Colorectal cancer incidence, mortality and survival in South-east England between 1972 and 2001.

We report incidence, mortality and survival from colorectal cancer in South-east England using data from 162,022 incident cases and 97,697 deaths collected between 1972 and 2001 at the Thames Cancer Registry, which currently covers 14 million people. Overall, there was an increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer among men aged 50 years and over, and a decrease among the youngest age groups. In women, there was a clear decrease in incidence among those aged less than 60 years but a slight increase among those aged 60-79 years. Furthermore, there has been a steady decrease in mortality for all ages, larger in women than in men, and an increase in the 10-year relative survival for both sexes from just over 30% among those followed-up during 1981-1986 to just over 45% among those followed-up during 1997-2001.     

Cancer projection by the turn of century-Indian science

This is an attempt to understand the magnitude of cancer problem in India. The incidence data generated by the three population based cancer registries at Bangalore, Bombay and Madras and the population projections of country have been utilised for estimating the present and future load of new cancer cases. It is estimated that the total number of incident cases in males increased from 0.29 million to 0.43 million by the turn of the century as a result of change in size and composition of population and when adjusted for tobacco habits the estimates increased to 0.49 million. In females the incident cases of cancer for three registries increased from 0.32 to 0.42 million by 2001, with cancer of uterine cervix and breast being the major problems. The above results show an urgent need for strengthening and augmenting the existing diagnostic/treatment facilities which are vow fully inadequate to tackle even the present load.     

FK506 and rapamycin: novel pharmacological probes of the immune response.

The immune system is an intricate network of circuitry which is incompletely understood. Novel tools are needed to unravel the relevance of even the smallest components of this network. While the clinical potential of FK506 and rapamycin as selective immunosuppressants is the major reason for their current importance, preclinical studies described here by Joseph Chang and colleagues have already suggested several provocative ideas which may revise our biochemical concepts of T-cell activation. With the combination of molecular and cellular studies, the insights gained with FK506/rapamycin may lead to a better understanding of the biochemical circuits that are involved in the immune response. Ultimately, studies may lead to the identification of an endogenous immunosuppressive ligand that mimics FK506 or rapamycin.     

Exfoliative dermatitis. A prospective study of 80 patients

A prospective study in 80 exfoliative dermatitis patients over a period of 5 years establishes 41.9 years as its mean age at onset. The disease affected both males and females, with a preponderance of the former. The clinical features were identical, irrespective of the etiology. The onset of the disease was usually insidious except in staphylococcal scalled skin syndrome and drug-induced erythroderma, where it was abrupt and florid. Microcytic hypochromic anemia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, eosinophilia, low serum proteins and electrolytes were salient laboratory features. Histopathology was largely unrewarding; only in 12 patients, a good clinicohistologic correlation was present. Preexisting dermatoses, namely psoriasis, air-borne contact dermatitis, phytophotodermatitis, photosensitive and seborrheic dermatitis, and other dermatoses constituted the major etiology. Antituberculous drugs were responsible for a substantial proportion of drug-induced erythroderma. No lymphomas were found. This study outlines that some salient features of exfoliative dermatitis may show geographic variations.     

HIV-I antibodies in health and disease

Antibodies to human immune deficiency (HIV) virus were studied in 2000 individuals including cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), leprosy, chronic renal failure on haemodialysis and patients attending STD clinics. A group of blood donors was also screened, ELISA kits provided by Wellcome Diagnostics were used. Results indicate that the ELISA values were far above the cut off figure in all except in a couple where the husband who had stayed in Uganda for several years, and had features of full blown AIDS died 4 months after the diagnosis. The spouse contacted AIDS within a relatively short incubation period and died within 6 months of diagnosis. The North Indian population thus appears to be free of this virus so far. This observation will be an important lead mark in the future epidemiology of HIV infection in India.     

Auto-antibody profile in systemic lupus erythematosus

Thirty cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were selected on the basis of revised ARA criteria (American Rheumatology Association) and their sera examined for the presence of various auto-antibodies. The male to female ratio was 1:5 and joint manifestations were the commonest mode of presentation. The frequency of various manifestations was found to differ between the two sexes. Renal lesions were observed in 9 (nine) cases. ANF was detected in 28 of the 30 cases and the diffuse pattern was the commonest (11 cases) (37.7%). Six cases had very high titres (a titre of more than 1:1280) of antinuclear factor. Antibodies to DNA were detected in 9 cases (30%). These patients tended to have more severe disease, with high titres of ANF and low complement levels. Presence of antibodies to DNA, however, could not be correlated with the severity of renal lesions. Anti Sm antibody was found in 8 cases (26.7%), anti nRNP antibody in 19 cases (63.3%) and antihistone antibodies in 22 cases (73.3%). Patients harbouring any of these three antibodies tended to have a milder clinical disease.     

Leg ulcers caused by yaws and endemic syphilis

Treponematoses as a cause of leg ulcer is today an infrequent phenomenon and is reported sporadically. ¹ Availability and widespread use of a large variety of potent antibiotics, improvements in living conditions, increased social awareness and hygiene, and worldwide improvements in medical care have all contributed to its containment. However, in the underdeveloped, third world countries, pockets of endemic treponematoses continue to persist. Of late, a resurgence of the disease appears to have occurred in Western and Central Africa, and in the Asia Pacific region,^{2 7} following the easing of surveillance and control measures. The current concept as far as the classification of human-associated treponematoses is concerned is given in Table 1.^8,9