A letter to the Editor suggesting a novel use of ultrasound-visible needle when performing thoracocentesis for low volume pleural effusion.

Letter to the Editor sharing experience of implementing hybrid anesthesia for fractured neck of femur surgery using intrathecal prilocaine.

Purpose: The objective of this review was to synthesise studies which address the views of healthcare professionals (HCPs) towards patients with functional neurological disorder (FND). Methods: An interpretive systematised review was conducted. Seven databases were searched using a comprehensive search strategy (MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, PsychINFO, ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health, and Scopus). Qualitative studies and those using survey methods were included. An inductive approach to thematic analysis was used to identify concepts from the data and to synthesise the results. Results: The views of 2769 HCPs were represented in 11 included articles. The overarching theme across the articles was uncertainty: about making the diagnosis of FND, about professional roles, and about optimum management. Fear was also a common theme: of saying the wrong thing, of offending patients, or of breaking the therapeutic relationship. Conclusions: If all HCPs felt uncertain about how to manage patients with FND and avoided them by passing them on to another discipline, then a "vicious cycle" is formed in which patients are passed from one professional to another but without receiving clear, honest information, or effective treatment. HCPs would benefit from increased training on FND and clear clinical pathways to alleviate feelings of uncertainty.Implications for rehabilitationEvidence-based or, at the very least, consensus-based multi-disciplinary care pathways for the assessment and treatment of patients with functional neurological disorder are required to improve equitability of services.Training packages for healthcare professionals need to be developed, evaluated and implemented in order to improve confidence of making and explaining the diagnosis and to reduce stigma of functional neurological disorders.Improved input for patients with functional neurological disorder is likely to occur if healthcare professionals are open, honest and use effective communication skills, both with their patients and fellow healthcare professionals.

The Covid 19 Pandemic affected Physiotherapy Clinics as much as it did all Clinical Services Provisions all over the world. This paper discusses a model where Facebook social media platform was successfully used as an emergency platform to deliver clinical services to the clients of a Physiotherapy Clinic in a Developing Country, during the Covid 19 pandemic.

A one-year planning phase established a rolling programme of bi-monthly interprofessional clinical teaching workshops derived directly from patient experiences in an acute hospital. Pre-registration healthcare students from 8 professions spent an afternoon in the hospital training centre, randomly allocated to one of 6-8 small working groups. Using a problem-based methodology they analysed a ward case with patient consent, chosen to reflect the input of a wide range of health professionals. Students worked through a prepared workbook facilitated by a range of tutors from all disciplines. Each small group reported back on one aspect of team working to the entire cohort entering into debate and discussion with the support of clinical and academic tutors. Post course patient details were found on a website enabling students to progress their uni-professional knowledge, e.g., on anatomy, physiology, pharmacology etc. The questionnaire evaluation on over 126 students and 11 tutors identified that interprofessional competencies were understood and valued. Students related principles of team working and collaborative practice to their placement experiences of team work. Interactive learning enables further appreciation of professions roles and responsibilities and the importance of teamwork to optimize patient care (82.0 - 90.5%). The half-day learning model can be easily supported by busy clinical staff, led by hospital educators and accessed by students on hospital placements, at a mid-point in training, with learning supported by consenting in-patients or recent admissions prepared to share their experiences.

Comments written in a prayer book in a hospital Chaplaincy Centre, about the area being a 'quiet oasis' in the middle of a busy hospital amid lots of anxiety and stress led to a focus group forming to explore ideas on how this could be addressed; a short term vision was the creation of an area (Oasis) in the Chaplaincy centre and longer term in other areas across the whole hospital. These areas would have an ambience of calm and relaxation where the use of colour, sound, aroma's and touch would be used to help in the reduction of stress and anxiety, this may be from forthcoming surgery, procedures or life in general from traumatic circumstances. The potential impact of this would be to aid recovery, potentially reduce other stress related illness and improve general well-being using strategies to include relaxation, breathing and visualisation techniques and aromatherapy hand massage.

Primary prostate sarcomas are rare, reportedly comprising just 0.7% of all prostate malignancies. Here, we present the case of a 66-year-old man who was diagnosed with prostate stromal sarcoma after undergoing a routine transurethral resection of prostate for bladder outflow obstruction. Primary prostate sarcoma can be aggressive even when low-grade, with a high risk of local recurrence and, high malignant potential when high-grade. They require aggressive multimodality treatment with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for durable survival outcomes. They also require close surveillance with long-term follow-up.

Physician associates (PAs) are valuable members of the -medical team. However, few data are available concerning their role and contributions in acute settings from the perspective of patients. The current study explored patients' acceptance of the role of PAs in the NHS. A questionnaire was distributed to 100 patients who were under care of PAs in the acute -medical unit (AMU) of George Eliot Hospital. The questionnaire explored previous exposure to PAs, satisfaction in PA's attitude and knowledge, PA value to NHS and overall satisfaction in PA profession. Fifty women (58.1%) and 36 men (41.9%) with a mean age of 74.75 ± 10 years participated in the study. Most of the survey responders stated that the attitudes, professionalism and medical knowledge of PAs were good or very good and nearly all of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the role of PAs in the NHS. This pilot questionnaire survey study in the AMU of an English district general teaching hospital showed that most study participants valued the role of PAs in the NHS.

No abstract available

The liver mass constitutes hepatocytes expressing receptors for vitamin B12 (B12)-bound transporters in circulation. However, intrahepatic and circulating B12 interrelationship levels remain unclear. We assessed the intracellular B12 levels at various circulating B12 concentrations in human HepG2 cell-line and liver tissue levels of B12 in the C57BL/6 mouse model. In HepG2 cells treated with a range of B12 concentrations, the intracellular and circulatory B12 levels, transcript and protein levels of B12 receptor (CD320) and transporter (TCN2) were determined using immunoassays, qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Similar assessments were done in plasma and liver tissue of C57BL/6 mice, previously fed a diet of either a high or low B12 (30.82 µg B12/kg and 7.49 µg B12/kg, respectively) for 8-10 weeks. The physiological B12 status (0.15-1 nM) resulted in increased levels of intracellular B12 in HepG2 cells compared to supraphysiological levels of B12 (>1 nM). Gene and protein expression of CD320 and TCN2 were also higher at physiological levels of B12. Progressively increasing extracellular B12 to supraphysiological levels led to relative decreased levels of intracellular B12, lower expression of gene and protein levels of CD320 and TCN2. Similar results were observed in liver tissue from mice fed on a low B12 diet verses high B12 diet. These findings suggest that unlike supraphysiological B12, physiological levels of B12 in the extracellular media or circulation accelerates active transport of B12, and expression of CD320 and TCN2, resulting in higher relative uptake of B12 in hepatocytes.