Histopathological and ultrastructural alterations of induced Yersinia enterocolitica infection in mice.

Yersinia enterocolitica is an enteric bacterium and infections by this organism are mostly foodborne. It has been implicated to cause enterocolitis, terminal ilitis. diarrhoea, mesenteric lymphadenitis and arthritis in man. Due to paucity of information regarding histopathological and specially ultrastructural alterations in tissues affected, this study was planned with mice as the experimental model. Nine pathogenic Y.enterocoliticaisolates were used to infect 80 albino mice by oral and intraperitoneal route. Pathological alterations were studied by light and electron microscopy. Histopathological examination of intestines showed severe edema, purulent enteritis, goblet cell hyperplasia infiltration of mononuclear cells, thickening of mucosa and necrosis of the tips of villi. Liver showed congestion, hepatocellular degeneration and necrosis, atrophy of hepatocytes and microabcesses. The lungs revealed congestion, edema, haemorrhage and purulent ronchopneumonia, while kidneys showed mild necrotic changes and bacterial emboli in glomeruli. Ultrastructural changes were indicative of mitochondrial degeneration and their loss in kidneys, membranous degeneration with formation of myelin figures in lungs and disorganization, disruption and bleb formation of microvilli in intestines. Y.enterocolitica caused significant histopathological and ultrastructural alterations in experimentally infected mice. Variation in pathogenicity of different strains of Y.enterocolitica was also observed.

Intrapulmonary vascular dilatation in portal hypertension due to cirrhosis of liver.

BACKGROUND: Intrapulmonary vascular dilatation in patients with portal hypertension due to chronic liver disease has been reported mainly from Western countries. METHODS: Fifty in-patients with portal hypertension due to cirrhosis of the liver were subjected to contrast-enhanced two-dimensional echocardiography in order to detect the presence of intrapulmonary vascular dilatation. Their arterial blood oxygen saturation was measured. The patients, including 37 men, were aged mean 43.5 years; 30 had alcoholic cirrhosis and 20 postnecrotic cirrhosis. Twelve patients were in Child-Pugh, class B and 38 in class C. RESULTS: None of the 50 patients was cyanosed or had clubbing. Their mean pO2 was 83.2 mmHg. None had evidence of intrapulmonary vascular dilatations. CONCLUSION: Intrapulmonary vascular dilatation was not observed in our patients with liver cirrhosis. However, the sensitivity of contrast-enhanced echocardiography for this purpose needs to be reviewed.

Changing pattern of childhood poisoning (1970-1989): experience of a large north Indian hospital.

The epidemiology of acute poisoning in children aged 0-15 years hospitalized between 1970-1989 was retrospectively investigated. Two hundred and seventeen children were admitted during this period with 134 in 1980-1989 vs 83 in 1970-1979. Two distinct patterns were observed: accidental poisoning in under 11's and adult pattern and self poisoning in children over 11's. More children belonged to urban areas (72.3%) as compared to rural areas. In both decades more than half of children belonged to middle income group followed by lower income group and least to upper income group. The overall mortality was low (12.5%), with majority of deaths (78%) occurring in older children. The incidence of kerosene ingestion was noticed to have dropped by more than half between 1980-1989 as compared to 1970-1979 (14.9% vs 42%). The study highlights the unacceptable high rate of preventable accidental poisoning in young children and suicide and parasuicide in older children (11-15 years age group).