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9 Bell GI, Karam JH. The polymorphic locus flanking the human insulin gene: is there an association with diabetes mellitus? In: Banbury report 14: applications of recombinant DNA in humnan disease. Cold Spring Harbor: Cold Spring Harbor Press (in press). 10 Owerbach D, Nerup J. Restriction fragment length polymorphism of the insulin gene in diabetes mellitus. Diabetes 1982;31:275-7. Rotwein PS, Chirgwin J, Province M, et al. Polymorphism in the 5'-flanking region of the human insulin gene: a genetic marker for non-insulin dependent diabetes. N EnglJ Med 1983;308:65-71. 12 Ullrich A, Dull TJ, Gray A, Philips JA, Peter S. Variation in the sequence and modification state of the human insulin gene flanking regions. Nucleic Acids Res 1982;10:2225-40. 31 WHO Expert Committee on Diabetes Mellitus. Second report. WHO Tech Rep Ser 1980;No 646. 14 Kunkel LM, Smith KD, Boyer SH, et al. Analysis of human Y chromosome specific reiterated DNA in chromosome variants. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1977;74:1245-9. 5 Southern EM. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis.

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Beral et al. (1984) found an elevated risk of melanoma in women who used oral contraceptives for 5 years or more beginning at least 10 years prior to diagnosis of the tumour.A number of other studies however have found no consistent association between use of oral contraceptives and risk of melanoma (Bain et al., 1982;Kay, 1981; Helmrich et al., 1983)

The mortality profile of female nurses and teachers in British Columbia (BC) was examined using age-standardized proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) calculated for the period 1950-1984. Lowered overall mortality among nurses was seen for degenerative heart disease and for cerebrovascular accidents. Significantly elevated PMR values were observed for cancer of the breast and ovary in nurses of age 20-65 years. PMRs were significantly elevated for cancer of the pancreas and leukemia among those age 20 years and older. Elevated values were also observed for motor vehicle accidents and suicide among nurses in both age groups. Lower than expected mortality from degenerative heart disease and cerebrovascular accidents was seen in working age teachers (age 20-65 years). However, elevated PMRs were detected for carcinoma of the colon, breast, endometrium, brain, and melanoma. Among those 20 years and over, significantly elevated PMRs were also observed for cancers of the ovary and other digestive organs. Elevated PMRs were found for motor vehicle and aircraft accidents. Mortality from cirrhosis of the liver was lower than anticipated in both teachers and nurses. A number of significant PMRs declined when deaths of "homemakers" were withdrawn from the comparison group used to generate PMR values, suggesting that risk of death from various causes among women working outside the home differ from those seen in women who are predominantly in the home.