Telemedicine in the emergency department to decrease personal protective equipment use: a before-and-after study.

Background: Personal protective equipment (PPE) used by healthcare workers was scarce during the COVID-19 pandemic The aim of this study was to assess whether telemedicine (using iPads) reduced PPE use in emergency department (ED) patients who were treated in contact isolation, and whether telemedicine had a positive effect on patient anxiety and satisfaction.

Methods: We conducted a prospective single centre before-and-after study including ED patients ≥18 years who were treated in contact isolation. PPE use, the Hospital Anxiety Scale and the 15-item Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire were compared between the control period (8 April to 14 April 2020) and intervention period (15 April to 24 April 2020).

Performance of the Manchester triage system in older emergency department patients: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Studies on the reliability of the MTS and its predictive power for hospitalisation and mortality in the older population have demonstrated mixed results. The objective is to evaluate the performance of the Manchester Triage System (MTS) in older patients (≥65 years) by assessing the predictive ability of the MTS for emergency department resource utilisation, emergency department length of stay (ED-LOS), hospitalisation, and in-hospital mortality rate. The secondary goal was to evaluate the performance of the MTS in older surgical versus medical patients.

Staging and management of axillary lymph nodes in patients with local recurrence in the breast or chest wall after a previous negative sentinel node procedure.

Objective: To evaluate axillary staging and management in patients with local recurrence (LR) after a previous negative sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB).

Methods: Between 1999 and 2008, 130 patients with previous negative SNB developed a LR of breast or chest wall. After examination of clinical records, 70 patients met the inclusion criteria and remained available for analysis.

Renin and prorenin disappearance in humans post-nephrectomy: evidence for binding?

To study the distribution of kidney-derived renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components in humans, we monitored the decline in plasma prorenin, renin, angiotensin (Ang) I and Ang II post-nephrectomy. Prorenin and renin decreased biphasically, prorenin displaying a slower elimination. The distribution half life was similar for both.

Newly developed renin and prorenin assays and the clinical evaluation of renin inhibitors.

Background: The last decade has seen the introduction of renin inhibitors and new plasma renin and prorenin assays, which has led to a better understanding of the tissue renin-angiotensin system.

Aim Of The Study: To clarify the consequences of these developments for the methodology and interpretation of measurements of renin and prorenin.

Methods: The principles and application of the newly developed immunosorbent assays (ISAs) are surveyed and the results are compared with those of enzyme-kinetic assays (EKAs).