Homicide as a cause of pediatric mortality in the United States.

Homicide is a major cause of pediatric mortality. National law enforcement data were analyzed to characterize and differentiate neonaticide, infanticide, filicide, and overall child homicide. Results include the following: Neonaticides often involved parents or unidentified perpetrators and occurred proportionately more in rural areas than did other types of child homicide.

Indices of serum androgens in normal puberty: correlations of two indices with chronological age, bone age and pubertal development in boys and girls.

Two indices of free serum androgenic activity, the normalized androgen ration (NAR) and the free androgen index (FAI) were determined in 218 normal children aged 8-17.9 years. Before the onset of puberty and between chronological age 8 and 11.

Stabilized Romanowsky blood stain.

It has been shown that the degradation of thiazine dyes which normally occurs in methanolic solution, as in the case of Romanowsky blood stains, can be prevented by making the solution acidic. In a certain range of acidity, the stain precipitates in the form of monothiazine eosinate, but by making the solution sufficiently acidic, eosin is protonated and the precipitate cannot form. These observations have been used to develop a blood stain which is stable, even at elevated temperatures, for several months.

Health legislation--a historical review.

The historical developments which led to the eventual promulgation of the Health Act of 1977 are enumerated. Mention is made of the parts played by the secretaries for health and the various commissions and committees in the evolutionary progress of the Act. The future pattern of responsibility for health services by three levels of government are suggested.

Urinary free corticosteroid excretion and renal function.

Theoretically urinary free corticosteroid excretion should be affected by renal function and this would make it a less sensitive index of hypercortisolaemia. In 28 consecutive urine samples there was a clear relationship (r = 0.83; P less than 0.