Histological study of the possible effects of some dietary items on experimental atherogensis in rabbits

Thirty-five recently weaned male rabbits were used in the present work to study the histological changes in the wall of the aorta after the use of atherogenic diet. Five rabbits were fed stock diet plus 5 ml milk every day and used as a control group. Thirty animals were fed 10 g atherogenic diet/kg body weight besides the stock diet and used as experimental group. The latter group was further subdivided into 3 subgroups and were given different dietary items: Subgroup A was given the stock diet plus an atherogenic one and used as a control atherogenic group, subgroup B was given the same A-diet plus raw garlic fragments, and subgroup C received the A-diet plus onion chips. All animals were sacrificed after 90 days. Specimens were taken from the abdominal aorta and processed for a histological study using both the light and electron microscopes. Specimens from animals of subgroup B showed moderate improvement of the atherosclerotic lesions, while in animals of the subgroup C the lesions were mildly improved. Garlic and onion are effective in the control of atherosclerotic process, garlic being somewhat superior to onion in that field

Left ventricular performance at rest and during exercise and after aortic valve replacement

Sixty five patients of rheumatic aortic valve disease were operated upon 42 males and 32 females, their age ranged from 15 to 50 years with a mean of 36 years. They were evaluated preoperatively and reevaluated 1 to 8 months postoperatively by echo-Doppler to assess left ventricular [LV] function before and after surgery at rest and during exercise. The echocardiographic parameters used were left ventricular end systolic dimension [LVESD], left ventricular end diastolic dimension [LVEDD], ejection fraction [EF] and fractional shortening [FS], at rest and during exercise. The preoperative echo- Doppler data at rest had no correlation with postoperative outcome. However, delta FS% [change of fractional shortening from rest to exercise carry a good correlation with preoperative resting data. It was concluded that this parameter [delta FS%] can be used to predict the outcome of the surgery

Kidney changes in schistosomal patients

Fifty patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis without clinical evidence of renal disease were studied. Percutaneous renal biopsy was performed in all the cases. Forty percent of them showed a histological picture of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Histochemical study showed diminished enzymatic activity of alkaline phosphatase and succinic dehydrogenase, while the activity of acid phosphatase enzyme was nearly normal. Discussion of the results and review of literature are performed

Liver in pellagra

Histological and some histochemical studies were done in twenty pellagrins. Histological results showed necrotic foci with vaculated and irregular hepatocytes. Some cases showed fatty infiltration and evident reduction of glycogen of hepatocyte. Histochemical enzymatic results showed reduced activity for both succinic dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase enzymes but acid phosphatase and alpha esterase show increased activity. Evident deformity in the mitochondria was noticed by electron microscopy. Discussion of the results and review of the literature were performed

Histochemical and histopathological changes in diabetic gingival tissues

120 diabetic and prediabetic gingivae were studied histopathological and histochemically and compared with non-diabetic gingivae, PAS + ve substance was deposited in the epithelial cells and the vascular wall [subendothelially] leading to narrowing and even occlusion of vascular lumen in severe diabetic cases [uncontrolled late onset diabetic] a mirror of the micro-angiopathy occuring in diabetes. Succinic dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase activities showed increase in the epithelial cells and lamina propria cells. The increase in the first enzyme might be due to the abnormal C.H.O. metabolism in diabetes; but the increase in the latter was due to the increased phagocytic function of these cells accompanying the degenerative process in the cell and also as a reaction to the inflammatory processes usually accompanying this disease. The decrease in alkaline phosphatase activity in the capillary endothelial cells might be due to disturbed active ion-transport function of these cells, a condition which usually accompany microangiopathy. From this research it was found that by gingival biopsy one could diagnose and correlate diabetes especially in its presymptomatic or preclinical stage [prediabetic] where easier treatment and control could be done