13 pubs · 131 cites · h-index 5
Background: Patients search online content to improve their understanding of medical procedures. The quality of online patient education materials (OPEMs) on catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) requires investigation. Methods: Six predetermined search terms relating to VA ablation were used to search Google, Bing and Yahoo for written OPEMs, and YouTube for video OPEMs. Written OPEMs were assessed for readability using five readability indices to produce a required reading grade level, and quality using the DISCERN and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) instruments. Video OPEMs were assessed for quality according to compliance with a list of investigator-developed essential discussion points. Results: 1200 written and 480 videos were identified using the search strategy, of which 60 and 25 respectively were unique OPEMs included in this study. The mean reading grade level for written OPEMs was 11.3 ± 1.9, with no articles being written at the 6th grade level recommended by the American Medical Association. Using quality metrics, only 26.7% of written OPEMs attained a 'high-quality' JAMA rating, and 30% had a DISCERN score of 'good' or better. Video OPEMs similarly had poor quality, only discussing a mean of 3.50 ± 2.57 out of 18 total essential criteria. Conclusion: There is a paucity of online patient-directed materials on VA catheter ablation. Available OPEMs are of insufficient quality to adequately convey essential information, and written OPEMs are written at a level higher than the recommended reading level.
Single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) devices may allow detection and diagnosis of cardiac rhythms. However, data on their accuracy for detecting cardiac arrhythmias beyond atrial fibrillation are limited. We aimed to determine the accuracy of the AliveCor KardiaMobile (AC) (AliveCor Inc, Mountain View, CA, USA) for the diagnosis of arrhythmias against gold standard cardiac electrophysiology study (EPS).
CA may benefit non-ischaemic SHD; leaves open superiority versus medical therapy pending randomized confirmation.
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease, whereby auto-reactive cytotoxic T cells target and destroy insulin-secreting β-cells in pancreatic islets leading to insulin deficiency and subsequent hyperglycemia. These individuals require multiple daily insulin injections every day of their life without which they will develop life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and die. Gene therapy by viral vector and non-viral transduction may be useful techniques to treat T1D as it can be applied from many different angles; such as the suppression of autoreactive T cells to prevent islet destruction (prophylactic) or the replacement of the insulin gene (post-disease). The need for a better method for providing euglycemia arose from insufficient numbers of cadaver islets for transplantation and the immunosuppression required post-transplant. Ectopic expression of insulin or islet modification have been examined, but not perfected. This review examines the various gene transfer methods, gene therapy techniques used to date and promising novel techniques for the maintenance of euglycemia in the treatment of T1D.