Prognostic significance of competition ratios in surgical specialty training selection
Conclusion
CRs displayed 30-fold variation, with CRs below 4.42 associated with twofold better NTN promotion, but strong clinical competence and academic reach again emerged as the principal drivers of career advancement. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Mellor, K., Robinson, D. B., Luton, O., James, O. P., Powell, A. G., Hopkins, L., Hemington-Gorse, S., Egan, R. J., Lewis, W. G. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Evaluation of a survey for acute care programme directors on the utilisation of point-of-care ultrasound
Conclusions
This study is the first to evaluate differences in the preferred initial bedside assessment tool between the acute care specialties. Although POCUS is a superior tool for evaluating acute pathologies, disconnect between education and utilisation remains. This study highlights the need to incorporate POCUS into the acute care specialty curriculum. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Wang, A., McCabe, M., Gow-Lee, E., James, S., Austin, B., Wailes, D., Dinh, V., Ramsingh, D. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Foundation rotations in medical training: is it love at first sight?
Conclusions
For many specialties, direct experience within foundation training has a positive effect on later career choice. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Collins, H., Eley, C., Kohler, G., Morgan, H. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Laminoplasty versus laminectomy with fusion for treatment of multilevel cervical compressive myelopathy: an updated meta-analysis
Conclusions
Although LP and LF shared similar clinical improvement, LP had fewer complications, a lower incidence of C5 palsy, and better NDI scores and recovery outcomes than LF. Randomised studies are warranted to validate these findings. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Wang, J., Wo, J., Wen, J., Zhang, L., Xu, W., Wang, X. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Utility of nasal application of lignocaine gel using cotton tip swab versus squirting with slip-tip syringe for transnasal fibreoptic bronchoscopy: a pilot randomised controlled trial
Conclusion
Application of 2% lignocaine gel by slip-tip syringe and cotton tip swab are equivalent in terms of observed and narrated pain experienced by patients, frequency of epistaxis and nasal blocks. Vision was better preserved in the cotton tip swab group. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Ray, A., Biswas, S., Manjunath, M. B., Meena, V. P., Sethi, P., Sinha, S. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Multiple polygenic scores improve bone mineral density prediction in an independent sample of Caucasian women
Conclusions
The multipolygenic score model explained a considerable amount of BMD variation. Compared with single score models, multipolygenic score model provided significant improvement in explaining BMD variation. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Xiao, X., Wu, Q. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Safety and tolerability of subcutaneous trastuzumab and intravenous pertuzumab as adjuvant treatment for HER2 positive breast cancer: a pilot study
Conclusions
Combination of SC trastuzumab and intravenous pertuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer is a safe and well-tolerated option in adjuvant setting. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Wong, C. Y., Leung, R., Kwok, G. W., Tsang, J., Li, B., Yau, T., Chiu, J. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Association of ectatic non-infarct-related artery with 1-month stent thrombosis in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction
Conclusion
Ectatic non-IRA presence without ectatic IRA in patients with STEMI increases the risk of ST within the first month of pPCI. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Zeren, G., Avci, I. I., Sungur, M. A., Simsek, B., Sungur, A., Yılmaz, M. F., Can, F., Gurkan, U., Karabay, C. Y. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to Pfizer BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
Introduction Safe and effective vaccination has become the most important tool to control and prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was developed using innovative technology and contains messenger RNA (mRNA) encapsulated in lipid-based nanoparticles, stabilised by polyethylene glycol (PEG)-2000 and exhibits high efficiency and safety.1 2 Like most SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccines produced in 2020, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine requires two doses administered 21 days apart.1 In the phase III study, the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine was well tolerated and no cutaneous adverse reactions were reported a...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Beyaz, S., Öksüzer Cimsir, D., Celebi Sözener, Z., Soyyigit, S., Öner Erkekol, F. Tags: Adverse drug reactions Source Type: research
Cultivation of compound ability of postgraduates with medical professional degree: the importance of double tutor system
This article closely follows the background of the current era, compares the differences between Chinese and foreign graduate training modes, and emphatically discusses the significance and problems of the double tutor system in the postgraduate education reform in China. (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Xiao, Y., Wu, X.-H., Huang, Y.-H., Zhu, S.-Y. Tags: Education and learning Source Type: research
High retraction rate of Chinese articles: it is time to do something about academic misconduct
As researchers, we found the article, ‘Peer reviews. A peer reviewer’s view’1 thought provoking. The author states that a detailed analysis of retracted papers reveals that faked peer reviews are not uncommon. Shockingly, 75% of 250 retracted papers that had faked peer review were written by Chinese authors.2 Nowadays, because researchers are eager to be recognised and cited, the peer review system is greatly challenged. Between 2007 and 2018, the retraction rate of Chinese authors’ Science Citation Index (SCI) papers was the highest in the world, reaching 22.7/10 000 papers, five times that of the ...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Xiao, Y., Chen, J., Wu, X.-h., Qiu, Q.-m. Tags: Editorials Source Type: research
Vitamin C utilisation in 2020: have we bought a lemon?
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic drastically impacted our everyday lives and while vaccines were (and some still are) in development, various medicines and supplements were suggested for repurposing, although mostly with no or with limited success. Among proposed over-the-counter (OTC) substances, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) stood out as it was widely available, affordable, safe and used (with more or less success) in the past for the prevention and treatment of respiratory infections in the population. Today’s popularity of vitamin C use in respiratory infections can be linked to the 1970s when the Nobel prize laureate Linus P...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - August 19, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Marcec, R., Posavec, F., Likic, R. Tags: Editorials Source Type: research
Dealing with difficult patients - by dealing with difficult doctors
I quite often receive invitations to attend workshops on ‘dealing with difficult patients.’ I am also asked to run them myself as an educator. I always say no. By inclination and training, I believe that if you assume certain people are ‘difficult’ by nature, rather than appearing so because of their context and circumstances, you have already lost half the battle. My own experience with patients who have seemed difficult at first is that many have turned out to be the most rewarding to work with. I prefer to understand dysfunctional communication in terms of interactions that are flexible, rather t...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - July 21, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Launer, J. Tags: Editor's choice On reflection Source Type: research
Pandemic and the human factor
As the staffing crisis in the UK deepens, it is time for the policy-makers and professional bodies to rethink the approach to the most vital and yet most fragile component of the healthcare system—the human beings. The austerity measures, combined with pandemic and more recently the vision of a backlog with attached unrealistic expectations of tackling it, have brought the NHS and many other healthcare systems to the brink of a crisis. It is a human factors approach, which emphasises clinician’s well-being as the core aspect of optimising performance that should become our goal. Delivery of healthcare under cir...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - July 21, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Szawarski, P. Tags: Ethics and law Source Type: research
Emerging spectrum of post-COVID-19 syndrome
‘Post-COVID-19 syndrome’ refers to symptoms in the convalescent phase following initial COVID-19 infection. This term encompasses a wide array of presentation involving lungs, heart and the neuromuscular system. Pulmonary manifestations include post-COVID-19 fibrosis, which is akin to post acute respiratory distress syndrome fibrosis and may reflect the permanent damage to the lungs following an initial bout of infection. Cardiovascular system is often involved, and the presentation can be in terms of acute coronary syndrome, myocarditis and heart failure. Clinical manifestations are often varied and non-specif...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - July 21, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Kunal, S., Madan, M., Tarke, C., Gautam, D. K., Kinkar, J. S., Gupta, K., Agarwal, R., Mittal, S., Sharma, S. M. Tags: COVID-19 Reviews Source Type: research
