Biotransformation of the Herbicide Atrazine by the White Rot Fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Biotransformation of atrazine by the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was demonstrated by a 48% decrease of the initial herbicide concentration in the growth medium within the first 4 days of incubation, which corresponded to the mycelium-growing phase. Results clearly established the mineralization of the ethyl group of the herbicide. Analysis of the growth medium showed the formation of hydroxylated and/or N-dealkylated metabolites of atrazine during fungal degradation.

[Arterial thrombosis of the arm and hemorrhagic rectocolitis. Report of a case]. / Thromboses artérielles des membres supérieurs et rectocolite hémorragique à propos d'un cas.

Several cases of arterial thrombosis associated with inflammatory enterocolitis affections have been reported. In all but one case reported in the literature the outcome was favorable. A 40 year old woman developed thrombosis of the radial and ulnar arteries during an acute episode of ulcerative colitis. The course of the thrombotic lesions was irreversible and all fingers of the right hand had to be amputated. The corticotherapy as a possible predisposing factor for these thromboses is discussed, but their onset during an inflammatory episode suggests a role for the inflammatory enterocolitis. A thrombocytosis (807,000 platelets/mm3) could have predisposed to their onset, and in this case the hemostatic disturbances and fibrinolysis associated with the ulcerative colitis could have played a major role.

[Thoracic sarcoidosis with pulmonary cavitation. Apropos of a case]. / Sarcoïdose thoracique avec "cavitation" pulmonaire. A propos d'un cas.

The authors report an unusual case of thoracic sarcoidosis in a 21 years-old man who presents pulmonary nodules turning to cavitation. This observations and the few similar cases of the literature are analysed regarding to their clinical and radiological sequential patterns.

Perisinusoidal cells in patients with normal liver histology. A morphometric study.

We measured the number and the morphometric characteristics of perisinusoidal cells in perfusion-fixed biopsy samples from 7 control patients with normal liver histology. On 1-micron section, the number of cells was 18 +/- 1.5/0.1 mm2; 25% of cells did not apparently contain lipids. There were no significant zonal differences. The volume density of the cells represented 1 +/- 0.2% of the hepatic parenchyma. On ultrathin sections, the volume and surface densities of processes were 3.2 +/- 0.7% of sinusoid and 0.21 +/- 0.04 m2/cm3 of sinusoid respectively which represented 70% and 90% of total PSC volume and surface densities. Lipid volume density was 20.5 +/- 7.3% of the nucleated cell. More than 30% of cells contained less than 10% of lipids. There was no correlation between lipid volume density and RER surface density.

Sinusoids in human cirrhotic nodules: better identification with the perfusion fixation technique.

Liver biopsies of two alcoholic patients with nodular cirrhosis were fixed by perfusion. Sinusoids, sinusoidal cells and the Disse space were well identified in the nodules. Compared to a 'normal' liver biopsy, the following abnormalities were found: a larger Disse space containing fibrillar material and numerous collagen bundles, the extension of the lateral recesses between hepatocytes, the presence of a basement membrane-like material beneath thick and irregular endothelial cells, the transformation of perisinusoidal cells into transitional cells and myofibroblasts-like cells. In addition perisinusoidal processes were clearly identified; they were thick, often containing numerous filaments, and displayed in two or more layers underlined by a discontinuous basement membrane-like material.