Subjecting infants to low oxygen concentrations seems unethical Editor-The ethics of Parkins et al's study depend partly on whether there is any potential benefit to the infants from the experiment. 1 If parents subject their infant to low oxygen concentrations in an aeroplane they take a risk which is balanced against the benefit of air travel. Unless there is some real prospect of identifying infants at risk and offering useful protection against the sudden infant death syndrome, it seems to me to be unethical to subject those infants to the risk of exposure to low oxygen concentration. The fact that some of the families had previously experinced the loss of a child may have increased the likelihood of compliance. This makes me even more worried about the ethics of the study.
A review of all the patients diagnosed to have Pediculosis pubis (P pubis) during a 2 year period 1989-1991 was carried out. They constituted the index group and were compared with 140 consecutive patients seen during the month of June 1990, who served as controls. Both groups were comparable with respect to age and use of modern contraception. Coexisting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were found in 37% of the index group. Incidence of STDs was 51% among the controls. In the preceding 3 months, patients in the index group had significantly more sexual partners p < 0.005. These findings emphasize the need to offer full STD screening and health education to sexually active people who present with P pubis.
The immune system plays a vital role in the fight against infections. The commonest viral infections treated in the genitourinary medicine (GUM) departments are genital warts. Knowledge about the status of the immune system in these patients may help in their clinical management. This study compares the values of various blood cell components in the peripheral blood of 2 groups of female patients--those with genital warts against those without genital warts. The mean monocyte count was lower among patients with genital warts.
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