Biomedical subjects

T R Ulich

Publications and source records attributed to T R Ulich.

95 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMed1982

Chronic active hepatitis of hepatitis B and non-A, non-B etiology.

Sixty-six consecutive liver biopsies demonstrating chronic hepatitis (CAH) were stained for the presence of HBsAg using the three-step peroxidaseantiperoxidase technique. Only cases of CAH thought to be attributable to either hepatitis B or non-A, non-B hepatitis were included in this series. Twenty-three of 30 biopsies taken from 24 patients with HBsAg-positive serum stained positively. None of the HBsAg sero-negative cases stained postively. Hepatocytes staining positively for HBsAg were generally few in number and randomly distributed within the liver lobules. Three cases of membranous staining were noted. After grading both the degree of inflammatory activity and the amount of HBsAg staining, we found that a statistically significant inverse relationship exists. The biopsies of six of the GBsAg sero-positive patients who had received steroid therapy for their liver disease did not stain differently from the biopsies of the remaining 18 HGsAg sero-positive patients. Stains for HBsAg may help in distinguishing acute hepatitis B (HB) superimposed on preexisting liver disease from hepatitis B-CAH (CAHB). This distinction may be possible because tissue staining almost always is negative in acute HB, whereas it often is focally positive in CAHB. This application of immunoperoxidase may be especially useful in patients who are drug addicts.

Biopsy, Needle↗

PubMed1982

A histologic comparison of hepatitis B with non-A, non-B chronic active hepatitis.

The histopathologic aspects of 62 cases of chronic active hepatitis (CAH) were examined to compare hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive with HBsAg-negative (non-A, non-B) cases. Epidemiologically, the two groups were distinct. Homosexuals and young, male users of intravenous drugs accounted for most of the cases of hepatitis B CAH, whereas older men and women with a history of blood transfusions represented a large percentage of the HBsAg-negative cases. However, there were no pathologic differences between the two diseases, in severity of inflammatory activity, degree of architectural damage, appearance of the bile ducts, or prevalence of cirrhosis. In a population of hospitalized patients, these two diseases cannot be distinguished microscopically unless hepatocytes that contain HBsAg are demonstrated. Although our current understanding of non-A, non-B CAH is limited, the disease not necessarily remit spontaneously, and progression to cirrhosis can be expected in some cases.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Ecchordosis physaliphora vertebralis.

A microscopic ectopic remnant of notochord and hyaline cartilage was an incidental autopsy finding within a vertebral body. Such ectopic notochordal vestiges have been hypothesized to be the origin of vertebral chordomas, but very few have ever been reported. Whereas ectopic notochord has been demonstrated regularly in the spheno-occipital region (in both embryos and adults) and in the sacrococcygeal region (in embryos), the occurrence of such tissue rests in other segments of the vertebral column is extremely rare. The possible relationship of ectopic vertebral notochordal rests to associated hyaline cartilage formation and to vertebral chordomas requires further investigations.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of paraquat dichloride on clinical chemistry measurements.

Although measurements in the clinical chemistry laboratory are routinely used to monitor renal and hepatic toxicity from paraquat, it is not known if paraquat, a strong oxidant, interferes with common laboratory tests. The authors analyzed the effects of paraquat (concentration range of 0 to 1000 mg/L) on the Beckman IDEAL and Technicon SMAC analyzers for 20 common analytes. Although 18 tests were unaffected by paraquat, creatinine values rose from 1.3 to 7.6 mg/dL on the SMAC and 1.3 to 3.0 mg/dL on the IDEAL. Also, LDH was unaffected, rising by 6 and 12% on the IDEAL and the SMAC, respectively. Values for these correlated positively with serum paraquat concentrations although little effect could be discerned at paraquat levels less than or equal to 10 mg/L. Thus, the magnitude of the effects were such that interference by paraquat with the measurements of creatinine and LDH can be considered insignificant in clinical circumstances.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Fatal septic shock after fine needle aspiration of a pancreatic pseudocyst.

Fatal septic shock due to Streptococcus sanguis developed eight days after fine needle aspiration (FNA) of a pancreatic pseudocyst. The pseudocyst was adherent to the transverse colon (as is often the case with pseudocysts), and contamination of cyst fluid with colonic bacteria most likely initiated the infection. The patient had not received prophylactic antibiotics, even though the needle had been observed to pass through the bowel at the time of the CAT-scan-guided aspiration. Although the literature documents the safety and usefulness of FNA in the diagnosis of pancreatic tumors, this case suggests that prophylactic antibiotics be considered at the time of aspiration of pseudocysts or necrotic tumors.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗