No abstract

BackgroundPsychotic symptoms, also termed psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in the absence of psychotic disorder, are common in adolescents and are associated with increased risk of schizophrenia-spectrum illness in adulthood. At the same time, schizophrenia is associated with deficits in social cognition, with deficits particularly documented in facial emotion recognition (FER). However, little is known about the relationship between PLEs and FER abilities, with only one previous prospective study examining the association between these abilities in childhood and reported PLEs in adolescence. The current study was a cross-sectional investigation of the association between PLEs and FER in a sample of Irish adolescents.MethodThe Adolescent Psychotic-Like Symptom Screener (APSS), a self-report measure of PLEs, and the Penn Emotion Recognition-40 Test (Penn ER-40), a measure of facial emotion recognition, were completed by 793 children aged 10–13 years.ResultsChildren who reported PLEs performed significantly more poorly on FER (β=−0.03, p=0.035). Recognition of sad faces was the major driver of effects, with children performing particularly poorly when identifying this expression (β=−0.08, p=0.032).ConclusionsThe current findings show that PLEs are associated with poorer FER. Further work is needed to elucidate causal relationships with implications for the design of future interventions for those at risk of developing psychosis.

BackgroundThis study investigated the prevalence of DSM‐IV Axis 1 mental disorders, deliberate self‐harm and suicidal ideation in a sample of Irish adolescents aged 11–13 years.MethodsA total of 1131 students was surveyed for general psychopathology using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Following this, a representative sample of 212 adolescents was assessed for mental disorders, deliberate self‐harm and suicidal ideation using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School‐Aged Children.Results14.6% of the sample met criteria for a borderline score and 6.9% for an abnormal score on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Following clinical diagnostic interviews, 27.4% of participants received a current diagnosis of an Axis 1 disorder and 36.8% received a lifetime diagnosis, those rates falling to 15.4% and 31.2% respectively when specific phobias were excluded.ConclusionsFindings from this study reveal that Irish adolescents aged 11–13 years are experiencing high levels of mental ill‐health.

Introduction Hip fractures are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly and are also associated with increased healthcare costs. A second contralateral hip fracture can lead to even more complications and healthcare costs. A significant proportion of the Irish hip fracture population does not receive a bone health assessment or falls specialist assessment to reduce the risk of future falls and fractures. This study aimed to analyze the incidence of a non-simultaneous contralateral hip fracture in an Irish population. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 1,344 patients presenting to our institution with a hip fracture from January 2007 to June 2019. Patients aged ≥ 60 years old presenting with a neck of femur or pertrochanteric fracture were included in our study. We excluded patients who had sub-trochanteric and femoral shaft fractures, high energy fractures, and pathological fractures. We also excluded patients less than 60 years old, as fractures in these younger patients may not be purely related to osteoporosis. Results A total of 1,099 hip fractures meeting the inclusion criteria were treated at our unit during the designated time period. A total of 102 (9.3%) patients experienced a second hip fracture. The mean age at first presentation in our institution was 78.5 years old, with a mean time between first and second hip fractures of 37.2 months. Conclusions Patients presenting with a second hip fracture may represent 9.3% of the Irish hip fracture population. We hope that this study will help inform on the rate of second hip fractures in an Irish population and help advocate for improved resources and implementation of secondary prevention strategies.

Hip fractures are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. The number of hip fractures is set to increase significantly by 2050 as the global population ages. The costs associated with hip fracture patients are significant due to prolonged hospitalisation and rehabilitation. Hip protectors have been advocated as a strategy to reduce the risk of hip fractures in a high-risk population. Evidence suggests that hip protectors are a cost-effective method for reducing the risk of hip fractures. There have, however, been issues with adherence with wearing hip protectors amongst patients and healthcare staff. Despite prevention strategies, many patients continue to present with hip fractures. Many of these patients have cognitive impairment or experience peri-operative delirium. This can cause issues with patients' interference with the operative wound and presents a significant burden to the healthcare team with the need for increased wound monitoring and care in the post-operative period. Applying a well-fitted hip protector provides a substantial additional barrier to protect the surgical wound. Hip fracture surgical wounds can be difficult to manage in these patients and our standard post-operative protocol is to apply compression dressings in this group of patients. We have found that a well-fitted hip protector can provide adequate compression to the surgical site. We describe a brief technical report on a novel use of hip protectors in providing wound security in the agitated patient post-operatively as well as a method of providing compression to the surgical wound site.