Carditis in experimental trichinosis

Eighty white rats were infected with 1000 larvae of Trichinella spiralis/rat. Serum samples and the hearts of infected animals were taken weekly for 20 weeks after infection. Tissues from the heart were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Mallory stains to demonstrate histopathological changes and with peroxidase anti- peroxidase for the detection of specific antigen deposition. Early in the disease, myocardial changes were detected. Later on, pericarditis and interstitial myocarditis were found followed by patchy myocardial necrosis and fibrosis. Antigen deposition was demonstrated mainly on sarcolemmal sheath of myocardial muscle fibers and in endothelial cell lining of blood vessels. No larvae were found in heart sections throughout the study. The pathological changes were mainly attributed to the antigen deposition and subsequent immune reaction

Immunopathological study and AgNOR count in some cases of mycosis funcoides

Fifteen skin biopsies from patients with mycosis fungoides [MF] have been studied immunohistopathologically, using monoclonal antibodies against lymphocyte subsets and S 100 protein to demonstrate the distribution of Langerhans cells [LCs]. The data obtained showed increase in the number of LCs in both the epidermis and the dermis and showed increased number of T helper cells in the dermis. Also, the same biopsies were subjected to silver staining technique to study nucleolar organizer region-associated proteins [AgNORs]. The number of AgNORs in the nuclei of MF patients were found to be like the normal control skin ranging from 1 to 2 dots which indicated that AgNOR enumeration has a limited value in assessment of these MF cases

Tissue culture for studying the effect of mechanical pressure on cartilage

Tissue culture for cartilagenous plates was done to study the effect of pressure from different directions unmodified by the presence of other tissues such as muscles, nerves and blood vessels. The chondrocytes lost their orientation and became parallel with the long axes of the pressure lines. The ground substance gradually disappeared and replaced by collagen fibrils that became parallel with the long axes of the packed and elongated cartilagenous cells