The significance of gallstones in children with sickle cell anemia.

Infection is the most common cause of high morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality in children with sickle cell anemia. In this study of pediatric sickle cell anemia patients, aged 1 to 19, we explore the hypothesis that gallstones (usually pigment stones) create a nidus of infection, predisposing the affected patients to high morbidity. Our study involved 86 children with sickle cell anemia at the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease, who had been followed at the clinic for a total of 602 patient years. Review of their records revealed that patients with gallstones had a mean number of 10.24 hospitalizations and 25.35 ambulatory visits; those without gallstones had a mean number of only 4.26 hospitalizations and 13.41 ambulatory visits. In children with sickle cell anemia and gallstones, elective cholecystectomy (or, in the future, cholelithotripsy) could reduce the high morbidity caused by infection.

The role of diet in prostate cancer.

This is a one-to-one, age- and race-matched case-control study involving 55 histologically confirmed black prostate cancer patients and 55 controls who were seen at three major hospitals in Washington, DC from 1982 to 1984. Personal interviews were conducted to obtain the number of times food items of specified serving size were consumed per week by cases and controls; the subjects were grouped according to the age periods 30-49 and 50 years and older. We then calculated the average daily consumption of each of 18 nutrients per 1,000 calories. There was a significant negative association between linoleic acid (p less than 0.04) for the 50 years and older group, thiamin (p less than 0.05) for those 30-49 years old, riboflavin (p less than 0.03) for the 50 and older group, and iron (p less than 0.05) for those 30-49 years old. The results of this study suggest that the intake of thiamin and iron (in subjects 30-49 years old), linoleic acid and riboflavin (in subjects 50 years and over) could be protective because control subjects consumed more of these nutrients than did the cases.

Sarcoidosis of the testis: a case report.

A left testicular mass was found in a 34-year-old black man with a history of multisystem sarcoidosis of 7½ years duration. Microscopic examination of the excised testicle revealed noncaseating granulomas throughout, as well as a few such lesions in the epididymis. This is the seventh reported, microscopically proven case of sarcoidosis of the testis without significant epididymal involvement occurring in a living individual.A review of the other cases of testicular sarcoidosis in the literature reveals that most of them had a number of organs involved with this disease, similar to the subject of this report. Over one half of these patients had skin lesions with or without bone or joint manifestations, suggesting that the testis should be evaluated with particular care when any of these areas are involved. If there is a consistent association of skin, bone, and testicular lesions in this disease, genital sarcoidosis may be more common than presently thought.

Nutrition and prostate cancer: a case-control study.

This one-to-one, age- and race-matched case-control study involved 181 histologically confirmed black prostate cancer patients and 181 controls seen at three major hospitals in Washington, DC, during the period 1979-1982. Personal interviews were conducted to obtain the number of times food items of specified serving size were consumed per week by cases and controls during the age periods 30-49 and 50 years and older. Then the average daily consumption of each of 18 nutrients per 1,000 calories was calculated. There was risk enhancement associated with increased intake of proteins, total fat, saturated fat, oleic acid, and vitamin A during the age period 30-49 years. The association was highly significant for vitamin A and approached statistical significance for the other four nutrients. A hypothesis based on disturbance of the zinc-retinol binding protein-vitamin A axis was put forward to explain the relative risk enhancement effect of vitamin A on prostate cancer.

Ultrastructure of the gonads in the testicular feminization syndrome.

The testicular feminization syndrome is a form of familial male pseudohermaphroditism transmitted by an X-linked gene. The karyotype is 46XY. Affected patients resemble normal females phenotypically. To date, only eight cases of this syndrome have been studied by electron microscope. This study reports the ultrastructural appearance of the gonads in two additional patients. The presence of mature interstitial cells with a rich endoplasmic reticulum suggests that the pathologic defect is not due to a lack of androgenic hormone production by the testes but is caused by peripheral end-organ resistance.

Hepatocellular carcinoma- etiologic considerations: a review of the literature.

There are an estimated 120 million hepatitis B virus carriers worldwide. More than 200,000 of these are in the United States. A higher incidence of active hepatitis B virus infection has been observed in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma than in controls, in all geographical regions. This paper reviews the world literature on the relationship of hepatitis B virus to the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma.