Oral contraceptives. Assessment of benefits.

Use of oral contraceptives has been shown to reduce the risk of gynecologic conditions that cause significant mortality, including ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and ectopic pregnancy. Additionally, its use has been linked to quality-of-life issues, such as the prevention of pelvic inflammatory disease, benign breast disease and functional ovarian cysts, as well as to dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome and iron deficiency anemia. Such information should be conveyed to women of reproductive age during their contraceptive counseling session.

[Deleterious effect of levamisole on experimental trypanosomiasis in mice]. / Effet néfaste du lévamisole sur la trypanosomose expérimentale de la souris.

One outbred strain, NMRI, and 4 inbred strains of mice, BALB/c A/J, CBA and C57B1/6, of widely differing susceptibilities to infection by Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense, stock Dinderesso/80/CRTA/3, were treated throughout the course of infection with levamisole, an immunomodulating drug. Under the regime used this drug is capable of restoring depressed immune responses. Surprisingly, levamisole was not beneficial to the course of infection. In all of the strains except BALB/c, levamisole treatment increased mortality and in three of the strains parasitaemia was enhanced. The authors discuss possible reason for these findings which highlight the fact that the protective immune mechanisms operating in African trypanosomiasis are still poorly understood.

Evaluation of host resistance and immunity in mice exposed to the carbamate pesticide aldicarb.

Adult female Swiss-Webster and B6C3F1 mice received distilled water only or water containing 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100, or 1000 ppb of aldicarb daily for 34 days. The target concentration of aldicarb present in the 10 ppb dosing solution was analytically verified on a daily basis as was its stability over a 48-hr period. To develop an immune profile of this compound, functional parameters measured after exposure included resistance to infectious viral challenge; quantitation of splenic antibody-forming cells to sheep erythrocytes and circulating serum antibody levels; splenic lymphocyte blastogenesis to T- and B-cell mitogens; and mixed-lymphocyte culture response. To supplement the functional assays, complete blood counts, differential leukocyte counts, and body and relative organ weights were measured. In addition, gross and histopathologic examinations of tissues relevant to the immune system were performed. The absence of significant effects on any of these parameters suggests that aldicarb at environmentally relevant exposure concentrations is not immunotoxic in rodents.