Irish journal of medical science
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This paper deals with the analysis and interpretation of data relating to mortality and survival in the first year of operation of the Erne MICCU study in Co. Fermanagh. ⋯ There was no evidence of a direct, statistically significant, beneficial MICCU effect in either of the multi-factor mortality or survival models. However, the performance of the MICCU, measured in terms of crude survival, resulted from an adverse case-mix, which, when controlled for, suggested a small MICCU benefit. The findings relate to the first year of operation of the Erne MICCU study and may improve in later years.
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Rezum technology uses heat from radiofrequency-generated water vapour to ablate prostate tissue. We evaluate the introduction of this thermal therapy to an Irish teaching hospital for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia. ⋯ Rezum, a minimally invasive thermal therapy, provides significantly improved symptom relief and quality of life with a significant cost saving to the institution.
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Studies on the association between urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) and bone mineral density (BMD) are still controversial. ⋯ ACR was negatively associated with femoral neck BMD in the general US population. Future studies are warranted to confirm our results.
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COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020. With the sudden surge in demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), significant concerns regarding the ongoing availability emerged. One solution proposed is re-sterilisation of respirator masks and this has been commenced in some parts of the world. On review of the literature, very little is documented regarding the knowledge of masks and the attitudes of healthcare workers towards using re-sterilised masks. ⋯ Ensuring an adequate understanding of face masks is crucial among healthcare workers (HCWs) and this study highlights a need for further education. It also demonstrates a general acceptability among HCWs towards the use of re-sterilised face masks.