Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation, malignant triton tumor, has a rare incidence. We report such a case in a 40-year-old male who presented with a mass over the buttock. He was a previously diagnosed case of neurofibroma in the same area. Histomorphology supported by immunostaining with S-100 protein confirmed the diagnosis. Malignant triton tumor has a poor prognosis owing to its aggressive biological behavior. The fact that the presence of this tumor in the buttock region is extremely rare has prompted the authors to report this case.

A case is described of a 15-year-old girl who developed Landry-Guillain-Barré-Strohl Syndrome (LGBSS) on the ninth day of typhoid fever. In the absence of other known cause or association of LGBSS Salmonella typhi is believed to be aetiologically related. The patient recovered uneventfully from her neurological illness in about ten weeks from onset of symptoms.

In February 1990 a World Health Organization consultancy was undertaken to assess the current impact of diabetes mellitus in Oman. Routine national health statistics suggested that diabetes was the principal diagnosis in approximately 1% of all hospital discharges in 1988. The number of 'new cases' of diabetes treated at hospitals during the same year was 4.8 per 1000 Omani population, representing almost 6000 diabetic patients. In 1989, at the Royal Hospital, Muscat, diabetes was recorded as the principal diagnosis for 2.6% of all discharges, and 6% of those in subjects aged 45 years and over. It is known that the frequency of diabetes is generally underestimated by routine health statistics. Limited ad hoc investigation during the consultancy suggested that approximately 9% of all adult hospital admissions and 12% of adult hospital bed occupancy were associated with diabetes. Thus, diabetes should be considered a priority in a national health strategy for Oman. It is recommended that emphasis be placed upon epidemiological research, education, and the provision of appropriate technology.

Antibodies titres against Coxsackie-B (CB) and mumps virus (MV) were determined in 180 normal subjects and two groups of diabetics, 236 with diabetes of recent onset (DRO) and 108 with diabetes of long duration (DLD). Positive antibody titres to these viruses were found more frequently in controls than in diabetics. In fact, the percentage of positive titres was significantly less than in controls in several instances particularly in juvenile onset diabetes of long duration. These data suggest that CB and MV are not causally related to human diabetes mellitus.

This revelation concludes that fallopian tubes are the sites of precursors of PHGSC to a large extent. In the absence of a proper screening method of HGSC, prophylactic bilateral salpingectomy at hysterectomy for benign diseases can achieve ultimate goal of reduction in incidence of PHGSC.