Brit J Hosp Med
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Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are commonly prescribed in diabetes mellitus and increasingly for cardiorenal protection. They carry the risk of euglycaemic diabetic ketoacidosis (eDKA). Guidelines around the perioperative handling of these medications are limited and some evidence suggests that withholding them can lead to more surgical complications and poorer glycaemic control. This article gives an overview of arguments for and against withholding SGLT-2 inhibitors in the perioperative period.
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Aims/Background The relationship between retinal fundus hemorrhage and the severity of coronary artery lesions remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the incidence of fundus hemorrhage in patients at high risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and to examine its correlation with the SYNTAX score, a tool used to assess the complexity of coronary artery disease. Methods This retrospective study consecutively enrolled patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) at Beijing Anzhen Hospital Hospital from June 2019 to January 2020. ⋯ The incidence of fundus hemorrhage was significantly higher in the hSS group compared to the lSS group (21.47% [38/177] vs. 7.56% [53/701], p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified fundus hemorrhage, body mass index (BMI), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as independent predictors of high SYNTAX scores. Conclusion Fundus hemorrhage is significantly associated with a higher SYNTAX score and may serve as a potential predictor of severe coronary artery lesions in clinical practice.
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The contribution of health care to environmental and climate crises is significant, under-addressed, and with consequences for human health. This editorial is a call to action. Focusing on pharmaceuticals as a major environmental threat, we examine pharmaceutical impacts across their lifecycle, summarising greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and biodiversity loss, and outlining challenges and opportunities to reduce this impact. We urge health care decision-makers and providers to urgently consider environmental factors in their decision-making relating to both policy, and practice, promoting actions such as rational prescribing, non-pharmaceutical interventions, and research and advocacy for sustainable production, procurement, and use.
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An 80-year-old lady had a history of progressive swallowing difficulty over several years with significant weight loss, but prior investigations in several medical departments proved negative. Neurological assessment noted her complaint of impaired feeling for food in her mouth and examination showed impaired corneal reflexes and facial sensory function. Blink reflex electrodiagnostic testing was consistent with a diagnosis of facial onset sensory and motor neuronopathy (FOSMN). This article raises awareness of the diagnosis, investigation and treatment of FOSMN.
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Aims/Background Previous research has shown that smoking tobacco is associated with changes or differences in brain volume and cortical thickness, resulting in a smaller brain volume and decreased cortical thickness in smokers compared with non-smokers. However, the effects of smokeless tobacco on brain volume and cortical thickness remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether the use of shammah, a nicotine-containing smokeless tobacco popular in Middle Eastern countries, is associated with differences in brain volume and thickness compared with non-users and to assess the influence of shammah quantity and type on these effects. ⋯ Furthermore, yellow shammah users exhibited smaller volumes in the right lateral ventricle (p = 0.02), total lateral ventricle (p = 0.03), and right putamen (p = 0.02) compared with users of other types of shammah. Regarding cortical thickness, significant differences were observed in the right medial orbito-frontal thickness (p = 0.03), left rostral middle frontal thickness (p = 0.03), and right rostral anterior cingulate thickness (p = 0.04). Conclusion These findings shed light on the potential neurobiological effects of shammah use, particularly the yellow shammah, and highlighting the need for further research to fully understand its implications for brain structure and function.