Risk factors related to inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in the DCCT/EDIC cohort and their relationship with nephropathy and macrovascular complications

Because endothelial cell dysfunction and inflammation are key contributors to the development of complications in type 1 diabetes, we studied risk factors related to endothelial dysfunction and inflammation (C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, and E-selectin, and fibrinolytic markers) in a subgroup of patients from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT)/Epidemiology of Diabetes Intervention and Complications (EDIC) study cohort.

Excavating the Brochtorff-Xaghra Circle, Gozo,

Malone, C. and S. Stoddart (with Vella Gregory, I. ). In prep. 2013. Midsea Books. Valletta: Midsea.

A Variant in LDLR is Associated with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Background—Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common cardiovascular disease among older people and demonstrates significant heritability. In contrast to similar complex diseases, relatively few genetic associations with AAA have been confirmed. We reanalysed our genome-wide study and carried through to replication suggestive discovery associations at a lower level of significance.

Methods and Results—A genome-wide association study was conducted using 1,830 cases from the UK, New Zealand and Australia with infra-renal aorta diameter =30mm or ruptured AAA and 5,435 unscreened controls from the 1958 Birth Cohort and National Blood Service cohort from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. Eight suggestive associations with P<1x10-4 were carried through to in silico replication in 1,292 AAA cases and 30,503 controls. One SNP associated with P<0.05 after Bonferroni correction in the in silico study underwent further replication (706 AAA cases and 1,063 controls from the UK, 507 AAA cases and 199 controls from Denmark and 885 AAA cases and 1,000 controls from New Zealand). Low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) rs6511720 A, was significantly associated overall and in three of five individual replication studies. The full study showed an association that reached genome-wide significance (odds ratio 0.76; 95% confidence interval 0.70 to 0.83; P=2.08x10-10).

Conclusions—LDLR rs6511720 is associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm. This finding is consistent with established effects of this variant on coronary artery disease. Shared aetiological pathways with other cardiovascular diseases may present novel opportunities for preventative and therapeutic strategies for AAA.

Fabrication and optical properties of gold nanotube arrays

Arrays of gold nanotubes with polypyrrole cores were grown on glass substrates by electrodeposition into thin film porous alumina templates. Measurements of optical transmission revealed strong extinction peaks related to plasmonic resonances, which were sensitive to the polarization state and angle of incidence. On prolonging the electrodeposition of gold, the polypyrrole core became fully encapsulated and this had a dramatic effect on the optical properties of the arrays, which was rationalized by finite element simulation of the local field intensities resulting from plasmon excitation.

The controlled fabrication and geometry tunable optics of gold nanotube arrays

Arrays of vertically aligned gold nanotubes are fabricated over several square centimetres which display a geometry tunable plasmonic extinction peak at visible wavelengths and at normal incidence. The fabrication method gives control over nanotube dimensions with inner core diameters of 15–30 nm, wall thicknesses of 5–15 nm and nanotube lengths of up to 300 nm. It is possible to tune the position of the extinction peak through the wavelength range 600–900 nm by varying the inner core diameter and wall thickness. The experimental data are in agreement with numerical modelling of the optical properties which further reveal highly localized and enhanced electric fields around the nanotubes. The tunable nature of the optical response exhibited by such structures could be important for various label-free sensing applications based on both refractive index sensing and surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Spin-wave modes in Ni nanorod arrays studied by Brillouin light scattering

Dynamic magnetic properties of arrays of Ni nanorods with a low aspect ratio have been investigated. It has been shown that the spectra of spin-wave resonances localized on nanorods with a low aspect ratio typically feature the presence of zones with high density of states resulting in a characteristic two-peak pattern of Stokes and anti-Stokes lines of magneto-optical (MO) Brillouin light scattering with pronounced Stokes–anti-Stokes (S-AS) asymmetry. A simple theoretical model based on the analysis of the elliptic character of the polarization of the optical wave interacting with a dipole magnetostatic wave has been proposed. It has been shown that the S-AS asymmetry is due entirely to the asymmetry of the MO interaction efficiency with respect to time reversal of the magnetic precession in a magnon.

Plasmonic Sensing Using Nanodome Arrays Fabricated by Soft Nanoimprint Lithography

Arrays of gold-coated nanodomes were fabricated on glass substrates using a soft
nanoimprint lithography technique. Optical transmission measurements revealed complex
plasmonic resonances that proved highly sensitive to the array dimensions, the thickness of
the gold layer, and the refractive index of the surrounding medium. As one promising
application for these structures, the refractive index sensing capabilities of the nanodome
arrays were assessed.

Landscape and Cosmology in the Dindshenchas

This contribution presents an analysis of the relationship between transgression, naming and the formation of the landscape in the medieval Gaelic collection of place-name lore known as the Dindshenchas. It includes analyses of the origin legends of the rivers Boyne and Shannon, as well as those of Lough Neagh and Lough Ree.

Are family physician visits and continuity of care associated with acute care use at end-of-life? A population-based cohort study of homecare cancer patients

Background: Previous end-of-life cancer research has shown an association between increased family physician continuity of care and reduced use of acute care services; however, it did not focus on a homecare population or control for homecare nursing.

Aim: Among end-of-life homecare cancer patients, to investigate the association of family physician continuity with location of death and hospital and emergency department visits in the last 2 weeks of life while controlling for nursing hours.

Design: Retrospective population-based cohort study.

Setting/participants: Cancer patients with ≥1 family physician visit in 2006 from Ontario, Canada. Family physician continuity of care was assessed using two measures: Modified Usual Provider of Care score and visits/week. Its association with location of death and hospital and emergency department visits in the last 2 weeks of life was examined using logistic regression.

Results: Of 9467 patients identified, the Modified Usual Provider of Care score demonstrated a dose-response relationship with increasing continuity associated with decreased odds of hospital death and visiting the hospital and emergency department in the last 2 weeks of life. More family physician visits/week were associated with lower odds of an emergency department visit in the last 2 weeks of life and hospital death, except for patients with greater than 4 visits/week, where they had increased odds of hospitalizations and hospital deaths.

Conclusions: These results demonstrate an association between increased family physician continuity of care and decreased odds of several acute care outcomes in late life, controlling for homecare nursing and other covariates.©The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.