Irish journal of medical science
-
Review Historical Article
A retrospective review of farm injuries presenting to an Irish hospital emergency department in 2013.
The agricultural and equestrian businesses are an important source of employment in the Midlands. This is a retrospective study examining the demographics, characteristics, and outcomes of agricultural and equestrian related injuries presenting to the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. There were a total of 30,700 attendances to the Emergency Department for 2013. ⋯ Our study has identified high-risk mechanisms of injury, which should alert clinicians to the potential for significant injury. In addition, our findings could be used to help policy makers promote safety and awareness through public health policies that target high-risk practices with appropriate training and legislation.
-
To evaluate the efficacy of orbital radiotherapy (OR) for the treatment of thyroid eye disease (TED). ⋯ This study suggests that OR might be effective in reducing 7-CAS and ocular motility disturbances. No significant improvement in proptosis or eyelid retraction should be expected from this treatment. OR might be considered a suitable alternative treatment in TED for patients who cannot tolerate steroids.
-
The Central Statistics Office released new figures on Ireland's health spending in December 2015, based on the System of Health Accounts (SHA2011). These figures differ from previous figures, by virtue of an expanded definition of what constitutes health care. The new figures also provide more detail on health expenditure than the previous figures allowed. ⋯ Suggestions that Ireland is over-spending on health need to be tempered by cognisance that the Irish health system is under-resourced in a number of areas (particularly the number of doctors and the number of hospital beds) and has not fully recovered from cutbacks in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
-
Homeless people have excessively high morbidity and mortality rates, yet they face barriers accessing primary care. A mobile health clinic, staffed by GP registrars, was developed to provide services to homeless people, particularly rough sleepers and sex workers. ⋯ A GP Registrar-run Mobile Health Clinic achieved its aims of improving access to primary care for rough sleepers and sex workers, and challenging stereotypes of GP Registrars.
-
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a hepatoadipokine with pleiotropic metabolic regulatory actions, is emerging as a novel biomarker of progressive nephropathy. We sought to evaluate circulating FGF21 and its association with clinical and biochemical characteristics as well as the urinary albumin excretion (UAE) rates in a population of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with or without microalbuminuria and their matched healthy controls. ⋯ Serum FGF21 level is strongly associated with early-stage diabetic kidney disease in the high-risk population of patients with T2D (particularly with circulating FGF21 values rising above 181 pg/mL). The association of serum FGF21 with subclinical stages of diabetic nephropathy may unearth perspectives on early detection and prevention of the advanced stages of chronic diabetes microvascular complications through effective FGF21-targeted therapy.