British medical bulletin
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'Assisted dying' is practiced in some European countries and US states. Legislation suggests that there exists an easily prescribed drug which consistently brings about death quickly and painlessly. Evidence from jurisdictions where 'assisted dying' is practiced, however, reveals that hastening patient death is not so simple. ⋯ In order to properly assess the efficacy and safety of 'assisted dying', a more thorough means of data collection regarding the drugs used must be implemented and research is urgently needed into their mode of action.
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British medical bulletin · Jul 2022
ReviewTackling organ donation among minority ethnic communities in the UK-a whole systems approach.
There are inequalities experienced by minority ethnic groups in the UK in organ donation and transplant services, with significant variation in relation to demand for, access to and waiting times for these services. ⋯ Improved access to transplantation and reduced waiting times can be achieved to increase the number of organ donors from minority ethnic groups if there are concerted and adequately resourced culturally competent interventions with concomitant evaluation programmes.
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British medical bulletin · Jul 2022
British medical bulletin article: resourcing of palliative and end of life care in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Covid-19 led to a sustained increase in deaths in all four United Kingdom nations, placing strain on the UK's palliative and end-of-life care sector and raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of the sector's funding and resourcing model in the face of rising demand for these services in the coming decades. ⋯ Although there has been a rapid growth in knowledge during Covid-19, gaps still remain including: the reasons underlying shifts to deaths at home and the implications for family carers; the education needs of the wider healthcare workforce in palliative care; the impact of specialist palliative care services on the wider health system, including hospital admissions and place of death; and inequalities in the experiences of dying, death and bereavement during Covid-19 among groups such as those from lower socioeconomic groups and BAME communities.
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British medical bulletin · Jul 2022
Hamstring, bone-patellar tendon-bone, quadriceps and peroneus longus tendon autografts for primary isolated posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a systematic review.
Several autografts are available to reconstruct the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). ⋯ All autografts are viable options for PCL reconstruction, with BTB and hamstring autografts demonstrating superior PROMs. However, further clinical investigations are required to determine the ideal autograft construct.
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British medical bulletin · Jul 2022
ReviewSmall interfering RNAs in the management of human rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has unclear pathogenesis, but the molecules that feed its inflammatory state are known. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are useful to identify molecular targets and evaluate the efficacy of specific drugs, and can themselves be used for therapeutic purposes. ⋯ To date, it is not possible to determine whether the pharmacological response of siRNAs on cells in vitro would be similar to what takes place in vivo for the diseases studied so far.