Guideline for the use of beta-interferons in patients with multiple sclerosis - a South African proposal

Aim. To determine guidelines for use of beta-interferons in South African patients with multiple sclerosis. Method. Review of existing international protocols. Opinions of South African neurologists who have an interest in multiple sclerosis.Conclusions. The main indication for interferon use is the relapsing and remitting form of multiple sclerosis

The role of ENT surgeons in snoring assessment : some prospective preliminary evidence

Objectives: To determine (i) the prevalence of unsuspected upper aerodigestive tract disease in snorers, (ii) the diagnostic yield of routine flexible endoscopy and (iii) the relationship between symptoms of upper aerodigestive tract disease and examination findings in snorers. Design: Prospective analytical cohort study. Setting: Snoring clinic in Secondary Care Otolaryngologycentre. Participants: Ninety-three patients referred with disruptive snoring.Main outcome measures: A structured history ofupper aerodigestive tract symptoms was obtained byclinic interview. All patients underwent detailed ENTexamination. Univariate analysis was undertaken on data collected. Results: The prevalence of oropharyngeal and laryngealpathology in the cohort was 3%. No unsuspected upper aerodigestive tract pathology was found on routineflexible endoscopy. A history of Hard Nasal Symptoms was an accurate predictor of underlying nasal pathology. Conclusion: The authors propose that the detailed examination of snorers by ENT specialists is unnecessary in the absence of Hard Nasal Symptoms, hoarseness orpain. We propose that a system of triage based on patient history could help identify the minority of snorers who require specialist assessment

Cancer cachexia in adult patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines☆

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Editor's Choice – European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines on Radiation Safety

Funding Information: On behalf of the Public and Community Oversight Group (PCOG) of the Health Protection Research Unit in Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards: Ian Wright; John Phipps; Colette Kelly; Robert Goundry; Eve Smyth; Andrew Wood; Paul Dale (also of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency). On behalf of the Society and College of Radiographers Patient Advisory Group: Lynda Johnson; Philip Plant; Michelle Carmichael – Specialist Senior Staff Nurse Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation trust.Peer reviewe

Prevention and management of excessive gestational weight gain: a survey of overweight and obese pregnant women

Background - Excessive gestational weight gain is associated with adverse infant, childhood and maternal outcomes and research to develop interventions to address this issue is ongoing. The views of women on gestational weight gain and the resources they would consider helpful in addressing this are however largely unknown. This survey aimed to determine the views of newly pregnant women, living in areas of social disadvantage, on 1) their current body weight and potential gestational weight gain and 2) the resources or interventions they would consider helpful in preventing excessive gestational weight gain. Methods - A convenience sample of overweight and obese pregnant women living in Fife, UK, were invited to complete a short anonymised questionnaire at their 12 week booking visit. Results - 428 women, BMI>25 kg/m2, completed the questionnaire. Fifty-four per cent of respondents were obese (231) and 62% were living in areas of mild to moderate deprivation. Over three-quarters of participants felt dissatisfied with their current weight (81%). The majority of women (60%) expressed some concern about potential weight gain. Thirty-nine percent were unconcerned about weight gain during their pregnancy, including 34 women (19%) who reported having retained weight gained in earlier pregnancies. Amongst those concerned about weight gain advice on physical activity (41%) and access to sports/leisure facilities were favoured resources (36%). Fewer women (12%) felt that group sessions on healthy eating or attending a clinic for individualised advice (14%) would be helpful. "Getting time off work" was the most frequently cited barrier (48%) to uptake of resources other than leaflets. Conclusions- These data suggest a lack of awareness amongst overweight and obese women regarding excessive gestational weight gain. Monitoring of gestational weight gain, and approaches for its management, should be formally integrated into routine antenatal care. Barriers to the uptake of resources to address weight gain are numerous and must be considered in the design of future interventions and services

The pain of low status: the relationship between subjective socio-economic status and analgesic prescriptions in a Scottish community sample

There is a strong positive relationship between objective measures of socioeconomic status (OSS) and general health. However, there is an increasing interest in the relationship between health and subjective socioeconomic status (SSS), which describes one’s perceived rank in relation to the rest of society, based on factors such as income, occupation, and education. While the relationship between SSS and general health is well2established, the relationship between SSS and pain has received little attention. Gathering both self2report questionnaire data and General Practitioner medical data from a large representative community sample in Scotland between 2012 and 2013 ( N = 1824), we investigated the relationship between SSS and prescriptions for analgesic drugs. We found that higher levels of SSS significantly predicted lower odds of participants having been prescribed at least one analgesic drug in the previous six months. We obtained this result even after controlling for OSS2related variables (education, occupational status, and geographical location) and demographic variables (age and gender). This suggests that, just like the relationship between SSS and general health, SSS has important effects on pain that go beyond the influence of OSS

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia: A step towards improving uptake of research findings in health and aged-care settings

This author accepted manuscript (post print) is made available following a 12 month embargo form date of publication (21 April 2016) in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

Guidelines for the Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Leprosy

The development of these guidelines was coordinated by Laura Gillini, Medical Officer, Global Leprosy Programme (GLP) and supervised by Erwin Cooreman, GLP Team Leader. The GLP would like to thank members of the Guidelines Development Group (GDG), members of the External Review Group (ERG), and World Health Organization (WHO) staff who contributed to the development of these guidelines as part of the Steering Group or as peer reviewers. The GLP appreciates the input provided by the national leprosy programmes of the following countries: Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Morocco and the Philippines. The GLP is particularly grateful to the persons affected by leprosy who participated in focus group discussions in Colombia, Ghana, India and Nepal on diagnosis, treatment and contact screening. The guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of leprosy were developed with full funding support from The Nippon Foundation.Publisher PD