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Scottish Population (scottish + population)
Selected AbstractsTemperature and hen harrier productivity: from local mechanisms to geographical patternsECOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2002S. M. Redpath Climate is an important factor limiting demography and distribution patterns in many organisms. For species with a broad geographical distribution, the mechanism by which climate influences demography is likely to vary dramatically from one end of the range to the other. In this paper we first assess, in a Scottish population of hen harriers Circus cyaneus, how temperature and rainfall influence adult behaviour and chick mortality patterns at the nest. We then test for associations between harrier productivity and weather across Scotland, towards the northern edge of the range, and Spain, towards the southern edge of the range. We show that during the nestling period, female brooding time increased in cold weather. Male provisioning rate was negatively related to temperature and rainfall. Chick mortality increased in cold temperatures and was most likely to occur at nests where male prey delivery rates were low relative to temperature. Annual values of harrier fledged brood size across Scotland were positively related to summer temperature suggesting that the patterns seen in one population held at a national scale. In Spain, however, the opposite patterns were observed with fledged brood size being negatively related to temperature. This shows that whilst the impact of weather on productivity may be equally strong at two ends of a geographical range, the mechanisms vary dramatically. Large-scale predictive models need to take such patterns into account. [source] Association of self-reported alcohol use and hospitalization for an alcohol-related cause in Scotland: a record-linkage study of 23 183 individualsADDICTION, Issue 4 2009Scott A. McDonald ABSTRACT Aims To investigate the extent to which self-reported alcohol consumption level in the Scottish population is associated with first-time hospital admission for an alcohol-related cause. Design Observational record-linkage study. Setting Scotland, 1995,2005. Participants A total of 23 183 respondents aged 16 and over who participated in the 1995, 1998 and 2003 Scottish Health Surveys, followed-up via record-linkage from interview date until 30 September 2005. Measurements Rate of first-time hospital admission with at least one alcohol-related diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was applied to estimate the relative risk of first-time hospitalization with an alcohol-related condition associated with usual alcohol consumption level (1,7, 8,14, 15,21, 22,35, 36,49, 50+ units/week and ex-drinker, compared with <1 unit per week). Findings Of the SHS participants, 527 were hospitalized for an alcohol-related cause during 135 313 person-years of follow-up [39 first admissions per 10 000 person-years, 95% confidence interval (CI) 36,42]. Alcohol-related hospitalization rates were considerably higher for males (61/10 000 person-years, 95% CI 54,67) than for females (22/10 000 person-years, 95% CI 18,26). Compared with the lowest alcohol consumption category (<1 unit per week), the relative risk of first-time alcohol-related admission increased with reported consumption: age-adjusted hazard ratios ranged from 3 (1,5) for 1,7 units/week to 19 (10,37) for 50+ units/week (males); and from 2 (1,3) for 1,7 units/week to 28 (14,56) for 50+ units/week (females). After adjusting for age and usual alcohol consumption, the relative risk of first-time alcohol-related admission remained significantly higher for males reporting binge drinking and for both males and females residing in the most deprived localities. Conclusions Moderate and higher levels of usual alcohol consumption and binge drinking are serious risk factors for alcohol-related hospitalization in the Scottish population. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relationship between alcohol intake and alcohol-related morbidity. [source] An early temperature-sensitive period for the plasticity of segment number in the centipede Strigamia maritimaEVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2010Vincent Vedel SUMMARY Geophilomorph centipedes show variation in segment number (a) between closely related species and (b) within and between populations of the same species. We have previously shown for a Scottish population of the coastal centipede Strigamia maritima that the temperature of embryonic development is one of the factors that affects the segment number of hatchlings, and hence of adults, as these animals grow epimorphically,that is, without postembryonic addition of segments. Here, we show, using temperature-shift experiments, that the main developmental period during which embryos are sensitive to environmental temperature is surprisingly early, during blastoderm formation and before, or very shortly after, the onset of segmentation. [source] Nationwide linkage analysis in Scotland implicates age as the critical overall determinant of mortality in ulcerative colitisALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 12 2010R. J. NICHOLLS Aliment Pharmacol Ther,31, 1310,1321 Summary Background, Recent data associated higher mortality with medical rather than surgical intervention in patients with ulcerative colitis who require hospitalization. Aim, To examine factors influencing UC-related mortality in Scotland. Method, Using the national record linkage database 1998,2000, 3-year mortality was determined after four admission types: colectomy-elective or emergency; no colectomy-elective or emergency. Results, Of 1078 patients, crude 3-year mortality rates were: colectomy elective 5.6% (n = 177) and emergency 9.0% (100); no colectomy elective 9.8% (244) and emergency 16.0% (557). Using elective colectomy as reference, multivariate analysis [OR (95% CI)] showed that admission age >50 years [OR 5.46 (2.29,11.95)], male gender [OR 1.92 (1.23,3.02)], comorbidity [OR 2.2 (1.38,3.51)], length of stay >15 days [OR 2.04 (1.08,3.84)] and prior IBD admission [OR 1.66 (1.06,2.61)] were independently related to mortality. Age was the strongest determinant. No patient <30 years died. Mortality of patients aged <50 years [10/587 (1.7%)] was significantly lower than mortality of those aged 50,64 years [26/246 (10.6%)] (,2 = 32.91; P < 0.0000001) and >65 [96/245 (39.2%)] (,2 = 218.2; P < 0.0000001). For those patients aged more than 65 years, mortality in the four groups was 29.4%, 33.3%, 28.1% and 44.7%, all greater than expected in the Scottish population on assessment of standardized mortality ratios. Conclusion, Hospital admission in UC patients >65 is associated with high mortality. Management strategies should consider this by treatment in specialist units, early investigation, focused medical treatment and earlier surgical referral. [source] An exploration of nutritional knowledge in a sample of Scottish men of low socio-economic statusNUTRITION BULLETIN, Issue 4 2000Kerri E. McPherson Summary The government has used health promotion campaigns as a means of improving nutritional knowledge in the Scottish population, in an attempt to encourage healthier eating practices and reduce diet-related illness. However, mismeasurement of nutritional knowledge and the presence of barriers to behaviour change, such as socio-economic status, means that the relationship between nutritional knowledge and dietary practice is not a straightforward one. The main findings of the present study are twofold. Firstly, the results emphasise the multidimensionality of the nutritional knowledge construct. Secondly, the results show that educational status is a major facilitator/barrier in the nutritional knowledge,dietary practice relationship. [source] The photocarcinogenic risk of narrowband UVB (TL-01) phototherapy: early follow-up dataBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2005I. Man Summary Background, Limited information is available on the carcinogenic risk associated with narrowband TL-01 UVB phototherapy in humans. Objectives, To determine the skin cancer incidence in a population treated with TL-01 phototherapy. Patients and methods, All TL-01-treated patients were identified from the departmental computerized database. Patients with malignant melanoma (MM), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) were identified by record linkage with the Scottish Cancer Registry. The incidence of each was compared with the normal Scottish population matched for age and sex. Results, Data were obtained from 1908 patients. The median follow-up duration was 4 years (range 0·04,13). The median cumulative number of TL-01 treatments and dose were 23 (1,199) and 13 337 (30,284 415) mJ cm,2, respectively. No increased incidence of SCC or MM was observed. Ten patients developed BCC compared with an expected 4·7 in the Scottish population [standardized rate ratio 213 (95% confidence interval 102,391); P < 0·05]. Conclusions, A small but significant increase of BCC was detected in the TL-01 group. This could be explained by a number of factors, including ascertainment bias. To determine the true carcinogenic risk of TL-01 phototherapy, longer follow-up is essential. [source] The prevalence of, and molecular defects underlying, inherited protein S deficiency in the general populationBRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2004Nicholas J. Beauchamp Summary The molecular basis of protein S (PS) deficiency was investigated in seven of eight donors identified with persistently low plasma PS levels from a survey of PS levels in 3788 Scottish blood donors. PROS1 gene analysis identified at least one defect in six donors. Five were heterozygous for the Heerlen polymorphism predicting a Ser460Pro substitution. Haplotype analysis revealed the possibility that this allele was inherited with the same haplotype in four of the five donors, suggesting a founder effect for the Heerlen allele in this population. One Heerlen allele carrier was also heterozygous for a 3 bp deletion 68,72 bp upstream of exon 2. Platelet PROS1 transcript analysis showed no reduction in mRNA expression from the affected allele in this donor. A T to G transversion 3 bp upstream of exon 12 was identified in one donor, which is predicted to reduce the efficiency of PS mRNA splicing. However, PROS1 transcript analysis showed no evidence of exon skipping or cryptic splicing. No PROS1 gene defect was detected in the remaining donor. This genetic information enabled us to refine our estimate of the prevalence of heritable PS deficiency in the Scottish population to between 0·16% and 0·21%, predominantly resulting from the presence of the Heerlen allele. [source] Exposure to a common environment erodes inherited between-population trophic morphology differences in Arctic charrJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004G. D. Alexander Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus juveniles reared from eggs collected from four Scottish populations showed inherited variation in their expression of trophic morphology, measured as a suite of eight characteristics of the head and mouth, before their first exogenous feeding. This demonstrated a genetic component to trophic morphology expression. During a period of 5 months following first feeding, typified by rapid growth, the differential between groups exposed to a common rearing and feeding environment was reduced significantly. It was concluded that this was the result of common environmental exposure acting on phenotypic plasticity in trophic morphology. [source] Genetic variability and differentiation in red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Scotland and EnglandJOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 3 2006S. S. Hmwe Abstract Samples from 69 British red deer Cervus elaphus scoticus from seven populations in Scotland and England were analysed with respect to variability within and differentiation among stocks using 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci and 439 bp of the mitochondrial control region. The results clearly showed the effects of anthropogenic factors on British red deer. On the whole, variability values were within the species' reported range. The island population of Islay, Scotland, however, while showing average microsatellite variability, exhibited no mitochondrial variation at all. One microsatellite locus was monomorphic in three Scottish populations (Islay, Dunachton and Achnacarry). Overall and pairwise FST values indicate considerable differentiation among the populations studied, but Dunachton and Achnacarry, two adjacent populations free from recorded introductions, showed only a little differentiation and were paired in trees based on genetic distances. In terms of variability, no statistically significant differences were observed between island and mainland populations and the overall test of isolation by distance was negative. Possible reasons for the genetic patterns observed, such as differences in human impact on the populations, are discussed. [source] | |||||||||||||