Investigating the causes of patient anxiety at induction of anaesthesia: A mixed methods study.

Aim: To investigate patient anxiety at anaesthetic induction and whether this is affected by anaesthetic room interventions.

Methods: A mixed methods study was carried out: pre-induction interventions were directly observed. Patient anxiety was assessed quantitatively with cardiovascular changes, the visual analogue scale and the state-trait anxiety inventory.

Detection of mSiglec-E, in solution and expressed on the surface of Chinese hamster ovary cells, using sialic acid functionalised gold nanoparticles.

Sialic acids are widespread in biology, fulfilling a wide range of functions. Their cognate lectin receptors - Siglecs - are equally diverse and widely distributed, with different Siglecs found within distinct populations of cells in the haemopoietic, immune and nervous systems. A convenient way to assay ligand recognition of soluble Siglecs would be useful, as would methods for the concomitant assessment of Siglec distribution on cell surfaces.

Delivery of a hydrophobic phthalocyanine photosensitizer using PEGylated gold nanoparticle conjugates for the in vivo photodynamic therapy of amelanotic melanoma.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment of cancer whereby tumours are destroyed by reactive oxygen species generated upon photoactivation of a photosensitizer drug. Hydrophobic photosensitizers are known to be ideal for PDT; however, their hydrophobicity necessitates that they are typically administered using emulsions. Here, a delivery vehicle for photodynamic therapy based on the co-self-assembly of both a Zn(ii)-phthalocyanine derivative photosensitizer and a polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivative onto gold nanoparticles is reported.

Glyconanoparticles for colorimetric bioassays.

Carbohydrate molecules are involved in many of the cellular processes that are important for life. By combining the specific analyte targeting of carbohydrates with the multivalent structure and change of solution colour as a consequence of plasmonic interactions with the aggregation of metal nanoparticles, glyconanoparticles have been used extensively for the development of bioanalytical assays. The noble metals used to create the nanocore, the methodologies used to assemble the carbohydrates on the nanoparticle surface, the carbohydrate chosen for each specific target, the length of the tether that separates the carbohydrate from the nanocore and the density of carbohydrates on the surface all impact on the structural formation of metal based glyconanoparticles.

Porphyrin-silica microparticle conjugates as an efficient tool for the photosensitised disinfection of water contaminated by bacterial pathogens.

A tetracationic meso-substituted amphiphilic porphyrin (abbreviated as C14) was encapsulated within silica microparticles to yield a conjugate with a mean particle diameter of ca. 0.9 μm.

Malnutrition treatment to become a core competency.

The International Pediatric Association has resolved that the identification and treatment of severe malnutrition should be a core competency for paediatricians and related health professionals worldwide. The Resolution is in response to the urgent need to reduce deaths and disability among young children. The Resolution has implications for the training of doctors, nurses and other health workers as current curricula are often insufficient to confer competency.

Colorimetric detection of Ricinus communis Agglutinin 120 using optimally presented carbohydrate-stabilised gold nanoparticles.

Ricin is a toxic lectin which presents a potential security threat. Its rapid detection is highly desirable. Here we present a colorimetric bioassay based on the aggregation of carbohydrate-stabilised gold nanoparticles which has been used to detect Ricinus communis Agglutinin 120 (RCA(120)) - a ricin surrogate.

Glyconanoparticles for the colorimetric detection of cholera toxin.

Cholera continues to represent a major threat to human health, particularly in developing countries. Death can be readily avoided when medical treatment is rapidly administered. In order to provide a means of detecting the bacterially secreted toxin, we have developed a simple, yet rapid, bioassay for the cholera toxin.

Silver and gold glyconanoparticles for colorimetric bioassays.

The color changes associated with the aggregation of metal nanoparticles has led to the development of colorimetric-based assays for a variety of target species. We have examined both silver- and gold-based nanoparticles in order to establish whether either metal exhibits optimal characteristics for bioassay development. These silver and gold nanoparticles have been stabilized with a self-assembled monolayer of a mannose derivative (2-mercaptoethyl alpha-d-mannopyranoside) with the aim of inducing aggregation by exploiting the well-known interaction between mannose and the lectin Concanavalin A (Con A).

WHO guidelines for severe malnutrition: are they feasible in rural African hospitals?

Aims: To assess the feasibility of implementing and sustaining the WHO guidelines for inpatient management of severe malnutrition in under-resourced rural South African hospitals, and to identify any constraints.

Intervention: Three 2-day training workshops were held in 1998, followed by monthly 1-day visits for 5 months, ending in March 1999, in two rural district hospitals with limited resources in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Methods: A 12-month observational study was conducted from April 2000 to April 2001 in Mary Theresa and Sipetu hospitals (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa), including 1011 child-hours of observation on the wards, medical record reviews, interviews with carers and staff, and inventories of essential supplies.

WHO guidelines for management of severe malnutrition in rural South African hospitals: effect on case fatality and the influence of operational factors.

Background: WHO case-management guidelines for severe malnutrition aim to improve the quality of hospital care and reduce mortality. We aimed to assess whether these guidelines are feasible and effective in under-resourced hospitals.

Methods: All children admitted with a diagnosis of severe malnutrition to two rural hospitals in Eastern Cape Province from April, 2000 to April, 2001, were studied and their case-fatality rates were compared with the rates in a period before guidelines were implemented (March, 1997 to February, 1998).