Irish journal of medical science
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To validate the predictive performance of the THRIVE, ASTRAL, and iScore scales for clinical functional outcomes following mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). ⋯ The iScore is a reliable tool for assessing the poor prognosis of MT in patients with AIS.
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In this study, the relationship between maximum carotid plaque area and stroke prognosis was analysed by carotid ultrasonography, and the relevant risk factors affecting the prognosis of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) were investigated to provide novel insights into stroke prevention and management. ⋯ The maximum carotid plaque area and history of previous stroke are important predictors for assessing prognosis in patients with AIS.
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Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with increased risk of morbidity and premature mortality due to its various complications. In an Indian study, the prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in type 2 diabetic subjects was shown to be 29.2%. There is increasing evidence that a deficiency of nerve growth factor (NGF) in diabetes, as well as the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), may also contribute to the development of DPN. The aim of the current study was to evaluate nerve growth factor levels with neuropathy in type 2 DM. ⋯ The neurotrophic factors especially BDNF are drastically reduced in DM patients and are negatively associated with neuropathy, and hence, BDNF can be utilized as a therapeutic target to treat and prevent neuropathy.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the value of point shear-wave elastography (pSWE) in the measurement of iron overload in the liver and other visceral organs in patients with beta thalassemia major (BTM). ⋯ Hepatic, pancreatic, splenic, and renal pSWE values were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group (p ≤ 0.001, < 0.001, 0.014, 0.026, respectively). In the patient group, hepatic pSWE values established a significant correlation with cardiac T2* values, liver size-T2*, pancreatic pSWE values, serum ferritin levels, and age (p = 0.006, < 0.001, 0.001, 0.042, 0.001, 0.032, respectively). In the ROC analysis, the area under the ROC curve was 0.807 for hepatic pSWE in the discrimination of thalassemia patients and healthy controls, and the cut-off value was 1.42, which gave a sensitivity and specificity of 75.7% and 75%, respectively. CONCLUSıON: Point shear-wave elastography can be a useful technique in the clinical measurement of iron overload in the liver, pancreas, spleen, and kidney.
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Review Case Reports
A case series of musical hallucinations in psychiatry of old age-in search of the sound of silence.
Musical hallucinations (MH) are the subjective experience of hearing music when none is played. They are a rare, understudied area of psychiatry. MH are more common in women and older age and have several underlying aetiologies and predisposing factors such as hearing impairment, mental illness and certain medications. ⋯ One case had a swift resolution of symptoms with a combination of an antipsychotic and antidepressant. The other two cases had limited responses to treatment despite optimising their hearing aids and trials of a number of medications at therapeutic levels. Further research into MH is needed to establish a treatment that is evidence based and symptom focused.