Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “SCOTLAND”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 631 records · Page 35Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Genetic heterogeneity of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Scotland and its utility in strain subtyping.

From April 1994 to March 1995, seven outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection occurred throughout Scotland, including the largest milk-borne outbreak to date worldwide. Various vehicles of infection were identified, and there were 144 confirmed cases in total. All isolates associated with the outbreaks were subjected to detailed subtyping: phage typing, testing for carriage of verotoxin genes (VT), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The outbreak strains were of three different phage types (2, 4, and 28). Those of phage type 2 and 28 were VT1-/VT2+, those of phage type 4 were VT1+/VT2+. To discriminate outbreak-associate isolates from the high sporadic background, real-time pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses were performed. The results demonstrated that, within each of the seven outbreak groups, the macrorestriction profiles observed were indistinguishable, whereas profiles for sporadic isolates were not. The consistent genetic heterogeneity observed within the Scottish Escherichia coli O157 population can be exploited in epidemiological investigations.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Referrals of patients to colorectal cancer genetics services in south-east Scotland.

The discovery that genetic factors are involved in the aetiology of colorectal cancer, has prompted many relatives of affected individuals to seek genetic counselling and screening. This paper describes the demand for genetic services by families with colorectal cancer in south-east Scotland, their expectations and views of the service offered. The annual referral rate over the 21-month study period, for patients with a family history of colorectal cancer, was 0.11 per 1000 patients on general practitioner lists. This is one third of the rate for patients with a family history of breast cancer and in comparison with the breast cancer group, relatives of colorectal cancer patients were significantly older and less socially deprived. Approximately one third were referred via a hospital specialist unit. One hundred patients were included in the study. Mean (+/- standard deviation) age was 43 (+/- 10.7 years), 75 were female and 31 were self referrals. Before the consultation, almost half the patients had an inflated perception of their risk and there was little change at follow-up. There was an improvement in objective understanding after counselling which was sustained up to 6 months but only two thirds remembered their objective risk accurately. Most patients were satisfied with the consultation. Our findings suggest the need to educate individuals, in particular men, younger people and the more socially deprived, about the relevance of a family history of colorectal cancer and to facilitate patients' comprehension of their risk status.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Successful abatement of lead exposure from water supplies in the West of Scotland.

A major problem has existed in the West of Scotland for at least the past century associated with lead uptake by water from leaden water distribution systems. Initial studies in Glasgow from 1969 to 1976 and in Ayr in 1980/1981 showed that not only were water supplies soft, acid in consequence highly plumbosolvent, and that water lead levels were, on average, unacceptably high but that blood lead concentrations were also in excess of acceptable limits. A decision was therefore made by Strathclyde Water Department to carry out remedial water treatment to adjust the water pH. The success of this venture was proven by the parallel rapid falls in blood lead and water lead concentrations in the city of Glasgow. This encouraged the Water Department to institute a similar scheme in the town of Ayr. Work on this commenced in 1981, and in a study of the participants in a previous blood lead survey, a highly significant fall in blood lead concentrations was observed. The equation linking these two parameters was found to follow a curvilinear relationship where blood lead varied as the cube root of the water lead with a highly significant coefficient of correlation. This relationship has been shown to hold across a wide range of water lead concentrations down to 1 microgram/liter. This detailed information allows accurate calculation of acceptable limits of lead exposure from specific sources based upon acceptable blood lead concentrations.

Female↗
PubMed1996

Rate, causes and prevention of deaths from injuries in south-east Scotland.

Data on all deaths after injuries in Lothian and Borders regions of south-east Scotland were collected prospectively over 2 years. Post-mortems were performed after all deaths and Injury Severity Scores (ISS) calculated. There were 331 deaths at a rate of 20 per 100,000 per year; of those who died 49 per cent were younger than 40 years and most were male; 37 per cent of deaths were caused by road traffic accidents, 16 per cent by falls and 15 per cent by hangings. Two hundred and forty-eight patients (75 per cent) were either dead when found or died instantly with unsurvivable injuries (ISS = 75). A further five patients died in the first hour after injury and before reaching hospital. Nineteen (7 per cent) died between 1 and 4 h after injury, 59 (17 per cent) died more than 4 h after. These results demonstrate the rate, causes and timing of deaths following injuries in one UK region. The pattern of these deaths differs markedly from that previously described in the US. There is no evidence to support the concept of a trimodal distribution of trauma deaths. The greatest potential to reduce the number of trauma deaths lies with prevention.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1989

"The best laid schemes...": an evaluation of the extension of midwifery training in Scotland.

A research project was undertaken to evaluate the extension of midwifery training in Scotland. The evaluative criterion used was the new midwives' employment decisions. The data on students' valuation of their training suggest that they regard their time as having been well spent and other data show that socialization into midwifery increased with the longer training. Confidence in midwifery skills did not change markedly in association with the extension of training. Certain benefits of the longer course anticipated among midwives, are shown by these data not to have happened.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1992

Identification of anatoxin-A in benthic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and in associated dog poisonings at Loch Insh, Scotland.

Dog deaths occurred in 1990 and 1991 after the animals drank water containing blooms of benthic cyanobacteria along the shoreline of Loch Insh, Scotland. Signs of poisoning in the affected animals and the high neurotoxicity of bloom extracts in laboratory bioassays indicated acute poisoning due to cyanobacterial neurotoxin(s). The neurotoxic blooms consisted largely of benthic Oscillatoria species which were also observed in the stomach contents of the poisoned dogs. Stomach contents were also neurotoxic in bioassays with the same signs of poisoning as the Oscillatoria blooms. The cyanobacterial alkaloid neurotoxin anatoxin-a was identified in bloom extracts and poisoned dog stomach contents by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A species of benthic Oscillatoria has been isolated from the neurotoxic bloom material and shown to produce anatoxin-a in laboratory culture. These findings are the first to associate anatoxin-a toxicoses with benthic, rather than planktonic, cyanobacteria. Procedures for anatoxin-a extraction and identification from the blooms and animal material are also detailed.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Pulmonary tuberculosis in Scotland: a national sample survey and follow-up (1968-70). 1. The characteristics of the cases notified in 1968.

A survey has been undertaken of a 50 per cent random sample of 865 patients notified as having pulmonary tuberculosis in 1968 in Scotland. The estimated notification rate for the total population was 33.3 per 100,000. The highest rate for males was 89.8 for those aged 55 or more and for females 29.5 for those aged 25 to 54. The rates for bacteriologically confirmed cases were 51.6 and 16.0, respectively, for these two groups. An independent radiological assessor reported the characteristic appearances of active tuberculosis in 50 per cent of the chest radiographs. Nearly half the patients were referred by general practitioners and 20 per cent were hospital inpatients when diagnosed. Contacts and mass radiography services produced many fewer cases and the proportion of infectious cases in these groups was low. The notification procedure is discussed and it is suggested that as progress towards eradication is made notification information is inadequate, and that standardised supplementary information on severity of disease and infectiousness should be collected, annually or periodically.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Tuberculosis in Scotland: a national sample survey (1968-70). 2. A two-year follow-up of newly-diagnosed respiratory tuberculosis notified in 1968.

The methods and results of therapy during a two-year period of follow-up have been studied in a 50% random sample of the newly notified cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in Scotland for the year 1968. Of the 770 patients, 1.9% died of active tuberculosis, 2.6% were bacteriological failures, the regimen was changed for initial drug resistance in 0.9% and for drug toxicity in 2.6%. Default from chemotherapy in the first year occurred in 8.1% of patients, 4.7% absconding permanently. The bacteriological failure rate in the 372 positive cases was 7.3%. A further 20 patients were diagnosed at necropsy, 16 having died of the disease. Eighty-seven per cent of 372 initially positive patients were in hospital for an average of 18.0 weeks and 65% of 309 initially negative patients for an average of 11.0 weeks. Eighty per cent of the positive patients received streptomycin plus PAS plus isoniazid and a further 10% PAS plus isoniazid, the porportions for the negative patients being 57% and 35%. Side effects occurred in 53% of the patients on the triple regimen and 43% of those on PAS plus isoniazid. The mean duration of chemotherapy for the bacteriologically positive patients was 22.2 months and for those negative 19.1 months, the duration of the initial streptomycin supplement being 4.4 months and 3.4 months, respectively. Corticosteroids were given to 58 (8%) of the 770 patients. Only 6 (0.8%) had surgery for their tuberculosis. Forty-one per cent of the positive patients were off work for more than 6 months and 19% of the negative patients, and 18% and 8% never returned to work. In the two-year period an average of 12.5 radiographs were taken per patient and 10.8 bacteriological specimens were examined for tubercle bacilli. The number of clinic attendances in a full out-patient year averaged 4.2. Urine tests for antituberculosis drugs (invariably PAS) were performed in only 6 of 25 Burghs and 5 of 14 Counties, and were done infrequently in them. A continuous evaluation procedure for tuberculosis therapy programmes is recommended.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1994

Organochlorine residues in harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphins stranded on the coast of Scotland, 1988-1991.

The organochlorine (OC) residues, chlorobiphenyls (CBs), DDT and its metabolites, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene and technical chlordane mixtures have been determined in the blubber of harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphins from around the north and east coasts of Scotland as a result of strandings and bycatches between 1988 and 1991. The concentrations of OCs range from some of the lowest values reported at 280 micrograms kg-1 for t-CBs, 145 micrograms kg-1 for t-DDT and 71 micrograms kg-1 for dieldrin to some of the highest values, 23,000 micrograms kg-1 for t-CBs, and 10,200 micrograms kg-1 for t-DDT. OC levels were correlated with the age and sex of the sample of harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphins from the Moray Firth area. The study confirms that the concentration of these compounds is highly dependent on co-factors of age and sex, and that data from single or small numbers of animals may be of limited value in comparing information on organochlorine residues in mammals within or between regions.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1986

Gm allotypes in multiple sclerosis: influence susceptibility in HLA-DQwl-positive patients from the North-East of Scotland.

From the Grampian region of Scotland, 198 patients with MS and 128 normal individuals were typed for allotypes of the Gm system which encode for the constant region of IgG heavy chains. No significant independent association between a given Gm allotype or phenotype and susceptibility to MS was observed for the group of patients from this region. This was also the case when patients were classified according to sex, clinical course, and disease progression. However, a significant association was found between the Gm phenotype, Gm (3;5, 10, 11, 13, 14), and HLA DQwl in patients with MS. The relative risk of developing MS for individuals who carried both Gm (3;5,10, 11,13,14) and HLA DQwl was nearly five times greater than for individuals with neither determinant. These findings suggest that in the presence of HLA DQwl, genes associated with the Gm (3;5,10,11,13,14) phenotype have an important contributory influence on susceptibility to MS. The additive effects of Gm and HLA on susceptibility to MS would be one possible reason for the lack of a complete association between MS and a single genetic locus.

Gene Frequency↗
PubMed1991

Low birthweight and preterm delivery, Scotland, 1981-84: effect of parents' occupation.

The relation between prematurity and parenteral occupation was examined in a national study of 252,147 liveborn babies delivered in Scotland between 1981 and 1984. Information about mothers' and fathers' work was routinely collected at the first antenatal visit, and birthweight and gestational age were recorded at delivery. Preterm delivery (less than 37 weeks' gestation) and low birthweight (less than 2500 g) were more frequent in the children of mothers and of fathers employed in manual rather than in non-manual jobs. The risk of preterm delivery and/or low birthweight was more than 50% higher in the children of women who worked with electrical, metal, or leather goods than in the children of other female manual workers. These findings were not explained by maternal age, gravidity, marital status, previous perinatal death, baby's sex, or father's social class. For male manual workers, only the children of ceramic workers had an increased risk of prematurity. The risk of a baby being small-for-gestational age (less than or equal to 5th gestation-specific birthweight percentile) varied little with mother's or father's occupation. Overall, the results suggest that parental occupational exposures do not have a pronounced effect on the risk of prematurity, and when there are adverse effects they are associated with maternal rather than paternal exposures.

Female↗
PubMed1991

Prevalence of maternal HIV infection in Scotland based on unlinked anonymous testing of newborn babies.

Dried blood spot samples from newborn babies have been successfully tested for HIV-1 antibody by the particle agglutination method to assess the prevalence of infection in the mothers. In January, 1990, unlinked anonymous testing of Guthrie cards for HIV antibody was begun in Scotland. 99.6% of Scottish births were tested. 9 mothers spontaneously refused to allow testing of their baby's blood. Samples were coded by district postcodes. Eluates of 65,773 dried blood spots were initially tested for HIV-1 antibody with the Fujirebio technique. Of the 31 positive samples 19 were confirmed to be positive by enzyme-linked radioimmunoassay and western blot (seroprevalence 0.29 per 1000). All these samples came from large metropolitan areas on the east coast. Prevalences were 2.5 per 1000 for Edinburgh city, 1.4 per 1000 for Dundee, and 0.7 per 1000 for Aberdeen. We identified as HIV-positive all babies known to be so in named testing programmes. HIV testing of Guthrie cards can be used to monitor HIV status in mothers who have just given birth. The use of district postcode data in sample identification will allow accurate targetting of prevention strategies and early detection of spread of infection by geographic area.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1992

Cutaneous malignant melanoma, Scotland, 1979-89. The Scottish Melanoma Group.

The Scottish Melanoma Group (SMG) was established in 1979 to assess mortality from and incidence, features, pathological data, and management of cutaneous malignant melanoma in Scotland. Incidence during the first five years and five-year survival have already been reported. We now have data about incidence and mortality over eleven years in relation to anatomical site and pathological types. From 1979 to 1989, 1354 male and 2459 female patients with primary cutaneous malignant melanomas were first diagnosed in Scottish residents. The incidence rate per 100,000 population per year has increased from 3.4 in 1979 to 7.1 in 1989 for men, and from 6.6 to 10.4 for women. The overall increase over eleven years is 82% (7.4% per year). The greatest rates of increase are seen in lesions of the superficial spreading histogenetic type, arising on the female leg and the male trunk. Following public education programmes started in 1985, the proportion of all melanomas less than 1.5 mm thick has shown a sustained and significant increase. Mortality data for 1661 patients for whom a minimum of five-year follow-up is available shows five-year survival of 71.6% overall (77.6% for women, 58.7% for men). The survival advantage for women persists when appropriate statistical adjustment is made for thickness, ulceration, and histogenetic type. These data are useful in designing public education programmes aimed at both primary and secondary prevention of melanoma and in auditing changes in trends that might result from such education.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Variations in incidence of childhood leukaemia in South East Scotland (1970-1984).

Concern has been expressed recently about apparent increases in the incidence of leukaemia amongst young people living in certain geographical areas. We analysed the incidence of childhood leukaemia in South-East Scotland (excluding North-East Fife) from 1970 to 1984. There was a significant geographical variation in incidence of ALL with an excess in Fife concentrated in a small area of one district partly balanced by a relative decrease in Edinburgh. We feel that the variation is unlikely to be an artefact of geographically biased mis-diagnosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Surveillance of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in Scotland 1986-1991.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the second most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia. Infection is found worldwide and epidemics are said to occur in 4-yearly cycles. In Scotland this pattern has been noted since 1982 and, in common with England and Wales as well probably as other parts of Europe, there is a current epidemic which began in the autumn of 1990. The disease has been noted predominantly in children and young adults, with lower respiratory tract infection as the most common manifestation. At present, diagnosis is based on a serological response and various tests are available for detecting both primary infection and reinfection. In view of the present epidemic, initial treatment of respiratory-tract infection, especially in children and young adults, should include adequate cover against Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Surveillance of measles in Scotland 1983-1991; a comparison of statutory notification and laboratory reporting.

The epidemiology of measles in Scotland for the period 1983-1991, based on statutory notification and laboratory reporting, is described. There were 34,823 notifications compared to only 690 laboratory reports. This suggests that for less than 1 in 50 notifications of measles was the clinical diagnosis confirmed by laboratory testing. Both sets of data show a declining incidence of measles (in keeping with rising rates of immunisation) but a statistically significant shift in the age distribution of cases towards the over 15 years age group. There were differences, however, between the two sets of data in the sex ratio within various age groups. In particular, among notified cases, there was a highly significant but unexplained preponderance of males in the over 15 years age group (59.7% vs. 40.3%, P < 0.001). Discrepancies between the two sets of data were also evident from comparisons among Health Boards. Possible sources of bias are suggested for each set of data. The relevance of this surveillance to the current debate about the need for a two stage Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR) immunisation policy is briefly discussed. In order that this debate be reliably informed, it is highly desirable that the clinical diagnosis in each case of apparent vaccine failure is confirmed by laboratory testing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Unemployment and mortality in post-war Scotland.

One of the more controversial topics in the literature examining the influence of unemployment on health is the hypothesised relation between unemployment and mortality. This paper presents a time series analysis of unemployment and mortality in post-war Scotland. Using a variety of model specifications and several measures of the age and duration structure of male unemployment, we find little evidence of a consistent association between unemployment and male mortality from all causes in different age cohorts. Unemployment, however, appeared to be more closely associated with variations in mortality rates and ischaemic heart disease, but the direction of effect was sensitive to the choice of maximum lag length between unemployment and mortality. There was also little evidence that per-capita real incomes or health expenditure exerted a significant influence on mortality. Our general findings and the methodological limitations of macro-studies of the relationship between unemployment and mortality highlight the importance of investigating the health consequences of unemployment using well controlled longitudinal studies of individuals.

Coronary Disease↗