COVID-19 Vaccination: Does It Alter Postoperative Mortality and Morbidity in Hip Fractures?

Introduction The primary aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination on mortality in patients with hip fractures by comparing it to those who are unvaccinated. Our secondary objective was to compare the impact on postoperative morbidity parameters like length of hospital stay and complications. Methods A total of 619 hip fractures were divided into the 'Vaccinated group' consisting of 300 patients who had COVID-19 vaccination and the 'Unvaccinated group' consisting of 319 patients who were not vaccinated.

Risk Factors of 120-Day Mortality Among Hip Fractures With Concomitant COVID-19 Infection.

Background Hip fractures cause substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has only worsened the global burden. Increased 120-day mortality is well established in the literature among hip fractures with COVID-19. However, the risk factors associated with mortality have been poorly understood.

Hip offset and leg-length restoration in revision hip arthroplasty with a monoblock, hydroxyapatite-coated stem.

Aims: Restoration of normal hip biomechanics in arthroplasty surgery is important in order to achieve good muscle function and joint stability.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we examined the postoperative radiographs of 131 femoral revision arthroplasty procedures using a monoblock, fully hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated titanium stem. Femoral offset, modified-global offset and leg length were measured of the operated and contralateral hips.

COVID-19 Infection Increases Mortality and Complications in Patients With Neck of Femur Fracture.

Hip fractures commonly occur in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities. Contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) when healing from hip fractures places the patients at a higher risk of respiratory compromise and death. This study aimed to compare the 30- and 90-day mortality rates of patients with hip fracture with and without COVID-19.

Randomised controlled trial of an innovative hypoglycaemia pathway for self-care at home and admission avoidance: a partnership approach with a regional ambulance trust.

Background: Hypoglycaemia is a common and potentially life-threatening condition in people with diabetes, commonly caused by medications such as insulin. Hypoglycaemic events often require in-patient treatment and/or follow-up with a diabetes specialist nurse (DSN) or GP to make adjustments to medication. This referral pathway commonly relies on patient self-referral to primary care, and as a result many patients are not actively followed up and go on to experience repeat hypoglycaemic events.

Ambulance attendance for substance and/or alcohol use in a pandemic: Interrupted time series analysis of incidents.

Introduction: The ambulance attendance for substance and/or alcohol use in a pandemic (ASAP) study explores incidents during the COVID-19 lockdown in the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom (23 March-4 July 2020).

Method: Retrospective cross-sectional count per day of ambulance attendances from the East Midlands Ambulance Service Trust. Ambulance attendances relating to alcohol or other drug use in the year prior, during lockdown and weeks following, were examined using interrupted time series analysis by patient demographics and geographical location.

Early Functional Outcomes After Evolutionary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Is New Always Better?

Unlabelled: Total knee replacement (TKR) designs continue to evolve with the aim of improving patient outcomes; however, there remains a significant patient dissatisfaction rate. We report the early functional outcomes of an evolutionary knee design in the context of a single-blinded, noninferiority, randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Patients were randomized to receive either the P.

Survivorship and Radiological Analysis of a Monoblock, Hydroxyapatite-Coated Titanium Stem in Revision Hip Arthroplasty.

Background: We evaluated the survivorship, incidence of complications, radiological subsidence, proximal stress shielding, and patient-reported outcomes of a conservative, monoblock, hydroxyapatite-coated femoral stem.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study reports on 254 revision hip arthroplasties between January 2006 and June 2016. The mean age of patients was 71 years.

Functional outcome of total hip arthroplasty after a previous hip arthroscopy: a retrospective comparative cohort study.

Background: Despite patients demonstrating significant short-term clinical improvement from a hip arthroscopy (HA), a number of patients progress to significant osteoarthritis of the hip requiring total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study aims to evaluate if there is any difference in the functional outcome of patients undergoing THA after a previous hip arthroscopy compared to patients undergoing THA for primary osteoarthritis of the hip.

Methods: Between 2010 and 2013, in a group of 414 patients who underwent hip arthroscopy, we identified 18 patients who underwent a subsequent uncemented THA.

Characteristics and practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine retail shops in London, UK: A cross-sectional study using an observational approach.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a popular form of ethnomedicine in the UK, and is accessed by Western, Chinese and other ethnic groups. The current regulatory regime does not effectively protect the public against poor-quality and unsafe TCMs. Understanding ethnopharmacological information on how TCM is promoted and practiced may help to inform initiatives aimed at ensuring the safe use of TCMs in the UK, and put laboratory-based ethnopharmacological investigations of TCMs in a broader context.

Patient satisfaction with tourniquet application and local anaesthesia infiltration in carpal tunnel decompression and the relationship with overall satisfaction.

This was a prospective study designed to determine what effect poor tolerance to tourniquet application and local anaesthesia infiltration in open carpal tunnel decompression has on overall patient satisfaction with the surgical procedure. Fifty patients were recruited into the study. Visual analogue scores (VAS) were recorded postoperatively for pain related to tourniquet application, local anaesthesia infiltration and the surgical procedure overall.

Review of current and "omics" methods for assessing the toxicity (genotoxicity, teratogenicity and nephrotoxicity) of herbal medicines and mushrooms.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The increasing use of traditional herbal medicines around the world requires more scientific evidence for their putative harmlessness. To this end, a plethora of methods exist, more or less satisfying. In this post-genome era, recent reviews are however scarce, not only on the use of new "omics" methods (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabonomics) for genotoxicity, teratogenicity, and nephrotoxicity assessment, but also on conventional ones.

Pharmacovigilance practice and risk control of Traditional Chinese Medicine drugs in China: current status and future perspective.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including Traditional Chinese Medicine drugs (TCM drugs), has been playing a very important role in health protection and disease control for thousands of years in China. Relying on natural products, mainly of herbal origin, used either as raw materials for decoction, as prepared herbal medicines or as formulated traditional medicines, TCM is still widely accepted by Chinese people, especially for chronic diseases treatment. This extensive use warrants safety measures and so TCM drug safety monitoring and risk management are becoming increasingly important tasks for the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

Pharmacovigilance of herbal medicine.

Pharmacovigilance is essential for developing reliable information on the safety of herbal medicines as used in Europe and the US. The existing systems were developed for synthetic medicines and require some modification to address the specific differences of medicinal herbs. Traditional medicine from many different cultures is used in Europe and the US which adds to the complexities and difficulties of even basic questions such as herb naming systems and chemical variability.

Good practice in reviewing and publishing studies on herbal medicine, with special emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese materia medica.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Studies on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), like those of other systems of traditional medicine (TM), are very variable in their quality, content and focus, resulting in issues around their acceptability to the global scientific community. In an attempt to address these issues, an European Union funded FP7 consortium, composed of both Chinese and European scientists and named "Good practice in traditional Chinese medicine" (GP-TCM), has devised a series of guidelines and technical notes to facilitate good practice in collecting, assessing and publishing TCM literature as well as highlighting the scope of information that should be in future publications on TMs. This paper summarises these guidelines, together with what has been learned through GP-TCM collaborations, focusing on some common problems and proposing solutions.

Toxicological risks of Chinese herbs.

As traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has become more popular there have been increasing concerns about safety and potential toxicity of the Chinese materia medica (CMM) comprising plants, animal parts and minerals. The potential toxicity of many CMM is well recognised in TCM and to reduce risks use of some herbs is restricted whilst specific processing methods have been developed to modify the activities/toxicity of others. However adverse reactions have been reported, many of these are due misuse or abuse of Chinese medicine.