Role of Serum Triglyceride to Detect Severity and Outcome in Acute Pancreatitis.

Though hypertriglyceridemia is an established risk factor for acute pancreatitis, the relationship between hypertriglyceridemia and pancreatitis-associated complications remains controversial. Serum triglyceride could be a simple, routinely available investigation if predictability of the outcome can be validated. Due to scarcity of related studies in Bangladesh, this study aimed to evaluate the role of serum triglyceride to detect severity and outcome in acute pancreatitis. This prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disorders (GHPD), BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka from April 2019 to January 2021. A total of 153 patients with confirmed diagnosis of acute pancreatitis were selected as study cases according to selection criteria. Detailed clinical and demographic history of each patient was taken along with physical examination and relevant investigations. Developed complications and mortality were also assessed during hospital stay. Collected data were checked for errors and analyzed by using the statistical software SPSS 23.0. The mean age ±SD of the study population was 46.72±13.43 years with a majority in age group 41-50 years (30.10%). About 51.60% patients were male and 48.40% patients were female. Higher frequency of severe cases of acute pancreatitis (according to Glasgow score, BISAP score and Ranson score) was observed in patients with hypertriglyceridemia than patients with normal triglyceride with statistical significance (p<0.05). Mortality and complications were also more frequent in patients with acute pancreatitis with statistical significance (p<0.05). With a cut off value of 218mg/dl, serum triglyceride showed 68.66% sensitivity, 66.28% specificity and 67.32% accuracy for predicting outcome of acute pancreatitis. Findings of this study suggest that serum triglyceride might play a recommendable role in predicting the severity and outcome of patients with acute pancreatitis. However, further extensive study is recommended.

The possible role of hemochromatosis in testicular cancer.

Hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder of iron metabolism that results in elevated iron absorption in the intestines, which leads to progressive iron accumulation in a variety of organs. Studies have shown that excessive iron deposits in the liver due to hereditary hemochromatosis leads to cirrhosis, which can put an individual at increased risk for developing hepatocellular carcinoma. Testicular atrophy, sometimes caused by excessive iron deposition in the testes, is a risk factor for testicular cancer. Therefore, the possible role of hereditary hemochromatosis in testicular cancer is explored.

Primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma.

We describe a case of primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma and review the previous reports on this entity. We stress the histologic differentiation of this tumor from similar neoplasms and point out the need for aggressive resection in operable cases.

Giant cell arteritis of the skin simulating erythema nodosum.

Cutaneous involvement in giant cell arteritis is quite uncommon. A patient is described who presented with pretibial skin lesions clinically indistinguishable from erythema nodosum which, on biopsy, showed subcutaneous pannicular giant cell vasculitis. Cutaneous manifestations of giant cell arteritis are subsequently reviewed.

Hyaline inclusions in a synovial sarcoma following intra-arterial chemotherapy.

Hyaline inclusions were noted in cells of a typical synovial sarcoma following intra-arterial chemotherapy. Ultrastructural study revealed that the inclusions were cytoplasmic aggregates of intermediate filaments. Since the inclusions were not present in the tumor prior to treatment, it is suggested that they may have formed as a result of the infusion and that their presence may be an indicator of chemotherapeutic effect.

A trichrome stain for intrahepatic localization of hepatitis B surface antigen.

A modified trichrome stain was used to detect hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in liver tissue obtained at the time of autopsy. The infected hepatocytes exhibited a selective green metachromasia of their cytoplasma, corresponding with the intracytoplasmic presence of HBsAg as confirmed by immunofluorescent and immunoperoxidase techniques. The trichrome technique for staining HBsAg is easy to perform, reliable, and can be used for routine histologic screening of HBsAg in liver disease.

Lymph node involvement by histiocytosis X.

Lymph node involvement by histiocytosis X is usually secondary to nearby bone or skin lesions. A patient with histiocytosis X confined to lymph nodes is rarely seen; however, we studied two such persons. In each, a lymph node biopsy was performed because the clinical aspects caused us to suspect neoplastic disease.

Fibrous histiocytoma of lung--a clinicopathological study of two cases.

Two cases of fibrohistiocytic tumours of the lung are presented and histogenesis of this group of this group of tumours is discussed. An essentially biphasic pattern of histiocytes and fibroblasts, and the presence of myofibroblasts and undifferentiated mesenchymal cells is similar to the fibro histiocytic neoplasms in other locations.

Oncocytic carcinoid tumor of the lung.

A case of bronchial carcinoid tumor is reported in which a marked degree of transformation to mitochondrion-rich cells (oncocytes) was present. Ultrastructural observations demonstrated a transition between the two cell types, and revealed an alteration in mitochondria suggestive of a degenerative change in these organelles.