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7±4.1 and 20.6± 3.7 respectively. The single most common heart defect was of the ventricular outflow tract that was found in 102 cases (44.7%), followed by functionally univentricular heart in 79 cases (34.6%). A combination of two defects was found in 5 cases (2.2%) and was mostly diagnosed after 24 weeks’ gestation. MRT68921 Out of all cases 16.8% did not go through early fetal anomaly scan (conducted between 14-16 weeks’ gestation), compared to 66.7% of late TOP cases; 22.2% of cases were not diagnosed during routine anomaly scans.

In most cases the fetal heart defect was diagnosed during routine 14-16 gestational weeks anomaly scan.

This information should encourage pregnant women to perform timely sonographic scanning.

This information should encourage pregnant women to perform timely sonographic scanning.

The Israeli National Program for Quality Measures determined the need for screening for depression during rehabilitation following stroke as a quality measure in the elderly; this is in order to better diagnose and treat post-stroke depression. The study’s goal was to investigate whether adding screening for depression had an effect on the rate of diagnosis. Depression is a culture-dependent phenomenon, therefore the change in the rate of diagnosis of depression in the Arab population and the Jewish population was examined separately.

Data were collected from the computerized medical records of 879 patients (456 men; 423 women) admitted for rehabilitation following stroke between January 2015 and April 2019. In 2016, the quality measure was implemented. The PHQ-2 questionnaire was used for screening for depression. A comparison was made between the rate of patients diagnosed with depression before and after the introduction of the measure.

No significant statistical difference was found in the diagnosisArab elderly population. The quality measure performed during 2016-2019 had no additive value for the diagnosis of depression at the geriatric rehabilitation units at Shoham Geriatric Hospital. In recent years many quality measures have been added to the daily tasks in different units increasing the already heavy work load of the medical staff. This study emphasizes the importance of measuring the added value of quality measures, to enable proper use of resources and to decrease feelings of frustration and burnout among the medical staff.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by a single-strand RNA virus that first began spreading in December 2019 and evolved to a global pandemic within a few months. It’s transmission is primarily through direct contact of the virus with mucous membranes which possess angiotensin-converting enzyme) ACE2(. Ocular manifestations of COVID-19 are extremely rare and there is only evidence of low quantities of ACE2 in ocular tissue. Yet both the environment of the contact lens practice and the wearing of contact lenses present high potential risk of inadvertent infection. The data to date suggests no evidence of contracting COVID-19 through contact lenses and very little data supporting the possibility of coronavirus adherence to the ocular surface. To minimize opportunity for infection, practitioners may decide to delay non-essential visits. When they do examine, clinicians should wear personal protective gear as well as protective shields on equipment and nd should be advised to consciously refrain from face touching to avoid unintentional contamination. This article reviews the information available to date related to contact lens wearers and their caregivers during this still-evolving crisis.

The immune system could be affected by a mixture of factors. It is customary to classify factors that affect the immune system into three main groups hereditary, environmental and hormonal factors. When those factors deviate from their normal physiological effect, in the genetically pre-dispositioned, an autoimmune disease may erupt and a lymphoma may develop as a result. Viruses are a significant part of the environmental factors that affect the immune system. Recent evidence demonstrates the ability of the COVID-19 virus to induce hyper-stimulation of the immune system, thus leading to the formation of autoantibodies in patients. This effect of the COVID-19 virus is caused by two main courses of action firstly, its ability to induce hyper-stimulation of the immune system; secondly, its molecular similarity to humans. Numerous records demonstrate the tendency of severely ill COVID-19 patients to develop multiple autoantibodies known to be found in common autoimmune diseases, such as antinuclear antibodies,induce hyper-stimulation of the immune system; secondly, its molecular similarity to humans. Numerous records demonstrate the tendency of severely ill COVID-19 patients to develop multiple autoantibodies known to be found in common autoimmune diseases, such as antinuclear antibodies, antiphospholipid antibodies, and many more. Additionally, many case reports have been published on COVID-19 infected patients who developed autoimmune diseases. It is extremely important to recognize the autoimmune effects of the COVID-19 virus when dealing with the ongoing pandemic.

Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4 index), calculated by age, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and platelet count, is a simple marker to evaluate liver fibrosis and is associated with right-sided heart failure. However, the clinical relevance of FIB-4 in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains unclear. We investigated the prognostic implication of the FIB-4 index regarding right ventricular dysfunction in patients with HFpEF.

This prospective study included 116 consecutive HFpEF patients (mean age 79years, 43% male) hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure. We evaluated the association of the FIB-4 index with right ventricular function determined by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and tricuspid lateral annular systolic velocity (S’) before discharge. Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between the FIB-4 index and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as the composite of cardiovascular death, readmission for heart failure, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke.