Staff views of a hospital at home model implemented in a Scottish care setting.

Purpose: Demographic and financial challenges mean prioritising a shift in healthcare provision from acute to community settings. One well-evidenced model encapsulating this is 'hospital at home', however limited research has examined staffs' views on its implementation, which may inform service development and increase job satisfaction. The aim within was to explore the staff perspective of implementing a 'hospital at home' model in a Scottish care setting which can inform service provision and ultimately increase job satisfaction.

Acceptability of delivering an adapted Buurtzorg model in the Scottish care context.

Objectives: Given increasing epidemiological and financial pressures on services, there is a need to test new models of integrated health and social care. Crucial to this testing is determining acceptability, particularly to those delivering services. The Dutch 'Buurtzorg' model, characterised by self-managing nursing teams, has shown promise, but its principles are yet to be adapted and tested in Scotland.

Co-Creating Recommendations to Redesign and Promote Strength and Balance Service Provision.

Awareness of physical activity guidelines are low, particularly the "forgotten guidelines" of strength and balance. Increasing awareness of guidelines, but also of appropriate local services that can be utilised, is an important step towards active ageing. Co-creation can inform tailored service provision to potentially increase uptake and adherence.

Survey of clinicians' attitudes to the anatomical teaching and knowledge of medical students.

There is considerable and ongoing debate surrounding the teaching of anatomy to medical students, and the anatomical knowledge of those medical students once they graduate. Few attempts have been made to gather the opinions of clinicians on this subject. A questionnaire was sent to 362 senior clinicians in hospitals affiliated to the University of Aberdeen.

Sir John Struthers MD FRCS Edin LLD Glasg: anatomist, zoologist and pioneer in medical education.

Sir John Struthers (1823--1899), a past president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Regius Professor of Anatomy at the University of Aberdeen, was an accomplished scientist and medical educator. Much of his career was spent in shaping the medical curriculum of the nineteenth century. He was a strong proponent of a sound basic science education as preparation for a career in medicine, but was also central in developing more formal clinical teaching for medical students.

Infectious disease mortality in two Outer Hebridean islands: 2. pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objective: To examine mortality from pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in the Outer Hebridean islands of Harris and Barra, and to compare it with that in Scotland as a whole.

Design: Ages and dates of death from PTB in Harris and Barra between 1855 and 1990 were ascertained from copies of death certificates. For Scotland, annual numbers of deaths in 5-year age-groups were extracted from Annual Reports of the Registrars General.

Infectious disease mortality in two Outer Hebridean islands: 1. measles, pertussis and influenza.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine changes in mortality from measles, pertussis (whooping cough) and influenza (all epidemic diseases) in Harris and Barra, two Outer Hebridean islands, from 1855 to 1990, and to compare the findings with those from Scotland as a whole over the same period. It was also intended to relate changes in mortality to those in social and economic factors.

Materials And Methods: Ages and causes of death in Harris and Barra were ascertained from copies of death certificates held at the General Register Office, Edinburgh, and for Scotland as a whole from the Annual Reports of the Registrars General for Scotland.

Starting, spacing and stopping in the reproductive histories of outer Hebridean families.

Maternal ages at the first maternity (starting), at the last maternity (stopping) and the lengths of intervals between maternities (spacing) have been studied in the Outer Hebridean islands of Harris and Barra for births between the years of 1855 and 1990, a period during which a considerable 'fertility transition' occurred. There was a tendency in each island for increases with time in the ages at starting among less-fecund women (although after 1936 starting ages declined), and highly significant heterogeneity of covariance: adjusted means dependent on the total numbers of maternities experienced. The same result was seen for the ages at stopping.

Probabilities of marriage in two outer Hebridean islands, 1861-1990.

A study has been made of the probabilities of marriage of females and males aged 15-49 (either as a whole or in 5-year age groups) in two Outer Hebridean islands, Harris and Barra. The results were compared with ages of marriage and with the frequencies of permanent celibacy. The marriages took place between 1861 and 1990.

Effects of the diacylglycerol complexing agent, cremophor, on nerve-conduction velocity and perfusion in diabetic rats.

The contribution of diacylglycerol (DAG) and protein kinase C (PKC) to diabetic complications has been the subject of debate. In vascular tissues, diabetes increases DAG content, which activates PKC and causes abnormal tissue perfusion. Reduced nerve blood flow has been implicated in the development of neuropathy.

The prevalence and natural history of periodontal disease in Britain from prehistoric to modern times.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of periodontitis in British populations during the past 3000 years. To discuss the relevance of these findings to modern populations denied access to modern dental treatment.

Design: Observation and assessment of periodontal status of skeletal material using a recently developed method of assessment.

Prevalence and natural history of periodontal disease in prehistoric Scots (pre-900 AD).

The periodontal status of a Scottish prehistoric population was studied. No individual over the age of 10 yr had an entirely healthy periodontium. Gingivitis was the most widespread disease state in the adolescent and younger age groups.

Receptor binding of an apolipoprotein E-rich subfraction of high density lipoprotein to rat and human brain membranes.

During nerve cell degeneration, cholesterol released from the degrading cells is conserved through the formation of a cholesterol-apolipoprotein (apo) E complex which is subsequently taken up by regenerating nerve cells. The aim of the present project was to identify the physiologically relevant lipoprotein receptor for this lipoprotein complex which has remained elusive. HDL was separated into apo E-rich and apo E-poor subfractions and labelled with [14C]-sucrose.

Dental pain and suffering prior to the advent of modern dentistry.

In Prehistoric and Mediaeval times few dentitions in this country remained intact much after the age of 40-45 years. The point is made that dental caries and periodontal disease played little part in this early disintegration and it is unlikely that the population of this time suffered severely with their teeth. A change in dietary habits in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century measurably increased the lifespan of the dentition, but also radically altered the prevalence of caries.

Factors affecting the lifespan of the human dentition in Britain prior to the seventeenth century.

Objective: To confirm that compensatory eruption (supereruption) of teeth past a stable periodontium occurs in response to severe occlusal attrition.

Design: Regression analysis study from radiographs and direct measurements.

Setting: Archaeological material at the University of Aberdeen.

Correction of neurovascular deficits in diabetic rats by beta2-adrenoceptor agonist and alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist treatment: interactions with the nitric oxide system.

The aims were to test whether 2 weeks treatment with the beta2-adrenoceptor agonist, salbutamol, or the alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist, doxazosin, could correct nerve blood flow and conduction velocity deficits in 8 week streptozotocin-diabetic rats and to examine neurovascular mechanisms using co-treatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine. Sciatic motor conduction velocity, 20.3% reduced by diabetes, was corrected by 88.

Deoxyglucose uptake in the ferret auditory cortex.

Histological methods and 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography were used in an attempt at finding distinguishing characteristics that would permit the clear definition of different auditory areas on the ectosylvian gyrus. This region was studied in both coronal and flattened tangential sections. In tangential sections a crescent-shaped region of high deoxyglucose uptake was identified.

Stimulation of three distinct guanylate cyclases induces mucosal surface alkalinisation in rat small intestine in vitro.

The absorptive surface of the small intestine is isolated from bulk pH changes in the luminal contents by a zone of maintained low pH, the acid microclimate. The present study set out to compare the effects of stimulation of each of the three guanylate cyclases (GCs) expressed in the intestinal mucosa on the pH microclimate of rat jejunum in vitro. The tissue was exposed to specific ligands for each of the GCs and mucosal surface pH determinations were made by a miniaturised glass pH electrode.

Callosal connections of the ferret primary auditory cortex.

The callosal connections of ferret auditory cortex were studied by making multiple injections of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase into the middle ectosylvian gyrus or by packing crystals of horseradish peroxidase into the transected corpus callosum. The primary area (AI) had strong callosal connections that arose from somata mainly located in layer III. Other layers contained sparsely distributed cells that projected across the midline.

Alterations in plasma lipids, lipoproteins and high density lipoprotein subfractions in peripheral arterial disease.

The concentrations of the major lipoprotein classes and of high density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions in 63 male patients with arteriosclerosis of the lower limbs (claudication) were determined and compared with values from 63 healthy controls. The patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) had reduced levels of total HDL-cholesterol and HDL2b of large particle size, increased levels of small HDL3c particles and a high ratio of total plasma-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol (coronary risk factor). The PAD patients, however, had lower levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol but higher concentrations of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol and plasma triglyceride than healthy subjects.

Effect of englitazone on KATP and calcium-activated non-selective cation channels in CRI-G1 insulin-secreting cells.

1. The effects of englitazone sodium, an antidiabetic agent, on ion channel activity in the CRI-G1 insulin secreting cell line was examined by use of the patch clamp technique. 2.

Neuropeptide Y hyperpolarizes submucosal neurons of the guinea-pig descending colon.

Effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on submucosal neurons of the guinea-pig descending colon were investigated electrophysiologically by means of intracellular electrophysiological recordings. NPY (100 nM) induced a marked and prolonged hyperpolarization, accompanied by a decrease in input resistance in most (90%) neurons. This NPY-induced hyperpolarization was diminished and augmented by membrane hyperpolarization and depolarization, respectively.

Effects of dietary supplementation with arachidonic acid rich oils on nerve conduction and blood flow in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

Diabetes mellitus is associated with defective essential fatty acid desaturation. In experimental models this contributes to characteristic reductions in peripheral nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and blood flow, which may be corrected by dietary supplementation with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) rich oils to bypass the delta-6 desaturation deficit. There is debate about the mechanism of this improvement, including whether it depends on synthesis of series 1 prostanoids derived from di-homo GLA or series 2 prostanoids from arachidonic acid (ARA).