Epidemiological Differences Between Localized and Nonlocalized Low Back Pain.

Study Design: A cross-sectional survey with a longitudinal follow-up.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that pain, which is localized to the low back, differs epidemiologically from that which occurs simultaneously or close in time to pain at other anatomical sites SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA.: Low back pain (LBP) often occurs in combination with other regional pain, with which it shares similar psychological and psychosocial risk factors.

Descriptive Epidemiology of Somatising Tendency: Findings from the CUPID Study.

Somatising tendency, defined as a predisposition to worry about common somatic symptoms, is importantly associated with various aspects of health and health-related behaviour, including musculoskeletal pain and associated disability. To explore its epidemiological characteristics, and how it can be specified most efficiently, we analysed data from an international longitudinal study. A baseline questionnaire, which included questions from the Brief Symptom Inventory about seven common symptoms, was completed by 12,072 participants aged 20-59 from 46 occupational groups in 18 countries (response rate 70%).

Classification of neck/shoulder pain in epidemiological research: a comparison of personal and occupational characteristics, disability, and prognosis among 12,195 workers from 18 countries.

To inform case definition for neck/shoulder pain in epidemiological research, we compared levels of disability, patterns of association, and prognosis for pain that was limited to the neck or shoulders (LNSP) and more generalised musculoskeletal pain that involved the neck or shoulder(s) (GPNS). Baseline data on musculoskeletal pain, disability, and potential correlates were collected by questionnaire from 12,195 workers in 47 occupational groups (mostly office workers, nurses, and manual workers) in 18 countries (response rate = 70%). Continuing pain after a mean interval of 14 months was ascertained through a follow-up questionnaire in 9150 workers from 45 occupational groups.

Patterns of multisite pain and associations with risk factors.

To explore definitions for multisite pain, and compare associations with risk factors for different patterns of musculoskeletal pain, we analysed cross-sectional data from the Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability (CUPID) study. The study sample comprised 12,410 adults aged 20-59 years from 47 occupational groups in 18 countries. A standardised questionnaire was used to collect information about pain in the past month at each of 10 anatomical sites, and about potential risk factors.

Disabling musculoskeletal pain in working populations: is it the job, the person, or the culture?

To compare the prevalence of disabling low back pain (DLBP) and disabling wrist/hand pain (DWHP) among groups of workers carrying out similar physical activities in different cultural environments, and to explore explanations for observed differences, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 18 countries. Standardised questionnaires were used to ascertain pain that interfered with everyday activities and exposure to possible risk factors in 12,426 participants from 47 occupational groups (mostly nurses and office workers). Associations with risk factors were assessed by Poisson regression.

The CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study: methods of data collection and characteristics of study sample.

Background: The CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study was established to explore the hypothesis that common musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and associated disability are importantly influenced by culturally determined health beliefs and expectations. This paper describes the methods of data collection and various characteristics of the study sample.

Methods/principal Findings: A standardised questionnaire covering musculoskeletal symptoms, disability and potential risk factors, was used to collect information from 47 samples of nurses, office workers, and other (mostly manual) workers in 18 countries from six continents.

Decreases in circulating CD4+CD25hiFOXP3+ cells and increases in intragraft FOXP3+ cells accompany allograft rejection in pediatric liver allograft recipients.

We examined CD4(+)CD25(hi)FOXP3(+) cells Treg in children following liver transplantation and determined the relationship between Treg cell levels in the blood and in the graft. Peripheral blood was obtained from pediatric liver transplant patients at sequential time points: pre-transplant, one month, 3-4 months, 6-7 months, and 11-12 months post-transplant. PBMC were isolated, labeled for CD4, CD25 and FOXP3 expression and analyzed by flow cytometry for CD4(+)CD25(hi)FOXP3(+) cells.

Long-term outcome following total hip arthroplasty: a controlled longitudinal study.

Objective: To assess long-term outcome and predictors of prognosis following total hip arthroplasty (THA) for osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: We studied 282 patients from 2 English health districts approximately 8 years after THA, along with 295 controls selected from the general population. Baseline data were collected by interview and examination, on sex, age, comorbidity, body mass index (BMI), and Short Form 36 (SF-36) functional status, and preoperative radiographic severity of OA was graded.

Who's my doctor today?

Clinical practice is not always user-friendly. Specialisation fragments patient care across different investigations and modes of management. Increasing hospital throughput, especially by day surgery, diminishes the time available for students and other health professionals in the team to interact with the patient and verify the appropriateness of the care plan.

Perceiving clinical evidence.

This paper demystifies clinical perception by explaining its mechanisms, using insights from neuroscience and evolutionary biology. Clinical diagnosis begins with rapid recognition using our imaging, perceptual (but non-verbal) brain, followed by guided search using our slower, verbal, reasoning brain. Experiential cognition can be (more or less) achieved by integrating these two ways of knowing.

Recovery of genomic DNA from archived PCR product mixes for subsequent multiplex amplification and typing of additional loci: forensic significance for older unsolved criminal cases.

A method for genomic DNA recovery from different types of PCR product mixes suitable for multiplex amplification and typing using the Profiler Plus STR typing system has been investigated. The application of this method is of significance in cases where the original DNA samples have been exhausted due to repeated typing analyses in an effort to maximize their evidentiary value. Such cases typically involve samples analyzed using the available DNA typing systems of the time which gave a markedly lower power of discrimination, either alone or in combination, compared to that of modern multiplex STR typing systems.