No abstract

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency (VDD) are widely recognized as risk factors for respiratory tract infections. Vitamin D influences expression of many genes with well-established relevance to airway infections and relevant to immune system function. Recently, VDD has been shown to be a risk factor for acquisition and severity of COVID-19. Thus, treating VDD presents a safe and inexpensive opportunity for modulating the severity of the disease. VDD is common in those over 60 years of age, many with co-morbid conditions and in people with skin pigmentation sufficient to reduce synthesis of vitamin D. Exposure to fine particulate air pollution is also associated with worse outcomes from COVID19. Vitamin D stimulates transcription of cathelicidin which is cleaved to generate LL37. LL37 is an innate antimicrobial with demonstrated activity against a wide range of microbes including envelope viruses. LL37 also modulates cytokine signaling at the site of infections. Fine particles in air pollution can interfere with LL37 destruction of viruses and may reduce effective immune signaling modulation by LL37. While vitamin D influences transcription of many immune related genes, the weakened antimicrobial response of those with VDD against SARS-CoV-2 may be in part due to reduced LL37. Conclusion: Vitamin D plays an important role reducing the impact of viral lung disease processes. VDD is an acknowledged public health threat that warrants population-wide action to reduce COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. While vitamin D influences transcription of many immune related genes, the weakened antimicrobial response of those with VDD against SARS-CoV-2 may be in part due to reduced LL37. Action is needed to address COVID-19 associated risks of air pollution from industry, transportation, domestic sources and from primary and second hand tobacco smoke.

ELSEWHERE (Galluzzi and Payne, 1955) we have dealt in detail with the sources and composition of 741 necropsies which form the basis of the present article. The more general aspects of blood-borne spread were also considered in the earlier work. Our purpose here is to consider specifically brain metastases arising from bronchial carcinoma. The reason for dealing separately with this topic is that it has been a matter of special interest for a number of years and might add useful facts to the current discussions on the proportion of deaths certified as lung cancer which is due to a real increase in the disease. Many authors in the past have remarked on the prevalence of this mode of spread and some, for example Willis (1953) and Bailey (1948) have discussed its natural history and pathology in some detail.

The distribution of cancer of the anatomical sub-sites cf the colon and rectctm in Alameda County (California), Bombay. Denmark, Kingston and St .4ndrew (Jamaica), Miyagi Prefkture (Japan), New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico, Saskatchewan (Canada)

Summary.-The results are reported of a randomized prospective clinical trial carried out to assess the value of specific active immunotherapy using irradiated autologous tumour cells in patients with glioblastoma multiforme treated by radical surgery and post-operative irradiation. The results in 62 patients show no statistically significant difference in survival between the group receiving adjuvant autologous tumour cells and those treated with surgery and radiotherapy alone. All 27 patients receiving tumour cells were dead at 30 months, whereas 7 of the 35 controls were alive at this time. The results were considered sufficiently discouraging to abandon the trial at this stage on the grounds that there was sufficient evidence in this study that the administration of irradiated autologous cells was of no benefit to patients with high grade astrocytomata.