Undiagnosed diabetes-data from the English longitudinal study of ageing.

Aims: Diabetes UK estimates a quarter of UK cases of diabetes are undiagnosed; 750,000 people have undiagnosed diabetes in addition to 2.25 million with known diabetes, but research studies examining this are contradictory. The aim was to determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, undiagnosed diabetes in the population of England aged > 50 years and to calculate the percentage of cases of undiagnosed diabetes.

Under-reporting of tobacco use among Bangladeshi women in England.

Background: This study investigates the prevalence of under-reported use of tobacco among Bangladeshi women and the characteristics of this group.

Methods: The 1999 and 2004 Health Survey for England included 996 Bangladeshi women aged 16 years and above, 302 with a valid saliva sample and 694 without. The main outcome measure was the prevalence of under-reported tobacco use.

Cardiorespiratory risk factors as predictors of 40-year mortality in women and men.

Objective: Most historical studies of cardiorespiratory risk factors as predictors of mortality have been based on men. This study examines whether they predict mortality over long periods in women and men.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Functional characterization of a Na+-dependent aspartate transporter from Pyrococcus horikoshii.

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are crucial in maintaining extracellular levels of glutamate, the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter, below toxic levels. The recent three-dimensional crystal structure of GltPh, an archaeal homolog of the EAATs, provides elegant structural details of this family of proteins, yet we know little about the mechanism of the bacterial transporter. Conflicting reports in the literature have described GltPh as an aspartate transporter driven by Na+ or a glutamate transporter driven by either Na+ or H+.

Developmental aspects of sleep hygiene: findings from the 2004 National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America Poll.

Objective: To examine the associations between sleep hygiene and sleep patterns in children ages newborn to 10 years. The relationships between key features of good sleep hygiene in childhood and recognizable outcomes have not been studied in large, nationally representative samples.

Participants And Methods: A national poll of 1473 parents/caregivers of children ages newborn to 10 years was conducted in 2004.

Continued improvement in hypertension management in England: results from the Health Survey for England 2006.

This study evaluate whether blood pressure management has improved in England between 2003 and 2006, using cross-sectional, nationally representative, random samples of 8834 (in 2003) and 7478 (in 2006) noninstitutionalized adults (aged > or =16 years) of mean age 46 (in 2003) and 47 (in 2006) years. Overall mean blood pressure levels in 2006 were 130.8/74.

Clinical psychology training in sleep and sleep disorders.

There is growing evidence to suggest that clinical psychologists would benefit from more training in sleep and sleep disorders. Sleep disturbances are commonly comorbid with mental health disorders and this relationship is often bidirectional. In addition, psychologists have become integral members of multidisciplinary sleep medicine teams and there are not enough qualified psychologists to meet the clinical demand.

Trends in obesity among adults in England from 1993 to 2004 by age and social class and projections of prevalence to 2012.

Background: This study aims to project the prevalence of adult obesity to 2012 by age groups and social class, by extrapolating the prevalence trends from 1993 to 2004. Repeated cross-sectional surveys were carried out of representative samples of the general population living in households in England conducted annually (1993 to 2004).

Methods: Participants were classified as obese if their body mass index was over 30 kg/m(2).

Nicotine intake in cigarette smokers in England: distribution and demographic correlates.

Documenting smoke intake by objective biochemical markers is important for quantification of exposure to toxins. The aim of this report is to show the most definitive distribution of the nicotine metabolite, cotinine, yet available from English smokers in the period before implementation of the legislation banning smoking in indoor public areas. A total of 6,423 cigarette smokers, ages 16 years and above, taking part in the Health Survey for England between 1998 and 2003 provided a saliva cotinine value.

Sleep and sleep ecology in the first 3 years: a web-based study.

This study was designed to provide data on sleep patterns during the first 3 years, based on a large US-Canada Internet sample, to assess the prevalence of parental interventions and related factors of infant sleep ecology and to evaluate the links between sleep ecology and sleep. Five thousand six parents completed a web-based online questionnaire about their children, aged from birth to 36 months. The questionnaire included items pertaining to sleep patterns, sleep environment, sleep-related parental interventions, sleep position, and demographic information.

The need for interdisciplinary pediatric sleep clinics.

The purpose of this study was to describe the function and structure of an interdisciplinary outpatient pediatric sleep clinic. In addition, the frequency of individual and comorbid sleep diagnoses, the prevalence of comorbid medical or psychiatric disorders, and the types of treatment recommendations and referrals provided to patients at the end of their clinic visits was examined. Over a 4-month period, 265 consecutive patients were evaluated in the sleep clinic by trainees, nurses, and attendings in pulmonary medicine, neurology, and psychology.

A review of health impact assessment frameworks.

Background: Consideration of health impacts of non-health sector policies has been encouraged in many countries, with health impact assessment (HIA) increasingly used worldwide for this purpose. HIA aims to assess the potential impacts of a proposal and make recommendations to improve the potential health outcomes and minimize inequalities. Although many of the same techniques can be used, such as community consultation, engagement or profiling, HIA differs from other community health approaches in its starting point, purpose and relationship to interventions.

Behavioural sleep disorders in children and adolescents.

Studies indicate that sleep problems in children and adolescents are highly prevalent, with prevalence rates ranging from 25% to 40%. They are even more common in special populations, especially children with psychiatric issues. Furthermore, sleep issues are often persistent.

Assessing smoking status in children, adolescents and adults: cotinine cut-points revisited.

Aims: To reassess saliva cotinine cut-points to discriminate smoking status. Cotinine cut-points that are in use were derived from relatively small samples of smokers and non-smokers 20 or more years ago. It is possible that optimal cut-points may have changed as prevalence and exposure to passive smoking have declined.

Bedtime problems and night wakings in children.

Bedtime problems and night wakings in children are extremely common, and the treatment literature demonstrates strong empirical support for behavioral interventions. Empirically validated interventions for bedtime problems and night wakings include extinction, graduated extinction, positive routines, and parental education. Most children respond to behavioral interventions, resulting not only in better sleep for the child, but also better sleep and improved daytime functioning for the entire family.

Insights into the ClC-4 transport mechanism from studies of Zn2+ inhibition.

The CLC family of chloride channels and transporters is a functionally diverse group of proteins important in a wide range of physiological processes. ClC-4 and ClC-5 are localized to endosomes and seem to play roles in the acidification of these compartments. These proteins were recently shown to function as Cl(-)/H(+) antiporters.

The Cl-/H+ antiporter ClC-7 is the primary chloride permeation pathway in lysosomes.

Lysosomes are the stomachs of the cell-terminal organelles on the endocytic pathway where internalized macromolecules are degraded. Containing a wide range of hydrolytic enzymes, lysosomes depend on maintaining acidic luminal pH values for efficient function. Although acidification is mediated by a V-type proton ATPase, a parallel anion pathway is essential to allow bulk proton transport.

A comparison of measured height and demi-span equivalent height in the assessment of body mass index among people aged 65 years and over in England.

Objectives: to examine differences between measured height and demi-span equivalent height (DEH) among people aged >or=65 and investigate the impact on body mass index (BMI) of using DEH.

Design And Setting: nationally representative cross-sectional sample of adults living in England.

Participants: 3,346 non-institutionalised adults aged >or=65, taking part in the Health Survey for England (HSE) 2001.

The epidemiology of fractures in England.

Introduction: Fractures are a considerable public health burden in the United Kingdom but information on their epidemiology is limited.

Objective: This study aims to estimate the true annual incidence and lifetime prevalence of fractures in England, within both the general population and specific groups, using a self-report methodology.

Methods: A self-report survey of a nationally representative general population sample of 45,293 individuals in England, plus a special boost sample of 10,111 drawn from the ethnic minority population.

Using routine data to measure ethnic differentials in access to coronary revascularization.

Background: Ethnic inequalities in access to health services are difficult to monitor and address because of limited data. Within the health service, ethnicity data have been poor quality, partly because they are not seen as useful.

Methods: The analysis related age- and sex-standardized coronary revascularization procedures to defined measures of need, using proportional ratios derived from Hospital Episode Statistics records for London residents admitted to any hospital nationally in 2002-03 or 2003-04.

The 24-hour sleep patterns interview: a pilot study of validity and feasibility.

The purpose of this project was to examine the validity and feasibility of the 24-Hour Sleep Patterns Interview (24-Hour SPI) as a measure of sleep continuity (bedtime, wake time, sleep onset latency, total sleep time) and sleep quality. Two studies were completed. The first study (n = 154) compared the 24-Hour SPI with a 2-week sleep diary, and the second study (n = 32) compared the 24-Hour SPI with actigraphy, sleep diary, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.