Irish journal of medical science
-
The weight of the delivered placenta gives a useful representation of placental function in utero. In the absence of Irish data, many pathologists rely on data from other populations, many of which are now 15 to 30 years old. The development of a population-specific nomogram would aid in the examination of placentas after delivery, allowing pathologists and medical scientists to more easily distinguish between placental physiological changes and pathology. ⋯ The weight of the placenta is one of several measurements that are easy to acquire, and when recorded in a systematic fashion, provide information not just on an individual, but also on a population basis. Birth weights have increased over the last century, and this study provides national data helping distinction between placental physiology and pathology.
-
Determining whether nailfold capillary involvement is present in patients with Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and whether there are different nailfold capillaroscopy findings between wet and dry types. ⋯ Nailfold capillaroscopy can detect microvascular changes in the nailfold capillary, in early and late stages of AMD. There were morphological changes in the nailfold capillaries of AMD patients, suggesting that there are systemic superficial microvascular changes that may be due to the systemic nature of the disease.
-
Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency. Its management reflects the efficacy of acute care surgery. Limited theatre space is an escalating issue, especially without dedicated emergency theatre access. Pre-operative delays are associated with longer length of stay, higher costs and post-operative complications. ⋯ This review highlights the impact of limited theatre access for on-call emergency admissions, with a significant portion of appendicectomies being done on elective lists or out-of-hours.
-
There is not yet a standardized approach to treat patients with small cell carcinoma of the bladder (SmCCB). This study aims to investigate the clinical features, treatment, and survival outcomes of patients with pure SmCCB. ⋯ The optimal treatment of SmCCB has been under debate. For the patients with advanced stage of disease (T4b, N+, M+), platinum containing chemotherapeutic agents should be preferred. Stage IV disease and poor ECOG performance status were associated with shorter OS.
-
This study aimed to investigate the potential of microRNA (miR)-146a and miR-146b for predicting restenosis and rapid angiographic stenotic progression (RASP) risk in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. ⋯ miR-146a and miR-146b predict increased restenosis and RASP risk in CHD patients who underwent PCI with DES.