Search

Background: Nurses caring for intensive care patients diagnosed with an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) conduct frequent neurological assessments and vital signs over an extended period during which patients are at risk of vasospasm. The frequency of assessments can negatively impact sleep, resulting in altered thought processes and mood, including delirium. There are 2 types of sleep during the night: non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and REM sleep (also called stage R). Non-REM sleep is subdivided into 3 stages: stage N1, stage N2, and stage N3. These 4 stages of sleep are referred to as sleep architecture., Objective: The aim of this study was to explore patterns of sleep in patients with aSAH over time during hospitalization., Methods: Sleep data of stages and cycles were collected with use of a Fitbit activity tracker in this pilot, exploratory research study. Demographic data included age and gender. Six English-speaking patients, diagnosed with an aneurysmal SAH, confirmed by diagnostic angiogram, were followed in neuro-intensive care unit (ICU), neuro-step-down, neuroscience unit, and inpatient rehabilitation., Results: There were a total of 226 sleep events. A sleep event encompassed a recorded start and end time on a single date. Each event included several sleep cycles. Each sleep cycle consisted of wakefulness, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. In 79 sleep events, light and deep sleep did add up to more than 4 hours; only 38 sleep events indicated more than 90 minutes of REM/night; 61 events showed the cycle of light-deep-light-REM cycles; 80 events showed 3 to 5 REM periods/night; and only 46 events demonstrated that the early-morning REM cycle was the longest. The average number of REM cycles increased from ICU (n = 4.6) to rehabilitation (n = 6.5). The percentage of days with sleep cycles also increased from ICU to rehabilitation (42 to 64)., Discussion: "Normal" sleep patterns are disrupted in aSAH patients throughout their hospitalization. Data in this study revealed that the patients do sleep; however, it is rarely organized. Patients were not always able to progress through the expected sleep cycle of light to deep to light to REM. Hospitalized aSAH patients do engage in REM sleep, but its pattern is abnormal. Staff should strategize on minimizing interruptions, clustering care, and minimizing sounds. Nurses should advocate for the frequency of assessments and vital signs based on hospital/unit policy and individual patient needs., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Demonstrated herein are the preparation and crystallographic characterization of the family of fcc silver nanoclusters from Nichol's cube to Rubik's cube and beyond via ligand-control (thiolates and phosphines in this case). The basic building block is our previously reported fcc cluster [Ag 14 (SPhF 2 ) 12 (PPh 3 ) 8 ] (1). The metal frameworks of [Ag 38 (SPhF 2 ) 26 (PR' 3 ) 8 ] (2 2 ) and [Ag 63 (SPhF 2 ) 36 (PR' 3 ) 8 ] + (2 3 ), where HSPhF 2 = 3,4-difluorothiophenol and R' = alkyl/aryl, are composed of 2 × 2 = 4 and 2 × 2 × 2 = 8 metal cubes of 1, respectively. All serial clusters share similar surface structural features. The thiolate ligands cap the six faces and the 12 edges of the cube (or half cube) while the phosphine ligands are terminally bonded to its eight corners. On the basis of the analysis of the crystal structures of 1, 2 2 , and 2 3 , we predict the next "cube of cubes" to be Ag 172 (SR) 72 (PR' 3 ) 8 ] (3 3 ), in the evolution of growth of this cluster sequence.

An intermetallic nanocluster containing 44 metal atoms, Au24Ag20(2-SPy)4(PhC≡C)20Cl2, was successfully synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal analysis and density funtional theory computations. The 44 metal atoms in the cluster are arranged as a concentric three-shell Au12@Ag20@Au12 Keplerate structure having a high symmetry. For the first time, the co-presence of three different types of anionic ligands (i.e., phenylalkynyl, 2-pyridylthiolate, and chloride) was revealed on the surface of metal nanoclusters. Similar to thiolates, alkynyls bind linearly to surface Au atoms using their σ-bonds, leading to the formation of two types of surface staple units (PhC≡C-Au-L, L = PhC≡C(-) or 2-pyridylthiolate) on the cluster. The co-presence of three different surface ligands allows the site-specific surface and functional modification of the cluster. The lability of PhC≡C(-) ligands on the cluster was demonstrated, making it possible to keep the metal core intact while removing partial surface capping. Moreover, it was found that ligand exchange on the cluster occurs easily to offer various derivatives with the same metal core but different surface functionality and thus different solubility.

Aim: Research exploring alcohol consumption patterns and behaviour change among older adults is relatively scarce, often necessitating reliance on international evidence. To understand the degree to which findings may be generalizable across countries, this review compares recent epidemiological evidence from developed countries on the prevalence of abstention and potentially problematic alcohol consumption in older adults., Methods: Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science and PsychInfo were searched for English language publications, identifying 21 peer-reviewed publications and six reports, including data from 17 national surveys and 10 general practice and community samples published since 2000., Results: Of the developed countries for which data are available on adults aged over 50 years, rates of past 12-month abstention and former drinking are lowest in England and Finland, and highest in Korea and the USA. The prevalence of binge drinking varies widely between studies, whilst rates of alcohol dependence are broadly similar., Conclusions: Older adults in developed countries report different rates of abstention and alcohol consumption. This places obvious limitations on the extrapolation of results from specific research findings and policy strategies to other countries., (© The Author 2014. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.)

The electronic structure of two recently crystallographically solved, thiolate-phosphine protected silver clusters Ag14 and Ag16 are analyzed via density functional theory (DFT) and their optical excitations are analyzed from time-dependent DFT perturbation theory. Both clusters can be characterized as having the S(2) free-electron configuration in the metal core, which is the first time such a configuration is confirmed for structurally known ligand-protected noble metal clusters. However, their different core shapes and ligand layer induce significantly different optical spectra. Performance of gradient-corrected DFT functionals is discussed and it is shown that the asymptotically correct Leeuwen-Baerends LB94 functional reproduces the optical spectrum of Ag14 in a good agreement with experiment. Choice of the functional becomes important for clusters where the optical transitions are dominated by the electron-rich ligand layer.

Selenolate protected, stable and atomically precise, hollow silver cluster was synthesized using solid state as well as solution state routes. The optical absorption spectrum shows multiple and sharp features similar to the thiolated Ag44 cluster, Ag44(SR)30 whose experimental structure was reported recently. High-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESI MS) shows well-defined molecular ion features with two, three, and four ions with isotopic resolution, due to Ag44(SePh)30. Additional characterization with diverse tools confirmed the composition. The closed-shell 18 electron superatom electronic structure, analogous to Ag44(SR)30 stabilizes the dodecahedral cage with a large HOMO-LUMO gap of 0.71 eV. The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) prediction of the optical absorption spectrum, assuming the Ag44(SR)30 structure, matches the experimental data, confirming the structure.

We report a simple synthesis of silver:glutathione (Ag:SG) clusters using a cyclic reduction under oxidative conditions. Two syntheses are described which lead to solutions containing well-defined Ag31(SG)19 and Ag15(SG)11 clusters that have been characterized by mass spectrometry. The optical properties of silver:glutathione (Ag:SG) cluster solutions have been investigated experimentally. In particular, the solution containing Ag15(SG)11 clusters shows a bright and photostable emission. For Ag31(SG)19 and Ag15(SG)11 clusters, the comparison of experimental findings with DFT and TDDFT calculations allowed us to reveal the structural and electronic properties of such low nuclearity liganded silver clusters.

Gas phase reactivity observed in an ion trap was used to produce silver clusters protected with thioglycolic acid. Fragmentation pathways as well as optical properties were explored experimentally and theoretically. Sequential losses of SCH2 and CO2 in the ion trap lead to redox reactions with charge transfers between the metal part and the carboxylate and thiolate groups. This allows us to control the number of electrons in the metallic subunit and thus optical properties of the complexes. The presented formation process can be used as a prototype for tuning optical and chemical properties of ligated metal clusters by varying the number of confined electrons within the metallic subunit.

Noble metal nanoparticles stabilized by organic ligands are important for applications in assembly, site-specific bioconjugate labelling and sensing, drug delivery and medical therapy, molecular recognition and molecular electronics, and catalysis. Here we report crystal structures and theoretical analysis of three Ag44(SR)30 and three Au12Ag32(SR)30 intermetallic nanoclusters stabilized with fluorinated arylthiols (SR=SPhF, SPhF2 or SPhCF3). The nanocluster forms a Keplerate solid of concentric icosahedral and dodecahedral atom shells, protected by six Ag2(SR)5 units. Positive counterions in the crystal indicate a high negative charge of 4(-) per nanoparticle, and density functional theory calculations explain the stability as an 18-electron superatom shell closure in the metal core. Highly featured optical absorption spectra in the ultraviolet-visible region are analysed using time-dependent density functional perturbation theory. This work forms a basis for further understanding, engineering and controlling of stability as well as electronic and optical properties of these novel nanomaterials.

We focus on the functional role of small silver clusters in model hybrid systems involving peptides in the context of a new generation of nanostructured materials for biosensing. The optical properties of hybrids in the gas phase and at support will be addressed with the aim to bridge fundamental and application aspects. We show that extension and enhancement of absorption of peptides can be achieved by small silver clusters due to the interaction of intense intracluster excitations with the π-π* excitations of chromophoric aminoacids. Moreover, we demonstrate that the binding of a peptide to a supported silver cluster can be detected by the optical fingerprint. This illustrates that supported silver clusters can serve as building blocks for biosensing materials. Moreover, the clusters can be used simultaneously to immobilize biomolecules and to increase the sensitivity of detection, thus replacing the standard use of organic dyes and providing label-free detection. Complementary to that, we show that protected silver clusters containing a cluster core and a shell liganded by thiolates exhibit absorption properties with intense transitions in the visible regime which are also suitable for biosensing applications.

Introduction and Aims: Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours can cluster to produce more detrimental overall health consequences than expected with a simple additive effect. This study aims to expand current knowledge of the nature and strength of the relationship between two such health behaviours, alcohol and diet, through analysis of household expenditure on food and drink from a nationally representative UK sample., Design and Methods: Data from the Expenditure and Food Survey for 2005-2006 was used to analyse expenditure on alcohol and diet for 3146 UK households. The classification of a food as healthy or unhealthy was determined using dietary advice provided by the Food Standards Agency. Alcohol expenditure was disaggregated into spending in pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants (on-trade expenditure) and spending in off-licenses and supermarkets (off-trade expenditure). Analyses were stratified according to household disposable income quintile and household beverage preference., Results: As household expenditure on alcohol increases, spending on both healthy and unhealthy food decreases. Higher income households spend proportionately more on on-trade alcohol and healthy food than lower income households, and less on unhealthy food. Off-trade alcohol expenditure does not differ significantly according to household income. Households that prefer to purchase wine have healthier expenditure patterns than those that prefer to buy beer or spirits, even after controlling for income., Discussion and Conclusions: Low-income households and those that purchase more beer or spirits than wine could be targeted for health promotion interventions to reduce their risk of negative health outcomes from the clustering of alcohol consumption and unhealthy diet., (© 2011 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)

An increasing number of care homes in the UK now provide placements for students undertaking pre-registration nursing programmes, enabling them to develop knowledge and skills in the continuing care of older people. In this article the authors describe an initiative to support nursing staff working in care homes and prepare them for their role in student education. The impetus for the initiative came from student feedback and evaluation of their placement experiences. These suggested that staff in some care homes were not fully prepared to help meet students' learning needs. Students' concerns about the quality of care in some homes also made clear the need for a forum in which the evidence base for practice in continuing care settings could be discussed and debated. The initiative combined the development of new roles with regular opportunities to share information and feedback.