Irish journal of medical science
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COVID-19 infection led to a substantial overhaul of the symptomatic breast services within the UK. ⋯ Most patients were referred from GP as 'urgent' or 'urgent suspected cancer'. The cancer diagnosis rate reduced from 7 to 5% during the pandemic peak but the number of 'worried well' patients did not reduce. The total number of referrals reduced, which is predictive of increased demand in the future. The authors have suggested ways to meet this demand.
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The continual course of the pandemic points to the importance of studies on the rate and durability of protective immunity after infection or vaccination. ⋯ Patients had ≥ 90% positivity after at least 9 months of symptoms, both anti-N and anti-S antibodies. In all samples, both anti-N and anti-S antibody levels were lower in females. The findings suggest that the quantitative values of anti-S antibodies remained high for at least 9 months and could provide protection.
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Mutations in the alpha-sarcoglycan gene cause limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2D, an autosomal recessive muscle wasting disorder primarily affecting the muscles of the shoulder and pelvic girdles. To date, no previous study has collated all known mutations in alpha-sarcoglycan and mapped these to the associated phenotypes. ⋯ This study demonstrates the vast variation in disease severity seen between patients possessing the same mutation, highlighting the difficulty identifying genotype-phenotype correlations in this condition. Novel findings including the involvement of exon three in all compound heterozygous patients who suffered from cardiomyopathy, and the severity of mutations involving exons four and five may help to guide investigations and therapeutic decisions in an era of personalised medicine.
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Long noncoding RNA HULC (lnc-HULC) and its target microRNA-128-3p (miR-128-3p) regulate endothelial cell function, blood lipid level, and inflammatory cytokine production, which are involved in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease (CHD). Based on the above information, this study intended to further investigate the correlation between lnc-HULC and miR-128-3p, as well as their clinical values for CHD management. ⋯ Lnc-HULC and its target miR-128-3p relate to lipid level, stenosis degree, inflammatory cytokines, and cell adhesion molecules in CHD patients.