BMJ : British medical journal
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Comparative Study
Comparison of attendance and emergency admission patterns at accident and emergency departments in and out of London.
To compare the sociodemographic characteristics, diagnoses, and mode of referral of people and emergency admissions between an accident and emergency department in inner London and one in a town outside London. ⋯ Differences in sociodemographic characteristics were more important than general practice referral patterns in determining the differences in people attending at accident and emergency departments inside and outside London. Many of these characteristics are likely to be found in other inner city populations. A strategy to improve acute care in inner London should take account of the needs of these sociodemographically different groups.
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To evaluate the usefulness of Gram staining and culture of skin lesions in patients with acute meningococcal infections. ⋯ Microbiological examination of skin lesions is informative, especially in patients with sepsis and inconclusive results from cerebrospinal fluid, and may provide a diagnosis in such patients within 45 minutes. It differentiates well between meningitis with and without haemodynamic complications, and the result is not affected by previous antibiotic treatment.
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To determine if a relation exists between paternal exposure to relatively high levels of radiation in the Scottish nuclear industry and the risk of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is subsequently conceived children. ⋯ No significant excess of leukaemia or of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was found at any radiation level in any preconceptional period.