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The bishops of medieval England wielded great power, and their residences were often as splendid as those built for royalty. Today the majority of bishops live in far more modest accommodation, with only a handful of medieval palaces serving as official residences. In recent years, this number has been further reduced by the Church Commissioners, who have chosen to dispose of some of the most significant examples, on the basis that they are unsuitable residences and that their upkeep is a drain on the Church of England's limited resources. This article examines the current review process for diocesan bishops' accommodation, and suggests how a balance might be struck between the protection of heritage assets and the needs of the Church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the occurrence of occult bacteremia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae in Liverpool, England. Determination of total white cell and neutrophil counts; Incidence of febrile convulsions; Adverse effects of performing a lumbar puncture.

The costs and projected benefits of universal screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women in East Anglia are calculated and compared with current practice. By adjusting data from West Midlands region for ethnicity, the prevalence of maternal hepatitis B surface-antigen (HBsAg) positivity in East Anglia is predicted to be 0.083% (1 in 1200). Published data on health risks of perinatal HBV infection and on immunisation efficacy are used to derive benefits of screening. The marginal direct cost of screening is identified from regional sources. Current clinical practice in East Anglia identifies 7 surface-antigen positive mothers per year, whereas 22 are expected. Routine antenatal screening in East Anglia would prevent 2.6 additional childhood carriers per year (compared with current practice), resulting in the prevention of 0.7 deaths per year occurring 40-50 years in the future. The direct cost per (undiscounted) life-year saved would be Pounds 2437, not including savings on treatment for chronic hepatitis B infection. Routine prenatal screening for maternal HBsAg should be introduced without delay and continue even if HBV vaccination is introduced into the UK childhood immunisation schedule.

Aims: In April 1991 additional quality control procedures were introduced into the virology section of the Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Cambridge. Internal quality control (IQC) samples were gradually included in the serological assays performed in the laboratory and supplemented kit controls and standard sera., Methods: From April 1991 to December 1993, 2421 IQC procedures were carried out with reference sera., Results: The IQC samples were evaluated according to the Westgard rules. Violations were recorded in 60 of 1808 (3.3%) controls and were highest in the IQC samples of complement fixation tests (25/312 (8%) of controls submitted for complement fixation tests)., Conclusions: The inclusion of IQC samples in the serological assays performed in the laboratory has highlighted batch to batch variation in commercial assays. The setting of acceptable limits for the IQC samples has increased confidence in the validity of assay results.