Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · May 2021
Observational StudyDemographics, clinical characteristics and outcomes among 197 patients with COVID-19 in the Gold Coast area.
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have been varied internationally but have not been studied in an Australian cohort. ⋯ The present study provides characteristics and outcomes of the first 197 patients with COVID-19 in the Gold Coast.
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Internal medicine journal · May 2021
Association between 5-hydroxytryptamine gene polymorphism rs140700 and primary insomnia in Chinese population.
Primary insomnia is a worldwide problem and it has a considerable negative impact on one's physical and mental health. Studies have shown that non-synonymous Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin or 5-HT) are related to primary insomnia. Previous studies have shown that 5-HT polymorphism (rs140700) is related to depression, and insomnia is often accompanied by depression and anxiety. The relationship between this site and primary insomnia is unknown. We speculated that this site may be related to primary insomnia, so we investigated the relationship between rs140700 and primary insomnia. ⋯ The 5-HT gene polymorphism rs140700 may not be a susceptibility locus for primary insomnia in the Chinese population.
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Internal medicine journal · May 2021
Unfractionated heparin reduces hepcidin levels in critically ill patients.
A strong anti-hepcidin activity has been observed in heparins. Mean hepcidin levels were significantly reduced compared to baseline, following the first day of unfractionated heparin administration in critically patients. Heparin displayed a strong independent negative association with hepcidin. These results may lead to future treatment methods of forms of anaemia characterised by hepcidin excess, common among the critically ill.
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Internal medicine journal · May 2021
Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with breathlessness in Australia: weighted using the 2016 Australian census.
Access to up-to-date Australian disease prevalence estimates assists health services and consumer organisations to plan and allocate resources. The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study was conducted between 2006 and 2012 and provided chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (post-bronchodilator airflow limitation) prevalence estimates weighted to the 2006 Australian census. Using the 2016 Australian census, an updated prevalence estimate of all COPD is 8.30% (95% confidence interval = 6.59%-10.01%) for adults aged 40 or more years in Australia and includes 2.52% with mild breathlessness, 0.99% with moderate breathlessness and 0.91% with severe breathlessness.
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Internal medicine journal · May 2021
Hyperferritinaemia and iron overload in Asian patients: lessons from an Australian tertiary centre experience.
Iron overload is described in Asian patients but presents with a different phenotype and genotype compared to Caucasian patients. We retrospectively identified 64 Asian patients and compared them to 64 matched non-Asian patients with at least one episode of serum ferritin >500 μg/L. ⋯ A greater proportion of non-Asian patients had hyperferritinaemia secondary to high alcohol intake. Iron overload is rare in Asians and unexplained hyperferritinaemia in Asian patients is more likely to be due to other factors.