[Morphology of chronic gastritis]. / Vurkhu morfologiiata na khronichniia gastrit.

The objective of the paper is the specification of morphological criteria for the diagnostics of chronic gastritis. Biopsies, taken from the antral and corporal mucosa of 317 patients, were studied. Light chronic superficial gastritis was established in 184 cases. Manifested chronic superficial gastritis--in 178 cases, 119 of them in the antrum. Chronic gastritis with initial atrophy of the glands was established in II cases, and complete--in one. Chronic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia was observed in the antral mucosa mainly, and with various degrees of glandular atrophy both in case of the chronic superficial gastritis and chronic gastritis. The chronic gastritis with some changes in the glands, but without atrophy--47 cases, is of particular interest. The intestinal metaplasia as well as the pylorization of the corporal glands in chronic gastritis with changes in the glands without atrophy are a manifestation of dysregeneratory disorders and disturbance in the coordination between the phases of proliferation and differentiation.

Epidemiological, clinical, and pathomorphological characteristics of epidemic poliomyelitis-like disease caused by enterovirus 71.

In May-September, 1975, an outbreak of epidemic disease clinically and pathomorphologically simulating nearly all known forms of poliomyelitis occurred predominantly among young infants in Bulgaria. Most cases presented benign aseptic meningitis, sometimes with a short period of general cerebra- symptoms. Paralytic forms, such as bulbar polioencephalitis, anterior poliomyelitis, isolated pareses of the facial nerve, occasional cases of encephalomyocarditis, etc., were observed in about 21% of all cases. Over one-fourth of the paralytic cases with bulbar symptoms ended fatally. In March, 1976 another sporadic fatal case of this disease was examined. No new cases occurred in 1977. Histopathological examinations in all fatal cases regularly revealed lesions in the grey matter of the medulla and spinal cord typical of acute anterior poliomyelitis and bulbar polioencephalitis, with some peculiar features of localization and depth of the involvement of the brain stem. The similarity to poliomyelitis and precariously rapid increase in the incidence led to the decision to urgently vaccinate the entire human population with Sabin's live poliovirus vaccine simultaneously in the whole country in order to produce interference with the circulating agent. This aim appeared to have been achieved partially because soon the number of new cases of the disease began to decrease; however, no sharp and complete break in the curve of the incidence occurred. By the time of mass vaccination, the results of virological examinations started before were not yet available. Later, comprehensive complete evidence was obtained that over 25 fatal and many other typical cases of the disease were associated with an enterovirus proved to be antigenically related to enterovirus 71. The diseases in Bulgaria, 1975, differ considerably in the frequency of paralytic forms and in severity from the epidemics caused by enterovirus 71 in Sweden, 1973, Australia, 1972--1973, USA, 1969--1972, and Japan, 1972--1973.

[Observation of a male patient with the empty sella turcica syndrome]. / Nabliudenie na bolen sus sindroma prazna sells turcica

One case with secondary developed syndrome of sell turcica is described, after hypophysis radiation on the occasion of acromegaly. Of special interest is the preserved tropic hypophysis secretion with a clinical picture of hypopituitarism (secondary developed hypogonadism, hypothyroidism and hypocorticism) as well as the combination with another brain neoplasm--astrocytoma.