Irish journal of medical science
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Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus and HIV causes significant morbidity and mortality. Effective antiviral treatment is available for both. Ireland has historically been considered a low prevalence country. However, with increasing inward migration and diversity, this may be changing. ⋯ The prevalence of hepatitis B virus and HIV infections in this cohort appear to be higher than previously estimated. In addition, their prevalence in the Cork area appears particularly high. Whether this represents a true prevalence or a chance finding will require confirmatory studies.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children, including concussion, is one of the major causes of emergency department (ED) registration and a significant burden on the health system. ⋯ This study demonstrates the potential effectiveness of telemedicine in monitoring children with concussions, especially in regions with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and overcrowded metropolitan hospitals.
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CT thorax, abdomen and pelvis (CT-TAP) remains the standard in the identification of metastatic disease in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer. In patients with proven micro and macro axillary nodal metastasis, the optimal radiological technique remains controversial. A consensus on which patients with axillary nodal disease should receive radiological staging for distant disease and how this should be performed is not currently available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the yield from CT staging of the thorax, abdomen and pelvis (CT-TAP) in patients with proven nodal disease. ⋯ Patients diagnosed with micrometastatic disease of the axilla following a sentinel lymph node biopsy do not require systemic staging as it fails to detect metastatic disease.