The accreditation of academic programs in industrial hygiene.

The American Academy of Industrial Hygiene has initiated a program to accredit academic programs in industrial hygiene. Guidelines, criteria, and procedures to be employed by the Accreditation Committee are summarized, along with a status report of activities currently underway.

Genetic and metabolic studies in diabetic neuropathy.

Forty-one diabetic patients with symptomatic diabetic neuropathy were studied together with an equal number of matched diabetic subjects without neuropathy. The acetylator status was determined and HLA-A, B, C and DR antigens were investigated. Metabolic control was assessed by measurement of glycosylated haemoglobin and by the mean of multiple random clinic blood glucose values.

Tracking of indium-111-oxine labelled lymphocytes in autoimmune thyroid disease.

Peripheral lymphocytes (approximately 10(8)) from 4 subjects affected by autoimmune thyroid disease (2 Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 1 primary myxoedema, 1 Graves' disease) and 4 normal subjects were labelled in vitro with 40 microCi of indium-111-oxine and, following autologous injection, the distribution of the cells in the body was investigated by gamma camera imaging. Lymphocytes in the thyroid were observed 24 h after injection in both patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and in the patient with primary myxoedema, but not in the patient with Graves' disease or in any of the controls. To our knowledge, this is the first report using this method to try and demonstrate lymphocytes in the thyroid gland, and supports the concept that cell-mediated immunity may be playing an important role in the pathogenesis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and primary myxoedema.

Evidence for an association between rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune endocrine disease.

Evidence is presented for the first time of a significantly increased prevalence of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes in the close relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Thirty-nine (13%) of 295 patients with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis had a first or second degree relative with type 1 diabetes and 38 (13%) had a close relative with autoimmune thyroid disease. These findings could be compatible with a possible common genetically determined mechanism of susceptibility to both diseases.