Brit J Hosp Med
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Postgraduate leadership fellowships are becoming more popular among doctors-in-training. The author completed a one-year leadership fellowship with the Health Education England (HEE), East Midlands. A personal reflective approach was used to present the experiences of the author following the completion of the fellowship programme. ⋯ Personal benefits for the author were seen in the areas of improved leadership skills; completion of a postgraduate academic qualification; improvement of teaching skills; and honing of major trauma clinical skills. Furthermore, the literature review showed that there was high grade evidence from two randomised controlled trials, for the impact of such programmes in obstetrics/gynaecology simulation, and on team leadership for major trauma resuscitation. In addition, three systematic reviews reported positive impacts of such programmes at an individual level for participants' attitudes, knowledge and skills, with minimal evidence for the overall impacts on healthcare institutions.
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Coeliac disease is a common autoimmune disorder that affects nearly 1% of the general population. Current diagnostic strategies involve active case finding, serological tests, and endoscopy with biopsies. However, many patients with coeliac disease remain undiagnosed due to a wide gap between clinical guidelines and real-world practice in the diagnosis of adult coeliac disease. This highlights the need for increased education, training, and targeted quality-improvement interventions to optimise the diagnosis of coeliac disease.
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Aims/Background The systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), an emerging hematological marker of inflammation, has shown promise as a promising biomarker for a variety of inflammatory conditions. This study aims to explore the diagnostic role of SIRI in Bell's palsy (BP). Methods For this retrospective study, 73 people diagnosed with BP between January 2021 and December 2023 were recruited, along with 73 healthy controls who were age- and sex-matched. ⋯ Upon one-month follow-up, significant differences in the values of SIRI, SII, and NLR were observed between the favorable prognosis group and the poor prognosis group (SIRI: 1.07 vs 0.87, p = 0.011; SII: 647.85 vs 422.11, p = 0.005; NLR: 3.31 vs 2.11, p = 0.013). The AUC of ROC curve for SIRI was found to be lower than that of SII but higher than that of NLR. Conclusion The SIRI has the potential to be an important BP diagnostic and prognostic marker.
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Case Reports
Intrauterine Device Completely Encapsulated by Fibrous Tissue in a Postmenopausal Woman: A Case Report.
A 54-year-old woman, who had been menopausal for over two years and had an Intrauterine Device (IUD) in place for over twenty years, requested a removal of the IUD. The IUD was found to be embedded during the removal process. ⋯ For postmenopausal women with IUDs, early removal is recommended to minimise complications. Hysteroscopic examination should be the first choice for the rare complication of embedded IUDs covered with fibrous tissue, with hysteroscopic removal as the preferred treatment.
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Meta Analysis
The Effect of Probiotics on Obesity with Comorbid Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Aims/Background Obesity and depression frequently co-occur, and the relationship between them is bidirectional. Being obese or overweight increases the risk of depression, and conversely, depression increases the risk of obesity or overweight. Emerging clinical research has shown that probiotics may be effective in treating obesity and associated depression. ⋯ Conclusion Overall, probiotics did not improve depressive symptoms in obesity. However, beneficial effects were observed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and short-term use of probiotic. Additional rigorous randomized controlled trials are warranted to elucidate the therapeutic potential of probiotics for obesity-related depression.