Publication, especially publication in refereed journals, is the major indicator of research accomplishment. The author of a journal article receives, and deserves, credit within the status systems of scholarship. Despite the importance of authorship in the assignment of professional rewards (recognition, professional advancement, etc.), or perhaps because of it, guidelines concerning authorship are not terribly clear. In the case of papers with multiple authors, either the inclusion of some names or the order of authorship may be a matter of considerable debate and concern. I am convinced that errors of omission and commission are common. The problem is one of ethics but not alone of ethics. It is also a problem of the security or quality control over the processes of scientific and other scholarly writing.

Insulin (0.67 μM) and serum (10% v/v) stimulated hexose transport did not change with in vitro ageing of cultured human skin fibroblasts. Additionally, dexamethasone amplification of the insulin-stimulated response which yielded responses to near physiological concentrations of insulin (i.e. 6.7 nM), showed no changes with in vitro ageing. Basal (i.e. nonstimulated) hexose transport, either in the presence or absence of dexamethasone, did not change with in vitro ageing. The in vitro loss of proliferative potential during in vitro ageing of cultured human fibroblasts probably does not involve changes in short term insulin responses (e.g. stimulation of hexose transport).

Data from the Manitoba Longitudinal Study on Aging were used to focus on the elderly who used 31 or more hospital days in one year and to see if their high use was an isolated event or a persistent pattern by examining their hospital use over a 6-year period. The relationship of several service-provider characteristics to high use was also examined. The majority (58%) of high users were decedents or those about to enter a nursing home and another 22% used 31 or more days in only one of the six years. Indications are that bed/population ratios and physician practice styles are positively related to the hospitalization utilization patterns of high users. These and other findings raise issues requiring further research.

The majority of elderly individuals do not engage in any form of regular physical activity. This lack of participation is thought to be due to a number of factors ranging from entrenched patterns of inactivity to myths and fears concerning the safety and suitability of exercise for this age group. The following review critically examines the research in the area in order to assess the elderly's capacity for exercise and the benefits accruing from exercise. Endurance training studies are contrasted with rhythmic exercise programs in terms of documented benefits, screening procedures and attrition rates. The lower-intensity exercise programs attract a more representative group of senior participants and appear to overcome many of the barriers to increased involvement in physical activity. Implications of the research findings for both program planning and broader educational efforts are discussed.

An analysis of the data from the Ontario longitudinal study of aging was carried out to investigate the associations between self-reported income and perceived health status, using cross-tabulations and logistic regression models. Reported income, educational level, and smoking status were associated with perceived health status. Reported income was associated with perceived health status independently of the effects of education and smoking. The data also indicate that changes in income are related significantly to changes in perceived health status. A reduced income was associated with a worsening of health and a weak relationship was apparent between increased income and better health. The analyses further suggest that income changes precede health changes. The possible mechanisms through which an income change may lead to health changes are discussed.

This paper investigates several dimensions of the informal support network and well-being among widows and widowers. Using subsets of two random samples of older people living in Winnipeg, Manitoba collected in 1980, one group who were using home care services and another who were not. widowed men and women are contrasted on a number of support network variables, three indicators of well-being, and several socio-demographic and health-related variables. While significant differences arise in length of widowhood, functional ability and some components of the support network, no gender differences are found for the measures of well-being for either sample, even after introducing control variables. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.