Rhinosinusitis and its impact on quality of life in children.

Rhinitis and rhinosinusitis are common conditions which have a significant burden on healthcare services and can lead to reduced productivity in patients across the entire age spectrum. Three disease-specific quality of life tools were analysed in hospital and community settings to explore prevalence, disease characteristics and financial costs to sufferers, and to compare these aspects between cohorts (young children, young adult and adults). These tools were Modified Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-20 (MSNOT-20) questionnaire for adults, MSNOT-20 Young Persons Questionnaire (MSYPQ) for 11-16-year-olds and Sami's Rhinosinusitis Diagnosis and Impact questionnaire for 5-10-year-olds. One of the top three symptoms in children aged 5-10 years was cough, which is a much less common symptom in adults. These validated, disease-specific, quality of life questionnaires provide a fuller illustration of the patient experience, allowing comprehensive comparative analysis across the ages.

Apps and Online Platforms for Patients with Heart Failure.

The use of the internet for health advice and information has burgeoned over recent years. This corresponds with an increasing number of people living with heart failure and, in the context of a greater focus on patient engagement, producing accurate online health information is becoming vitally important. To help meet this need, major cardiology societies have designed dedicated, patient-specific areas on their websites. This article aims to provide an overview of the patient information resources from three main professional societies: the European Society of Cardiology, American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. A summary of the content of these dedicated websites and two smartphone apps is provided, along with a brief look into the future role of these technologies and resources in supporting both patients and their clinicians in the management of heart failure.

Lessons of the month 5: Cardiac tamponade after an acute myocardial infarction: the clinical diagnosis.

We present the case of a late presenting ST-elevation myocardial infarction with a coronary dissection. After primary percutaneous coronary intervention, the patient went on to develop pericardial effusion with tamponade. Despite only a small volume of fluid, we demonstrate how it can have significant clinical consequences in the diseased heart. We also highlight the value of being able to carry out bedside echocardiography in the acutely unwell post-myocardial infarction patient.

Distal radius microstructure and finite element bone strain are related to site-specific mechanical loading and areal bone mineral density in premenopausal women.

While weight-bearing and resistive exercise modestly increases aBMD, the precise relationship between physical activity and bone microstructure, and strain in humans is not known. Previously, we established a voluntary upper-extremity loading model that assigns a person's target force based on their subject-specific, continuum FE-estimated radius bone strain. Here, our purpose was to quantify the inter-individual variability in radius microstructure and FE-estimated strain explained by site-specific mechanical loading history, and to determine whether variability in strain is captured by aBMD, a clinically relevant measure of bone density and fracture risk. Seventy-two women aged 21-40 were included in this cross-sectional analysis. High resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) was used to measure macro- and micro-structure in the distal radius. Mean energy equivalent strain in the distal radius was calculated from continuum finite element models generated from clinical resolution CT images of the forearm. Areal BMD was used in a nonlinear regression model to predict FE strain. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to assess the predictive capability of intrinsic (age, height) and modifiable (body mass, grip strength, physical activity) predictors. Fifty-one percent of the variability in FE bone strain was explained by its relationship with aBMD, with higher density predicting lower strains. Age and height explained up to 31.6% of the variance in microstructural parameters. Body mass explained 9.1% and 10.0% of the variance in aBMD and bone strain, respectively, with higher body mass indicative of greater density. Overall, results suggest that meaningful differences in bone structure and strain can be predicted by subject characteristics.

Measuring Healthy Lifestyle and Mental Health Indicators in South Asian Women Using the "Your Health: Quality of Life and Well-Being" Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. A literature review has revealed that there is no specific questionnaire available to assess well-being within the community. METHODS: Fifty South Asian women were randomly selected to complete the "Your Health: Quality of Life and Well-being Questionnaire" assessing diet, lifestyle, and mental health among others. Data from the questionnaires was extracted and participants were categorised based on these findings. RESULTS: This tool has positively identified a number of key risk factors for poor health, symptoms associated with mental illness, and the burden of comorbidities within the assessed cohort. Sixty-three percent of the women had an unhealthy body mass index (BMI), over half did not know the maximum limit of salt per day, and almost one-fourth had multiple health conditions. CONCLUSIONS: This questionnaire is an effective tool to use within the community. There is a significant burden of obesity, complicated by poor lifestyle habits and significant mood and anxiety symptoms within the studied South Asian population.