Gary John Macfarlane

OBJECTIVE: To summarize evidence regarding the effectiveness of anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) treatments in childhood autoimmune chronic uveitis (ACU), refractory to previous disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

METHODS: A systematic search between January 2000 and October 2012 was conducted using EMBase, Ovid Medline, Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Reviews: American College of Physicians Journal Club, Cochrane libraries, and EBM Reviews. Studies investigating the ...

Tobacco and alcohol are major risk factors for upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer and significant variation is observed in UADT cancer rates across Europe. We have estimated the proportion of UADT cancer burden explained by tobacco and alcohol and how this varies with the incidence rates across Europe, cancer sub-site, gender and age. This should help estimate the minimum residual burden of other risk factors to UADT cancer, including human papillomavirus. We analysed 1981 UADT ...

OBJECTIVES: Dysregulated biological stress systems and adverse life events, independently and in interaction, have been hypothesised to initiate chronic pain. We examine whether (1) function of biological stress systems, (2) adverse life events, and (3) their combination predict the onset of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain.

METHODS: Subjects (n=2039) of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, free from chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain at baseline, were identified ...

OBJECTIVE: There is debate as to the role of inflammatory disease activity in the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related fatigue. We undertook this study to determine the relationship of fatigue to disease activity by examining pathways associated with change in fatigue in subjects starting anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy for the first time.

METHODS: Participants who had been recruited to the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for RA provided ...

STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine 1) whether, among patients with persistent disabling low back pain (LBP), a group program of exercise and education using a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach, reduces pain and disability over a subsequent 12-month period; 2) the cost-effectiveness of the intervention; and 3) whether a priori preference for type of treatment influences outcome.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: There is evidence that both exercise ...

In clinic studies, altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function has been associated with fibromyalgia, a syndrome characterised by chronic widespread body pain. These results may be explained by the associated high rates of psychological distress and somatisation. We address the hypothesis that the latter, rather than the pain, might explain the HPA results. A population study ascertained pain and psychological status in subjects aged 25 to 65 years. Random samples were ...

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal pain is reported more commonly by South Asians in the UK than by white Europeans. This may result from a variety of factors, including cultural differences, and thus we investigated the extent to which differences in the prevalence of pain within the South Asian population could be explained by differences in acculturation (the extent to which immigrants take on the culture of their host population).

METHODS: Nine hundred and thirty-three Europeans and 1914 ...

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies on chronic pelvic pain (CPP) have focused on women of reproductive age. We aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) in adult women and the differences in associated factors among women of reproductive age and older women. In addition, to determine whether distinct subgroups existed among CPP cases.

METHODS: A cross-sectional postal survey was conducted among 5300 randomly selected women aged ≥25 years resident in the Grampian ...

BACKGROUND: Little evidence exists on the role of socio-economic position (SEP) in early life on adult disease other than for cardiovascular mortality; data is often retrospective. We assess whether childhood SEP influences disease risk in mid-life, separately from the effect of adult position, and establish how associations vary across multiple measures of disease risk.

METHODS: Prospective follow-up to adulthood of all born in England, Scotland and Wales during 1 week in 1958, and with ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the aetiology of forearm pain. In particular to determine the relative contribution of (a) psychological factors, features of somatisation, and health anxiety and behaviour, (b) work related mechanical factors, and (c) work related psychosocial factors in the onset of forearm pain.

DESIGN: 2 year prospective population based cohort study, with retrospective assessment of exposures at work.

SETTING: Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

PARTICIPANTS: 1953 individuals ...

Lung cancer is a major public health concern worldwide. Our study aims to examine trends in incidence of lung cancer in Scotland during 1959-97 and by histologic type for 1975-97. In Scotland, lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Due to poor survival rates, trends in incidence and mortality display similar patterns. Within the United States and many parts of Europe, falls in the incidence of squamous cell ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether reported widespread body pain is related to an increased incidence of cancer and/or reduced survival from cancer, since our previous population surveys have demonstrated a relationship between widespread body pain and a subsequent 2-fold increase in mortality from cancer over an 8-year period.

METHODS: A total of 6565 subjects in Northwest England participated in 2 health surveys during 1991-1992. The subjects were classified according to their reported ...