Takayasu's arteritis associated with interstitial lung disease and glomerulonephritis

Takayasu's arteritis is a vasculitis characterized by inflammation and obliteration of large- and medium-sized arteries and has not been previously associated with interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. A patient with Takayasu's arteritis was shown to have interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and mesangial glomerulonephritis, suggesting a common antigenic stimulus that resulted in tissue injury.

Failure of ketoconazole in an immunosuppressed patient with pulmonary blastomycosis

A renal transplant recipient presented with pulmonary blastomycosis. Because of recent data suggesting a role for ketoconazole in the treatment of blastomycosis and concern for preserving her functioning renal transplant, she was started on therapy with ketoconazole, 400 mg daily. After four months of continuous therapy, she developed skin and laryngeal involvement requiring emergency tracheostomy; subsequent therapy with amphotericin B resulted in resolution of her disease. This is an example of life-threatening progression of blastomycosis in an immunosuppressed patient during ketoconazole therapy.

Leber's optic atrophy with myopia masquerading as glaucoma: case report

In recent years there has been much discussion in the literature regarding the proper approach to the patient who presents with apparent "low tension" glaucoma. In addition to a complete workup and proper management of such a patient, careful consideration must be given to the differential diagnosis of clinical conditions presenting with optic disc cupping and visual field changes. We present an interesting clinical situation in which a patient with severe myopia and Leber's optic atrophy was referred for surgery for treatment of apparent progressive "low tension" glaucoma.

Small cell carcinoma of urinary bladder. Ultrastructural study

Two cases of small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder are presented. On gross examination they were found to be polypoid and shared light microscopic features of oat cell carcinoma of the lung. Ultrastructurally, however, they did not reveal features of neuroendocrine cells containing neurosecretory granules. In regard to histogenesis, they appear to arise from undifferentiated cells present in the transitional epithelium.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the ileum

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma occurs most commonly in the extremities and trunk, but rarely in visceral organs. This report documents a case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma arising in the terminal ileum. Following surgical resection, there is no evidence of recurrence or metastasis in this patient after one-year follow-up studies.

Mechanism of Ozone Inactivation of Bacteriophage f2

The inactivation kinetics of bacteriophage f2 were studied by using ozone under controlled laboratory conditions. The phage were rapidly inactivated during the first 5 s of the reaction by 5 and 7 logs at ozone concentrations of 0.09 and 0.8 mg/liter, respectively. During the next 10 min, the phage were further inactivated at a slower rate in both treatments. The [ 3 H]uridine-labeled f2 phage and its ribonucleic acid (RNA) were examined to elucidate the mechanism of ozone inactivation, utilizing adsorption to host bacteria, sucrose density gradient analysis, and electron microscopy. The specific adsorption of the phage was reduced by ozonation in the same pattern as plaque-forming unit reduction. RNA was released from the phage particles during ozonation, although it had reduced infectivity for spheroplasts. Electron microscopic examination showed that the phage coat was broken by ozonation into many protein subunit pieces and that the specific adsorption of the phage to host pili was inversely related to the extent of phage breakage. The RNA enclosed in the phage coat was inactivated less by ozonation than were whole phage, but inactivated more than naked RNA. These findings suggest that ozone breaks the protein capsid into subunits, liberating RNA and disrupting adsorption to the host pili, and that the RNA may be secondarily sheared by a reduction with and/or without the coat protein molecules, which have been modified by ozonation.

Electron-dense subepithelial glomerular deposits in Henoch-Schönlein purpura syndrome

A case of Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) with renal lesions is presented. The clinical, laboratory, and morphologic findings revealed features commonly described in HSP. A renal biopsy revealed diffuse, generalized, proliferative glomerulonephritis. The unusual findings in this case were numerous electron-dense subepithelial deposits ("humps") and a few small intramembranous deposits in the glomerular capillaries without deposits in the mesangium, mimicking those of acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. The electron-dense deposits were well correlated with deposits of IgG, IgA, C3, C4, C1q, and fibrin-fibrinogen demonstrated by immunofluorescent microscopy.

Molar absorbance of cyanmethemoglobin from blood of different animals

The molar absorbance of cyanmethemoglobin at 540 nm was measured in 35 species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. Values obtained were compared with those measured on human cyanmethemoglobin by the same procedure. There was no significant difference (P greater than or equal to 0.1) between the human and animal blood values observed in 29 samples. In six cases (4 mammals, 1 reptile, and 1 bird), the significant difference (P greater than or equal to 0.05) did not exceed 5% of the human value. The practice of applying the accepted absorbance of 1.10 x 10(4) M-1 cm-1 per mole of iron in human cyanmethemeglobin for the analysis of animal blood will not cause more than 5% uncertainty. Such results are satisfactory for use in clinical veterinary medicine except for those research projects concerned with animal hemoglobin function and structure.

Experimental Eikenella corrodens endocarditis in rabbits

The ability of Eikenella corrodens to cause endocarditis in catheterized rabbits was studied. E. corrodens 1073, the serum-resistant strain used in the study, was isolated from a human periodontitis lesion. Thirty-four rabbits, surgically catheterized across the aortic valve and injected intravenously 24 to 48 h later with 10(7) to 10(9) log-phase organisms, were studied. Only three rabbits developed positive blood cultures and only two rabbits died before the time of sacrifice at 14 days after infection. Autopsies showed that all rabbits developed aortic vegetations, 52% of which were culture positive for E. corrodens. The organisms were recovered from aortic vegetations in a mean concentration of 10(5.3) colony-forming units/g of tissue and from liver or kidney in 28% of the animals in concentrations from 10(2) to 10(4) colony-forming units/g. Indirect immunofluorescent staining of vegetations, with the use of specific rat antiserum to E. corrodens 1073 and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled goat antirat serum, revealed colonies of E. corrodens in culture-negative vegetations as well as in those which were culture positive. The results showed that E. corrodens was an effective pathogen in the rabbit model of endocarditis, in which the disease was infrequently bacteremic and rarely fatal.

Electron microscopy of Mycoplasma pneumoniae microcolonies grown on solid surfaces

Mycoplasma pneumoniae sprain CL-8 was studied by using various surfaces for adherence and growth. Cells grown on Epon 812, Formvar, carbon, and glass were of similar morphology. Thin Epon pieces were good material for culturing the organisms and examining thin-sectioned microcolonies by transmission electron microscopy.

Determination of energy change associated with dissolution of a solid

The dissolution of a solid immersed in a solvent was considered as a consecutive process, consisting of a primary surface interaction leading to the production of a new surface at the solid-liquid interface, solvation of the solid at the interface, and transfer of the solvated solid into the bulk of the solution. The energy changes involved in each step were studied for the dissolution of m-tolylacetamide in hexane and heptane. An energy diagram was constructed according to the proposed dissolution mechanism. The heats of dissolution determined from the energy diagram agreed well with those obtained experimentally.

Mathematical description of solute velocities during dissolution from a horizontal surface

A mathematical analysis of solute flow in a descending column following dissolution is presented. The acceleration of a solute particle from zero velocity, when it is in the solid phase, to its final equilibrium descending velocity was analyzed. The maximum velocity for N-(3-methylphenyl) acetamide developed essentially at the solid-liquid interface, contradicting the postulate of a microsize diffusional layer. The possibility of a diffusional layer existing for solids of lower solubility than N-(3-methylphenyl)acetamide is discussed.