Focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver and hepatic cell adenoma in women on oral contraceptives.

The article reports on the respective occurrence of focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatic cell adenoma in the liver of two women on oral contraceptives. The hepatic cell adenoma showed serious vascular lesions, including peliosis hepatis. Both tumors were removed surgically, and the patients are well. A possible relationship between oral contraception and benign hepatic tumor genesis is discussed under consideration of the pertinent literary data.

Post mortem detection of early myocardial infarction by determination of the tissue K+/Na+ ratio.

The K+/Na+ ratio was determined in myocardial specimens obtained post mortem from a total of 90 patients. The ratio was 1.0 or higher 25 cases in which there was firm evidence against myocardial infarction, and 0.7, or less in 30 cases with grossly visible signs of myocardial narcosis. The remaining 35 cases were suspect of myocardial infarction on the grounds of either clinical observation or sudden death, without gross change. Out of these the K+/Na+ ratio was above 0.7 histological evidence of myocardial infarction was absent, but other changes accounting for death were present in 17 cases. In another 16 cases a K+/Na+ ratio of 0.7 or less was the sole indication of myocardial infarction, and any other change likely to be responsible for death was absent. In two further cases a false negative result was obtained for the K+/Na+ ratio, owing in all probability to some technical error. The findings suggest that determination of the myocardial K+/Na+ ratio is a great aid in detecting early myocardial infarction. The technique is not affected by post mortem autolysis, and is simple enough for routine use.

Hepatitis B antigen in liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Postmortem diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was made over a one-year period in 43 cases, 18 of which also exhibited hepatocellular carcinoma. Blood samples taken from these and 120 other patients who died from other diseases were tested for hepatitis-B antigen (HB-Ag) and its antibodies (HB-AB) by counter-electrophoresis. The types of cirrhosis found were classified on the basis of morphological characteristics and available etiological data. The greater part of controls had had cardiovascular diseases and 32 had had non-hepatic carcinoma. Age limits were similar in the cirrhotic and control groups. HB-Ag was detected in 5 of the 25 subjects with macronodular cirrhosis and in one alcoholic patient among 18 subjects with other types of cirrhosis. The possibility of a coincidental HB virus infection existed in the alcoholic case and in one case of macronodular cirrhosis. Only one patient with liver carcinoma had HB-Ag. Among the 120 controls, HB-Ag and HB-AB were found in a one case. Microscopic lesions did not seem to be related specifically to the presence of HB-Ag in the cirrhotic livers.