Irish journal of medical science
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The retinal microvasculature offers unique non-invasive evaluation of systemic microvascular abnormalities. Previous studies reported associations between retinal microvascular parameters (RMPs) and diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess associations between RMPs and diabetes in a cross-sectional analysis of older persons from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA). ⋯ Despite previously reported associations between diabetes and RMPs, our study failed to corroborate these associations in an older community-based cohort.
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COVID-19 has been recognized as the unprecedented global health crisis in modern times. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on treatment of neck of femur fractures (NOFF) against the current guidelines and meeting best practice key performance indicators (KPIs) according to the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) in two large central London hospitals. ⋯ The impact of COVID-19 pandemic has not adversely affected the KPIs for the treatment of NOFF patients with significant improvement in numerous care domains. These findings may represent the efforts to ensure that these vulnerable patients are treated promptly to minimize their risks from the coronavirus.
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The coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all aspects of life, including the routine follow-up of patients with chronic illnesses. In this study, we aim to share our experience of telemedicine in our pediatric endocrinology clinic during the pandemic. ⋯ The advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine were discussed and consequently, we propose that telemedicine can be utilized to maintain and continue the care of children with endocrine disorders during and even after the pandemic. Further studies are needed to standardize this method for general use.
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Elderly patients are at increased risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI) following major surgery and rapid diagnosis is essential. ⋯ Plasma NGAL levels seem to represent an early and reliable marker for AKI in elderly patients undergoing laparotomic surgery with the potential to allow early diagnosis and prevent further renal deterioration. Further confirmatory studies are warranted.
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Tokyo guidelines (TG13/18) are used for the severity assessment of acute cholangitis (AC). Lactate is a clinical marker of tissue hypoxia and disease severity, independent from blood pressure. ⋯ The blood lactate level is associated with the severity of AC. In addition to TG13/18 guidelines, blood lactate level can be a useful biomarker in the severity grading of AC.