Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing in a general practice 2009-2019.

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is not recommended as a population screening measure for prostate cancer. PSA testing is nevertheless widespread and is associated with harm due to false-positive test results, overdiagnosis and economic costs.

Aims: This study sought to document the exposure of patients to PSA testing over a decade in a general medical practice setting.

Minor surgery in general practice in Ireland- a report of workload and safety.

Background: The provision of minor surgical services is an established part of the task profile of general practitioners (GPs) in many countries in Europe and elsewhere. This study aimed to collect data on the clinical process and outcomes for specified minor surgical procedures undertaken in Irish general practice by GPs experienced in minor surgery in order to document the scope and safety of minor surgery being undertaken.

Methods: Over a six-month period, 24 GPs in 20 practices recorded data on a pre-determined list of procedures undertaken in adults (aged 18 and older); procedures for ingrown toenails were also recorded for those aged 12-18 years.

Key writings in GP specialist training in Ireland.

Key writings are those texts which represent a timeless contribution to the academic basis of general practice. We surveyed the 14 GP Specialist Training Programmes in Ireland and undertook focus group interviews with teachers and trainees in order to understand the extent to which such texts are currently used and whether they are valued in teaching. Our results indicate that traditional reading lists are not common in Irish GP training, that there are many barriers to trainees engaging with such literature but that both teachers and trainees see merit in providing access to a body of key writings.

COPD Patients Have Short Lung Magnetic Resonance T1 Relaxation Time.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may provide attractive biomarkers for assessment of pulmonary disease in clinical trials as it is free from ionizing radiation, minimally invasive and allows regional information. The aim of this study was to characterize lung MRI T1 relaxation time as a biomarker of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and specifically its relationship to smoking history, computed tomography (CT), and pulmonary function test (PFT) measurements in comparison to healthy age-matched controls. Lung T1 and inter-quartile range (IQR) of T1 maps from 24 COPD subjects and 12 healthy age-matched non-smokers were retrospectively analyzed from an institutional review board approved study.

Feasibility assessment of using oxygen-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating the effect of pharmacological treatment in COPD.

Objectives: Oxygen-enhanced MRI (OE-MRI) biomarkers have potential value in assessment of COPD, but need further evaluation before treatment-induced changes can be interpreted. The objective was to evaluate how OE-MRI parameters of regional ventilation and oxygen uptake respond to standard pharmacological interventions in COPD, and how the response compares to that of gold standard pulmonary function tests.

Materials And Methods: COPD patients (n=40), mean FEV1 58% predicted normal, received single-dose inhaled formoterol 9μg, or placebo, followed by 8 weeks treatment bid with a combination of budesonide and formoterol Turbuhaler(®) 320/9μg or formoterol Turbuhaler(®).