Irish journal of medical science
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BACKGROUND : Since the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 began, our understanding of the pathogenesis and immune responses to this virus has continued to evolve. It has been shown that this infection produces natural detectable immune responses in many cases. However, the duration and durability of immunity and its effect on the severity of the illness are still under investigation. Moreover, the protective effects of antibodies against new SARS-CoV-2 variants still remain unclear. ⋯ In conclusion, none of the anti-nucleocapsid-positive HCWs developed SARS-CoV-2 re-infection in this study, and the presence of IgG anti-nucleocapsid antibodies substantially reduce the risk of re-infection for a period of 6 months.
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Although the bioactive peptides associated with the apelinergic system are known to be associated with heart failure and ischemic heart disease, there are no data on their association with acromegaly. ⋯ Serum Elabela level can be used as an early and objective indicator of early cardiovascular involvement in patients with acromegaly. Further research is needed to clarify the role of serum Elabela levels on cardiovascular system in acromegaly patients.
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The effect of single or multiple arteries in the donor kidney on renal transplant surgical outcomes.
As the number of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is increasing, but there are not enough living donors, it is necessary to broaden the criteria for candidates who can undergo donor nephrectomy. Thanks to surgeons' increasing experience with laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LND), multiple renal artery grafts, previously considered a relative contraindication to donor nephrectomy, have become candidates for LDN. We aimed to compare the outcomes of donors and recipients with single artery and with multiple arteries in LDN. ⋯ Increasing the number of donor arteries in renal transplantation (RT) operations prolonged the operation time on both the donor and recipient sides. Still, it had no negative impact on complications or graft function in the postoperative period.
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The reasons underlying prolonged waiting lists for surgery in Ireland are multifactorial. Patient-related factors including non-attendances contribute in part to the current waiting times. ⋯ While cancellations remained high even after our intervention, a simple phone call was effective and more than halved our cancellation rate. Future efforts need to focus on increasing awareness of patient responsibility for attending scheduled appointments and procedures.