Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

International best practice in the cessation of vaping and non-combustible nicotine use, and barriers, facilitators and treatment preferences: A rapid review

Introduction: Increasing use of e-cigarettes and forms of non-combustible nicotine consumption, especially among children and young people who do not smoke, is an emerging challenge for traditional services oriented to stop smoking care. However, as services struggle to manage th...

Schizophrenia research in 2026: report from the annual meeting of the Schizophrenia International Research Society

Abstract SIRS 2026, held under the theme “Schizophrenia Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” brought together researchers, clinicians, and persons with lived experience to take stock of a field whose tools for measuring, predicting, and intervening in psychosis have e...

Prescription Intervals of Medications for Chronic Use: A Cohort Study

ABSTRACT Purpose In deprescribing studies, a prescription-free gap is typically used to determine if patients discontinued their treatment. An appropriate gap depends on the typical time between prescriptions during continued use. This work aims to characterise the interval betwe...

Factors influencing medication management during emergency department-to-home transitions: a qualitative study using the theoretical domains framework

Abstract Introduction The transition from Emergency department (ED) to home represents a high-risk period in the continuum of patient care, increasing the risk of medication errors, adverse drug events, and poor adherence. This study explored the perspectives of key stakeholder g...

Aortic Endograft Infection After COVID-19: A Single-Centre Case Series and a Proposed Descriptive Clinical–Radiological PET/CT Staging Framework

Background: Aortic endograft infection (AEI) after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is rare but life-threatening. The Management of Aortic Graft Infection Collaboration (MAGIC) criteria define infection, but there is no standard way to report the extent of infection. We descri...

Emerging Strategies for Bioprinting Organized Musculoskeletal Tissues with Biomimetic Collagen Architecture

Collagen fiber organization is critical to the biomechanical function of musculoskeletal tissues. This has motivated increased interest in tissue engineering strategies aiming to recapitulate native collagen architecture in order to generate more biomimetic grafts. In particular,...

Protocol: generalisability of breast cancer survival prediction models across countries, and the local data needed to recalibrate them (P-CORE Paper 1)

Study protocol, version 3 (final), 2026-10-14, of a development, external validation and model-updating study in oestrogen receptor-positive early breast cancer. Six survival models of graded flexibility are developed on a West of Ireland registry cohort, frozen, and applied unch...

Clinical outcomes of primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with concomitant lateral meniscal posterior root tear repair versus isolated anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Lateral meniscal posterior root tears (LMPRTs) commonly occur with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, but clinical outcomes after concomitant repair remain unclear. Aim This systematic review and meta-analysis compared postoperative outcomes after ACL reconst...

Circadian Rhythms in Drug Response: From Molecular Clocks to Precision Dosing

Circadian rhythms organize mammalian physiology across the 24-h day through molecular clocks coordinated by the central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and distributed to peripheral oscillators. These clocks regulate processes central to pharmacology, including drug absorpti...

RENOVATE Healthcare Ireland & Ukraine: Economic protocol for comparative cost-effectiveness of available health interventions for depression, according to symptom severity

Background Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, associated with reduced quality-of-life and significant economic costs. While NICE has recommended first-line pharmacological, psychological and physical interventions for adults with less severe (subthreshold/mild...

Gut microbial metabolism of peanuts generates immunoregulatory metabolites

Background. Complementary feeding practices and timing are thought to significantly influence early life immune development, with the early introduction of allergenic foods being especially important for prevention of food allergy. We hypothesized that allergen-containing foods s...

CT-based distribution of paranasal sinus involvement in sinusitis: A retrospective single-centre study

Background Sinusitis is among the most common inflammatory conditions of the paranasal sinuses, and computed tomography (CT) is the reference modality for demonstrating sinus involvement. The maxillary sinus is generally reported as the most frequently affected, but local data fr...

From Effectiveness to Long‐Term Impact. Sustainability of a Frugal Managed Surgical Consultation Network in Low‐Income Settings: Evidence From Malawi

BACKGROUND: Digital technology holds transformative potential to address barriers to safe and timely surgical expertise and surgery in low-resource settings, where shortages of specialists, fragmented referral systems, and limited infrastructure remain significant challenges. In...

PET/CT-first staging in anal cancer: reconsidering the role of routine MRI

Multimodal imaging with pelvic MRI and FDG PET/CT is currently recommended for staging anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC). However, accumulating data suggest that PET/CT frequently alters staging and radiotherapy planning, raising questions about whether routine MRI is necessary...

Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment dispensing in the Irish General Medical Services population from 2012 to 2022: a repeated cross-sectional analysis

Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection contributes substantially to peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Increasing clarithromycin resistance has shifted guidelines towards 14-day treatment, bismuth quadruple therapy, and second-generation proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)....

Use of Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonists for Insomnia and the Risk of Falls and Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACT Background Falls are the leading cause of injury in older adults. Sedative‐hypnotic use is a known risk factor, but their use for insomnia continues to be common. Dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) are a new, potentially safer class of medications for insomnia. We...

Economic Evidence for Proactive Management of Extreme Weather Disaster Risks: A Global Systematic Review Across Strategies, Hazards, and Settings

Growing extreme weather risks increase the need for economically justified investment in climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, yet evidence remains fragmented across strategies, hazards, and settings. This systematic review synthesised economic effectiveness and stated-...

Direct selective Laser trabeculoplasty in the management of glaucoma: The first systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Glaucoma management heavily relies on controlling intraocular pressure (IOP). While selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a standard first-line therapy, its contact-based approach requires gonioscopy, which demands specialized skills and introduces minor corneal ris...

Melatonin Supplementation in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACT Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of gut–brain interaction characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and altered bowel habits, with substantial effects on quality of life and healthcare utilization. Melatonin has been proposed as a potential...

International variation in neuropsychological test use practices: Implications for test adaptation and fair assessment

Neuropsychological test selection varies substantially across countries and languages, yet which instruments clinicians use internationally remains poorly documented. Using a survey of International Neuropsychological Society members (INSConnect, 2023), we examined instrument end...