Irish journal of medical science
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how maternity care services are provided worldwide. To contain the virus, many providers reduced the number of face-to-face visits for women. In addition, partner attendance was prohibited in many circumstances to protect staff, and other service users, from potential infection. ⋯ The pandemic caused additional anxiety for pregnant women. This was exacerbated by uncertainty about the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy and unclear messaging about restrictions. More interactive and personalized communication is required to support women to cope with uncertainty during a pandemic. The birth partner plays an important role as an advocate for women and excluding them from pregnancy care caused additional anxiety for pregnant women. Containment strategies for a pandemic should be developed with this in mind, to view the family as a unit rather than the woman in isolation.
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To evaluate the effect of pterygium surgery on intraocular lens (IOL) power and ocular biometric parameters and to evaluate the factors affecting these parameters. ⋯ Pterygium surgery causes a significant decrease in calculated IOL power obtained with all formulas. It becomes more pronounced with the increase in the size of the pterygium.
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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults have been prioritized in public health campaigns to limit social interactions and 'cocoon' in their homes. This limits the autonomy of older people and may have unintended adverse consequences. ⋯ Adverse consequences of 'cocooning' were commonly expressed amongst older adults. Public health policy should take into account the heterogeneity of this population and be sensitive to their self-expressed wishes and priorities.
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Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 4 (ITIH4) plays vital roles in inflammatory and auto-immune diseases, but its correlations with disease risk and clinical features in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) need further investigation. The present study intended to explore the correlation of ITIH4 with disease activity and inflammation, as well as its change after treatment in IBD patients. ⋯ ITIH4 correlates with IBD susceptibility, active risk, inflammation level, and its elevation after treatment relates to clinical response in IBD patients.
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Virtual fracture clinics (VFC) have been widely adopted worldwide as part of the changes in healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been shown to be a safe and effective method of delivering trauma care for injuries which do not require immediate intervention or specialist management, whilst maintaining high levels of patient satisfaction. ⋯ Virtual fracture clinics can reduce X-ray frequency for common stable wrist and ankle fractures, with resultant benefits for both patients and healthcare systems. These benefits may be sustained in patient care beyond the current COVID-19 pandemic.