SummaryBackground-Metformin might reduce insulin requirement and improve glycaemia in patients with type 1 diabetes, but whether it has cardiovascular benefits is unknown. We aimed to investigate whether metformin treatment (added to titrated insulin therapy) reduced atherosclerosis, as measured by progression of common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT), in adults with type 1 diabetes at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

(123)I imaging is increasingly used in nuclear medicine but downscatter from high (>300 keV) energy emissions degrades the image and introduces variation in sensitivity with depth when imaging with a low energy collimator. A dual windowing technique using a matched window immediately above the principle window to correct for the effects of downscatter is described. The technique is shown to correct for the variation in sensitivity with depth and to reduce outlying scatter. Quantitative imaging of (123)I using a low energy collimator should always employ downscatter correction.

A fast-track troponin and specialist nurse achieved a reduction of nearly 24 hours in length of stay in patients presenting with chest pain. This would result in a saving of approximately 2000 bed-days per annum, releasing 5-6 acute beds per day.

Minor troponin elevations appear to occur in a small number of subjects with type 1 diabetes presenting with DKA. The clinical relevance of this at this stage remains unknown and further large-scale studies are suggested.