Irish journal of medical science
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Diabetic foot neuropathy is one of the complications of diabetes that affects around 50% of diabetic people. Because peripheral neuropathy involves nerve loss around the foot areas, patients with diabetic neuropathy frequently lose sensation in their feet while walking or standing. Furthermore, since sensory nerves are damaged, the area that holds the majority of the foot pressure and temperature is at high risk of injury. If not diagnosed and treated properly, it can cause foot injury and eventually lead to edema, gangrene, ulcers, amputation, and even death. There are now several techniques of detecting diabetic neuropathy, but they are limited in their availability, cost-effectiveness, and complexity. ⋯ The early detection and treatment device developed in this study could be used at home by diabetic patients as well as in hospitals to test for and treat diabetic foot neuropathy at an early stage. The device incorporates two different methods of diabetic foot neuropathy detection with high measurement accuracy which makes it suitable for use in resource-limited areas at low cost. The incorporation of red light therapy together with the two methods of diabetic neuropathy detection gives another unique feature for our device.
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This retrospective cohort study evaluated the degree of pelvic inflow and internal pudendal artery (IPA) calcification in male smokers versus non-smokers. As erectile dysfunction (ED) is strongly associated with IPA vascular, we wanted to investigate radiologically if there was a statistically significant difference in the degree of IPA calcification in smokers and potentially be a contributing factor in the cause of ED. ⋯ This research is the first of its kind based on an extensive literature review. The association between vascular calcification and smoking is well established, in addition to the direct relationship of IPA calcification and ED. This unique study has demonstrated an increased rate of IPA calcification in smokers with a potential inferred association with ED. Findings represent a novel and useful deterrent for health authorities to include in anti-smoking campaigns.
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Observational Study
The effect of surgical masks on vital signs and EtCO2 in patients on oxygen therapy.
There are conflicting data on the effects of masks on vital signs and end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) values in the literature. ⋯ NC-SM and SOM-SM applications do not affect adversely, and even seem to lead to recovery of, the vital signs and EtCO2 values during 120 min in subjects with acute complaints.
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Virtual clinics were introduced to our practice in March 2020. We aimed to assess outcomes from virtual clinics and to assess staff views on them and their barriers to implementation nationally. ⋯ If virtual clinics are to play a long-term role in oncology, it is essential to monitor clinic quality and plan visits proactively.
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WNK1 (WNK lysine deficient protein kinase 1) is a kind of protein kinase and participates in angiogenesis, having a potent tumor promoting role. WNK1 is ubiquitously expressed, and its upregulated expression has been reported in several tumor types. ⋯ In all, WNK1 acts as a tumor promoter and may be used as a COAD prognostic biomarker.