Role of illness representations and coping in patients with atopic dermatitis: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a skin disease accompanied by psychological burden. It has been shown for other chronic diseases that illness representations and coping strategies are associated with disease-related burden and other outcome variables like time until patients return to work or health care use.

Objective: The goal of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether illness representations and coping strategies are correlated with the severity of AD and self-rated physical impairment of the patients.

Quantification of ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3 mRNA of marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus) oocytes from periantral and antral follicles.

In mammals, the oocyte and preimplantation embryo are protected by the zona pellucida (ZP) consisting mainly of ZP glycoproteins, which are responsible for sperm binding, induction of the acrosome reaction and zona pellucida hardening to prevent polyspermia. The ZP proteins become increasingly important as possible predictors for in vitro cultured oocytes competence. As little is known about the stage-dependent expression of ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3 in marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus) oocytes, mRNA expression was investigated with real-time RT-PCR.

[International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF). Basis for cutaneous rehabilitation management].

Functioning and health are central issues in medical rehabilitation. With the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the World Health Organization implemented in 2001 a system for the description and classification of functioning that is accepted worldwide. Applying the bio-psycho-social perspective, this model based on interdependencies, comprises the components Body Function, Body Structure and Activity and Participation as well as contextual influences of health: the Environmental and Personal factors.