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Introduction. Understanding the genetic architecture of scleroderma (SSc) susceptibility is vital both in gene discovery and in determining the influence of previously identified susceptibility variants. It is particularly important in understanding disease mechanism in a disease with few therapies and great morbidity and mortality. Methods. We selected 557 cases from the Australian Scleroderma Cohort Study (ASCS), for genotyping with the Immunochip, a custom Illumina Infinium genotyping array containing 196 524 rare and common variants shown to be important in a wide variety of autoimmune disorders. A total of 4537 controls were taken from the 1958 British Birth cohort. Genotype data were analysed with PLINK. Samples and SNPs with low call rates were excluded, as were SNPs in Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium or with less than two occurrences of the minor allele. Eigenstrat was used to analyse population structure. The final data set consisted of 505 cases, 4491 controls and 146 867 SNPs. Allelic association analyses were conducted using Fisher's exact test. Genotype clusters were manually examined for all associations of P < 10−5 since calling is difficult for some rare variants. Results. Significant and suggestive associations were detected at seven loci. Several of these have been previously implicated in scleroderma susceptibility (HLA-DRB1 and STAT4) and several are novel associations, including SNPs near PXK (P = 4.4 × 10−6) and CFDP1(P = 2.6 × 10−6). The strongest associations were with SNPs in the Class II region of the MHC. One of the most strongly associated SNPs [rs4639334; P = 1.6 × 10−8; odds ratio (OR) = 1.8] is in linkage disequilibrium (r2 = 0.46) with the Class II allele HLA-DRB1*11:01. This allele has been associated with SSc. Another strongly associated SNP is rs2857130 (P = 1.6 × 10−8; OR = 0.67), which lies in the promoter region of HLA-DRB1, but is not in LD with any classical MHC alleles. Outside the MHC, there were six regions of association with P < 10−5,including the confirmed SSc locus at STAT4. Several SNPs implicate a locus at PXK, which has been previously associated with SLE but not with SSc. The remaining associations are novel for both SSc and SLE and require replication. Of particular interest is a rare variant located within a non-coding RNA on chromosome 6q21 which was ∼20 times more frequent in cases than controls. We are currently dissecting the potential biological implications of this locus. Conclusions. This pilot study has confirmed previously reported SSc associations, revealed further genetic overlap between SSc and SLE, and identified putative novel SSc susceptibility loci including a rare allele with major effect size

Non-radioactive in situ hybridization of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded placental and foetal tissue, using virus-specific DNA or RNA probes, may be helpful for the diagnosis of foetal virus infection causing foetal hydrops, granulomatous placentitis and abortion. We present four cases of intrauterine CMV-, Parvo-B19- and Varicella-Zoster virus infection, in which this diagnostic method established detection of the virus.

Scientific method cannot establish whether a patient's productions in psychotherapy are truthful because of the nature of Cartesian dualism. Phenomenology, however, is an alternative that clarifies what is truthful in therapy and provides insight into the process of therapeutic change itself. Basic ideas of Paul Ricoeur and the epistemology of Michael Polanyi are applied to the treatment setting to evaluate change. Clinical examples illustrate the usefulness of exegesis as a paradigm for understanding the process of therapy.

Photographs are shown of a book-copying camera using 35-mm. positive motion picture film, and the special features of this camera are discussed. The problem of the reduction ratio is discussed and illustrations shown, with the conclusion that a 10 or 12 to 1 reduction ratio should be employed for book copy work on 35-mm. positive motion picture film. — Photographs are shown of a reading machine of the author's design, and various aspects of the problem are discussed.

The development and efficiency of the cytological laboratory at the Freiburg University Hospital (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology) are demonstrated. The number of examinations and detected cervical carcinomas are reported. The different groupes of cervical smears according to the Papanicolaou classification are discussed. High value is set on voluntary check-up (quality control) on all cytological laboratories efficiencies.

To the Editor:— The emphasis which Lieutenant Pijoan and I intended to place in our paper was on the vehicle and its convenience, not on the incorporated sulfathiazole. Sulfadiazine in dimethoxy cellulose was used without alcohol in an aqueous medium for the treatment of impetigo ( Southwest. Med. 27: 118 [May] 1943) and in the treatment of burns and other infections ( Bull. Johns Hopkins Hosp. 69: 217 [Aug.] 1941; 71: 304 [Nov.] 1942). In these reports the dimethoxy cellulose was dissolved in water and not in alcohol. The introduction of alcohol was not for its therapeutic action but rather to increase the drying rate, a practical point in convenience. However, dimethoxy cellulose apparently did limit the spread of the infection. In this light the conclusion which we expressed may be considered as not well worded.

The treatment of impetigo contagiosa has always been an acute problem particularly in children, owing to the extreme contagiousness of the disease. This disease has been reported among war refugees 1 and has recently assumed military importance. 2 The etiology of impetigo is somewhat obscure and there is no uniform agreement regarding the agent responsible for the disease. Some 3 regard the streptococcus as the etiologic agent, others 4 believe a virus responsible, but the more general opinion 5 is that staphylococci, so prevalent in the lesions, are responsible for the disease. In spite of the fact that reinfection is common among children, one of us (Pijoan) was unable to infect himself with material from impetiginous lesions in various stages of development. The methods of treating impetigo have been extensive. To the lesions have been applied tinctures of mercurial disinfectants, copper sulfate-zinc, 6 solutions of ferric chloride, 7 boric acid-zinc ointment, 8 staphylococcus toxoid, 9 silver nitrate