The spectrum of Ih ice using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.

Here, we report the frequency-dependent spectrum of ice Ih in the range of 0.2-2 THz. We confirm the presence of a feature that blue-shifts from around 1.

Health care utilization and the associated costs attributable to cardiovascular disease in Ireland: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality and disability globally. We examined healthcare service utilization and costs attributable to CVD in Ireland in the period before the introduction of a major healthcare reform in 2016.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data from 8113 participants of the first wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.

Trends in national pharmaceutical expenditure on diabetes in Ireland 2011-2015: a repeated cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To explore trends in pharmaceutical expenditure on diabetes between 2011 and 2015, describing trends in expenditure on blood glucose-lowering medications and estimating the effect of cost-containment measures implemented during this time.

Design: Repeated cross-sectional study of national pharmacy claims data in Ireland.

Participants: Patients' dispensed items used in the treatment or management of diabetes.

Non-Contact, Non-Destructive Testing in Various Industrial Sectors with Terahertz Technology.

In this article, we survey various non-contact, non-destructive testing methods by way of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging designed for use in various industrial sectors. A brief overview of the working principles of THz spectroscopy and imaging is provided, followed by a survey of selected applications from three industries-the building and construction industry, the energy and power industry, and the manufacturing industry. Material characterization, thickness measurement, and defect/corrosion assessment are demonstrated through the examples presented.

Impact of population distribution shifts in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on type II diabetes incidence in Ireland.

Purpose: We simulate population shifts in the distribution of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and address previous methodological limitations to provide valid and reliable estimates of the potential impact of public health interventions on type II diabetes incidence in Ireland.

Methods: A comparative risk assessment was conducted, using distribution shift calculations to estimate potential impact fractions (PIFs) for percentage reductions in SSB consumption. Data from the Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition was analyzed.

Educational intervention to optimise serum immunoglobulin test use in Irish primary care: an interrupted time series with segmented regression analysis.

Background: Implementation science experts recommend that theory-based strategies, developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals, have greater chance of success.

Aim: This study evaluated the impact of a theory-based strategy for optimising the use of serum immunoglobulin testing in primary care.

Design And Setting: An interrupted time series with segmented regression analysis in the Cork-Kerry region, Ireland.

An interrupted time-series analysis of the impact of emergency department reconfiguration on regional emergency department trolley numbers in Ireland from 2005 to 2015.

Objectives: To understand the impact of emergency department (ED) reconfiguration on the number of patients waiting for hospital beds on trolleys in the remaining EDs in four geographical regions in Ireland using time-series analysis.

Setting: EDs in four Irish regions; the West, North-East, South and Mid-West from 2005 to 2015.

Participants: All patients counted as waiting on trolleys in an ED for a hospital bed in the study hospitals from 2005 to 2015.

Efficacy of observational hand hygiene audit with targeted feedback on doctors' hand hygiene compliance: A retrospective time series analysis.

Background: Healthcare-associated infection compromises patient safety. Compliance with hand hygiene (HH) guidelines has been shown to be an effective method of reducing infection; however, it remains suboptimal and poorer among doctors compared to other healthcare workers. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between an individualised observational hand hygiene audit (OHHA) and feedback intervention with observed HH compliance.

Group-based trajectory modelling for BMI trajectories in childhood: A systematic review.

Childhood obesity is an important public health issue. We aimed to systematically review studies that used group-based trajectory modelling approaches to investigate body mass index (BMI) trajectories in early childhood, explore associated determinants, and the association with body composition outcomes. Five databases were searched systematically for studies using group-based trajectory modelling approaches to track BMI trajectories from birth.

Long-Term Follow-up of Patients Treated at a Single Institution Using a Passively Scattered Proton Beam; Observations Around the Occurrence of Second Malignancies.

Purpose: To investigate the occurrence of second malignancies resulting from the secondary radiation from a passively scattered proton beam.

Methods And Materials: A cohort of patients with long-term follow-up was defined. All were treated at the same institution with the same proton delivery system, consisting of a 200 MeV fixed, horizontal, passively scattered beam combined with a robotic chair.

Positive mental health and wellbeing in adults with cystic fibrosis: A cross sectional study.

Objective: Screening for depression and anxiety in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) is recommended but this alone can miss the opportunity to assess and promote positive mental health and wellbeing. This cross-sectional study assessed positive mental health and wellbeing, and associations with physical health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with CF.

Methods: Adults (n = 147) with CF from 9 CF centres in the Republic of Ireland completed the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised.

Drivers of potentially avoidable emergency admissions in Ireland: an ecological analysis.

Background: Many emergency admissions are deemed to be potentially avoidable in a well-performing health system.

Objective: To measure the impact of population and health system factors on county-level variation in potentially avoidable emergency admissions in Ireland over the period 2014-2016.

Methods: Admissions data were used to calculate 2014-2016 age-adjusted emergency admission rates for selected conditions by county of residence.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents and Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: Physical and Mental Health Predictors.

Background: People with cystic fibrosis face substantial physical, psychological, and social challenges as they move into adolescence and adulthood, which are likely to impact on their health-related quality of life. This study sought to examine the relative importance of physical and mental health variables associated with health-related quality of life in this group.

Methods: Adults and adolescents ( = 174; ≥14 y old) from across 11 adult or pediatric cystic fibrosis clinics in the Republic of Ireland, completed a background questionnaire that contained self-reported physical health variables, pulmonary function (ie, FEV%) and body mass index.

Case fatality ratios for serious emergency conditions in the Republic of Ireland: a longitudinal investigation of trends over the period 2002-2014 using joinpoint analysis.

Background: In the past decade, the Republic of Ireland has undertaken significant reconfiguration programmes to improve emergency services. During this time the public healthcare system experienced a large real decrease in resources. This study assesses national and regional population outcomes over the period 2002-2014, and whether changes coincide with system reconfiguration and the financial restrictions imposed by the 2008 recession.

Concentration analysis of breast tissue phantoms with terahertz spectroscopy.

Terahertz imaging has been previously shown to be capable of distinguishing normal breast tissue from its cancerous form, indicating its applicability to breast conserving surgery. The heterogeneous composition of breast tissue is among the main challenges to progressing this potential research towards a practical application. In this paper, two concentration analysis methods are proposed for analyzing phantoms mimicking breast tissue.

Online versus paper-based screening for depression and anxiety in adults with cystic fibrosis in Ireland: a cross-sectional exploratory study.

Objective: To compare online and paper-based screening for depression and anxiety in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Design And Setting: Cross-sectional study in CF clinics in Ireland and through the Cystic Fibrosis Ireland online community.

Participants: 160 adult patients aged 18 or above were recruited.

Predicted 10-year risk of cardiovascular mortality in the 40 to 69 year old general population without cardiovascular diseases in Germany.

Aims: To estimate the 10-year risk of fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the 40 to 69 year old general population in Germany stratified by sex and to analyze differences between socio-economic status (SES), region and community size in individuals without CVD. The analysis is based on the newly recalibrated SCORE Deutschland risk charts and considered other comorbidities for the classification of the high CVD risk group according to the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology.

Methods And Results: In 3,498 participants (40-69 years) from the German Health Examination Survey for Adults 2008-2011 (DEGS1) without a history of CVD (myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke) we estimated the proportion with a low (SCORE <1%), moderate (SCORE 1-<5%) and high 10-year CVD mortality risk (SCORE ≥5% or diabetes, renal insufficiency, SBP/DPB ≥180/110 mmHg or cholesterol >8 mmol/l).

Estimating the Cost of Preeclampsia in the Healthcare System: Cross-Sectional Study Using Data From SCOPE Study (Screening for Pregnancy End Points).

To estimate the cost of preeclampsia from the national health payer's perspective using secondary data from the SCOPE study (Screening for Pregnancy End Points). SCOPE is an international observational prospective study of healthy nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies. Using data from the Irish cohort recruited between November 2008 and February 2011, all women with preeclampsia and a 10% random sample of women without preeclampsia were selected.

Physician and practice characteristics associated with immunoglobulin test ordering.

Background: Primary care test requests for serum immunoglobulins are rising rapidly, with concerns that many requests may be unnecessary. Evidence suggests some characteristics of general practitioners (GPs) and practices are associated with higher test ordering.

Objective: To identify the physician and practice characteristics associated with immunoglobulin test ordering.

Use of a handheld terahertz pulsed imaging device to differentiate benign and malignant breast tissue.

Since nearly 20% of breast-conserving surgeries (BCS) require re-operation, there is a clear need for developing new techniques to more accurately assess tumor resection margins intraoperatively. This study evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of a handheld terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) system to discriminate benign from malignant breast tissue ex vivo. Forty six freshly excised breast cancer samples were scanned with a TPI handheld probe system, and histology was obtained for comparison.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and the Risk of Overweight and Obesity in School-Aged Children.

Purpose: Globally, public health policies are targeting modifiable lifestyle behaviors. We explore the independent association of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior on the risk of childhood overweight/obesity.

Method: A cross-sectional survey of children aged 8-11 years (N = 826).

Unmet need for bariatric surgery.

Introduction: With the rising prevalence of severe obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), bariatric surgery offers a clinical and cost-effective treatment for carefully selected patients. Despite this, the provision of surgical services varies significantly between countries.

Objective: To inform health service planning by estimating the number of people who would potentially benefit from bariatric surgery.

Exploring diurnal variation using piecewise linear splines: an example using blood pressure.

Background: There are many examples of physiological processes that follow a circadian cycle and researchers are interested in alternative methods to illustrate and quantify this diurnal variation. Circadian blood pressure (BP) deserves additional attention given uncertainty relating to the prognostic significance of BP variability in relation to cardiovascular disease. However, the majority of studies exploring variability in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) collapse the data into single readings ignoring the temporal nature of the data.

levels and sociodemographic correlates of accelerometer-based physical activity in Irish children: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore levels and sociodemographic correlates of physical activity (PA) over 1 week using accelerometer data.

Methods: Accelerometer data was collected over 1 week from 1075 8-11-year-old children in the cross-sectional Cork Children's Lifestyle Study. Threshold values were used to categorise activity intensity as sedentary, light, moderate or vigorous.