Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Zozaya.
We studied liver changes in the hepatic biopsies of five patients with hyperthyroidism. A characteristic histopathologic picture consisting of mild to moderate intrahepatocytic cholestasis, lobular inflammatory infiltrate with some eosinophils, and Kupffer cell hyperplasia was found in all cases. We discuss the specificity, clinicopathological correlations and the possible pathophysiology of these lesions.
The study of two proteins, acute phase reactants, alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor and alpha 2-macroglobulin, has demonstrated their utility in the diagnosis of the activity of ulcerative colitis. Alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor presented serum increases parallel to the degree of activity, permitting differentiation of asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe phases of the disease. Increases in alpha 2-macroglobulin coincided with less-intense phases of the disease. The possible biological basis of this different behavior is discussed, as well as its potential inclusion among the biological tests currently used in clinical practice.
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Cyanamide, a drug frequently used for aversion therapy in chronic alcoholism, induces a liver-cell lesion consisting of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies, structurally similar to those of Lafora. In order to know how frequently the lesion is associated with the intake of this drug, a prospective study was carried out. A biopsy was performed in ten chronic alcoholic patients who had been treated with Cyanamide. Inclusion bodies were present in all patients (7 cases) whose biopsy was taken when they were on Cyanamide and in two other patients whose biopsies were taken 3 and 7 years after discontinuation of the treatment. Inclusion bodies were absent in one case who was treated for a short time and with a small dose and whose biopsy was performed 3 years after cessation of treatment. On the basis of these findings, the lesion may be considered to be predictable. The absence of inclusions in one patient may be explained by their disappearance after cessation of treatment.
We report here on the hepatic lesions produced in 17 alcoholic patients who had received Cyanamide or Disulfiram as aversion therapy. The characteristic lesion consists of cytoplasmic inclusions, similar to Lafora bodies. They are found predominantly in periportal hepatocytes, including those lining the cholangioles. They appear to be persistent but are lost after death of the inclusion-bearing liver-cell when both the inclusion body and the dead hepatocyte are removed by macrophages. As well as the inclusion bodies, portal or periportal inflammation and necrosis of isolated liver-cells are seen. The inflammatory infiltrate is usually denser in the periportal areas and is associated with liver-cell destruction. The inflammation is usually followed by portal fibrosis which can be severe if treatment is prolonged. In one case, in which two biopsies were performed, cirrhosis developed while that patient was on Cyanamide.