Novel multiparameter optical sensor head design for marine environments.

Anthropogenic activities have led to increased stress on our marine and other aquatic environments. There is a pressing need to monitor, measure, understand and mitigate causes of these pressures. This paper presents a novel optical head for monitoring and measuring marine based optical phenomena.

Transfusion-specific alloimmune responses following blood transfusion pre-kidney transplantation.

It is widely accepted that blood transfusions can cause allosensitization, but it is often reported that new human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies are nonspecific and transient. This study explores the effect of blood transfusion on allosensitization in waitlisted transplant patients including the development of transfusion-specific antibodies (TSAs), both while they remain on the waiting list, and following subsequent transplantation. A total of 105 blood donors of transfusions received by 50 patients on the transplant waiting list were HLA typed.

Clinical impact of early post-transplant red cell transfusions in kidney transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Red blood cell transfusions (RBCT) represent a potentially modifiable risk factor for HLA sensitisation and adverse outcomes post transplantation. Evidence of the clinical impact of post-transplant RBCT has been infrequently reported. Herein, we performed a systematic review of available literature to assess the prevalence of RBCT post kidney transplant, and the effect of transfusion on transplant outcomes.

A practical evidence-based approach to management of type 2 diabetes in children and young people (CYP): UK consensus.

Background: Type 2 diabetes in young people is an aggressive disease with a greater risk of complications leading to increased morbidity and mortality during the most productive years of life. Prevalence in the UK and globally is rising yet experience in managing this condition is limited. There are no consensus guidelines in the UK for the assessment and management of paediatric type 2 diabetes.

Metal concentrations in transitional and coastal waters measured by passive (Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films) and spot sampling: MONITOOL Project Dataset.

The MONITOOL project (2017-2023) was carried out to describe the relationships between total dissolved and labile metal concentrations measured in spot water samples and in concurrently deployed Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGTs) passive samplers, respectively. The ultimate aim was to adapt existing marine metal Environmental Quality Standards (EQS ) for DGTs, enabling their use in the context of the European Directives (the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)). Time-integrated metal concentrations provided by DGTs, representing several days, are an advantage compared to conventional spot sampling, especially in highly dynamic systems, such as transitional waters.

Disruption of diatom attachment on marine bioinspired antifouling materials based on Brill (Scophthalmus rhombus).

Bioinspired surfaces, due to their nano and micro topographical features, offer a promising approach for the development of novel antifouling solutions. The study of surface topography has gained popularity in recent years, demonstrating significant potential in mimicking natural structures that could be manufactured for application in the marine environment. This research focuses on investigating the antifouling (AF) performance of bio-inspired micro-textures inspired by Brill fish scales, Scophthalmus rhombus, under static laboratory conditions, using two common fouling diatom species, Amphora coffeaeformis and Nitzschia ovalis.

A novel low-cost plug-and-play multi-spectral LED based fluorometer, with application to chlorophyll detection.

In this paper a novel low-cost multi-spectral optical fluorometer is presented and evaluated. The device uses a range of LEDs in the blue and violet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and a mini-spectrometer to detect the emitted fluorescence in the UV to IR spectrum region. Custom built electronics and software were designed to control the system and the components were housed in bespoke 3D printed parts.

Blood transfusions post kidney transplantation are associated with inferior allograft and patient survival-it is time for rigorous patient blood management.

Background: Patient Blood Management (PBM), endorsed by the World Health Organisation is an evidence-based, multi-disciplinary approach to minimise inappropriate blood product transfusions. Kidney transplantation presents a particular challenge to PBM, as comprehensive evidence of the risk of transfusion is lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of post-transplant blood transfusions across multiple centres, to analyse risk factors for transfusion and to compare transplant outcomes by transfusion status.

International Comparison, Risk Assessment, and Prioritisation of 26 Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in Three European River Catchments in the UK, Ireland, and Spain.

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) constitute a wide variety of chemistries with diverse properties that may/can pose risks to both humans and the environment. Herein, a total of 26 compounds, including steroids, flame retardants, and plasticizers, were monitored in three major and heavily urbanized river catchments: the R. Liffey (Ireland), the R.

A Data-Driven Approach for Building the Profile of Water Storage Capacity of Soils.

The soil water storage capacity is critical for soil management as it drives crop production, soil carbon sequestration, and soil quality and health. It depends on soil textural class, depth, land-use and soil management practices; therefore, the complexity strongly limits its estimation on a large scale with conventional-process-based approaches. In this paper, a machine learning approach is proposed to build the profile of the soil water storage capacity.

Sensors for Coastal and Ocean Monitoring.

In situ water monitoring sensors are critical to gain an understanding of ocean biochemistry and ecosystem health. They enable the collection of high-frequency data and capture ecosystem spatial and temporal changes, which in turn facilitate long-term global predictions. They are used as decision support tools in emergency situations and for risk mitigation, pollution source tracking, and regulatory monitoring.

Establishment of an antifouling performance index derived from the assessment of biofouling on typical marine sensor materials.

Marine biofouling, known as the unwanted accumulation of living organisms on submerged surfaces, is one of the main factors affecting the operation, maintenance and data quality of water quality monitoring sensors. This can be a significant challenge for marine deployed infrastructure and sensors in water. When organisms attach to the mooring lines or other submerged surfaces of the sensor, they can interfere with the sensor's operation and accuracy.

Emergency and perioperative management of adrenal insufficiency in children and young people: British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes consensus guidance.

Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is characterised by lack of cortisol production from the adrenal glands. This can be a primary adrenal disorder or secondary to adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency or suppression from exogenous glucocorticoids. Symptoms of AI in children may initially be non-specific and include growth faltering, lethargy, poor feeding, weight loss, abdominal pain, vomiting and lingering illnesses.

Molecularly imprinted polymers for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances enrichment and detection.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly toxic pollutants of significant concern as they are being detected in water, air, fish and soil. They are extremely persistent and accumulate in plant and animal tissues. Traditional methods of detection and removal of these substances use specialised instrumentation and require a trained technical resource for operation.

A year-long study of the occurrence and risk of over 140 contaminants of emerging concern in wastewater influent, effluent and receiving waters in the Republic of Ireland.

Despite being a developed country in the European Union (EU), knowledge of the nature and extent of contamination of water bodies with contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in Ireland is limited. In this study, >140 CECs including pharmaceuticals, pesticides and personal care products were monitored in monthly samples of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent, effluent and receiving surface waters at both an urban and a rural location (72 samples in total) in Ireland over a 12-month period in 2018-2019. In total, 58 CECs were detected, including several EU Water Framework Directive Watch List compounds.

Opportunities, approaches and challenges to the engagement of citizens in filling small water body data gaps.

Monitoring the condition (water quality, biodiversity, hydromorphology) of small water bodies presents a challenge for the relevant authorities in terms of time and resources (labour and financial) due to the extensive length of the stream network or the sheer number of small standing water bodies. Citizen science can help address information gaps, but the effort required should not be underestimated if such projects are to generate reliable and sustained data collection. The overall aim of this paper is to propose a framework for operationalisation of citizen science targeting collection of data from small water bodies.

An international intercomparison exercise on passive samplers (DGT) for monitoring metals in marine waters under a regulatory context.

In order to move forward in the acceptance of a novel contaminant monitoring technique (Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films: DGT) for assessment of marine water bodies, sensu the WFD, an Inter-Laboratories Comparison (ILC) exercise (nine Europeans laboratories) was organized in the framework of the Interreg Atlantic Area MONITOOL project, which focused on the use of the DGT technique for the measurement of WFD priority metals (Cd, Ni and Pb). Reproducible results were obtained for each metal by several laboratories, supporting the assertion that DGT analysis can be performed satisfactorily by laboratories experienced in measuring metals at trace levels in marine environments, even if they have limited practice in DGT analysis. According to the Z-score analysis, among the 9 participating laboratories, 3 had 100 % of satisfactory results for Cd, Ni, and Pb, 3 had >80 % satisfactory results and 2 had about 60 % satisfactory results.

Development and application of an LC-MS method to the determination of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking, sea and surface water samples.

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of synthetic organic surfactants that have become a global concern because of their toxicity and widespread presence in the aquatic environment and organisms globally. In this study, a new analytical method has been developed and validated for the analysis of 15 perfluorinated compounds in different water matrices: river water, drinking water and seawater. Water extraction was performed in anion exchange solid phase extraction cartridges, and extracts were analysed by liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry.

Metals concentrations in transitional and coastal waters by ICPMS and voltammetry analysis of spot samples and passive samplers (DGT).

This study investigates the relationships among Ni, Cd and Pb's different chemical forms determined by different methodologies in coastal and transitional waters across a broad geographical scale. Concentrations were measured in spot samples and through passive sampling (DGT). High variability of metal concentrations was found among sampling sites and methodologies due to natural water fluctuations rather than to a given metal or method.

Demonstrating the Potential of a Low-Cost Soil Moisture Sensor Network.

Soil moisture is a key parameter of the climate system as it relates to plant transpiration and photosynthesis and impacts land-atmosphere interactions. Recent developments have seen an increasing number of electromagnetic sensors available commercially (EM) for soil volumetric water content (θ). Their use is constantly expanding, and they are becoming increasingly used for agricultural, ecological, and geotechnical applications and climate research, providing decision support and high-resolution data for models and machine-learning algorithms.

A practical approach to continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) and FreeStyle Libre systems (isCGM) in children and young people with Type 1 diabetes.

Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) and FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring systems (isCGM) are new evolving technologies used in the management of Type 1 diabetes. They offer potential to improve diabetes control and reduce hypoglycaemia. rtCGM can be linked to insulin pump providing hybrid closed loop therapy.

Sickle cell disease patients in two London trusts: Genotyping including RH variants.

Background: All SCD patients need extended RBC antigen typing (by serology or genotyping) for provision of extended RH, K matched blood and to guide RBC selection in those with complex transfusion requirements. Genotyping can also identify RH variants which can cause sensitisation even when extended RH phenotypically matched blood is provided and alloantibodies associated with RH variants can cause HTRs.

Objectives: To review the use of RBC genotyping in SCD patients at two London trusts (ICHNT, LNWH) with a focus on RH variants.

Monitoring of emerging contaminants of concern in the aquatic environment: a review of studies showing the application of effect-based measures.

Water scarcity is increasingly a global cause of concern mainly due to widespread changes in climate conditions and increased consumptive water use driven by the exponential increase in population growth. In addition, increased pollution of fresh water sources due to rising production and consumption of pharmaceuticals and organic chemicals will further exacerbate this concern. Although surface water contamination by individual chemicals is often at very low concentration, pharmaceuticals for instance are designed to be efficacious at low concentrations, creating genuine concern for their presence in freshwater sources.

Concurrent sampling of transitional and coastal waters by Diffusive Gradient in Thin-films (DGT) and spot sampling for trace metals analysis.

This protocol was developed based on the knowledge acquired in the framework of the Interreg MONITOOL project (EAPA_565/2016) where extensive sampling campaigns were performed in transitional and coastal waters covering eight European countries. It provides detailed procedures and guidelines for the sampling of these waterbodies by concurrent collection of discrete water samples and the deployment of Diffusive Gradient in Thin-films (DGT) passive samplers for the measurement of trace metal concentrations. In order to facilitate the application of this protocol by end-users, it presents steps to follow in the laboratory prior to sampling campaigns, explains the procedures for field campaigns (including measurement of supporting parameters) and subsequent sample processing in the laboratory in preparation for trace metal analyze by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and voltammetry.