Irish journal of medical science
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Review Case Reports
Transient derangements in Hepatitis B serology in patients post-intravenous immunoglobulin therapy-a case-based review.
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is a commonly utilized therapy in multiple medical subspecialities, indicated for the management of various primary and secondary immunodeficiency states and autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. A lack of awareness exists among clinicians regarding the serological downstream effects of its use. An observed phenomenon post-IVIg is the passive transfer of antibodies from the product which can lead to transiently positive hepatitis B serology in recipients. ⋯ Three patients encountered in the hematology department of a tertiary referral hospital developed spurious hepatitis B serology after administration of IVIg, whose cases are briefly outlined here. These cases highlight the need for routine pre-treatment viral screening and emphasize the importance of clinicians recognizing such potentially confounding results. This is of particular relevance to the sizeable subset of hematology patients who are planned for future immunomodulatory treatment (such as rituximab), where previous hepatitis B infection can often be a barrier to timely treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The effect of spinal manipulation on brain neurometabolites in chronic nonspecific low back pain patients: a randomized clinical trial.
In patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain (NCLBP), brain function changes due to the neuroplastic changes in different regions. ⋯ In the patient with low back pain, spinal manipulation affects the central nervous system and changes the brain metabolites. Consequently, pain and functional disability are reduced.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An observational analysis of meal patterns in overweight and obese pregnancy: exploring meal pattern behaviours and the association with maternal and fetal health measures.
Nutrient intakes are known to be poorer among pregnant women with raised body mass index (BMI) than those with a healthy BMI. While meal patterns have the potential to influence obstetric, metabolic and anthropometric measures for mother and infant, limited data exists regarding meal patterns among pregnant women with raised BMI. ⋯ Women with raised BMI changed eating patterns as pregnancy progressed, moving from main meal-dominant to snack-dominant patterns. Large meal-dominant meal patterns in later pregnancy were associated with higher glycaemic index and greater prevalence of macrosomia.
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The weight of the delivered placenta gives a useful representation of placental function in utero. In the absence of Irish data, many pathologists rely on data from other populations, many of which are now 15 to 30 years old. The development of a population-specific nomogram would aid in the examination of placentas after delivery, allowing pathologists and medical scientists to more easily distinguish between placental physiological changes and pathology. ⋯ The weight of the placenta is one of several measurements that are easy to acquire, and when recorded in a systematic fashion, provide information not just on an individual, but also on a population basis. Birth weights have increased over the last century, and this study provides national data helping distinction between placental physiology and pathology.
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Determining whether nailfold capillary involvement is present in patients with Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and whether there are different nailfold capillaroscopy findings between wet and dry types. ⋯ Nailfold capillaroscopy can detect microvascular changes in the nailfold capillary, in early and late stages of AMD. There were morphological changes in the nailfold capillaries of AMD patients, suggesting that there are systemic superficial microvascular changes that may be due to the systemic nature of the disease.