[Human infection with Gongylonema pulchrum]. / Humane Infektion mit Gongylonema pulchrum.

HISTORY: A 27-year-old woman repeatedly attended an outpatient clinic and reported sensations of movement within the buccal mucosa. Various local inspections were without any obvious abnormal findings. A few days later the patient brought a filiform structure, which she had extracted from the affected mucosa by manipulation with her toothbrush. INVESTIGATION: Microscopy indicated a gravid female nematode of the genus Gonglyonema. DIAGNOSIS: Gonglyonem pulchrum infection. TREATMENT AND COURSE: Careful inspection revealed a second worm at the other side of the oral cavity, which was extracted by local incision. After removal of the second worm the patient remained free of symptoms without any further therapy. CONCLUSION: Even obviously very unusual symptoms, which might be indicative of a dermatozoic delusion, should be carefully clarified. In some cases it may be appropriate to consult a specialized institutions or laboratory to rule out a possible parasitic infections.

Hepatotoxicity of acetaldehyde in rats.

The ability of acetaldehyde to initiate hepatotoxicity as evidenced by enzyme leakage, hepatic fat accumulation and histological alterations was studied in rats. Neither oral nor intraperitoneal treatment with acetaldehyde had any hepatotoxic effect, even following aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition by disulfiram. This is probably due to the inability of exogenously added acetaldehyde to penetrate liver cell membranes. In contrast, acetaldehyde derived metabolically from ethanol was capable of inducing moderate hepatotoxicity when it accumulated upon pretreatment with disulfiram. Acetaldehyde may thus be partly responsible for alcohol-induced liver damage.