Congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis. Report of a case with 7-year follow-up and a review of the literature

A case of congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis in an otherwise healthy newborn boy is presented. Histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural findings are described and the nosologic position of this entity is discussed.     

Patient education: history, development, and current directions of the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute

With their unique perspectives in the identification, design, promotion, and evaluation of cancer patient education programs and services, the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society have the abilities to meet a wide variety of cancer patient education needs. With federal support and connections to national organizations and the comprehensive and clinical cancer center networks, the National Cancer Institute has access to nationwide experts in medical care and the resources to develop, design, and promote quality, state-of-the-art education programs. The American Cancer Society, with its strong volunteer community base, can pull together local expertise and collaborate with local organizations to meet the special needs of local population groups. In addition, the American Cancer Society volunteer committees have the flexibility to individualize programming and resources to answer specific patient/family education problems. As the number of people affected by cancer continues to raise, and as organizations realize the need to maximize their resources with collaborative efforts, the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society are challenged to focus their energies on the patient education initiatives that build upon and combine their unique strengths.     

Hematotoxicity and concentration-dependent conjugation of phenol in mice following inhalation exposure to benzene

Benzene is metabolized to one or more hematotoxic species. Saturation of benzene metabolism could limit the production of toxic species. Saturation of phase II enzymes involved in the conjugation of the phenolic metabolites of benzene also could affect the hematotoxicity of benzene. To investigate the latter possibility, we exposed male Swiss mice, via the inhalation route, to various concentrations of benzene for 6 h per day for 5 days. Following termination of the final exposure the mice were killed and the levels of phenylsulfate and phenylglucuronide in the blood determined. Spleen weights were recorded and the number of white blood cells counted. At low benzene exposure concentrations phenylsulfate is the major conjugated form of phenol in the blood. At high exposure concentrations, phenylglucuronide is the predominant species. The reductions in spleen weight and white blood cell numbers correlated with the concentration of phenylsulfate in the blood, but are most probably not causally related.     

Chymotrypsin treatment increases the activity of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin

Chymotrypsin treatment of the enterotoxin from Clostridium perfringens results in the loss of 36 amino acids from the N-terminus and 3 amino acids from the C-terminus. This processing results in a 3.2 fold increase in activity on Vero cells, which is close to what had been found for trypsin treatment following the loss of 25 amino acids from the N-terminus.     

Blastomogenic action of heavy vanadium-rich petroleum and its processing products

The contributors performed a study of the blastomogenic properties of the heavy high vanadium oil processed at different temperatures. Skin applications of the oil and oil products in hybrid mice induced skin tumours in 27.5 (48.7%), pregastric--6.4 (7.6%), genital--15.4 (21.1%) cases. It was established that high temperatures of oil sublimation increased the benzopyrene contents and the oil products' blastomogenic activity.     

The impact of partial termination of food subsidy programme on food consumption pattern.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the public opinion towards the possible replacement of ration cards by cash payment and to investigate the effect of partial termination of food price subsidy programme on food consumption by families from different income brackets. A purposive sample of 300 families from Alexandria Governorates were interviewed to assess the attitude of the consumer towards the possible termination of current food subsidy programme. After one year, during which the subsidy programme was reduced, a follow up sample of 240 were interviewed. The results show that a large proportion of the families prefer the continuation of the current programme (80-81.2%), meanwhile, around 90% of them believed that subsidized foods do not reach the target group. The data show that subsidized meat and poultry are consumed by high income families while frozen subsidized fish was mostly consumed by poor families. The partial termination of the subsidy programme forced the families to reduce their consumption from sugar, tea, oil, and rice. During the second phase of the study. However the results show that high income families were least affected by the partial termination of the subsidy programme.     

Electroencephalographic changes and periodontal status during short-term vitamin B-6 depletion of young, nonpregnant women

As part of a larger investigation to determine the effect of animal vs. plant proteins on the vitamin B-6 requirement of young women, clinical changes during vitamin B-6 depletion were documented. Eight healthy young women were confined to a metabolic unit and fed a defined formula diet nearly devoid of vitamin B-6 (less than 0.05 mg/d). Serial electroencephalographic (EEG) tracings, peripheral nervous system tests, periodontal evaluations, and biochemical measures of vitamin B-6 status were conducted. Within 12 d on the depletion diet, two of the eight women exhibited abnormal EEG tracings. These changes were readily reversed by repletion of vitamin B-6 at the 0.5-mg/d level. Biochemical measures reflected lowered vitamin B-6 status but were not predictive of the onset of EEG changes. No detectable alterations in oral or periodontal status were found, nor did plaque flora change markedly. This study is the first report of EEG changes occurring in women undergoing vitamin B-6 depletion and the first report to document EEG changes in adults within 12 d on a vitamin B-6-depletion regimen.