Irish journal of medical science
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Endometriosis is the leading cause of chronic pelvic pain in women of reproductive age with debilitating effects on quality of life, yet no cure exists. Exercise yields the potential in providing women with a non-invasive, non-pharmacological method of symptom control. ⋯ For clinicians to incorporate exercise in managing endometriosis, clear recommendations regarding advice and benefits are needed.
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The use of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) for treatment of hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HTGP) remains controversial in the literature. This study compared the clinical outcomes of TPE versus conventional therapy in patients with HTGP. ⋯ The approach of using TPE for treatment of HTGP was not found to be superior to the conventional treatment. Randomized controlled studies with larger number of patients are needed to gain better understanding of this issue.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparing the tolerability of preservative-free tafluprost versus preserved latanoprost in the management of glaucoma and ocular hypertension - an observer blinded active-control trial.
Dry eye is a condition related to long-term topical eye therapy. We wish to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of preservative free prostaglandin drops versus benzalkonium chloride containing prostaglandin drops in the treatment of glaucoma. ⋯ Preservative-free and benzalkonium chloride-containing drops were found to be equally effective in lowering IOP with no significant difference in either subjective or objective measurements of dry eye severity.
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Observational Study
Sonological predictors of complications of percutaneous renal biopsy-a prospective observational study.
Percutaneous renal biopsy, although essential for renal disease diagnosis, is associated with a number of post-biopsy complications ranging from gross haematuria to AV fistula to death. In this study, we carried out an active haematoma surveillance and attempted to correlate renal sonological parameters-kidney length, renal parenchymal changes, renal cortical and parenchymal thickness for their potential use in prediction of post-renal biopsy complications. ⋯ The incidence of major complications requiring interventions following renal biopsy is notably low. Our study highlights the significance of renal sonological characteristics, including parenchymal thickness, cortical thickness and parenchymal changes, in predicting these complications. Furthermore, we emphasize the utility of hematoma surveillance immediately post-biopsy and at the 12 h, as a valuable tool for predicting the necessity of post-biopsy interventions. This approach can aid in efficiently triaging patients and determining the need for further observation post-renal biopsy.
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Review Meta Analysis
The use of radiomic analysis of magnetic resonance imaging findings in predicting features of early osteoarthritis of the knee-a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The primary aim of this study was to systematically review current literature evaluating the use of radiomics in establishing the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in native knees in predicting features of osteoarthritis (OA). A systematic review was performed with respect to PRISMA guidelines in search of studies reporting radiomic analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyse patients with native knee OA. Sensitivity and specificity of radiomic analyses were included for meta-analysis. Following our initial literature search of 1271 studies, only 5 studies met our inclusion criteria. ⋯ Meta-analysis demonstrated the pooled sensitivity and specificity for MRI in predicting features of OA in patients with native knees were 0.74 (95% CI 0.71, 0.78) and 0.85 (95% CI 0.83, 0.87), respectively. The results of this systematic review suggest that the high sensitivities and specificity of MRI-based radiomics may represent potential biomarker in the early identification and classification of native knee OA. Such analysis may inform surgeons to facilitate earlier non-operative management of knee OA in the select pre-symptomatic patients, prior to clinical or radiological evidence of degenerative change.