Irish journal of medical science
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General practice (GP) is crucial to primary care delivery in the Republic of Ireland and is almost fully computerised. General practice teams were the first point of contact for much COVID-19-related care and there were concerns routine healthcare activities could be disrupted due to COVID-19 and related restrictions. ⋯ General practice responded robustly to the pandemic by taking on additional activities while maintaining routine services where possible. The shift to teleconsulting was a significant change in workflow. Analysing routinely collected electronic medical record data can provide valuable insights for service planning, and access to these insights would be beneficial for future pandemic responses.
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Vitiligo is an inflammatory, autoimmune disorder. Its pathogenesis is unclear. A neutrophil activation marker (calprotectin) is a protein complex present in many different types of cells and may be used as an indicator of inflammation. ⋯ Elevated levels of serum calprotectin in non-segmental vitiligo patients relative to healthy individuals with high sensitivity indicated that it may have a role in the vitiligo pathophysiology and can act as a marker for disease monitoring.
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Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies constitute a heterogeneous group of neuromuscular diseases, both clinically and genetically. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy by alpha-sarcoglycan deficiency or LGMD R3 α-sarcoglycan-related is a subtype of the autosomal recessive sarcoglycanopathies caused by variants in the alpha-sarcoglycan gene (SGCA) at 17q21.33. It appears in childhood by progressive weakness of pelvic and/or scapular girdle muscles and calf hypertrophy, with a wide range of clinical inter- and intra-familial clinical variability. ⋯ Our results expand the spectrum of variants in Moroccan patients with sarcoglycanopathy, specifically LGMDR3, most importantly as this form is not common in the Moroccan population.
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To investigate the predictive power of the BUN/albumin ratio (BAR) measured in the emergency department (ED) for the requirement of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and acute kidney injury (AKI). ⋯ In patients with severe pneumonia who develop acute kidney injury, the BUN/albumin ratio may guide clinicians early in predicting the need for renal replacement therapy.