University of Dundee

About: University of Dundee is a education organization based out in Dundee, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Protein kinase A. The organization has 19258 authors who have published 39640 publications receiving 1919433 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitas Dundensis & Dundee University.

Socio-economic status, obesity and prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Abstract: Summary Aims The influence of socio-economic status on the prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and on obesity, was explored using routinely collected healthcare data for the population of Tayside, Scotland. Methods Among 366 849 Tayside residents, 792 and 5474 patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, respectively, were identified from a diabetes register. The Carstairs Score was used as a proxy for socio-economic status. This is a material deprivation measure derived from the UK census, using postcode data for four key variables. Odds ratios for diabetes prevalence, adjusted for age, were determined for each of six deprivation categories (1 – least deprived, 6/7 – most deprived). The mean body mass index (BMI) in each group was also determined, and the effect of deprivation category explored by analysis of covariance, adjusting for age and sex. Results The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, but not Type 1 diabetes, varied by deprivation. People in deprivation category 6 and 7 were 1.6-times (95% confidence interval 1.4–1.8) more likely to have Type 2 diabetes than those least deprived. There was no relationship between deprivation and BMI in Type 1 diabetes (P = 0.36), but there was an increase in BMI with increasing deprivation in Type 2 diabetes (P < 0.001; test of linearity P < 0.001). Conclusions The study confirms the relationship between deprivation and the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes. There are more obese, diabetic patients in deprived areas. They require more targeted resources and more primary prevention.

Effects of exercise on depressive symptoms in older adults with poorly responsive depressive disorder: Randomised controlled trial

Abstract: Background Depression is common in later life. Aims To determine whether exercise is effective as an adjunct to antidepressant therapy in reducing depressive symptoms in older people. Method Patients were randomised to attend either exercise classes or health education talks for 10 weeks. Assessments were made ‘blind’ at baseline, and at 10 and 34 weeks. The primary outcome was seen with the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Secondary outcomes were seen with the Geriatric Depression Scale, Clinical Global Impression and Patient Global Impression. Results At 10 weeks a significantly higher proportion of the exercise group (55% v. 33%) experienced a greater than 30% decline in depression according to HRSD (OR=2.51, P =0.05, 95% CI 1.00-6.38). Conclusions Because exercise was associated with a modest improvement in depressive symptoms at 10 weeks, older people with poorly responsive depressive disorder should be encouraged to attend group exercise activities.

Large-scale cis- and trans-eQTL analyses identify thousands of genetic loci and polygenic scores that regulate blood gene expression

Abstract: Trait-associated genetic variants affect complex phenotypes primarily via regulatory mechanisms on the transcriptome. To investigate the genetics of gene expression, we performed cis- and trans-expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analyses using blood-derived expression from 31,684 individuals through the eQTLGen Consortium. We detected cis-eQTL for 88% of genes, and these were replicable in numerous tissues. Distal trans-eQTL (detected for 37% of 10,317 trait-associated variants tested) showed lower replication rates, partially due to low replication power and confounding by cell type composition. However, replication analyses in single-cell RNA-seq data prioritized intracellular trans-eQTL. Trans-eQTL exerted their effects via several mechanisms, primarily through regulation by transcription factors. Expression of 13% of the genes correlated with polygenic scores for 1,263 phenotypes, pinpointing potential drivers for those traits. In summary, this work represents a large eQTL resource, and its results serve as a starting point for in-depth interpretation of complex phenotypes.

The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM)—a generic instrument for measuring students’ perceptions of undergraduate health professions curricula

Abstract: Students’ perceptions of their educational environment have been studied at all levels of the education system, from primary through post-secondary education. Recent imperatives towards enhanced quality assessment monitoring at a time when health professions education is increasingly committed to student-centred teaching and learning have stimulated a revival of interest in this field. This paper reports a body of research in health professions institutions around the world based on the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), a reliable, validated inventory that claims to be generic to undergraduate health professions education and non-culturally specific.