Overseas doctors and the staffing structure of hospitals.

The introduction of the new immigration rules will considerably reduce the number of overseas doctors available for junior hospital appointments over the next five years. To offset this sponsorship schemes should be offered by universities and colleges comprising training courses, entry to examinations, and hospital appointments, and training programmes should be adapted to make objectives attainable in the four years available to overseas doctors. Employment of overseas doctors can ease the transition within the staffing structure to fewer juniors and more consultants, but planning is urgently required, and in particular the service and manpower needs of the National Health Service must be considered.     

Effect of preoperative anaesthetic visit on anxiety.

Anxiety levels measured in patients who received preoperative reassurance about anaesthesia from a member of the hospital staff were significantly lower than those in a control group given no such support. Anxiety levels in patients who read a booklet designed to reassure about anaesthesia were less significantly reduced. Owing to the increasing work load in the operating theatre many anaesthetists can no longer afford the time to visit patients preoperatively. This study shows that either this trend should be reversed or the role of reassurer should be assumed by someone else, possibly the anaesthetic nurse. For optimal effect, the visits should be combined with use of the booklet. Unless such measures are taken, up to three million people each year may be being denied any form of reassurance before surgical treatment.     

Effect of phosphates on the structure of the actin filament.

The fine structure of the purified actin filament was investigated by negative staining. The actin filament polymerized in Tris-HCl buffer and KCl showed a collapsed image different from that of a double stranded helix. Addition of ATP, ADP, or inorganic orthophosphate, however, converted it into a straight filament with typical double strands.