Lancet
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An association between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)and endometrial carcinoma was first suggested in 1949, 14 years after the original description of the syndrome. Since then several studies have been published that seem to support this association. The prescription of hormonal treatment to reduce the risk of this complication is supported by the Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK, the Health Information website of the National Library of Medicine, USA, and in textbooks of gynaecological oncology. ⋯ Large-scale studies of morbidity and mortality in unselected populations of women with PCOS are needed. Women with PCOS are increasingly aware of the possible risks, and it will be necessary to identify which of them, if any, are at increased risk and how this risk can be effectively reduced.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a novel infectious disease with global impact. A virus from the family Coronaviridae has been identified as the cause, but the pathogenesis is still unclear. ⋯ SARS is associated with epithelial-cell proliferation and an increase in macrophages in the lung. The presence of haemophagocytosis supports the contention that cytokine dysregulation may account, at least partly, for the severity of the clinical disease. The case definition of SARS should acknowledge the range of lung pathology associated with this disease.