British medical bulletin
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British medical bulletin · Mar 2024
ReviewGenetics in Parkinson's disease, state-of-the-art and future perspectives.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and is clinically characterized by the presence of motor (bradykinesia, rigidity, rest tremor and postural instability) and non-motor symptoms (cognitive impairment, autonomic dysfunction, sleep disorders, depression and hyposmia). The aetiology of PD is unknown except for a small but significant contribution of monogenic forms. ⋯ The application of PRS and integrated multi-omics in PD promises to improve the personalized care of patients.
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Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is a chronic gynaecological disease affecting girls and women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), caused by the parasite Schistosoma (S.) haematobium. FGS is associated with sexual dysfunction, reproductive tract morbidity and increased prevalence of HIV and cervical precancer lesions. ⋯ There is growing interest in decentralizing strategies for FGS screening and diagnosis. The accurate predictions on the 'cost-effectiveness' of these approaches will determine their affordability and feasibility within the overburdened health systems in SSA. Clinical trials are needed to optimize FGS treatment. Longitudinal studies can expand on the epidemiological knowledge on co-morbidities and integration within other SRH interventions.
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British medical bulletin · Mar 2024
Variations in older people's emergency care use by social care setting: a systematic review of international evidence.
Older adults' use of social care and their healthcare utilization are closely related. Residents of care homes access emergency care more often than the wider older population; however, less is known about emergency care use across other social care settings. ⋯ There is a paucity of published research on emergency hospital use from social care settings, particularly home care and assisted living facilities. More attention is needed on this area, with standardized definitions to enable comparisons between studies.
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British medical bulletin · Mar 2024
ReviewQuality of life of family carers of people living with dementia: review of systematic reviews of observational and intervention studies.
Family members are the primary source of support for the growing number of people living with dementia (PLWD) worldwide. However, caring for a person living with dementia can have detrimental impacts on the carer quality of life (QoL). This review of systematic reviews explored the factors associated with the QoL of family carers of PLWD and interventions aimed at improving their QoL. ⋯ Future research should be focused on understanding how to best implement and measure person-centred care approaches to carer QoL, including cost-effectiveness. More qualitative studies are necessary to explore carer negative and positive experiences of QoL.
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The existing treatment modalities for knee osteoarthritis (OA) do not actually address the pathology. Biological therapies, including those using material derived from perinatal tissues, represent a ground-breaking approach to alleviating the symptoms of OA of the knee. ⋯ The present published evidence suggests that WJ tissue and associated MSCs offer an encouraging alternative for the management of knee OA. The published in vitro, preclinical and clinical investigations demonstrate the therapeutic potential of WJ and promote further research in this field to provide symptomatic relief to patients suffering from OA, aiming also to regenerate the osteoarthritic hyaline cartilage, with disease-modifying effects. Future adequately powered randomized controlled trials should be undertaken to establish whether WJ is helpful in the management of OA of the knee.