Risk Factors Associated With Severe Hypoglycemia in Older Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE Severe hypoglycemia is common in older adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes, but little is known about factors associated with its occurrence

Frequency Reconfiguration of a Small Array Enabled by Functionalized Dispersions of Colloidal Material

This paper will discuss the performance and adaptability of a microfluidic reconfiguration mechanism in a small array. Discussion will also include its ability to reduce system degradation resulting from complexity and physical limitations incurred from the close spatial proximity of bias/control systems on or near the antenna. Implementation of the microfluidic mechanism can reduce or mitigate the interactions between individual mechanisms within the aperture and increase the competitiveness of microfluidics over current state-of-the-art. Research at Texas A&M University in conjunction with the Space Engineering Institute, has developed a novel frequency reconfiguration system for antennas using electromagnetically functionalized colloidal dispersions (EFCDs). These EFCDs are electrostatically-stabilized dispersions of magnetodielectric colloidal nanoparticles in a low-loss non-aqueous fluid. As proof-of-concept a 1x2 array of linearly polarized microstrip patch antennas with parallel capillary structures is presented. Several theoretical considerations, models, simulated results, and measured results will be provided. The results include impedance data and radiation behavior as well as effects of the applied fields on the nanoparticles

Risk Factors Associated With Severe Hypoglycemia in Older Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

Severe hypoglycemia is common in older adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes, but little is known about factors associated with its occurrence. A case-control study was conducted at 18 diabetes centers in the T1D Exchange Clinic Network. Participants were ≥60 years old with type 1 diabetes for ≥20 years. Case subjects (n = 101) had at least one severe hypoglycemic event in the prior 12 months. Control subjects (n = 100), frequency-matched to case subjects by age, had no severe hypoglycemia in the prior 3 years. Data were analyzed for cognitive and functional abilities, social support, depression, hypoglycemia unawareness, various aspects of diabetes management, C-peptide level, glycated hemoglobin level, and blinded continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) metrics. Glycated hemoglobin (mean 7.8% vs. 7.7%) and CGM-measured mean glucose (175 vs. 175 mg/dL) were similar between case and control subjects. More case than control subjects had hypoglycemia unawareness: only 11% of case subjects compared with 43% of control subjects reported always having symptoms associated with low blood glucose levels (P < 0.001). Case subjects had greater glucose variability than control subjects (P = 0.008) and experienced CGM glucose levels <60 mg/dL for ≥20 min on 46% of days compared with 33% of days in control subjects (P = 0.10). On certain cognitive tests, case subjects scored worse than control subjects. In older adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes, greater hypoglycemia unawareness and glucose variability are associated with an increased risk of severe hypoglycemia. A study to assess interventions to prevent severe hypoglycemia in high-risk individuals is needed