Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a highly prevalent condition worldwide. Many patients with T2D monitor blood glucose regularly to guide their diabetes management. In recent years continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). CGM can result in improved glycemic control, fewer diabetes-related hospital admissions and improved quality of life. In Ireland, however, CGM is not currently reimbursed for people with T2D, even those who are insulin-treated. The goal of the present study was to examine the glucose monitoring modalities used by patients attending diabetes outpatient clinics in a secondary care setting in Ireland. The proportions using SMBG and CGM and the patients' diabetes medications were recorded. Data were collected through a self-administered survey from participants attending outpatient diabetes clinics. We found that, of 137 patients surveyed, only 17 (12%) were using CGM for blood glucose monitoring, while 102 (75%) were using SMBG; the remainder were not testing glucose. Amongst 45 patients on insulin therapy, 15 (33%) were using a CGM, and 29 (64%) were using SMBG. This study highlights that a preponderance of patients with T2D in a representative Irish secondary care cohort do not use CGM for blood glucose monitoring, even amongst those on insulin therapy. These findings underscore the lack of access to CGM amongst patients with T2D on insulin in Ireland, which is potentially compromising their level of care and quality of life.

One hundred and thirty years ago, on the 8th November 1895, Wilheim Konrad Röntgen isolated “X Rays” by accident. After a month spent validating his discovery he published the preliminary findings as a communication in the Proceedings of the Würtzburg Physics-Medicine Society in late December 1895. Röntgen deliberately did not patent his discovery and as a consequence X-Ray technology and its potential clinical application was soon recognised and rapidly adopted into worldwide medical practice. By 1899 there was a functioning clinical X-Ray service conducted by and in the Department of Natural Philosophy (Physics) on the ground floor of the Queen’s College, Galway quadrangle. By as early as April 1896, five months after their discovery, skin burns associated with the use of x-rays were being reported and by 1899 an increasing number of legal suits in France and the United States for negligence from the use of x-rays resulting in harm were being reported. In 1904 the parents of a young boy, whose right knee was x-rayed on seven occasions in the Queen’s College in late 1902 and early 1903 for a lost needle segment and who then developed a significant burn injury of his knee, sued the College and the boy’s medical carers for negligence. Based on the daily, anonymous court reporting of the “Great Galway X Rays Case” contained within the Galway Express (and General Advertiser for the Counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Limerick and Clare) newspaper of the 4th to 11th February 1904 and a special summary Supplement in the Saturday 13th February 1904 edition, the conduct, characters and outcome, legal and financial, of Ireland’s first radiological negligence case are discussed. Noteworthy where the trial was concerned was the extensive (and expensive) use of expert medical opinion evidence.

Increasing recognition of the father's role in early childhood development has led to growing interest in how father involvement in infant care influences the quality of paternal-infant attachment. This study aimed to determine the association between fathers' involvement in infant care and paternal-infant attachment levels. This descriptive study involved 255 fathers, utilizing the "Descriptive Information Form," the "Paternal-Infant Attachment Scale," and the "Fathers' Involvement in Infant Care Questionnaire" for data collection. Data analysis included the use of number and percentage distributions, mean and standard deviation calculations, t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and post hoc analysis. Additionally, Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses were conducted for a comprehensive examination of the obtained data. Institutional permission and ethics committee approval were obtained to conduct the study. In this study, elevated levels of father and mother education, a consistent income, shorter marital duration, excellent spousal relationship status, fewer children, and increased time spent with infants were associated with heightened father involvement in infant care and higher paternal-infant attachment scores. A positive correlation was observed between fathers' involvement in infant care and paternal-infant attachment. Furthermore, regression analysis results show that as fathers' involvement in infant care increases, their attachment with their infant also strengthens. This study identified a positive correlation between fathers' engagement in infant care and the level of attachment between fathers and infants. To strengthen the paternal-infant attachment, fathers should be encouraged to involvement in infant care.