215 research outputs found
Access to medicines in remote and rural areas: a survey of residents in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles.
Objectives: Sparsely populated areas are potentially predisposed to health inequalities due to limited access to services. This study aimed to explore and describe issues of access to medicines and related advice experienced by residents of the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles. Study design: Cross-sectional cohort study. Methods: Anonymized questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 6000 residents aged ≥18 years identified from the electoral register. The questionnaire contained items on: access to medicines; interactions with health care services; and perceptions of the services. Results were analysed using descriptive, inferential and spatial statistics. Results: Adjusted response rate was 49.5% (2913/5889). Almost two thirds (63.4%, 1847) were prescribed medicines regularly, 88.5% (1634) of whom considered the source convenient. Pharmacy (73.8%, 1364) or dispensing GP (24.0%, 443) were the most accessed sources. Prescription medicine advice was mainly obtained from the GP (55.7%, 1029). Respondents ≥80 years old were significantly (P0.0001) more likely to live alone (45.3%, 92) compared with those 80 (15.8%, 424). Almost a fifth (16.5%, 31) of those 80 years living alone disagreed that they obtained prescribed medicines from a convenient source. The majority of respondents who felt they did not have a convenient medicines source, regardless of urban/rural classification, lived within five miles of a pharmacy or GP practice. Conclusions: Respondents accessed medicines and advice from a variety of sources. While most considered their access to medicines convenient, there were issues for those over 80 years and living alone. Perceived convenience would not appear to be solely based on geographical proximity to supply source. This requires further exploration given that these individuals are likely to have long-term conditions and be prescribed medicines on a chronic basis
Plasticity of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) wood-forming tissues during a growing season
Research• The seasonal effect is the most significant external source of variation affecting
vascular cambial activity and the development of newly divided cells, and hence
wood properties. Here, the effect of edapho-climatic conditions on the phenotypic
and molecular plasticity of differentiating secondary xylem during a growing season
was investigated.
• Wood-forming tissues of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) were collected from the
beginning to the end of the growing season in 2003. Data from examination of fibre
morphology, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), analytical pyrolysis, and
gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were combined to characterize the
samples. Strong variation was observed in response to changes in edapho-climatic
conditions.
• A genomic approach was used to identify genes differentially expressed during
this growing season. Out of 3512 studied genes, 19% showed a significant seasonal
effect. These genes were clustered into five distinct groups, the largest two representing
genes over-expressed in the early- or late-wood-forming tissues, respectively. The other
three clusters were characterized by responses to specific edapho-climatic conditions.
• This work provides new insights into the plasticity of the molecular machinery
involved in wood formation, and reveals candidate genes potentially responsible for
the phenotypic differences found between early- and late-wood
Are Small GTPases Signal Hubs in Sugar-Mediated Induction of Fructan Biosynthesis?
External sugar initiates biosynthesis of the reserve carbohydrate fructan, but the molecular processes mediating this response remain obscure. Previously it was shown that a phosphatase and a general kinase inhibitor hamper fructan accumulation. We use various phosphorylation inhibitors both in barley and in Arabidopsis and show that the expression of fructan biosynthetic genes is dependent on PP2A and different kinases such as Tyr-kinases and PI3-kinases. To further characterize the phosphorylation events involved, comprehensive analysis of kinase activities in the cell was performed using a PepChip, an array of >1000 kinase consensus substrate peptide substrates spotted on a chip. Comparison of kinase activities in sugar-stimulated and mock(sorbitol)-treated Arabidopsis demonstrates the altered phosphorylation of many consensus substrates and documents the differences in plant kinase activity upon sucrose feeding. The different phosphorylation profiles obtained are consistent with sugar-mediated alterations in Tyr phosphorylation, cell cycling, and phosphoinositide signaling, and indicate cytoskeletal rearrangements. The results lead us to infer a central role for small GTPases in sugar signaling
The potential of ion mobility mass spectrometry for tuning synthetic host guest systems: A case study using novel zinc(II)dipicolylamine anion sensors
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