Short consultation

BACKGROUND: Immunocompromised travellers (ICTs) face greater infectious and non-infectious travel-associated risks than their immunocompetent counterparts. Increasing travel and emergence of novel immunosuppressants poses great challenges for travel medicine practitioners to confidently provide up-to-date evidence-based risk management advice and pre-travel care for ICTs. METHODS: We reviewed the records of ICTs attending the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD) Travel Clinic between 1st April 2019 and 30th April 2020 with the aim to describe demographic and travel characteristics, type, and severity of immunocompromise, the degree of risk associated with intended travel and evaluate travel advice...

INTRODUCTION: The study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of bulking agents and single-incision slings in the treatment of urinary incontinence in 159 patients during a 29-month follow-up period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Of the 159 patients suffering from stress urinary incontinence, 64 were treated with bulking agents (PAHG Bulkamid® ) and 75 with a single-incision sling (Altis® ). The ICIQ-UI-SF (Incontinence Questionnaire-Urine Incontinence-Short Form), PISQ-12 (Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaires short form), FSFI (Female Sexual Function Index), FSDS (Female Sexual Distress Scale), and PGI-I (Patient Global Improvement Index) were used to assess efficiency and quality of life...

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a great problem of public health, especially for women's quality of life. UI afflicts at least 21.6% of the global population, and more than half of the UI is related to female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Mawangdui Guidance plays an important role in preventing diseases and maintaining health. METHODS: Sixty female patients with SUI were randomly divided into a control group (n = 30) and an experimental group (n = 30)...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Decision models for health technology assessment (HTA) are largely submitted to HTA agencies using commercial software, which has known limitations. The use of the open-source programming language R has been suggested because of its efficiency, transparency, reproducibility, and ability to consider complex analyses. However, its use in HTA remains limited. This qualitative study aimed to explore the main reasons for this slow uptake of R in HTA and identify tangible facilitators...

BACKGROUND: For inpatients with metastatic intracranial disease burden exceeding established guidelines for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), the standard of care involves whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), typically administered as a 2-week course of treatment with biologically effective dose (BED) of 60 Gy. However, shorter course WBRT provides theoretical advantages in quality of life and decreasing systemic therapy delay. This retrospective study evaluates our early experience with BED-comparable short-course WBRT (23 Gy in 5 fractions; BED=58...

BACKGROUND: This study explores the linkage between the Measurement of Environmental Quality (MQE) and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). Stemming from the Human Development Model-Disability Creation Process (HDM-DCP), MQE enhances understanding of how environmental quality impacts disability development across diverse socio-cultural contexts. Integrating MQE with ICF expands the perspective on disability formation beyond HDM-DCP, encompassing ICF's functioning approach...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the health and quality-of-life research priorities of Australians with diabetes or family members. METHODS: Through an iterative, three-step, online survey process we (1) qualitatively generated research topics (long list) in response to one question "What research is needed to support people with diabetes to live a better life?"; (2) determined the most important research questions (short list); and (3) ranked research questions in order of importance (priorities)...

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification to categorize patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) as low- or high-risk for metastatic infection may direct diagnostic evaluation and enable personalized management. We investigated the frequency of metastatic infections in low-risk SAB patients, their clinical relevance, and whether omission of routine imaging is associated with worse outcomes. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study in seven Dutch hospitals among adult patients with low-risk SAB, defined as hospital-acquired infection without treatment delay, absence of prosthetic material, short duration of bacteremia, and rapid defervescence...

BACKGROUND:  Hearing impairment is an invisible disability affecting one in five people globally. Its ability to affect participation in activities of daily living means that it requires prompt identification and intervention. OBJECTIVE:  This article aims to define the process of accessing audiologists from the onset of symptoms for adults with hearing impairment in a peri-urban community in South Africa. METHOD:  Twenty-three participants were recruited through purposive sampling from an audiology department of a public hospital...

BACKGROUND: Among prostate cancer (PCa) treatment options, mini-invasive surgical approaches have gained a wide diffusion in the last decades. The aim of this study was to present oncological, functional, and quality of life data after 10 years of follow-up of a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) (ISRCTN11552140) comparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) versus laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) for the treatment of PCa. METHODS: Patients with localized PCa were randomized to undergo LRP or RARP between January 2010 and January 2011...

INTRODUCTION: Nanophthalmos is characterized by a short axial length, a thick choroid, and a thick sclera. Unilateral symptomatic disc swelling in nanophthalmos presents both a diagnostic and a therapeutic challenge. CASE PRESENTATION: A healthy 59-year-old man reported a two-week-long abrupt vision reduction in his right eye. 20/100 best spectacle (+17.25 diopter) corrected visual acuity, unilateral widespread disc enlargement, central scotoma, and a slight color vision disruption without an afferent pupillary defect were among the positive findings in the right eye...

To study the presentation and plan of treatment of patient with Rosai Dorfman Disease. Rosai-Dorfman disease(RDD), is rare, non-neoplastic, multisystemic histiocytic disorder. Nodal form is more common. It's self-limiting disorder of unknown etiology. Symptomatic treatment is mainstay. Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is rare ciliopathic, autosomal-recessive disorder, affecting multiple organs. Characterized by marked central obesity, retinal dystrophy, polydactyly, mental retardation, hypogonadism and renal dysfunction...

Background: This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser treatment in female patients with mild-to-moderate stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Methods: From July 2018 to June 2020, 72 female patients with mild-to-moderate SUI were enrolled in this study. A baseline assessment was conducted, which included a 1-hour pad test, the validated International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF), postvoid residual (PVR) testing, pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) testing, and a cough stress test...

INTRODUCTION: Vascular access surgery (VAS) involves the creation and maintenance of arteriovenous access to facilitate haemodialysis. The prevalence of haemodialysis is rising despite increases in kidney transplants on a yearly basis. There is currently only one access surgery fellowship accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. We aimed to establish the experience and perceived competence in access surgery of senior vascular surgery trainees. METHODS: A short questionnaire (SurveyMonkey) was used to survey all senior (ST6-ST8) vascular surgery trainees in Health Education England (HEE) vascular surgery training programmes...

INTRODUCTION: Vascular access surgery (VAS) involves the creation and maintenance of arteriovenous access to facilitate haemodialysis. The prevalence of haemodialysis is rising despite increases in kidney transplants on a yearly basis. There is currently only one access surgery fellowship accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. We aimed to establish the experience and perceived competence in access surgery of senior vascular surgery trainees. METHODS: A short questionnaire (SurveyMonkey) was used to survey all senior (ST6-ST8) vascular surgery trainees in Health Education England (HEE) vascular surgery training programmes...

DEFINITIONS, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CHANGES WITH AGE. Chronic insomnia is a disorder defined as a subjective complaint relating to the quality and/or quantity of sleep associated with daytime impact, and which must be present 3 nights per week for a period of at least 3 months. This is a common sleep problem in the general population and represents a significant proportion of reasons for consultation in the general practice. It requires early identification at all ages of life to allow the establishment of adequate care, which will have the benefit of both improving the quality of life of these patients in the short term and preventing the consequences of chronic insomnia...

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a disorder of collagen production that affects the connective tissues of the body. It can cause several conditions and severely affect patients' quality of life and activities of daily living. Here, we present an unusual case of hemothorax in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome after sildenafil use. This manifested in shortness of breath and cough and prompted the patient to visit the emergency room. The hemothorax was treated surgically, and the patient recovered well...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the impact of add-on pelvic floor exercises on a weight management rehabilitation program. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This proof of principle study was conducted between July 2019 and December 2019. Ninety-three adult female inpatients with obesity and diagnosis of urinary incontinence (UI) were assessed for inclusion, and the suitable patients were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. Both groups underwent a weight management rehabilitation program, while the experimental group also performed pelvic floor exercises...

Introduction The transperineal (TP) approach for prostate biopsy offers advantages such as a low risk of infection, the ability to target lesions in difficult locations, and a rapid acquisition of proficiency. This prospective clinical audit aims to evaluate the outcomes and patient experiences of TP prostate biopsies performed by a new operator to determine the feasibility of adopting the TP biopsy as the primary method for prostate evaluations. Methods The study included all patients who underwent a TP prostate biopsy from August 1 to September 30, 2022, at Dorset County Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust...

Background and Objectives : The significant prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS), erectile dysfunction (ED), and associated adverse effects calls for increased attention in primary care settings. In Greece, there is a lack of sufficient data for LUTS and ED screening in primary care. Therefore, the aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of LUTS and ED, identify associated risk factors, and evaluate their impact on quality of life among adult primary healthcare users aged 40 years and older in Crete, Greece...