impressive. Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and Sweden all lost reigning monarchs, in the days when monarchs really reigned, to the disease. Dr Hopkins has not been satisfied with tracing the European history or even the Western history of the disease; he takes in the Asian dimension, and the African one, and details the effects of smallpox on the ruling houses of China and Japan, and among the ...

Many have argued that anthropology, as a four-field discipline, lacks intellectual coherence. Recent developments in the field of biotechnology and the possibility of producing chimeras with recognizable human characteristics make it necessary to think in terms of a new kind of “old” four-field holism. The production of a human/nonhuman chimera raises theoretical questions about the nature of t...

I read the commentary1 on ‘Abortion law: campaign groups and the quest for change’ in the October 2006 issue of the Journal with interest. In general, it provides a very balanced overview of the different groups seeking change in UK abortion legislation, summarising the concerns of both pro-life and pro-choice organisations. However, in his discussion and conclusions, Dr Vincent Argent ceases t...

background: in addition to human leukocyte antigens (hla) compatibility, gene polymorphisms in cytokines might also be important in the quality of allogeneic immune response. objective: to evaluate the influence of hla-dr matching and a number of cytokine gene polymorphisms on acute rejection after living-unrelated donor (lurd) kidney transplantation. methods: a total of 42 renal transplants pe...

Hydatid disease is a preventable parasitic disease caused by the Echinococcus, a tapeworm. Even in this 21 st century, it is still not eradicated. Hence, even now we should know about hydatidosis. This review article includes a brief introduction followed by pathology. The various clinical features are discussed in detail. The common complications and some unusual complications are mentioned. A...

reason and religion biquartery journal of institute of dinpazhoohi-e - alavi volume 7&8, number 13&14 concessionaire: ayatollah ahmad beheshti managing editor: mohsen izadi editor in chif: saeid beheshti executive manager: mahdi behshti       editorial board ahmad beheshti: professor, tehran university and howzeh. saeid beheshti: professor, allameh tabatabaei university. ahmad abedi: associate ...

background:diabetic retinopathy (dr) is a sight-threatening microvascular complication of diabetes in which the vascular endothelium is damaged due to oxidative stress and inflammation, and vitreous vegf concentration becomes elevated. the aim of the present study was to assess the association of dr with genetic variations of the mnsod, a major antioxidant enzyme, and vegf, an important mediato...

was described by Harry Platt as the “Mecca of orthopaedics.” The library boasts one of the finest collections of scientific journals and books on orthopaedics, and its shelves are filled with works that have made the history of this discipline. It has often been remembered kindly in the writings of foreign doctors. Besides providing daily help to the medical profession, the library is visited e...