Lupus education for physicians and patients in a resource-limited setting

Clinical Rheumatology - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a wide range of manifestations and potential to affect several organ systems. Complications arise...     

Irish School Entry Screening referral trends and cohort comparison with preschool specialist referrals

Objective: To analyse referral cohorts from School Entry Screening, Hearing (SHS) and Vision Screening (SVS) before and after documented changes. To compare referrals to pre-school specialists with subsequent group SHS outcomes. Design: Randomized cohort, audit analysis of Community Nursing Developmental and SES records (CHRs), plus Audiology file review for SHS referrals. Study sample: Six hundred and sixty-eight mainstream pupils’ CHRs were analysed in four birth cohorts, post-SES, using coded anonymized records. Results: Significant referral rate differences existed between SHS and SVS. SHS, not SVS, referrals were impacted by nursing staff changes but not by SHS protocol changes. Preschool Audiology referrals outnumbered SHS referrals. All PCHI children with amplification were detected prior to SHS. SHS program yielded conductive hearing loss only. Similar SHS referral rates occurred for pre-school Speech Language Therapy referrals compared to children not referred; just 16% of pre-school Speech Language Therapy primary referrals were referred on to Audiology. Conclusions: SHS referral percentage fell slightly; SVS referral percentage remained unchanged. Low referral rates and low SHS hearing loss yield has modest impact upon Audiology services, but audiometrically screened referrals deserve higher priority. UNHS children born after 2011 create bigger Audiology service impact. International comparisons and European SHS research collaboration are encouraged.     

RNA sequencing steps toward the first line

• DNA is the sequence that codes for proteins.
• Messenger RNA is transcribed from the DNA sequence of genes and translated into protein.
• It can be difficult to predict how a change in the DNA sequence will affect messenger RNA and protein quantity and quality.
• DNA translocation changes can cause the joining of sequences from two different genes or different parts of the same gene.
• DNA sequencing is often used clinically to predict how DNA changes might affect proteins.
• Alternatively, RNA sequencing can be used as a more direct measure of the effect of DNA changes on the protein products.
• This sequencing is important for identifying changes in cancer that may indicate response to targeted therapy, prognosis, or diagnosis.