Use of the Cytobrush for concurrent cytology and chlamydia sampling: a comparison of immunofluorescence and culture for detection of chlamydia

Five hundred and thirty-three women attending a genitourinary medicine clinic underwent concurrent cytology and Chlamydia trachomatis screening using a Cytobrush (Medscand AB). In each case, the same Cytobrush was used to give a sample for direct immunofluorescence and culture. 11.1% of samples were positive by immunofluorescence, while 10.6% were positive by culture. This was a close agreement (Kappa = 0.875). The ability of the same instrument to be used for both cytology and chlamydial screening, where direct immunofluorescence is used for detection of chlamydiae, may allow more widespread screening for chlamydia to be practical.     

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.     

Structural and functional changes in the liver of pregnant rats and their fetuses exposed to cadmium, benzol and lead nitrate

Lead nitrate administered to noninbred rats with drinking water on the level of IO MAC (0.3 mg/l) during the whole period of gestation lead to the strengthening of hepatotoxic effect of cadmium chloride (7.5 and 15 mg/kg daily by gavage from the 1st to 20th day of gestation), manifest in significant increase of the hepatocytes alteration index, increase of the number of the pyknotic cells of reticuloendothelial system, increase of the degree of dams' liver hepatocytes dystrophy, decrease in the specific volume of megakaryocytes in the liver of their fetuses.