Irish journal of medical science
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Proximal humeral fractures are a common injury accounting for a significant workload across orthopaedic departments. Though often managed non-operatively, surgical management is indicated for a proportion of patients. ⋯ There has been an increasing volume of operatively managed proximal humeral fractures in Ireland, which sustained despite the 2015 publication of the highly publicised PROPHER trial. The increasing utilisation of total shoulder arthroplasty in acute trauma management is notable and necessitates appropriate training for trauma theatre personnel.
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Liver cirrhosis affects 4.5 million adults in the United States (US). As more patients educate themselves online, we evaluated the accessibility, quality, understandability, accuracy, readability, and comprehensiveness (AQUA-RC) of online patient education materials for cirrhosis. ⋯ Online patient education materials for cirrhosis in the US are equally accessible, but readability and understandability are too complex. Websites are of greater quality, accuracy, and comprehensiveness than YouTube videos, which are often narrowly focused and targeted at the medical community rather than patients. Further efforts should be made to improve online patient education and expand content across platforms.
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Recent guidelines, supported by large, well-designed studies, suggest that bariatric surgery is a safe and effective treatment for adolescents living with severe obesity to improve health and psychosocial functioning. The aim of this study was to assess the opinions and referral practices of general practitioners (GPs) and paediatricians in Ireland. ⋯ There is a reluctance among GPs to refer adolescents with severe obesity for consideration of bariatric surgery. Concerns regarding the different obesity treatments held by medical professionals should be addressed through education and engagement and should be fundamental to the development of child and adolescent obesity services.
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Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Recently, research has been published on the potential prognostic indicators associated with different types of cancer. Due to the limited availability of data investigating the relationship between the CALLY index and glioblastoma patients, we aimed to conduct this study. ⋯ Based on the results of the study, we conclude that the CALLY index can be considered an easily applicable indicator for the mortality of glioblastoma patients.
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a deadly, chronic, progressive, irreversible interstitial lung disease characterized by the formation of scar tissue resulting in permanent lung damage. The average survival time following diagnosis is only 3-5 years, with a 5-year survival rate shorter than that of many cancers. Alveolar epithelial cell injury followed by irregular repair is the primary pathological process observed in patients with IPF. An evident characteristic of IPF is the development of fibroblastic foci representing active fibrotic areas. Most of the cells within these foci are believed to be myofibroblasts, which are thought to be the primary source of abnormal extracellular matrix production in IPF. The lung phenotype in IPF is characterized by significantly different processes from healthy lungs, including irregular apoptosis, oxidative stress, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathways. ⋯ These findings strongly suggest that the mechanism of lung fibrosis is heavily under control of non-coding RNAs, and RNA-based therapies could be a promising approach for future therapeutic interventions to lung fibrosis.