The discovery of ash dieback in the UK: the making of a focusing event

Why did the identification of ‘Ash Dieback’ (Chalara Fraxinea) in 2012 in the UK catch the national media, public and political zeitgeist, and lead to policy changes, in a way that no other contemporary tree pest or pathogen outbreak has?The identification of Ash Dieback in the UK is conceptualised as a successful ‘focusing event’ and the ways in which it was socially constructed by the media, stakeholders and the government are analysed. National newspaper coverage contributed to the way that the disease was understood and was significant in driving the political response. Ash Dieback’s focal power derived from the perceived scale and nature of its impact; the initial attribution of blame on government; the ‘war-like’ response from the government; and Ash’s status as a threatened ‘native’ tree. The Ash Dieback focusing event has increased the salience of plant health issues amongst policymakers, the public and conservation organisations in the UK

Laser-assisted fluorescence detection of plaque.

Selective fluorescence-marking of plaque offers new possibilities in cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy. Angioscopic investigations and spectrometry-assisted laser angioplasty will be simplified and more effective as compared with methods of today. It might help to make laser angioplasty a further promising interventional method to overcome, at least partially, the problems caused by atheromatous or atherosclerotic changes in the cardiovascular system. Fluorescence detection and imaging of markers is usually limited by the intrinsic fluorescence of tissue. Optical differential methods in combination with two-wavelength laser excitation and computer-assisted image processing, however, allow for discrimination of background-related signals and enable plaque detection and imaging at a high contrast. Plaque consists of either fibrotic, lipoid, or calcified depositions and is rather bradytrophic. For that reason in vitro experiments on human specimens post mortem seem to be justified and of clinical evidence. Due to intrinsically different fluorometric properties of plaque and normal vascular tissue imaging of marker-free plaque areas is possible. Additionally the specimens have been incubated with a haematoporphyrin-containing fluorescence marker at concentrations of 10-40 μg ml -1 and incubation times of 60 min in order to obtain a corresponding increase in contrast. Lipoid depositions show the highest contrast because of lipophilic properties of the marker, while fibrotic and calcified plaque is slightly less effectively marked. The results, however, so far obtained indicate that fluorescence detection of plaque promises further progress in diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular diseases

Prognosis of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease: Data from the REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) mortality. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic implication of AF in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Methods: The International Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry included 23,542 outpatients in Europe with established coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease (CVD), PAD and/or >= 3 risk factors. Of these, 3753 patients had symptomatic PAD. CV risk factors were determined at baseline. Study end point was a combination of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke (CV events) during 2 years of follow-up. Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, gender and other risk factors (i.e., congestive heart failure, coronary artery re-vascularisation, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), MI, hypertension, stroke, current smoking and diabetes) was used. Results: Of 3753 PAD patients, 392 (10%) were known to have AF. Patients with AF were older and had a higher prevalence of CVD, diabetes and hypertension. Long-term CV mortality occurred in 5.6% of patients with AF and in 1.6% of those without AF (p < 0.001). Multivariable analyses showed that AF was an independent predictor of late CV events (hazard ratio (HR): 1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-2.0). Conclusion: AF is common in European patients with symptomatic PAD and is independently associated with a worse 2-year CV outcome. (C) 2010 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Vascular Biology and Interventio