The comparative mortality advantage revealed in this analysis challenges common characterisations of carers' health and draws attention to important differences in the way carers are defined in existing analyses. The survival results are consistent with work using similar data for Northern Ireland. However, the study also affords more uniform conclusions about carers' baseline health and this provides grounds for questioning existing hypotheses about the reasons for this advantage.

Background/Aims: Recent updates to the Nikkiso Aquarius continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) platform allowed us to develop a post-dilution protocol for regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) using standard bicarbonate buffered, calcium containing replacement solution with acid citrate dextrose formula-A as a citrate source. Our objective was to demonstrate that the protocol was safe and effective. Methods: Prospective audit of consecutive patients receiving RCA for CRRT within intensive care unit, who were either contraindicated to heparin or had poor filter lifespan (<12 h for 2 consecutive filters) on heparin. Results: We present the first 29 patients who used 98 filters. After excluding ‘non-clot' filter loss, 50% had a duration of >27 h. Calcium supplementation was required for 30 (30%) filter circuits, in 17 of 29 (58%) patients. One patient discontinued the treatment due to metabolic alkalosis, but there were no adverse bleeding events. Conclusion: Post-dilution RCA system is effective and simple to use on the Aquarius platform and results in comparable filter life for patients relatively contraindicated to heparin.

We report on scientific analyses of the only well-preserved ancient human body ever recovered from a North American glacier. The body was found high in the mountains of northwest British Columbia at about 80km from the nearest point of the strongly indented coast of southern Alaska. The geographical location suggests that the young man, aged about 20 years, could have lived either on the mild coast or in the continental interior. Preliminary environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and light microscope studies of the contents of the digestive tract reveal pollen of an intertidal salt-marsh plant and pieces of a marine crustacean. Remains of coastal zone plants (a fruit of a flowering plant and a needle A of a coniferous tree) had adhered to the deceased's robe. Stable isotope analyses of bone and muscle show HOLOCENE that more than 90% of the dietary protein was from marine sources. We conclude that this individual had FAST-T CK strong coastal connections during his life and had been on the coast shortly before he died about 550 to R APC T 600 years ago.

No abstract