Around-the-clock, rapid diagnosis of influenza by means of membrane chromatography antigen testing confirmed by polymerase chain reaction.

One rapid membrane chromatography test and 2 immunofluorescence tests were compared with polymerase chain reaction as tools for the diagnosis of influenza in 277 patients treated in an emergency department. The sensitivity on days 1-3 of symptoms was 71% for the rapid membrane chromatography test, 70% for the first immunofluorescence test, and 79% for the second immunofluorescence test. Rapid tests are useful for round-the-clock identification of influenza, with follow-up polymerase chain reaction used for confirmation.

Food selection associated with sense of coherence in adults.

Background: Favorable dietary habits promote health, whereas unfavorable habits link to various chronic diseases. An individual's "sense of coherence" (SOC) is reported to correlate with prevalence of some diseases to which dietary habits are linked. However, understanding what determines an individual's dietary preferences and how to change his/her behavior remains limited.

Sense of coherence--stability over time and relation to health, disease, and psychosocial changes in a general population: a longitudinal study.

Aims: To explore the stability of sense of coherence (SOC) over time in a normal population and to examine its relation to gender and psychosocial factors.

Methods: The Northern Sweden MONICA Project population surveys were performed in 1994 and 1999. A cohort of 1,254 subjects participating in both surveys answered questions about experiences of disease, perceived health, marital status, psychosocial factors, and Antonovsky's SOC scale with 13 items.