From expert to advanced clinical practitioner and beyond.

This article considers the potential development of advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) and consultant practitioners, beyond the 'expert' status as defined by Pat Benner in 1984. The suggested Derby Model: 7 Levels of Practice Advancement, adapted from Benner's From Novice to Expert, recognises Health Education England's four pillars of advanced practice and how they can be implemented and enhanced within these senior roles, and what that means in a 21st century healthcare system.

Propentofylline after focal cortical lesion in the rat: impact on functional recovery and basic fibroblast growth factor expression.

The effects of propentofylline, a xanthine derivative and adenosine transport inhibitor, were evaluated following anteromedial cortex lesion in the rat. Propentofylline (2x/10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was administered for 7 days post-insult and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) immunoreactivity measured at designated time points in the peri-lesional cortex and ipsilateral dorsal striatum. The spatiotemporal pattern of bFGF expression was then compared to functional recovery patterns. Propentofylline-treated animals displayed increased bFGF expression in the peri-lesional cortex which may have contributed to the observed early facilitation of functional recovery. Drug administration did not, however, produce a change in bFGF expression in the ipsilateral dorsal striatum compared to saline-treated animals. These findings taken together with other positive findings regarding propentofylline, support the drug's therapeutic potential.