Abolition of prescription charges in Wales: the impact on medicines use in those who used to pay.

Objectives: patient co-payments for prescription medicines in Wales were abolished in April 2007 and there has been much speculation on the possible effects. We analysed patient-reported use of medicines before and after abolition of the prescription charge, noting changes in the number of items prescribed, number of non-prescription medicines purchased and participants not collecting all prescribed items (primary non-adherence).

Methods: a sample of community pharmacists across Wales (n = 249) issued questionnaires to customers at the point of dispensing who were not exempt from the prescription charge.

Abolition of prescription copayments in Wales: an observational study on dispensing rates.

Objective: To assess effects of abolition of prescription copayments in Wales on rates of dispensing.

Methods: General practice-level monthly dispensing data were compared before/after abolition between Wales and North East (NE) England where the charge was retained. Data for 14 medicines that had most items dispensed subject to charge before abolition were similarly compared with NE England.

The influence of inflation rate on the hematologic and hemodynamic effects of intermittent pneumatic calf compression for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis.

Objective: The study was conducted to determine whether the different inflation rates of intermittent pneumatic compression systems used in deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis influence their hematologic and hemodynamic effects.

Methods: A rapidly inflating intermittent calf compression system and a more gently inflating equivalent were applied to 20 healthy male volunteers for 2 hours each. Venous blood samples were taken for analysis of blood coagulation and fibrinolytic potential.

Risk of congenital anomalies after the opening of landfill sites.

Concern that living near a particular landfill site in Wales caused increased risk of births with congenital malformations led us to examine whether residents living close to 24 landfill sites in Wales experienced increased rates of congenital anomalies after the landfills opened compared with before they opened. We carried out a small-area study in which expected rates of congenital anomalies in births to mothers living within 2 km of the sites, before and after opening of the sites, were estimated from a logistic regression model fitted to all births in residents living at least 4 km away from these sites and hence not likely to be subject to contamination from a landfill, adjusting for hospital catchment area, year of birth, sex, maternal age, and socioeconomic deprivation score. We investigated all births from 1983 through 1997 with at least one recorded congenital anomaly [International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), codes 7400-7599; International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), codes Q000-Q999].

Diet and colorectal cancer: an investigation of the lectin/galactose hypothesis.

Background & Aims: Mucosal expression of terminal unsubstituted galactose is increased in colon cancer and precancer and allows interaction with mitogenic galactose-binding lectins of dietary or microbial origin. This study tests the hypothesis that galactose, which is variably plentiful in fruit and vegetable but not cereal fibers, might prevent cancer by binding and inhibiting such lectins.

Methods: Colorectal cancer cases (512) and controls (512) were matched for age, sex, primary care practitioner, and postal code.