MRI used to detect vCJD
Magnetic resonance imaging may be useful in diagnosing variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (Lancet 2000;355: 1412-8). Thirty-six patients with proven vCJD and 57 control subjects underwent MRI. A bilateral pulvinar high signal was seen in the posterior thalamus in 28 of the 36 cases and in none of the 57 controls (sensitivity 78% [95% CI 60%‐90%] and specificity 100% [95% CI 94%‐100%]). The pulvinar sign may prove useful in the diagnosis of vCJD.
Bioflavonoids linked to childhood leukemia
In a search for environmental causes of infant leukemia Reiner Strick and colleagues have shown in both in vivo and in vitro experiments that bioflavenoids, commonly found in some fruits and vegetables, may induce chromosomal translocation of the MLL gene in utero (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2000;97:4790-5). MLL gene translocations occur in about 80% of infants with leukemia.