Development of an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Patient-Reported Experience Measure (PREM): A patient-led consensus work and 'think aloud' study for a quality improvement programme.

Background: Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) are key in improving healthcare quality, but no PREM exists for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to co-produce a PREM with IBD service users for IBD service evaluation and quality improvement programme.

Methods: A pool of 75 items was drawn from published survey instruments covering interactions with services and aspects of living with IBD.

A comparison of haemostatic biomarkers during low-risk patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass using either conventional centrifugal cell salvage or the HemoSep device.

Background: Cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with a coagulopathy due to haemodilution, thrombocytopenia and platelet dysfunction and the activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis, despite the use of large doses of unfractionated heparin. Conventional red cell salvage may exacerbate post-operative bleeding as plasma containing haemostatic factors is discarded. We hypothesized that a novel cell salvage device (HemoSep) may attenuate haemostatic changes associated with red cell salvage.

Fullerene oxidation and clustering in solution induced by light.

We investigate the environmental stability of fullerene solutions by static and dynamic light scattering, FTIR, NMR and mass spectroscopies, and quantum chemical calculations. We find that visible light exposure of fullerene solutions in toluene, a good solvent, under ambient laboratory conditions results in C60 oxidation to form fullerene epoxides, and subsequently causes fullerene clustering in solution. The clusters grow with time, even in absence of further illumination, and can reach dimensions from ≈100 nm to the μm scale over ≈1 day.

Discovery of catalytic phages by biocatalytic self-assembly.

Discovery of new catalysts for demanding aqueous reactions is challenging. Here, we describe methodology for selection of catalytic phages by taking advantage of localized assembly of the product of the catalytic reaction that is screened for. A phage display library covering 10(9) unique dodecapeptide sequences is incubated with nonassembling precursors.

Biocatalytic self-assembly of nanostructured peptide microparticles using droplet microfluidics.

Uniformly-sized, nanostructured peptide microparticles are generated by exploiting the ability of enzymes to serve (i) as catalysts, to control self-assembly within monodisperse, surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil microdroplets, and (ii) as destabilizers of emulsion interfaces, to enable facile transfer of the produced microparticles to water. This approach combines the advantages of biocatalytic self-assembly with the compartmentalization properties enabled by droplet microfluidics. Firstly, using microfluidic techniques, precursors of self-assembling peptide derivatives and enzymes are mixed in the microdroplets which upon catalytic conversion undergo molecular self-assembly into peptide particles, depending on the chemical nature of the precursors.

Angle-dependent resonance of localized and propagating surface plasmons in microhole arrays for enhanced biosensing.

The presence of microhole arrays in thin Au films is suited for the excitation of localized and propagating surface plasmon (SP) modes. Conditions can be established to excite a resonance between the localized and propagating SP modes, which further enhanced the local electromagnetic (EM) field. The co-excitation of localized and propagating SP modes depends on the angle of incidence (θ(exc)) and refractive index of the solution interrogated.

Assessing the Location of Surface Plasmons Over Nanotriangle and Nanohole Arrays of Different Size and Periodicity.

The increasing popularity of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor design based on nanotriangle or nanohole arrays, and the possibility to manufacture substrates at the transition between these plasmonic substrates, makes them ideal candidates for the establishment of structure-property relationships. This work features near diffraction-limited Raman images and FDTD simulations of nanotriangle and nanohole arrays substrates, which clearly demonstrate that the localization of the hot spot on these SERS substrates is significantly influenced by the ratio of diameter/periodicity (D/P). The experimental and simulation data reveal that the hot spots are located around nanotriangles (D/P = 1), characteristic of localized SPR.

Correlated AFM and SERS imaging of the transition from nanotriangle to nanohole arrays.

Mapping the transition of Ag nanotriangle to nanohole arrays revealed that the optimal SERS response was obtained near the transition. Correlated AFM and Raman imaging provided novel experimental proof that hot spots are located on Ag islands for nanotriangle arrays and in the core area of the hole for nanohole arrays, which is in agreement with previous theoretical predictions.

Amidine dications as superelectrophiles.

2-Dimethylalkylammonium pyridinium and 2-dimethylalkylammonium pyrimidinium ditriflate salts are very powerful methylating agents toward phosphorus (triphenylphosphine) and nitrogen (triethylamine) nucleophiles. In competition experiments with triethylamine as nucleophile, these N-methyl disalts are more reactive methylating agents than dimethyl sulfate. Reaction of the pyridinium dications with water as an oxygen nucleophile leads to attack at the 2-position of the heteroaromatic ring and displacement of an ammonium group; 2-hydroxypyridinium compounds are formed in the first instance, which are easily converted to 2-pyridones.

Amidine dications: isolation and [Fe]-hydrogenase-related hydrogenation.

This communication demonstrates the preparation, isolation, and full characterization of superelectrophilic salts based on amidine dications in organic solvent, as their triflate salts. These dications are highly activated toward regiospecific reaction with hydrogen gas under mild conditions in the presence of a metal catalyst (Pd/C), mimicking the behavior of the natural substrate, N(5),N(10)-methenyltetrahydromethanopterin, in the iron-sulfur cluster-free [Fe]-hydrogenase.

Butt lengths differ by area deprivation level: a field study to explore intensive smoking.

We collected cigarette butts in a range of residential areas, to assess differences in the length of unburnt tobacco in the butts, and in proportions of roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes. Two high, two medium, and two low deprivation areas, as classified by deciles of the New Zealand Deprivation Index, were selected for the Wellington region. Collected butts were systematically classified and measured.

8-hydroxyquinolinyl azo dyes: a class of surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering-based probes for ultrasensitive monitoring of enzymatic activity.

A series of surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) based probes for the detection of lipase activity are reported. A number of novel SERRS-active 8-hydroxylquinolinyl azo dyes have been prepared and via synthetic esterification or subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis at the 8-hydroxyl position the SERRS signal can be "switched" on or off. In the first instance, the technique has been demonstrated for the successful detection of lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia, and these new compounds offer a limit of detection of 0.