Irish journal of medical science
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Measurement of late night salivary cortisol (LNSF) is useful in the identification of cyclical Cushing's syndrome (CS); the usefulness of its metabolite cortisone (late night salivary cortisone, LNSE) is less well described. ⋯ LNSF appears more sensitive than LNSE and UFC in the diagnosis of CS, combining LNSF and LNSE results leads to superior sensitivity. Half of our cohort had evidence of cyclical or variable hormonogenesis. Fluctuations in LNSF did not always correlate with changes in UFC concentration, emphasising the importance of performing more than one screening test, particularly if pretest clinical suspicion is high.
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In January 2020, the WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak a public health emergency; by March 11, a pandemic was declared. To date in Ireland, over 3300 patients have been admitted to acute hospitals as a result of infection with COVID-19. ⋯ We demonstrate the implementation of an integrated multidisciplinary approach to patients with COVID-19, identifying those with increased physical and mental healthcare needs. Our initial experience suggests that significant physical, psychological, and cognitive impairments may persist despite clinical resolution of the infection.
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Caregiving demands contribute to both psychological and physical health of caregivers. Physical workload (PW) can be an important cause of musculoskeletal disorders in caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CP). ⋯ Caregivers of a child having an ID and walking disability had higher PW. These caregivers had more problems related to musculoskeletal disorders, higher depressive symptoms, and lower HRQOL. Higher PW was associated with lower level of gross motor function of child and older age, higher body mass index, higher level of lower extremity disfunction and low back pain disability, and lower HRQOL of caregivers.
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Determination the relationship between the epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EATT) and pericoronary adipose tissue thickness (PATT) and the risk of significant coronary artery diseases (CAD) using the coronary artery calcium score (CACS). ⋯ There is a positive relationship between the risk of a significant CAD estimated based on the coronary artery calcium score and the epicardial adipose tissue thickness.
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Obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) is the most common cause of anal incontinence. Identifying risk factors may facilitate change in labour and delivery practice, potentially reducing the risk. The objective of this study is to identify maternal, foetal and intrapartum risk factors for OASI in a regional hospital. ⋯ Maternal age ≥ 35 years confers a protective effect after adjusting for parity, birth weight and mode of delivery. Given the context of an ageing reproductive population, additional research is required to investigate the impact of maternal age on anal sphincter injury.