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This paper reports on some initial findings from an ongoing research project undertaken with staff and students at one university department of Educational Studies. The project is seeking to explore the experiences of undergraduate students who are reading Educational Studies. Graduates of the degree programme are not awarded qualified teacher status although they might undertake further training that would qualify them to enter the teaching profession in primary schools. Perceptions of staff and students together with documentary analyses are used to comment on issues to do with recruitment and selection to degree programmes in Educational Studies, experiences of teaching and learning and students' future career paths. The article provides an initial understanding of the nature of the increasingly common undergraduate provision in Educational Studies. It suggests that the growth of Educational Studies degree programmes is very positive but it also raises a number of problematic issues that require further attention. (Contains 2 tables.)

What is already known about this subject Small, dense LDL is highly atherogenic and the prevalence is higher in obesity., Weight loss lowers the prevalence of small, dense LDL., What this study adds The important role of TG in lowering LDL peak particle density and the proportion of small, dense LDL particles., Waist or insulin resistance were not predictive of these important changes in LDL characteristics., Objective Small, dense low-density lipoprotein ( LDL) particles are highly atherogenic and strongly associated with obesity-related dyslipidemia. The metabolic inter-relationships between weight loss induced changes in waist circumference, triglycerides, insulin sensitivity and small-dense LDL particles in clinically obese children and adolescents have not been studied. Methods Seventy-five clinically obese boys and girls (standardized body mass index 3.07 ± 0.59, aged 8-18 years) were recruited. Anthropometric, body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors were measured pre- and post-weight loss. Results There were highly significant reductions in anthropometric, body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors. Triglyceride change was positively correlated with LDL peak particle density and percentage LDL pattern B changes (relative abundance of small, dense LDL particles). Multiple regression analyses showed that changes in triglyceride concentration accounted for between 24 and 18% of the variance in LDL peak particle density and percentage LDL pattern B change, respectively. Changes in waist circumference and insulin sensitivity did not predict these changes in LDL characteristics. Conclusion Acute and highly significant weight loss significantly decreased LDL peak particle density and percentage LDL pattern B. The change in triglycerides was a strong predictor of LDL peak particle density and percentage LDL pattern B change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between functional somatic syndromes and multiple somatic symptoms is unclear. Purpose: We assessed whether the number of somatic symptoms is a predictor of health status in three functional somatic syndromes (FSS). Methods: In a population-based study of 990 UK adults we assessed chronic widespread pain (CWP), chronic fatigue (CF) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by questionnaire and medical record data. We assessed health status (Short Form 12 and EQ-5D), number of somatic symptoms (Somatic Symptom Inventory) and anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) both at baseline and at follow-up 1 year later. Results: The proportion of people with an FSS who also have multiple somatic symptoms (52-55 %) was similar in the three functional syndromes. The presence of multiple somatic symptoms was associated with more impaired health status both at baseline and at follow-up. This finding was not explained by severity of FSS. In the absence of multiple somatic symptoms, the health status of the FSS was fair or good. In multiple regression analysis, the number of somatic symptoms, the presence of a functional syndrome (CWP or CF) and anxiety/depression were predictors of EQ-5D thermometer at follow-up after adjustment for confounders. Conclusions: Multiple somatic symptoms in people with an FSS are associated with impaired health status and this cannot be explained by more severe functional syndrome or the presence of anxiety and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of conventional drugs for prescription by doctors. In order to ensure safety and efficacy of all drugs, including homeopathic and herbal treatments, these drugs should be tested along similar lines. Thus, the British Medical Association working party is considering this problem in the use of alternatives to conventional drugs.

Comments on issues related to health and medicine in Great Britain. Call for medical researches on diseases to concentrate on prevention and cure; Reasons for forbidding mothers to immunize their children against whooping cough; Drawbacks in the use of computers for laboratory reports.

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: P.J.H. has received educational grants and honoraria for consulting from Abbvie, Janssen, Novartis and UCB. All other authors have no conflicts to disclose.

Objective: To assess whether the number of somatic symptoms and health anxiety are independent predictors of future health care use after adjusting for confounders., Methods: In a random sample of the adult UK population, questionnaires assessed the number of somatic symptoms (Somatic Symptom Inventory), health anxiety (Whiteley Index), anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), the number of physical illnesses and demographic variables. The number of consultations in primary care was obtained from medical records for 1 year before and after questionnaire assessment, and negative binomial regression analyses identified predictors of consultation rate., Results: The sample included 961 participants (58.0% response) with complete medical record data for 609 participants. After adjustment for consultation rate in the prior year, the predictors of subsequent consultation rate in primary care were the number of physical illnesses, off work through illness, Whiteley Index (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-1.35), and the Whiteley Index-by-Somatic Symptom Inventory interaction term. Reported physical abuse predicted an increased consultation rate in women (IRR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.08-4.90) but a reduced rate in men (IRR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22-0.84), interaction p = 0.003., Conclusions: These data raise the possibility that both increased health anxiety and number of bothersome somatic symptoms predict frequent medical consultations. A more complex model of predicting future health care use is needed than has been studied previously, which is potentially relevant to the current discussions of the proposed DSM-V and International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision, diagnostic guidelines regarding complex somatic symptom disorders.