculum. The aim was to review educational approaches used to prepare undergraduate medical students for discharge summary writing, and their effectiveness Medline and Scopus were systematically searched using keywords, for studies published between 2009 and 2019. ⋯ The results indicate that providing written feedback to students can positively influence attitudes towards discharge summary writing. Optimisation of the quality of discharge summaries written by medical students using feedback and checklists requires further investigation, as does the use of interprofessional learning. Future studies would additionally benefit from including participant baseline data and control groups, being multicentred and measuring behavioural or patient/healthcare outcomes.
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In January 2020, the WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak a public health emergency; by March 11, a pandemic was declared. To date in Ireland, over 3300 patients have been admitted to acute hospitals as a result of infection with COVID-19. ⋯ We demonstrate the implementation of an integrated multidisciplinary approach to patients with COVID-19, identifying those with increased physical and mental healthcare needs. Our initial experience suggests that significant physical, psychological, and cognitive impairments may persist despite clinical resolution of the infection.
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Historically, high negative appendicectomy rates (NAR) were acceptable to offset the risks of perforation, previously exceeding 20%. With improved imaging and clinical scoring algorithms, there is growing demand for lower negative appendicectomy rates. The objectives were to (1) establish the NAR in our institution and (2) correlate clinical parameters and imaging modalities with histological findings. ⋯ There is no consensus on defining a negative appendicectomy or for imaging modality utilisation. CT imaging is the most sensitive and should be used in cases of diagnostic uncertainty. A standardised algorithm regarding the workup of patients with RIF pain along with a consensus on the use of imaging will further reduce negative appendicectomy rates.