Irish journal of medical science
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Syncope is a common clinical problem accounting for up to 6% of hospital admissions. Little is known about resource utilisation for patients admitted for syncope management in Ireland. ⋯ Syncope places a large demand on overstretched hospital resources. Most cases can be managed safely as an outpatient and to facilitate this, hospitals should develop outpatient Syncope Management Units.
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Secondary prevention pharmacotherapy in post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients reduces the risk of subsequent coronary events and overall mortality. International guidelines recommend use of aspirin, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors and statins in post-MI patients. ⋯ Our audit shows that targets for prescription of secondary prevention medications were not met in a small but significant proportion of patients and calls for review of discharge practices and education to improve compliance with guidelines.
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Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a heterogeneous clonal disorder of haematopoietic progenitor cells. Approximately half of all adult AML patients have a normal karyotype (NK-AML) and an intermediate risk prognosis. ⋯ FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutation status can be defined in NK-AML. Prospective screening for these mutations is advocated in all NK-AML patients, as the genotype is of clinical importance when considering treatment options including stem cell transplantation.
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To evaluate the role of fasting plasma ghrelin levels [ln(ghrelin)] and polymorphisms of ghrelin gene in Chinese obese children. ⋯ Ghrelin is associated with obesity in childhood, especially associated with the glucose homeostasis. Lower ghrelin levels might be a result of obesity, but not a cause of obesity. The Leu72Met polymorphism of ghrelin gene is not associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome in Chinese children.
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Excessive alcohol consumption is ingrained in Irish society and is known to have significant adverse health consequences, including adverse outcomes for critically ill patients. Previous assessments of alcohol-related intensive care unit (ICU) admissions were felt to have underestimated the scale of this problem. ⋯ This study adds to the data available on the scale of alcohol-related problems amongst Irish healthcare system patients. Prioritisation of primary preventative strategies is necessary.