Healthcare Professionals' Perspective on Supporting Patients and Family Caregivers in End-Of-Life Care Decision-Making: A Qualitative Study in Specialist Palliative Care.

Background: Healthcare professionals in specialist palliative care have a key role in conducting end-of-life care discussions with patients and their family caregivers. We aimed to identify key barriers and facilitators for healthcare professionals in specialist palliative care to support patients and their family caregivers in decision-making for patient end-of-life care.

Methods: Twenty-two healthcare professionals from different healthcare professions were recruited from a large regional specialist palliative care service in Ireland comprising 2 hospice sites.

Palliative care healthcare professionals' perspective on the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 in Ireland.

Objectives: People receiving end-of-life care often require assistance with decision-making. We aimed to ascertain from the perspective of palliative care healthcare professionals in Ireland, the impact of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (as amended) in Ireland on their practice for end-of-life care decision-making with patients and family caregivers.

Methods: A qualitative study comprising focus groups was conducted with 22 healthcare professionals from different healthcare professions.

Opioid toxicity after oxycodone/naloxone to oxycodone conversion: case series.

Combination preparations of oxycodone/naloxone are marketed to aid in the management of opioid induced bowel dysfunction, with caution advised in prescribing in cases of liver dysfunction.This case series demonstrates four cases of patients with normal liver function tests who developed significant opioid toxicity on conversion from combination oxycodone/naloxone to oxycodone at equivalent doses, necessitating significant dose reduction.In each case, a cause for intra-hepatic shunting such as cirrhosis, porto-systemic collaterals or thrombosis were identified, highlighting these as cautionary features when prescribing combination preparations of oxycodone/naloxone and the possible need for dose reduction if converting to oxycodone.

Sterile granulomatous panuveitis in dogs in the United Kingdom: A review of 33 cases.

Purpose: To describe the clinical and histopathological features of a sterile granulomatous panuveitis syndrome in 33 dogs that underwent enucleation and ocular histopathology.

Methods: Retrospective review of the medical records and ocular histopathology reports of 33 cases. Inclusion criteria were enucleation in conjunction with characteristic clinical and histopathological features.

Equine conjunctival haemangiosarcoma: Clinical presentation, management, and outcome of seven cases in the United Kingdom.

Background: Only 27 cases of equine conjunctival haemangiosarcoma have been reported in the literature over the past 37 years. Out of these, 22% of cases were lost to follow-up, 52% were euthanized, and 26% survived. A scarcity of cases and information is available for this rarely seen conjunctival tumour.

Using a validated case mix tool for use in the telephone-assisted triage of patients in a specialist palliative care community setting: a consecutive case series.

Objectives: Allocating resources in palliative care is challenging due to the nature of life-limiting illness coupled with the propensity for significant physical symptoms and psychological distress. At present, there is no established system for triaging referrals and prioritising resource allocation.This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using a case mix assessment tool for telephone-assisted triaging of referrals to a specialist palliative care service.

Pregnancy-associated breast cancer: evaluating maternal and foetal outcomes. A national study.

Purpose: Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is defined as breast cancer diagnosed during the gestational period (gp-PABC) or in the first postpartum year (pp-PABC). Despite its infrequent occurrence, the incidence of PABC appears to be rising due to the increasing propensity for women to delay childbirth. We have established the first retrospective registry study of PABC in Ireland to examine specific clinicopathological characteristics, treatments, and maternal and foetal outcomes.

Competing mortality risks: predicted cardiovascular disease risk versus predicted risk of breast cancer mortality in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy in a single Irish center.

Background: Due to advances in care, most women diagnosed with breast cancer do not die from the disease itself. Instead, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the most frequent cause of death. Many breast cancer patients are older and have established CVD risk factors.

Bilateral third eyelid ectopic cilia in an adult horse.

A 15-year-old Cob mare presented with a 4-month history of chronic epiphora and intermittent blepharospasm in the right eye. On ophthalmic examination, two translucent aberrant hairs were identified at the third eyelid margin corresponding to an area of corneal fibrosis and neovascularization. Partial excision of the third eyelid was performed, and histopathology confirmed ectopic hair follicles.

Surveying veterinary ophthalmologists to assess the advice given to owners of pets with irreversible blindness.

Background: The primary purpose of this survey was to determine how veterinary ophthalmologists manage cases of irreversible blindness and to report the most common causes of blindness.

Methods: Respondents completed a questionnaire sent by email with the cooperation of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and the Latin American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. The questionnaire was developed containing 12 questions with both open and closed multiple-choice response options.

Iris biopsy to investigate feline iris hyperpigmentation.

Objective: To evaluate the benefit of iris biopsy in cats with iris hyperpigmentation to differentiate melanosis from early feline diffuse iris melanoma (FDIM).

Methods: The medical records of cats with unilateral iris hyperpigmentation that had undergone iris biopsy between February 2013 and September 2016 at Willows Veterinary Centre & Referral Service were reviewed.

Results: Seven cats with unilateral iris hyperpigmentation were included in this retrospective study.

Metastatic HER2+ Breast Cancer: A Potentially Curable Disease?

The advent of trastuzumab and other human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-directed therapies has revolutionized the treatment of metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, leading to prolonged survival and appreciable clinical benefit for a substantial subset of patients. Previously, in a retrospective study at our institution, we observed that nearly 10% of patients achieved a durable complete remission (DCR) following a combination of HER2-directed therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. We are currently expanding this study to include patients who were treated since the initial introduction of trastuzumab.

Vernal-like conjunctivitis in a western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Case Description: A 17-year-old female western lowland gorilla presented with bilateral ocular discharge, conjunctivitis, and rhinitis that was investigated and treated over a 34-month period. Clinical findings, diagnostic results, treatment, and follow-up are described.

Clinical Finding: A mild intermittent mucoid ocular discharge was initially noted.

Ocular biometry by computed tomography in different dog breeds.

Objective: To (i) correlate B-mode ocular ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) (prospective pilot study), (ii) establish a reliable method to measure the normal canine eye using CT, (iii) establish a reference guide for some dog breeds, (iv) compare eye size between different breeds and breed groups, and (v) investigate the correlation between eye dimensions and body weight, gender, and skull type (retrospective study).

Procedure: B-mode US and CT were performed on ten sheep cadaveric eyes. CT biometry involved 100 adult pure-bred dogs with nonocular and nonorbital disease, representing eleven breeds.

Outcome of phacoemulsification following corneal and lens laceration in cats and dogs (2000-2010).

Objective: To investigate the success rate of phacoemulsification following corneal and lens laceration in dogs and cats.

Procedure: Retrospective review of cats and dogs presenting with corneal and lens laceration and treated with phacoemulsification.

Results: The records of 33 patients (33 eyes: six feline, 27 canine) presenting to a private referral center were reviewed.

What do people with dementia and their carers want to know about neuroimaging for dementia?

Neuroimaging forms an important part of dementia diagnosis. Provision of information on neuroimaging to people with dementia and their carers may aid understanding of the pathological, physiological and psychosocial changes of the disease, and increase understanding of symptoms. This qualitative study aimed to investigate participants' knowledge of the dementia diagnosis pathway, their understanding of neuroimaging and its use in diagnosis, and to determine content requirements for a website providing neuroimaging information.

Sex & Bugs & Rock 'n Roll--getting creative about public engagement.

Public engagement is widely recognized as a key priority for achieving societal support for research. We spotlight creativity in public engagement as a way of reaching wider audiences and incentivising researcher involvement, demonstrating some of the possibilities with a recent initiative to engage the public with ecology at music festivals.

Parotid duct transposition in dogs: a retrospective review of 92 eyes from 1999 to 2009.

Objective:   The aim of this study was to perform a retrospective review of parotid duct transposition (PDT) in the dog to determine the rate and nature of complications, the success and failure rates and to evaluate owner satisfaction.

Methods:   Medical records of 56 dogs (92 eyes) that underwent PDT and subsequent follow-up by a veterinary ophthalmologist were reviewed. Forty owners (40 dogs/66 eyes) were contacted by telephone and 37 owners (37 dogs/60 eyes) also completed a visual analog scale questionnaire.

Cataracts are not associated with retinal detachment in the Bichon Frise in the UK--a retrospective study of preoperative findings and outcomes in 40 eyes.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the Bichon Frise population in the UK is at the same risk of developing retinal detachment in association with cataract formation and following phacoemulsification as described in reports from the USA.

Procedures: The medical records of Bichon Frises which were presented for cataract assessment and of those which were treated with phacoemulsification at Willows Referral Service between 1997 and 2009 were reviewed.

Results: Forty eyes (26 dogs) with unilateral or bilateral cataracts were included in the study.

Efficacy of lamellar resection, cryotherapy, and adjunctive grafting for the treatment of canine limbal melanoma.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and complication rate of partial lamellar resection followed by cryotherapy for the management of canine limbal melanoma.

Animals Studied: Fourteen dogs with unilateral canine limbal melanoma which were managed surgically by partial lamellar resection, cryotherapy (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) and an adjunctive graft procedure.

Methods: The clinical records of dogs treated between June 1998 and June 2008 were reviewed.