PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled Pelvic actinomycosis presenting with a large abscess and bowel stenosis with marked response to conservative treatment: a case report. (J Med Case Reports. 2007 Nov 21;1(1):141). Authors are Nozawa H Yamada Y Muto Y et al.. Pelvic actinomycosis is a rare disease that can result in abscess formation, bowel obstruction, and other serious complications. The correct diagnosis can seldom be established before radical surgery because the disease often mimics pelvic neoplasms. Pelvic actinomycosis is associated with long-term use of an intrauterine contraceptive device. We report a woman with a long-standing intrauterine contraceptive device who complained of symptoms mimicking large bowel ileus with a subacute course.A cervical Papanicolaou smear disclosed Actinomyces species.The intrauterine device was removed. High-dose ampicillin administration led to dramatic shrinkage of the abscess and improved bowel movement. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.

The 1st Central and Eastern European Summit on Preconception Health and Prevention of Birth Defects will take place on August 27-30, 2008, in Budapest, Hungary. It is hosted by the Research and Prevention for Families Foundation and the Hungarian Congenital Abnormality Registry. The Conference Goal is to provide a platform for review, analysis and discussion of the promotion of women’s health before, during and beyond pregnancy, and the role of preconception health and health care in the prevention of birth defects in the Central and Eastern European region. For more information and registrations click here.

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled Clinical, pathological and radiological evaluation of disseminated Langerhans' cell histiocytosis in a 30-month-old boy. (Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2007 Dec). Authors are Baltacioglu E Senel F Ozen B et al., from the Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Karadeniz Technical University, 61100 Trabzon, Turkey. Langerhans' cell histiocytosis is a rare disease characterized histologically by the proliferation of Langerhans' cells. Oral involvement is frequent and the disease simulates severe localized periodontitis. In this report, we present a case of disseminated Langerhans' cell histiocytosis in a 30-month-old boy who had a mass covering the entire maxillopalatine region and suffered severe periodontal destruction in the posterior maxilla and mandible. We discuss the radiological, histopathological and immunohistochemical findings. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.

People with rare diseases in Bulgaria get mobilized and create patient associations and support groups until waiting the governmental institutions to put in action the lumpy bureaucratic machine. Tree websites operate actively already: „Life with Cystic Fibrosis (CF)“ is the site of the patient association for CF, www.lifewithcf.org; www.nae.saita.eu is the site for Hereditary Angioedema (HAE); www.cdls-bg.org - the site for Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (Cdls). Those sites are created and moderated by patients with rare diseases themselves and/or by their relatives and friends. Besides giving information on the disease, they build bridges overcoming distances and spaces and turn into a connecting thread among people who suffer in rare diseases and their families.

At a regular meeting on 13 March 2008, the Healthcare Committee at the Bulgarian National Assembly started discussion on issues concerning prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of people with rare diseases in Bulgaria. The meeting`s verbatim record is available on-line.