OBJECTIVES To outline the development and uses of the census-based New Zealand small-area index of relative socio-economic deprivation, NZDep. METHODS NZDep has been created from four 5-yearly censuses using theory developed from international deprivation research, a standard statistical procedure (principal component analysis) and both construct and criterion validation. RESULTS The latest...

BACKGROUND Community environment might play an important role in supporting ageing in place. This paper aims to explore relocation at older age and its associations with individual and community level factors. METHODS The postcodes of the 2424 people in the year-10 interview of the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (CFAS) in England were mapped onto Enumeration Districts and linked to their...

INTRODUCTION The degree of generalisability of patient databases to the general population is important for interpreting database research. This report describes the representativeness of The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a UK primary care database, of the UK population. METHODS Demographics, deprivation (Townsend), Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) condition prevalence and deaths fro...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of patient's sex and area's material deprivation on utilisation rates of coronary catheterisation and angiography in the investigation of ischaemic heart disease. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of routinely collected hospital statistics. SETTING Acute hospitals throughout Northern Ireland. SUBJECTS 24,179 episodes of patients discharged from hospital with...

BACKGROUND In many developed countries, socioeconomic status is associated with cancer incidence and survival. However, research in Japan is sparse. We examined the association between neighborhood deprivation based on the Japanese Deprivation Index and the risk of incidence, mortality and survival from total and major cancers in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. METHODS...

We describe three new species in the genus Ametadoria Townsend from Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), Costa Rica. All three were reared from wild-caught Zygaenidae and Lacturidae caterpillars. We provide a concise description of each species using morphology, life history and molecular data, with photographic documentation. The new species are authored and described by Fleming and Wood: Am...

OBJECTIVE To analyse the prevalence of neural tube defects in small geographical areas and seek to explain any spatial variations with reference to environmental lead and deprivation. SETTING The Fylde of Lancashire in the north west of England. DESIGN Cases were ascertained as part of a prospective survey of major congenital malformations in babies born in the Fylde to residents there betw...

OBJECTIVE To assess the usefulness of a centralised injury database in monitoring progress towards nationally set health targets for the reduction of childhood injuries. SETTING West Glamorgan County, Wales. METHODS Analysis was undertaken of data held in the West Glamorgan injury database which amalgamates population data with data from the three hospital units covering a population of 370...

Introduction: Barrel cortex of rodents is responsible for sensory information processing from muzzle whiskers. Locus coeruleus (LC) as the main source of norepinephrine (NE) in the cortex, is effective on the sensory information processing. Methods: Rats were divided to 2 groups. One group underwent sensory deprivation (P4) and the other group served as control and did not undergo sensory d...