Transient loss of the Y-chromosome in an elderly man with anemia and lead poisoning: chance occurrence or a clonal marker of the underlying hematological abnormality?

One of the most important environmental and occupational pollutants is lead. Cytogenetic damage is known to occur to many individuals exposed to lead, e.g., outdoor and car painters, traffic policemen, gasoline station attendants, etc.1 Chronic lead exposure affects many organ systems leading to a gradual decline in the so-called safe blood lead levels over time.

Kikuchi's disease: a benign cause of fever and cervical lymphadenopathy.

Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi's disease, KD) is a rare benign condition of unknown origin, usually characterized by lymphadenopathy and fever, affecting mainly young women. We describe three cases of patients, one man and two women, with biopsy-proven KD detected at our university hospital during the past 3 years and we review the literature.