Wnt11r is required for cranial neural crest migration

wnt11r is a recently identified member of the Wnt family of genes, which has been proposed to be the true Xenopus homologue to the mammalian wnt11 gene. In this study we have examined the role of wnt11r on neural crest development. Expression analysis of wnt11r and comparison with the neural crest marker snail2 and the noncanonical Wnt, wnt11, shows wnt11r is expressed at the medial or neural plate side of the neural crest while wnt11 is expressed at the lateral or epidermal side. Injection of wnt11r morpholino leads to strong inhibition of neural crest migration with no effect on neural crest induction or maintenance. This effect can be rescued by co‐injection of Wnt11r but not by Wnt11 mRNA, demonstrating the specificity of the loss of function treatment. Finally, neural crest graft experiments show that wnt11r is required in a non–cell‐autonomous manner to control neural crest migration. Developmental Dynamics 237:3404–3409, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Factors associated with achieving continuity of care in general practice

The continuity of care received by 128 patients in four Bristol group practices over a two-year period was measured. A high standard of continuity of care was found for many patients, even though they were registered with large training practices. Patients registered with practices operating personal lists received much better continuity of care than those registered with practices operating combined lists.

Patients in the study regarded continuity of care as important, especially if they were registered with practices operating personal lists.

All the doctors in the study appeared to regard continuity of care as important, although those operating personal lists were more positive in this view.

     

A SURVEY OF HOSPITAL MORBIDITY,MORTALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOLLOWING CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS SURGERY IN A UK INDO-ASIAN POPULATION

To survey the in-hospital morbidity, mortality, length of stay in the intensive therapy unit (ITU) and hospital and quality of life in patients of Indo-Asian origin following coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery, 345 consecutive patients (mean age 58 years; SD 8.9; range 32-88 years) undergoing primary, isolated CABG were studied. Non-elective CABG was undertaken in 41% of patients. The left anterior descending artery (LAD) was grafted in 89%, although in 30% of these the internal mammary artery (IMA) was not used. Following CABG, the hospital morbidity and mortality was within the expected range, although there was a trend towards higher in-hospital mortality in the Parsonnet low risk group of patients. The length of ITU and hospital stay was not prolonged. Using the SF-36 questionnaire in postoperative patients, low quality of life scores were obtained for six of the eight modalities tested including physical functioning, bodily pain and general health perception. The low quality of life scores and IMA usage in Indo-Asians needs to be addressed.