Irish journal of medical science
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Hypercholesterolemia indirectly increases the risk of myocardial infarction by enhancing platelet aggregation. Chromium has been shown to lower plasma lipids. ⋯ Chromium supplementation to hypercholesterolemic rats improves the lipid profile and returns platelet hyperaggregability to control levels. This normalization is mostly due to a reduction in plasma cholesterol level.
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Few studies have investigated regional variation in medication-taking behaviour. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are regional differences in non-persistence and non-adherence to oral anti-hyperglycaemic agents in patients initiating therapy and examine if any association exists between different types of comorbidity in terms of medication-taking behaviour. ⋯ Interventions to optimise medication-taking in patients with T2DM should be implemented nationally to improve the overall level of adherence and persistence, especially in patients with no comorbidity.
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Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment for malignant melanoma. Despite previous studies examining the surgical interval (SI) between the diagnostic excision biopsy (DEB) and definitive surgical management there remains few guidelines regarding an optimal time interval. The aim of this study was to determine the SI between DEB and definitive surgery and elucidate factors associated with delays in management of malignant melanoma. ⋯ Significant variations were noted in the SI predominantly accounted for by mode of referral and location of the malignant melanoma. Further investigation is required to elucidate factors affecting the SI and its subsequent effect on patient outcomes.
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Previous researches have been focused on revealing the functions of each individual gene and/or pathway in the initiation, progression and maintenance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanistic relationships among different genes and/or pathways are largely unknown. ⋯ Our study greatly improves the understanding of the HCC development in a systematic manner and provides the potential clue for exploiting drugs which might target the most significant genes and/or signaling pathways.
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In patients with large gland volume, open prostatectomy/adenoma enucleation remains a valuable surgical option in treating large obstructing prostates. We report our series of open prostatectomies spanning 32 years from a single institution. ⋯ Open Millin's prostatectomy popularized over half a century ago continues to be a valuable option for the surgical treatment of high-volume prostate glands with excellent outcomes for patients.