Worry and rumination: do they prolong physiological and affective recovery from stress?

Background: Anxiety and depression have been linked to repetitive negative self-regulation styles in the form of worry and rumination respectively. Following predictions of the metacognitive model [Wells, A., & Matthews, G.

Prevalence of respiratory symptoms at two time points in a population of children in Manchester--a cohort study.

Objective: Although the prevalence of asthma and atopy has been noted to have increased in recent decades, patterns of asthma prevalence have, traditionally, been difficult to track. Most reports on trends in childhood asthma have been cross-sectional measuring the prevalence in cohorts of similar aged children at different time points. The aim of this paper is to report on the prevalence of symptoms in the same cohort at two separate time points.

Temporal change in health-related quality of life: a longitudinal study in general practice 1999-2004.

Background: In order to assess and plan for changing healthcare needs, the lack of available information regarding temporal changes in the health-related quality of life of a population must be addressed.

Aim: This paper aims to describe such changes over 5 years in a general population.

Design Of Study: Longitudinal postal questionnaire study.

Factors influencing the response to postal questionnaire surveys about respiratory symptoms.

Background: Response rates to postal questionnaires have been falling in recent years.

Aim: To examine factors affecting the response to five postal respiratory questionnaire surveys.

Design: Cross sectional study.

Prevalence of respiratory symptoms, features of asthma, and characteristics associated with respiratory disease, in 6-11 year olds in Manchester.

Aims: This paper describes the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, features of asthma, and characteristics associated with respiratory disease in 6-11 year old children in an historical cohort study.

Methods: The study included 5086 children, all born in the same maternity unit in the north west of England over a four-year period. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms, features of asthma, and characteristics associated with respiratory disease were determined by the use of parent-completed questionnaires.

Long term prognosis in preschool children with wheeze: longitudinal postal questionnaire study 1993-2004.

Objectives: To follow a population of preschool children with and without parent reported wheeze over a period of 6-11 years to determine prognosis and its important predictive factors.

Design: Longitudinal series of five postal surveys based on the international study of asthma and allergies in childhood questionnaire carried out between 1993 and 2004.

Setting: Two general practice populations, south Manchester.

The estimated prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a general practice population.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a general practice population in the UK.

Method: Four postal respiratory questionnaire surveys were carried out between 1993 and 2001. Subjects from the 2001 study were invited for spirometry if they were aged 30 years or more, had indicated that they were 'ever smokers' in any of the surveys, and/or had been considered to have likely obstructive airways disease on the basis of their replies to the 2001 questionnaire.

Is the prevalence of wheeze in children altered by neonatal BCG vaccination?

Background: The prevalence of asthma and atopic disease has increased in recent decades, but precise reasons for this increase are unknown. BCG vaccination is thought to be among a group of vaccines capable of manipulating the immune system toward T(H)1 dominance and therefore reducing the likelihood of atopic disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of neonatal BCG vaccination on the prevalence of wheeze in a large community population of children.

Parent and child psychological factors in pediatric syncope and other somatic symptoms.

The authors examined associations among parental and child adjustment, child syncope, somatic, and school problems. Participants were children (N = 56) ages 7-18 years with syncope. Measures included syncope severity, parental distress, and children's internalizing symptoms.

Gender and irritable bowel syndrome: the male connection.

Background/goals: Irritable bowel syndrome is more common in women; and this is generally considered to be caused by increased susceptibility. However, the opposite possibility that being male might actually protect from the disorder in some way, has largely been ignored. We have noticed that men with IBS seem to display less masculine and more feminine qualities and it was the purpose of this study to confirm or refute this clinical observation.

Expression of exogenous protein in the egg white of transgenic chickens.

Using a replication-deficient retroviral vector based on the avian leukosis virus (ALV), we inserted into the chicken genome a transgene encoding a secreted protein, beta-lactamase, under the control of the ubiquitous cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Biologically active beta-lactamase was secreted into the serum and egg white of four generations of transgenic chickens. The expression levels were similar in successive generations, and expression levels in the magnum of the oviduct were constant over at least 16 months in transgenic hens, indicating that the transgene was stable and not subject to silencing.