This paper suggests that the incidence of poverty is severely underestimated in Greater Cairo. This is because poverty lines are set too low in relation to the costs of the most basic of needs in the city and because census data that inform household surveys, on which poverty line studies are based, undercount the people living in ashwa'iyyat (informal settlements). The paper assesses the costs of food and non-food needs in eight informal areas in Greater Cairo and compares these costs with the allowances made for them in Egypt's poverty lines (which are meant to indicate the income needed to afford these food and non-food needs). Those who live in ashwa'iyyat frequently pay more for many food items than those who live in some of Cairo's most prosperous neighbourhoods. The food allowance in poverty lines fails to factor in the cost of a nutritious diet as it is based on the actual diets of the poor. All households interviewed face non-food costs that are much higher than the allowance for these in even the more generous poverty lines. Yet, they still live in very poor conditions. Such costs include rent, keeping children in school, transport (for income earners and students), health care, water, sanitation and electricity. Raising the value of poverty lines to adequately reflect the real costs of food and non-food needs would considerably increase the incidence of poverty in Greater Cairo. Poverty lines must be set at levels that make sufficient allowance for the real costs of living: enough and nutritious food, reasonable quality accommodation, water, sanitation, electricity, keeping children in school, transport, health care and medicines when needed.

This paper assesses the Egyptian government's Social Aid andAssistance programme, mainly by interviewing households in two low-income areas of Cairo, and comparing what the programme offers with these households' actual needs and vulnerabilities. This programme exists to support the most vulnerable in Egypt (those who cannot work and are not covered by any other insurance scheme) by providing them with a minimum monthly income. It is meant to benefit in particular the elderly, households with disabled persons, and women who are widows or divorced and bringing up children. The interviewees pointed to many limitations in what was provided, for instance too little money in relation to daily costs and too many eligible people unaware that they could receive it. The research also highlighted problems with the programme's administration -for instance, the hostility of those who managed it towards those who applied, the complex application process (particularly difficult for illiterate people), the documentation required (which many women do not have), the refusals given with no explanation and, even if the application was successful, the long delay before benefits start. of the Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women (ADEW), for facilitating the fieldwork at Ezbet abu Karn, and to the NGO Fat'het kheir, for facilitating the fieldwork in Manteket el-Zelzal. In addition to the interviews described in the paper, the author interviewed 13 people from government departments, international agencies and non-government organizations. Special thanks are due to Professor

Background: TWEAK/Fn14 is expressed in many tissues including the skin, playing an important role in many inflammatory, autoimmune, and neoplastic cutaneous disorders. Aims: To assess the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) in vitiligo patients. Methods: This case-control study included 100 subjects (50 vitiligo patients and 50 control subjects) recruited from Dermatology Outpatient Clinic, Benha University. All patients were subjected to complete cutaneous examination, to evaluate the clinical type, distribution and severity of vitiligo using the Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI). Results: TWEAK serum levels were significantly higher in patients than in the control subjects (644.76 ± 688.93 vs 282.75 ± 125.67, respectively). Serum levels were significantly elevated in segmental versus nonsegmental vitiligo. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that TWEAK shows 80% sensitivity and 56.67% specificity in diagnosing vitiligo and 100% sensitivity and 80.09% specificity in differentiating segmental from nonsegmental vitiligo. Conclusion: TWEAK may play a role in vitiligo pathogenesis. It may be used in the differentiation between segmental and nonsegmental vitiligo and represent a promising therapeutic target in vitiligo.