Irish journal of medical science
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Intravenous drug misuse, principally heroin, occurs primarily in the Greater Dublin area. Methadone maintenance treatment has been an important part of the response to opiate misuse in Dublin since 1992. ⋯ Opiate-related deaths occur primarily in males in the 25-34 year age group and are associated with a high level of polydrug use. Diverted methadone accounted for the majority of deaths involving
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Future general practice funding is much debated but public opinion has not previously been reported. ⋯ There is dissatisfaction with existing GP fees and support for a scheme entitling free primary care. The amount of money people are willing to pay exceeds their current annual expenditure on GP services.
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The longterm outlook after Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication in peptic ulcer disease is unclear. ⋯ Despite a low H. pylori recurrence rate, longterm dyspeptic symptoms were common in peptic ulcer patients after H. pylori eradication. The symptoms are mainly reflux in type and require anti-secretory therapy in only a minority of patients.
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The mortality and morbidity of patients with breast cancer can vary even between individuals with similar histological stage at diagnosis. Identification of those individuals with prognostically poorer tumours is an essential prerequisite in planning adjuvant therapies. Some prognostic indices of tumour size, grade, oestrogen receptor status and nodal status are well established. ⋯ The profiling of individual tumour genetic expression of proto-oncogenes may allow for more specific identification of patients at higher risk of recurrence in breast cancer.