Cardiac involvement in polymyositis: a clinicopathologic study of 20 autopsied patients

Cardiac involvement in polymyositis was investigated in 20 autopsied cases. Clinically, 13 of 18 patients had abnormal electrocardiograms, and 9 of the 20 patients had previous evidence of congestive heart failure. Histologically documented myocarditis was detected in 6 patients (4 with congestive heart failure and 2 without), 4 of whom also had small vessel disease of the myocardium. Patients with polymyositis may have a cardiopathy in the absence of overt myocardial inflammatory disease. (AU)

Gross cardiac involvement in glycogen storage disease type 3

This report describes a patient with type 3 glycogenosis diagnosed during life but who died suddenly at home and was found at necropsy to have gross cardiac involvement. The immediate cause of death was not apparent but could possibly have been related to the very unusual degree of cardiac involvement (AU)

Pathology of idiopathic cardiomegaly in Jamaica

Twenty-one cases of idiopathic cardiomegaly which came to necropsy have been reviewed. Investigations included injection and x-ray studies, careful microscopical examination and skip serial sectioning of the conduction systems. The obvious feature was gross cardiomegaly in the absence of atheroma of the large coronary vessels and an associated fibrosis of the right and left bundle-branches. Three hearts showed thickening of the intramural vessels of 80æ to 400æ diameter. We suggest that such changes may be one of the causes of the ischaemic electrocardiographic findings reported in previous epidemiological surveys.(AU)

Immunological studies on leakage of heart antigens in Jamaican cardiomyopathies

Antibodies to cow-heart tissue were prepared in mice. These antibodies were used to demonstrate the presence of cardiac antigens in sera of patients with cardiac disease. Normal individuals gave positive reactions, but to a lesser extent (AU)

Rhein, a selective inhibitor of the DPNH-flavin step in mitochondrial electron transport

Previous findings in the literature that rhein inhibits DPNH-linked mitochondrial oxidations by acting in the DPNH dehydrogenase region of the respiratory chain have been confirmed and extended. In the micromolar range rhein inhibits DPNH oxidase and DPNH-ferricyanide activities and the energy-linked reduction of DPNH by succinate in membrane preparations from heart, as wellas the DPNH dehydrogenase and transhydrogenase activities of the soluble, purified enzyme. The inhibition of the activities of the soluble enzyme are purely competitive with respect to substrate. These facts localize the primary inhibition site of rhein between substrate and FMN. In heart ETP a second noncompetitive inhibition is also present but is detectable only at very low (<10æM) rhein concentrations. Rhein also inhibits DPNH dehydrogenase in Candida utilis mitochondria and the purified enzyme from liver. On conversion of the heart enzyme to the low molecule weight DPNH-cytochrome reductase the typical effect of rhein disappears and is replaced by a slight stimulation or inhibition, depending on the electron acceptor used, showing that the substrate binding site is modified in this form of the enzyme. In beef liver mitochondria DPNH oxidation may appear insensitive to rhein, probably because of the strong binding of rhein to other proteins. To a lesser extent unspecific binding of rhein and resultant interference with the inhibition of DPNH dehydrogenase is also shown by BSA and by proteins in heart ETP. Rhein also inhibits transhydrogenations in mitochondria and at higher concentrations lactate and malate dehydrogenases but has no effect on sccinate, alcohol (liver nad yeast), and glucose-6-p dehydrogenases or on Neuospora DPN-ase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and amine oxidase. (SUMMARY)

Two unusual cases of mural endocarditis, with a review of the literature

Two unusual cases of mural endocarditis are described. The first was that of a 13-year-old boy with infected burns of the legs. Autopsy revealed mural vegetations in both ventricles and cytomegalic viral inclusions were demonstrated in the vegetations, heart muscle, and endothelial cells of various organs. This appears to be the first reported case of cytomegalic inclusion viral endocarditis. A review of the literature revealed only six previous reports of cytomegalic viral myocarditis, which was also present in this case. The second case was that of a 4-year-old girl with bronchiectasis. Autopsy revealed mural vegetations in the right ventricle. Group C beta-hemolytic steptococcus was isolated from th mural vegetations, as well as from the diseased lungs. Only two previous reports of endocarditis caused by this organism are found in the literature (AU)

Chemical composition of organs of children who died from malnutrition

Chemical analysis was carried out on samples of brain, liver, skeletal muscle, heart and kidney obtained from children who died of malnutrition. Total body potassium was measured before autopsy by the 'whole body counting' technique. There was a marked increase in liver fat, and the brain contributed a higher percentage of the body-weight in the more severely malnourished children. All the organs had approximately the same concentrations of non-collagen nitrogen. The proportion of collagen was highest in muscle. All organs were depleted of potassium, but the muscle was most severely affected. Brain potassium as a percentage of total body potassium was higher than normal in the most severely potassium depleted children. Measurements of tissue magnesium showed that there was no difference in magnesium content of tissue when expressed in terms of non-collagen nitrogen. When compared with normal values, muscle was magnesium depleted. The potassium to magnesium ratio was lowest in muscle. (AU)

Myocarditis in Jamaica

A review of the histology of heart muscle from 3000 necropsies in Jamaica has shown 102 cases with myocarditis (3.4 percent). The relevant clinical and pathological features are documented. Excluding 30 cases of rheumatism, myocarditis was most frequently associated with some form of septicaemia, wheras tropical diseases were of minor importance. An attempt to relate mycocarditis with unexplained heart enlargement in Jamaica was inconclusive. The results are discussed with reference to the findings in some earlier reported series (AU)

Spontaneous rupture of a papillary muscle of the heart

An unusual case of ruptured papillary muscle of the heart is desired. The study of serial sections revealed a small aneurysm in the ruptured papillary muscle. The cause of the aneurysm was not certain but it was probably syphilitic. (Summary))