Analysis of the pathogenesis of acute necrotizing esophagitis (black esophagus): A report of three autopsy cases.

Acute necrotizing esophagitis (ANE) is a rare condition characterized by black discoloration of the esophageal mucosa. We describe three autopsy cases of ANE, also known as black esophagus. The black discoloration was confined to the esophageal mucosa rather than to the gastric mucosa. The histological findings of brown pigmentation and acute inflammation led to an ANE diagnosis. The immediate cause of death was certified as ANE in all cases. In the three cases, one had hypertension, diabetes, and multiple cerebral infarctions, another had alcoholism, whereas the pre-existing condition was unknown in the remaining patient. Petechial hemorrhages were found on the gastric mucosa of all three patients as a finding of terminal hypothermia. In one case, frequent vomiting was observed prior to death. Blood alcohol was detected (the patient had been drinking immediately prior to death), and the onset of ANE was considered to have occurred several hours before death. The findings indicate that ANE occurs shortly before death in combination with frequent vomiting and terminal hypothermia in the setting of cerebrovascular disease or alcoholism.

Simultaneous Determination of Five Bile Acids as Potential Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease in Mouse Brain and Plasma.

In this study, we developed an analytical method using LC-MS/MS for the simultaneous determination of five bile acids (BAs) that have been recently reported as candidate diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) or AD related factors in the brain. The measurement of BAs in the brains of healthy mice led to the determination of candidate diagnostic markers for AD, such as cholic acid and deoxycholic acid, and other bile acids, such as chenodeoxycholic acid noted for the ameliorating effect on the symptoms of AD. Significant positive correlations were observed between the brain and plasma concentrations of four BAs in healthy young mice. These results indicate that the BA level in the brain may be estimated by the corresponding BA level in the plasma. Thus, our study suggested that the proposed method for the analysis of the five bile acids would aid in the diagnosis of AD or in studies that use AD model mice.