Michael Nicholson

Love, death, and politics in a time of great famine and hardship in Ireland This is a novel based on the true story of the Great Famine in Ireland of 1840s. Historically accurate, it is a story of murder and betrayal, of a failed rebellion, and the love of a national scandal. Charles Trevelyan was Secretary of the Treasury, and Director of the Famine Relief Programme at a time when famine raged and antipathy in English politics towards the plight of those affected raged equally. Kathryn, Charles' daughter, likewise felt no sympathy until the very scale of the tragedy became apparent. Joining the underground, she preached insurrection, stole food for the starving, and became the lover of the leader of the rebellion. She became known as Dark Rosaleen, the heroine of banned nationalist poem, was branded as both traitor and cause celebr�. This is her story.

Dark Rosaleen

"The worst moment in a war was my fear I would not be sent to it." So wrote the young Michael Nicholson, a reporter whose astonishing career has covered eighteen major conflicts. Published to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of the Falklands War, A State of War Exists sees the veteran journalist pondering what made him want to risk life and limb travelling to the most dangerous parts of the world, at the most dangerous times - over 200 journalists have been killed in the last three years alone. Was it machismo or masochism that encouraged him so compulsively and repeatedly to risk his life? Nicholson introduces us to trailblazers who have inspired him and countless others with their bravery, wisdom and skill in presenting the 'pity of war'.

Reporters in the Line of Fire

A State of War Exists

Jai Bikhchandani

Introduction: A liver support device can bridge a patient in acute liver failure safely to transplant. An extracorporeal perfused porcine liver (ECLP) circumvents the limitations of hepatocyte based bioartificial liver, but its clinical application has been limited so far due to the potential risk of transmission of porcine endogenous retroviruses. Aim of this study was to develop an ECLP model that can provide artificial hepatic support across a semi-permeable membrane which should block porcine viruses due to its pore size. Methods: 50-60 Kg white landrace pigs treated with standard abattoir animal procedures were used as donors. The liver was perfused with normothermic autologous oxygenated blood using Medtronic BioMedicus BP560 driven centrifugal pump for 6 hours. This ECLP system was used to support a surrogate patient circulation across the filter Evaclio EC4A. Substances like galactose, ammonia, midazolam and para-aminobenzoic acid, were infused into the surrogate patient and their clearance was calculated. The study was designed as test (n=15) vs. control (n=5); with control experiments having no liver in the circuit. Results: After the optimization phase (n=23), we successfully perfused 15 porcine livers with the mean hepatic artery pressure of 87 mm Hg and flows of 1.2 L /min. Retention of Indocyanine green at 15 minutes was 11% in test and 96% in controls. Mean ammonia clearance of 945 mg/min/kg, galactose Vmax of 111.7 mg/min/Kg, hippurate ratio of 91% and a variable midazolam clearance was seen in the test experiments. Conclusion: The study was successful in proving the feasibility of an ECLP model based on abattoir animals that can be utilised for future research work. This model was able to provide adequate support to the surrogate patient across a hollow filter. Further work is needed to show that an ECLP system can be used in an anhepatic animal prior to application in human trials.

A Pilot Study

Extracorporeal Liver Perfusion as Liver Support Device

David Winner

Traces the life of the diplomat who saved Hungarian Jews during World War II and mysteriously disappeared after the Russians occupied Budapest.

Raoul Wallenberg

The Swedish Diplomat who Saved 100,000 Jews from the Nazi Holocaust Before Mysteriously Disappearing

Dark Rosaleen is a story of love, murder and betrayal, of a failed rebellion and a national scandal.Sir William McCauley was appointed Director of the Famine Relief Programme at a time when hunger raged across Ireland and antipathy towards the plight of the Irish infused the politics of Britain. Kathryn, William’s daughter, was forced to join her father, and felt no sympathy until the very scale of the tragedy became all too obvious. Joining the underground, she preached insurrection, stole food for the starving and became the lover of the leader of the rebellion. Known as Dark Rosaleen, the heroine of banned nationalist poem, she was branded both traitor and cause celebré. This is her story.

A Famine Novel

This is the story of ITN reporter Michael Nicholson's rescue of Natasha, a nine-year-old orphan from war-torn Sarajevo. The book tells of Michael's encounter with 200 children in an orphanage, the bond he developed with Natasha and their escape to England.

Michael Nicholson

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