This paper presents benchmark (BMD) calculations and additional regression analyses of data from a study in which scores from 26 scholastic and psychological tests administered to 237 6- and 7-year-old New Zealand children were correlated with the mercury concentration in their mothers' hair during pregnancy. The original analyses of five test scores found an association between high prenatal mercury exposure and decreased test performance, using category variables for mercury exposure. Our regression analyses, which utilized the actual hair mercury level, did not find significant associations between mercury and children's test scores. However, this finding was highly influenced by a single child whose mother's mercury hair level (86 mg/kg) was more than four times that of any other mother. When that child was omitted, results were more indicative of a mercury effect and scores on six tests were significantly associated with the mothers' hair mercury level. BMDs calculated from five tests ranged from 32 to 73 mg/kg hair mercury, and corresponding BMDLs (95% lower limits on BMDs) ranged from 17 to 24 mg/kg. When the child with the highest mercury level was omitted, BMDs ranged from 13 to 21 mg/kg, and corresponding BMDLs ranged from 7.4 to 10 mg/kg.

This article discusses the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands, which often are referred to as the major salivary glands. Overall, diseases of the salivary glands are relatively uncommon; however, as an organ system, they have the greatest diversity of pathology. Acute viral and bacterial inflammatory diseases are the most common salivary gland abnormalities; tumors are uncommon. The imaging approach to these lesions is discussed.

The management of patients with glioblastoma remains challenging with an average survival of 32-56 weeks. We report on a clinical trial of patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with adenovirus/herpex simplex-thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (ADV/HSV-tk/GC). Entry criteria for this study included: recurrent malignant glioma after surgical resection and conventional radiation therapy. At the time of recurrence, computerized volumetric resection of the tumor was performed and the ADV/HSV-tk complex was injected in the tumor bed. GC was administered 24 h after surgery (10 mg/kg/day) for 7 days. Patients were divided into 3 ADV/HSV-tk dose-escalating cohorts. Adenoviral vector shedding, and local or systemic toxicity did not occur in this study. Magnetic resonance imaging showed lack of increased brain edema in the treated patients. Histological examination of the 5 patients that had repeated surgery after gene therapy treatment showed lack of tissue toxicity. Additionally, PCR for HSV-tk was negative in the brain 3 months after injection. The patients' Karnofsky score was maintained > or = 70 in 8/10 patients (80%) and 5/9 patients (55%) 3 and 6 months respectively, after gene therapy. Ten of 11 patients survived > or = 52 weeks from diagnosis with an average survival of 112.3 weeks. One patient is still alive 248 weeks from diagnosis. These data show that the ADV/HSV-tk/GC complex at the dose used in this study is safe. Additional dose escalation is currently in progress.

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