[Comparison of parasitology of the central vein of the adrenal gland and the other tissues in chronic chagas disease]. / Comparação do parasitismo da veia central da supra-renal com o de outros tecidos em chagásicos crônicos.

By morphological and morphometric analyses of serial sections the occurrence of T. cruzi nests in the central vein and in the parenchyma of adrenal glands, in the left ventricular wall and in the inferior vena cava wall in chronic Chagasic patients was studied. Of 36 cases 50% showed parasites in the adrenal central vein wall (total 29 nests), 3.1% showed parasites in the vena caval wall (only I nest) and 16.8% we found parasites in the myocardiocytes (total 23 nests). The density of parasites measured in the nests for each 100mm2 of the tissue examined, was 0.585 for the adrenal vein, 0.001 for the vena cava and 0.01 for the myocardium. No nest was found in 269103.1mm2 of adrenal parenchyma. Although the central vein area examined was smaller, it showed the largest frequency of T. cruzi nests. Since a basic difference between these tissues is the great quantity of corticoids in the blood of the adrenal central vein, this prevalence may be because of this hormonal ambient, which with its immunosuppressor and anti-inflammatory effects could help T. cruzi survival.

[Parasitism of the vena cava and adrenal veins in chronic chagasic patients]. / Parasitismo das veias cava e supra-renálica em chagásicos crônicos.

The occurrence of nest of trypanosoma cruzi in the smooth muscle cells of the central veins of the adrenal glands and the inferior vena cava was studied in 21 chronic Chagas' patients, by serial sections. Nine patients presented parasites in the adrenal veins, with a total of 24 nests, and only one nest was found in the inferior vena cava. The area of muscular tissue examined was of 2944.3 mm2 for the adrenal veins and of 47808.6 mm2 for the vena cava, giving a relation of 0.815 nests/100 mm2 for the adrenal vein and of 0.002 for the vena cava. Thus the smooth muscle of the adrenal vein was 407 times more parasited than the muscular wall of the inferior vena cava. This higher parasitism of the adrenal vein by trypanosoma cruzi in chronic Chagas' disease may be determined by its greater corticosteroid concentration, which can reduce the anti-trypanosomal defenses.

[Adrenal medullitis in cases of human rabies]. / Medulite supra-renálica em casos de raiva humana.

The adrenal glands and the central nervous system were studied from five human cases of rabies who died three to six days after first rings of clinical manifestations were seen. In all cases there were Negri bodies in the cytoplasm of neurons of the central nervous system and mononuclear inflammatory cells around blood vessels, more intense in the cases with longer survival. Only the adrenal medulla showed diffuse and intense mononuclear exudate associated with pheocromocytes alterations in 60% of patients. Eosinophilic bodies were found in the cytoplasm of pheochromocytes and in the interstitial space. These bodies may be similar to Negri bodies but their true nature it is not known. The pathogenesis of adrenal medullitis in rabies may be related to embryological and metabolical relationships of the chromaffin system and the nervous system.

[Prevalence of cholelithiasis in necropsies of patients with chronic Chagas' disease in the mining triangle--correlation with megaesophagus, megacolon and cardiac insufficiency]. / Prevalência da colelitíase em chagásicos crônicos necropsiados no triângulo mineiro--correlação com o megaesôfago, o megacólon e a insuficiência cardíaca.

Retrospective analysis of the diagnosis of 2.517 autopsies performed in the western region of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, showed that cholelithiasis has significant association with megaesophagus and megacolon but not with Chagas' disease (when considered in all of its anatomo-clinic presentations) or with heart failure due to chronic chagasic cardiopathy. Possible explanations to these findings are discussed and the scanty pertinent literature is commented.