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Isoflavones present in soy may have risk and benefits to human health. Human gut microflora have been shown to exert metabolic activities on isoflavones, which influences bioavailability and bioactivity. Absorption of isoflavones is likely to occur in the small intestine where there is a diverse range of microfloral species able to hydrolyze conjugated isoflavones, releasing the bioactive aglycone for absorption or further metabolism and reconjugation. The identification of gut microbes that metabolize isoflavone aglycones is not well established. Such information may lead to a better understanding of the bioavailability of isoflavones in functional foods.

SummaryEpidural abscess is a well-recognised but rare complication of epidural catheter placement. We have found only five previous reports of epidural abscess from noncatheter-related administration of steroids and/or local anaesthetic. We describe a further case which led to critical illness and emphasise the association between diabetes mellitus and epidural infection.Keywords Anaesthetic techniques, regional; epidural, caudal. Complications; epidural abscess, paraplegia, diabetes. ...................................................................................... Correspondence to: Dr M. G. A. Palazzo Accepted: 21 January 1997 Case historyA 53-year-old man, with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, was referred for specialist opinion by his general practitioner because of right buttock pain radiating into the posterolateral thigh and calf.Examination revealed straight leg raising limited to 75Њ on the left and 55Њ on the right. Knee reflexes were present and equal but ankle reflexes were absent. The plantar responses were equivocal and power was normal in both legs. A clinical diagnosis was made of lumbosacral nerve root compression due to intervertebral disc pathology and a caudal epidural injection was performed.A mixture of procaine hydrochloride and triamcinolone acetonide (unlicensed for epidural use) was drawn up from new sterile vials, the tops of which had been swabbed with 0.5% chlorhexidine in 70% spirit and allowed to dry. The skin was cleaned with 0.5% chlorhexidine in 70% spirit and allowed to dry. A new sterile 2'' 21G needle was introduced through the sacral hiatus using a no-touch technique (without the use of gloves, gown or mask). A total of 22 ml of 0.5% procaine hydrochloride with 80 mg of triamcinolone acetonide was slowly injected into the epidural space. After an initial administration of 10 ml, continued injection produced bilateral leg pain. However, within minutes of completing the procedure re-examination revealed that straight leg raising was full and painfree at 85Њ. On review 3 weeks later the patient reported significant coccygeal pain which had made sitting difficult. In addition he had experienced 4 days of bilateral leg pain, radiating into the posterior thighs and calves which had necessitated bed rest. Examination revealed pain-free spinal movements and straight leg raising was pain-free at 80Њ. His neurological status was unremarkable except for absent ankle reflexes. A further caudal injection was performed in an identical way to the first, including drug volume and dosage. However, bilateral leg pain was provoked after 5 ml had been injected.The following day he felt feverish and had a headache. He developed rigors and was admitted to hospital 3 days after the second epidural injection. On examination he was afebrile, had a stiff neck but no focal neurological signs. His bladder was distended. Haematological investigation showed a white blood cell count of 24.6 × 10 9 .l ᮊ 1997 Blackwell Science LtdAn L 4/5 and L 5 /S 1 bilateral foraminal and nerve root...

Ten 3-month-old pigs were treated with feed containing 300 mg furazolidone per kg for a period of 7 days, followed by withdrawal periods of 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 weeks (two per group). The treatment resulted in the formation of protein-bound metabolites containing an intact 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ) side-chain that could be chemically released and then detected in liver, kidney and rump muscle tissues even 4 weeks after dosing. In tissues from animals killed at the end of the medication period, 993, 600 and 124 ng of AOZ were released from 1 g of liver, kidney and muscle respectively. In the tissues of the animals killed after a further 4 weeks the corresponding levels were 41, 7 and 10 ng/g respectively. It may be concluded that long withdrawal periods prior to slaughter for human consumption are required for pigs treated with furazolidone, because of the long residence time of protein-bound AOZ and the possibility that it might be released from its protein-bound form in the stomach and subsequently be transformed into a hydrazine.

There is concern that insecticides are able to mimic the action of 17beta-estradiol by interaction with the human estrogen receptor. Pyrethroids are commonly used insecticides and several have been assessed for potential endocrine disrupting activity by various methods. It has been noted that some metabolites of pyrethroids, in particular, permethrin and cypermethrin, have chemical structures that are more likely to interact with the cellular estrogen receptor than the parent pyrethroid. For this study permethrin and cypermethrin metabolites 3-(4-hydroxy-3-phenoxy)benzyl alcohol, 3-(4-hydroxy-3-phenoxy)benzoic acid, and N-3-(phenoxybenzoyl)glycine were synthesised, and together with the commercially available 3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol, 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde, and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, were studied in a recombinant yeast assay expressing human estrogen receptors (YES). Three metabolites, 3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol, 3-(4-hydroxy-3-phenoxy)benzyl alcohol, and 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde, showed estrogenic activity of approximately 10(5) less than that of 17beta-estradiol. No activity was observed in the yeast assay for 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, 3-(4-hydroxy-3-phenoxy)benzoic acid, and N-3-(phenoxybenzoyl)glycine. The results from this study show that pyrethroid metabolites are capable of interacting with the human estrogen receptor, and so might present a risk to human health and environmental well being. The impact would be expected to be small, but still add to the overall environmental xenoestrogen load.