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Objective : To determine whether a single session of PNF stretching using the hold-relax technique on the diagonal of extension, abduction and internal rotation was more effective at increasing hip adductor flexibility than passive stretching in a horizontal plane in sedentary individuals. Materials and Method : A single blind cross-over design, with the evaluator being blinded was utilized. A total of sixty-four students from the University of the West Indies participated in the study. Each subject had one leg exposed to three passive stretches with a 10 second hold for each stretch. The other leg was placed on the PNF diagonal of extension, abduction, and internal rotation and three repetitions of the hold-relax technique applied. Abduction range of motion was measured using standard goniometric procedures before and immediately after stretching. Results : Both PNF and static stretching produced a significant increase in flexibility (mean change of 9.95 o ± 6.7o and 10.9o± 6.8o respectively, p < 0.001). The results of the t -test showed no difference in the mean change in flexibility when the two techniques were compared (p = 0.41). Conclusion : Passive stretching in a horizontal plane and PNF stretching using the hold-relax technique on a diagonal are equally effective at increasing adductor flexibility in sedentary individuals.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the relative risk of breast and colorectal cancers in women who were previously diagnosed with endometrial cancer. This study was conducted using a population-based cohort of 2347 women diagnosed with invasive cancer of the endometrium between January 1, 1984, and December 31, 1995 in Orange County, California. Only women with a diagnosis of invasive endometrial cancer at age 80 years old or below were included in the analysis (N = 2170). In this same cohort, metachronous and synchronous breast and colorectal cancers were ascertained and the risk of developing one or the other type of neoplasm was compared to the expected number of cases derived from cancer incidence in California by age, 1988-1992. We found a statistically increased risk of breast cancer as a second primary, while the observed incidence in colorectal risk did not reach statistical significance. The association between endometrial cancer and breast and possibly colorectal cancer indicates the importance of common etiologies for these cancers.

e12528 Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence has decreased over the past three decades, due in part to screening for pre-malignant polyps. Relatively little is known about CRC incidence among adults under age 50 (when screening recommendations commence for average-risk individuals). We examined CRC incidence trends with a focus on adults under age 50, in order to identify high-risk subgroups. Methods: 231,544 incident CRC cases (including 21,220 adults

3578 Background: The risk of second primary colorectal cancers among rectal cancer patients has been described, but little is known about the risk of non-colorectal malignancies that may occur in the field of radiation. We attempted to quantify the risk, using data from the large population-based California Cancer Registry (CCR). Methods: We analyzed the CCR data for surgically-treated locoregional rectal cancer cases, diagnosed during the period 1988–2009. We excluded cases with second primary tumor (SPT) diagnosed within 12 months of initial diagnosis . Radiation treatment used was external beam radiation therapy. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to evaluate risk as compared to the underlying population after matching for age, sex, ethnicity, and time. Results: Of the study cohort of 13,418 rectal cancer cases, 1572 cases of SPTs were observed . The SIR was increased for small intestine cancer among cases receiving radiation treatment (4 cases observed vs. 1.01 cases expected; SIR=3.94, 95% CI 1.07-10.10) but not among cases lacking radiation treatment (4 observed vs. 4.45 expected; SIR=0.90, 5% CI 0.24-2.30). Among females treated with radiation, the SIR was increased for uterine cancer (12 observed vs. 5.59 expected; SIR=2.15, 95% CI 1.11 to 3.75) but not among cases lacking radiation therapy (23 observed vs. 26.17 expected; SIR=0.88, 95% CI 0.56-1.32). Among males receiving radiation treatment, the SIR for prostate cancer was decreased (23 observed vs. 69.78 expected; SIR=0.33; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.49) but of borderline significance among males lacking radiation therapy (243 observed vs. 276.97 expected; SIR=0.88, 95% CI 0.77-0.99). No significant differences were observed for cancers of the vagina, cervix, ovary, kidney, bladder, penis, testes, or leukemia based on prior radiation treatment for rectal cancer. Conclusions: Patients receiving pelvic radiation for treatment of rectal cancer have a subsequently higher than expected incidence of small intestine and uterine cancer. The incidence of prostate cancer appears to fall after pelvic radiation. These unexpected findings suggest complex relationships associated with radiation treatment for rectal cancer and SPT risk.

A major risk factor for breast cancer is family history of the disease in first-degree relatives. This study evaluates the validity of family history information on breast cancer in mothers and sisters of breast cancer probands from the cancer registry (CR) compared to personal interviews (PI) of 359 consecutive population-based cases of breast cancer. Breast cancer is seen in mothers of 14% of probands by CR compared to 12% by PI. Further, 13% of probands have a sister with breast cancer using CR compared to 12% by PI. Using PI as the standard, the sensitivity of the CR family history data in mothers is 92% and the specificity is 99%, while in sisters they are 88% and 99%, respectively. These estimates were calculated on cases where family history information is available in the CR. Sensitivity and specificity are recalculated, recording an "error" whenever family history information is not available, and they are 75% and 68%, respectively, for mothers and 72% and 70%, respectively, for sisters. Estimates of proband-mother and proband-sisters familial breast cancer from CR and PI are sufficiently similar to warrant the use of CR family history data in studies of genetic epidemiology. The family phenotype consistent with the BRCA1 syndrome was found in four (1.1%) probands, all below age 50 years, while for BRCA2 there were five (1.4%) probands, three below age 50 years and two 50 years or older. Site-specific familial breast cancer was found in 23 (6.4%) probands. Population-based multiple-case breast cancer families can rapidly be identified through CR. These families can make substantial contributions to the study of genetic and environmental etiology of the disease as well as benefit from preventive and therapeutic efforts. As new knowledge and tools in molecular genetics become available, there is an urgent need for large population-based registries of families at high risk for cancer.

The screening method, which employs readily available data, is an inexpensive and quick means of estimating vaccine effectiveness (VE). We compared estimates of effectiveness of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) using the screening and case-control methods. Cases were children aged 19-35 months with pneumococcus isolated from normally sterile sites residing in Active Bacterial Core surveillance areas in the United States. Case-control VE was estimated for 2001-2004 by comparing the odds of vaccination among cases and community controls. Screening-method VE for 2001-2009 was estimated by comparing the proportion of cases vaccinated to National Immunization Survey-derived coverage among the general population. To evaluate the plausibility of screening-method VE findings, we estimated attack rates among vaccinated and unvaccinated persons. We identified 1,154 children with IPD. Annual population PCV7 coverage with ≥1 dose increased from 38% to 97%. Case-control VE for ≥1 dose was estimated as 75% against all-serotype IPD (annual range: 35-83%) and 91% for PCV7-type IPD (annual range: 65-100%). By the screening method, the overall VE was 86% for ≥1 dose (annual range: -240-70%) against all-serotype IPD and 94% (annual range: 62-97%) against PCV7-type IPD. As cases of PCV7-type IPD declined during 2001-2005, estimated attack rates for all-serotype IPD among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals became less consistent than what would be expected with the estimated effectiveness of PCV7. The screening method yields estimates of VE that are highly dependent on the time period during which it is used and the choice of outcome. The method should be used cautiously to evaluate VE of PCVs.

Daily dietary-boron intake and on-the-job inspired boron were compared with blood- and urine-boron concentrations in workers engaged in packaging and shipping borax. Fourteen workers handling borax at jobs of low, medium, and high dust exposures were sampled throughout full shifts for 5 consecutive days each. Airborne borax concentrations ranged from means of 3.3 mg/m3 to 18 mg/m3, measured gravimetrically. End-of-shift mean blood-boron concentrations ranged from 0.11 to 0.26 microgram/g; end-of-shift mean urine concentrations ranged from 3.16 to 10.72 micrograms/mg creatinine. Creatinine measures were used to adjust for differences in urine-specific gravity such that 1 ml of urine contains approximately 1 mg creatinine. There was no progressive increase in end-of-shift blood- or urine-boron concentrations across the days of the week. Urine testing done at the end of the work shift gave a somewhat better estimate of borate exposure than did blood testing, was sampled more easily, and was analytically less difficult to perform. Personal air samplers of two types were used: one, the 37-mm closed-face, two-piece cassette to estimate total dust and the other, the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) sampler to estimate inspirable particulate mass. Under the conditions of this study, the IOM air sampler more nearly estimated human exposure as measured by blood- and urine-boron levels than did the sampler that measured total dust.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Our recently concluded Phase-IIB trial of Bowman-Birk Inhibitor Concentrate (BBIC) in patients with oral leukoplakia was negative, despite a foundation of earlier work suggesting BBIC has chemoprevention potential. As presented at the 2010 Frontiers meetings, there was no statistically significant difference in relative percent change in total lesion area between the BBIC arm and the placebo arm after six months of therapy. This result is unexpected, given both our earlier demonstration of a dose-response relationship in a Phase-IIA trial, and the interim analysis of the Phase-IIB trial. The aim of this presentation is to illuminate two factors possibly contributing to the negative final results: 1) an apparently active placebo, and 2) a change across time in the potency of the BBIC dispensed. We present here admittedly post-hoc, but thought-provoking, analyses to support these notions. BBIC has protease-inhibitor activity, but any such activity in the placebo was unanticipated. The interim analysis of the Phase-IIB trial showed the 95-percent interval estimate of relative percent change in total lesion area straddled zero in the placebo arm (95%CI: −39.0 to +4.5, N=30). In contrast, the corresponding interval for the BBIC arm was entirely below zero (95%CI: −49.3 to −10.9, N=25). Thus the interim results seemed to predict a positive final result. The final analysis, however, showed the mean relative percent change in total lesion area was significantly less than zero in each of the two study arms (placebo mean: −17.1, N=46; BBIC mean: −20.6, N=43; both sign-rank tests p < 0.05). Reassessment of the placebo showed The juxtaposition of the interim and final results led us to examine data in the BBIC arm by randomization date. Relative percent reduction in total lesion area was greater for subjects enrolled earlier, relative to those enrolled later (Spearman r = 0.31, p < 0.05, N=43), consistent with a decline in agent potency. (There was no such trend in the placebo group: Spearman r=0.22, p > 0.44, N=46). Of necessity, different batches of BBIC were used in the trial. It is known that the potency of BBIC can be greatly reduced by maintenance at refrigerated or frozen temperatures, and that some companies have stored BBIC under such conditions. We hypothesize that the BBIC batches used later in this trial had reduced potency, possibly due to storage conditions that compromised its ability to serve as a cancer chemoprevention agent by reducing bioavailability of the drug. Our data provide evidence that the later batches of BBIC had compromised chemoprevention activity. Median relative percent change in total lesion area was −32% (N=36) for the earlier batches but +6.5% (N=7) for the batches dispensed later in the trial. There was a similar pattern in relative percent change in buccal-cell neu protein (older batches median:-16.6, N=14; newer batches median: +24.6, N=7), relative percent change in protease activity (older batches median: +1.6, N=14; newer batches median +136.5, N=7), and relative percent change in serum neu (older batches median: −4.1, N=13; newer batches median −2.6, N=6). While many factors contribute to trial outcome, these data suggest our Phase-IIB trial was affected by the reduced potency of BBIC over time. Further, the apparent, and not understood, activity of the placebo raised the bar for declaring BBIC a success in this context. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):B82.

Background: Patients with history of colorectal cancer (CRC) are at increased risk for developing a second primary colorectal cancer (SPCRC) as compared to the general population. However, the degree of risk is uncertain. Here, we attempt to quantify the risk, using data from the large population-based California Cancer Registry (CCR). Materials and Methods: We analyzed the CCR data for cases with surgically-treated colon and rectal cancer diagnosed during the period 1990-2005 and followed through up to January 2008. We excluded those patients diagnosed with metastatic disease and those in whom SPCRC was diagnosed within 6 months of the diagnosis of the primary CRC. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to evaluate risk as compared to the underlying population after taking into account age, sex, ethnicity, and time at risk. Results: The study cohort consisted of 69809 cases with colon cancer and 34448 with rectal cancer. Among these patients there were 1443 cases of SPCRCs. The SIR for developing SPCRC was higher in colon cancer survivors (SIR=1.4; 95% CI: 1.3 to 1.5) as compared to the underlying population. The incidence of SPCRC was also higher in females (SIR=1.5; 95% CI: 1.3 to 1.6) and Hispanics (SIR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.7 to 2.4) with primary colon cancer. The SIR for developing an SPCRC was higher only among those whose initial tumor was located in the descending colon (SIR=1.6; 95% CI: 1.3 to 2.0) and proximal colon (SIR=1.4; 95% CI: 1.3 to 1.6). Conclusions: Our results confirm that CRC patients, especially females and Hispanics, are at a higher risk of developing SPCRC than the general population. Differential SPCRC risk by colorectal tumor subsite is dependent on gender and ethnicity, underscoring the heterogeneous nature of CRC.

The importance of cigarette smoking as a risk factor for specific histologic types of lung cancer in men and women has been examined in a case-control analysis of data from the Cancer Surveillance Program of Orange County, a population-based registry. Smoking habits were abstracted from medical records for 1153 men and 833 women diagnosed with primary lung cancer in 1984-1986 and 1851 men and 1656 women aged 30 or older diagnosed with cancers not associated with smoking. Ninety-six percent of men and 89% of women with lung cancer were current or former cigarette smokers, as compared with 55% of men and 34% of women with other cancers. The age and ethnicity-adjusted odds ratios (OR) for ever-smoking were 19.7 for men and 15.0 for women. Men and women who smoked 2 or more packs per day experienced nearly equal risks. Comparison of the most common cell types showed that women smokers had equal or lower ORs for squamous-cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, but higher OR for small-cell carcinoma, as compared with men smokers. While the smoking-associated OR were equal for small-cell and squamous-cell carcinomas in men, the OR for women were significantly higher for small-cell carcinoma than for squamous-cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Severe illness due to 2009 pandemic A(H1N1) infection has been reported among persons who are obese or morbidly obese. We assessed whether obesity is a risk factor for hospitalization and death due to 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1), independent of chronic medical conditions considered by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to increase the risk of influenza-related complications. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used a case-cohort design to compare cases of hospitalizations and deaths from 2009 pandemic A(H1N1) influenza occurring between April-July, 2009, with a cohort of the U.S. population estimated from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES); pregnant women and children or=20 year olds, hospitalization was associated with being morbidly obese (BMI>or=40) for individuals with ACIP-recognized chronic conditions (OR = 4.9, 95% CI 2.4-9.9) and without ACIP-recognized chronic conditions (OR = 4.7, 95%CI 1.3-17.2). Among 2-19 year olds, hospitalization was associated with being underweight (BMIor=20 years without ACIP-recognized chronic medical conditions death was associated with obesity (OR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.5-6.6) and morbid obesity (OR = 7.6, 95%CI 2.1-27.9). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings support observations that morbid obesity may be associated with hospitalization and possibly death due to 2009 pandemic H1N1 infection. These complications could be prevented by early antiviral therapy and vaccination.

9071 Background: Prior studies have reported possible survival differences between pediatric, AYA and the adult population with invasive cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM). However, none have analyt...

1022 Objectives: The recommended age to begin colorectal screening is 50 for all Americans at “average” risk, regardless of gender or race/ethnicity. However, the natural history of colorectal canc...

ContextLittle is known about potential long-term health effects of bioterrorism-related Bacillus anthracis infection.ObjectiveTo describe the relationship between anthrax infection and persistent somatic symptoms among adults surviving bioterrorism-related anthrax disease approximately 1 year after illness onset in 2001.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsCross-sectional study of 15 of 16 adult survivors from September through December 2002 using a clinical interview, a medical review-of-system questionnaire, 2 standardized self-administered questionnaires, and a review of available medical records.Main Outcome MeasuresHealth complaints summarized by the body system affected and by symptom categories; psychological distress measured by the Revised 90-Item Symptom Checklist; and health-related quality-of-life indices by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (version 2).ResultsThe anthrax survivors reported symptoms affecting multiple body systems, significantly greater overall psychological distress (P

In Experiment 1, pictures were presented to subjects two, five, or eight times, and subjects were asked to imagine each pciture two, five, or eight times. Subsequently, subjects estimated the number of times each picture had been presented. Their estimates of the frequency of these external events were influenced by imagination trials; this effect was greater for good imagers than for poor imagers. Experiment 2 involved a similar design in which subjects were asked either to imagine the same referent for a word or to imagine a different referent for a word on successive imagination trials. Consistency (same referent) did not increase the influence of imaginations on immediate judgments of external frequency. Thus, the results of Experiment 1 were attributed to the greater accuracy (as opposed to greater consistency) of good imagers' internal generations of the stimuli. Furthermore, variation (imagining different referents), like greater accuracy, increased the effects of imagination trials on immediate but not on delayed judgments of frequency. Possible mechanisms underlying these effects are discussed. In general, the two studies show that qualitative characteristics of completely covert generations influence their impact on estimates of the frequency of external events.

The degradation of building materials is a major problem for the preservation of historic structures. The presence of contaminants in the constituent materials is often a cause of the deterioration. Neutron-induced, prompt gamma-ray techniques for nondestructive elemental analysis are used to determine the distribution of contaminants in building walls. The application of these methods for the diagnosis of an 18th century historic building indicates that the distributions within the building walls of moisture, salt and bulk density can be obtained. The results of an analysis of the gamma-ray spectra are confirmed by independent measurements on two sample cores taken through one wall.

Three experiments were conducted to determine whether alcohol-induced impairments of memory would be reduced by providing subjects with elaborative schemas. Anomalous sentences were presented to sober or intoxicated subjects either alone or with context words to facilitate comprehension. Memory was tested immediately with a yes-no recognition task. The results consistently showed that context words did not increase the number of hits in either sober or intoxicated subjects, and sober subjects made reliably more hits whether or not context words had been provided. The accuracy of recognition of distractors, however, was consistently improved by the presentation of context words, and was much more improved for intoxicated than for sober subjects. The results indicate that alcohol intoxication disrupted the production of elaborative schemas for understanding, but that intoxicated subjects were quite successful at utilizing such schemas as long as the schemas had been provided for them.

Etude de la reaction avec les ions alcoolates par des methodes spectroscopiques basse temperature. Un compose d'addition par attaque du metal est l'espece initiale formee. Le site initial de l'attaque n'est pas influence par la polarite du solvant

In a six-month, randomized, double-blind study at 14 centers, auranofin (3 mg twice daily) was compared with placebo in the treatment of patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis. All patients had unremitting disease for at least the previous six months and at least three months of therapy with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs, oral steroids, and analgesics were allowed throughout the trial. Efficacy was analyzed in 154 patients who received auranofin and 149 who received placebo. To reflect an expanded view of outcome assessment, the measures used included some 20 nontraditional measures of functional performance, pain, global impression, and utility (worth or value) in addition to five standard clinical measures of rheumatoid synovitis (e.g., number of tender joints). The nontraditional measures were mainly in the form of structured questionnaires administered by trained interviewers. To minimize the statistical problem of multiple comparisons, most of the measures were grouped into four composites--clinical (standard measures), functional, global, and pain--and the treatment effect for each composite was tested at the 0.0125 level of significance. Auranofin was superior to placebo in the clinical (p = 0.003), functional (p = 0.001), and global (p = 0.007) composites and trended similarly in the pain composite (p = 0.021). Individual measures within the composites consistently favored auranofin. Other measures, not part of the composites, also favored auranofin, including a patient utility measure designed for this study, the PUMS (p = 0.002). Results confirm the hypothesis that the favorable effect of auranofin on clinical synovitis is accompanied by improvements across a range of outcomes relevant to the patient's quality of life.

A colorimetric assay of serum isocitric dehydrogenase has been described in which the α-ketoglutaric acid formed is determined as the hydrazone. A standard unit of lCD activity is defined as millimicromoles KG-A formed per milliliter serum per hour of incubation at 37°. Analyses of KGA and TPNH as reaction products show that 1.58 moles of KGA are formed for each mole of TPNH under the conditions of this experiment.

Human APOBEC3G (hA3G), a member of the AID/APOBEC family of deaminases, is a restriction factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the absence of the viral Vif protein hA3G is packaged into virions and during reverse transcription in a recipient cell it deaminates cytosines, leading to G → A hypermutation and inactivation of the viral DNA. Unlike humans, who carry seven APOBEC3 genes, mice only carry one, mA3. Thus the role of mA3 in restriction of retroviral infection could be studied in mA3 −/− knockout mice, where the gene is inactivated. M-MuLV-infected mA3 −/− mice showed substantially higher levels of infection at very early times compared to wild-type mice (ca. 2 logs at 0–10 days), particularly in the bone marrow and spleen. Restriction of M-MuLV infection was studied ex vivo in primary bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) that express or lack mA3, using an M-MuLV-based retroviral vector expressing enhanced jellyfish green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The results indicated that mA3 within the virions as well as mA3 in the recipient cell contribute to resistance to infection in BMDCs. Finally, M-MuLV-infected mA3 +/+ mice developed leukemia more slowly compared to animals lacking one or both copies of mA3 although the resulting disease was similar (T-lymphoma). These studies indicate that mA3 restricts replication and pathogenesis of M-MuLV in vivo.

(1984). In situ repair of architectural glass. Studies in Conservation: Vol. 29, Preprints of the Contributions to the Paris Congress, 2-8 September 1984. Adhesives and Consolidants, pp. 202-204.

Spectroscopic evidence is presented for low temperature intermediates, involving initial metal attack and carbonyl attack, in the nucleophilic addition of methoxide ions to [(η 7 -C 7 H 7 )M(CO) 3 ]BF (M = Mo, W).

FAMILIAL dysautonomia is a rare congenital disorder that occurs primarily in Jewish children.1 The more striking manifestations of the disease include reduced or absent tearing, transient skin blotching, profuse sweating, abnormal swallowing reflex and instability of temperature control. Postural hypotension is a regular finding in this syndrome although the blood pressure may rise during excitement. Riley2 has suggested that the many manifestations of familial dysautonomia may result from a singleenzyme defect. Since autonomie dysfunction is so prominent in this disorder, a defect in catechol amine metabolism may be involved. The excretion rates of catechol amine catabolites, homovanillic (HVA) and vanillyl-mandelic . . .

In two experiments, the number of times subjects saw and generated words was varied, and then half the subjects were asked to judge presentation frequency and half were asked to judge generation frequency. People were more sensitive to the relative frequency of internally generated, compared with externally generated, events. Also, judgments of internal events were less affected by whether or not the subjects were given a restricted range of numbers for their judgments, and internally generated events produced more confusion in estimating external event frequency than vice versa. The results are discussed in terms of potential differences in the characteristics of memory representations originating in external, compared with internal, events and the way these might interact with the judgment process.

As John Locke pointed out, there are at least two sources of the contents of the mind: events that occur in the world and events that originate in the mind. Memory, as a record of experience, should contain information from both sources. The present studies investigated memory for the frequency of externally and internally generated events. Individual items were presented to subjects varying numbers of times and tested varying numbers of times. Later, subjects were asked to estimate the frequency of both types of events. Experiment 1 showed that internally generated events influenced the judged frequency of externally generated events and vice versa. The first of these was called the IFE effect and the second the IFI effect. Experiment 2 indicated that the IFE effect was greater when tests consisted of overt, as compared to covert, recall trials. The results were discussed in terms of a model for storing and using occurrence information which would account for both our ability to discriminate between and our tendency to confuse internally and externally generated memory representations.

We have evaluated the western blot (WB) test for distinguishing anti-HTLV III ELISA-positive donors who have likely been exposed to HTLV III from those that are false positives. Of 1,955 donors, 26 were positive for anti-HTLV III by ELISA testing. Only 6 (23%) were positive by WB: 5 of these 6 were male homosexuals with multiple partners and 5 of 6 had low Th/Ts ratios. The WB-positive donors gave the highest absorbance values in the anti-HTLV III ELISA assay. The immunologic abnormalities in the WB-positive donors suggest that they should be notified of their test results. We conclude that basing a donor notification policy on WB results is the optimum public health strategy for blood banks at the present time.

The bioterrorism-associated human anthrax epidemic in the fall of 2001 highlighted the need for a sensitive, reproducible, and specific laboratory test for the confirmatory diagnosis of human anthrax. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed, optimized, and rapidly qualified an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Bacillus anthracis protective antigen (PA) in human serum. The qualified ELISA had a minimum detection limit of 0.06 µg/mL, a reliable lower limit of detection of 0.09 µg/mL, and a lower limit of quantification in undiluted serum specimens of 3.0 µg/mL anti-PA IgG. The diagnostic sensitivity of the assay was 97.8%, and the diagnostic specificity was 97.6%. A competitive inhibition anti-PA IgG ELISA was also developed to enhance diagnostic specificity to 100%. The anti-PA ELISAs proved valuable for the confirmation of cases of cutaneous and inhalational anthrax and evaluation of patients in whom the diagnosis of anthrax was being considered. aturally occurring anthrax is a zoonotic disease of herbivores, with low-level sporadic infection of humans. Since 1950, human anthrax in the United States was confined to those occupationally at risk, with only 235 confirmed cases, mostly cutaneous, reported from 1955 to 2002 (1–3). The occurrence of human anthrax in the country and the public perception of the disease changed dramatically in the fall of 2001, with the first successful bioterrorist anthrax attack on the U.S. civilian population. This event necessitated the simultaneous development and application of qualified laboratory assays— including serologic assays—to evaluate patients suspected of having anthrax. The major obstacle to serologic analysis of human anthrax

Land's Color Mondrian experiments showed that a single wavelength-radiance distribution falling on a point on the retina can generate nearly any color sensation. In Part I we repeated that experiment, quantifying the color sensations for each of the many Mondrian areas. In Part II we show that each area's color sensation correlates with a triplet of reflectances measured with photodetectors having the same spectral sensitivities as the cone pigments in the eye. This result provides a description of what the visual system does, but it does not provide a mechanism for how the visual system can do it because the reflectance measurements required the use of a reflectance standard and unchanging illumination. In Part III we describe a model for color sensations that computes three reflectances from the wavelength-radiance distribution without reflectance or illumination standards: hence, it is able to predict the color sensations seen by the observer. The model is able to predict gray, red. yellow, green and blue sensations associated with areas that send identical wavelength-radiance distributions to the eye.

To the Editor.— We read the recent article inThe Journalreviewing complications of long-term silicone implant arthroplasty 1 and would like to mention our report of silicone lymphadenopathy. 2 Our case was unique in the association of necrobiotic rheumatoid nodules with silicone particles within enlarged axillary lymph nodes. This association suggested to us that the silicone particles might be inciting the rheumatoid nodules in a manner analogous to the relationship between silica and rheumatoid nodules in the lung. 3 Nalbandian et al 1 referred to an isolated report of immunoblastic lymphoma associated with superimposed silicone particles. A large-cell lymphoma has subsequently developed in our patient also, with silicone particles identifiable within the lymphomatous infiltration. We are, however, like Nalbandian et al, 1 inclined to attribute this concurrence to the known increased risk of lymphoma in rheumatoid arthritis rather than to invoke silicone particles as an etiologic factor. We are

For several years past I have devoted much of my time to the crystallography of animal fats, and have examined, crystallized and photographed the fats of several hundred animals, and a few vegetable oils. In the prosecution of this inquiry I observed incidentally, that the fats of several monkeys, victims of consumption, when rendered, strained and cooled, at a temperature of about 70° F. according to my usual method of treating fats in order to crystallize them, exhibited but a trace of the solid fats; the mass consisted principally of olein. From this fact my attention was directed to the consideration of the fat of human beings, subjects of emaciating diseases, from whatever cause. I have tested the fats of three consumptives who were greatly emaciated. The fats were crystallized in the usual manner—boiled, strained and cooled, at 70° F.—and, when examined, were found to be nearly destitute of