[Alcoholic hepatitis in an internal medicine service]. / Hepatitis alcohólica en un servicio de clínica médica.

Twenty patients with alcoholic hepatitis are studied. It is remarked the low frequency of this disease in patients admitted to the Internal Medicine Ward. Jaundice forms were the most frequent. Clinical, humoral and histological characteristics are analyzed. World literature is reviewed bringing up-to- date this research.

[Hemopexin and immunoglobulins in benign and malignant ascites. Experience in 66 patients]. / "Hemopexina e inmunoglobulinas en las ascitis benignas y malignas. Experiencia en 66 pacientes".

Sixty six patients with ascites of different etiologies were studied. Both serum and peritoneal fluids were examined through proteic electrophoresis, being the haemopexin determined in the peritoneal fluids. Immunoglobulins usually show high values in neoplastic effusions, especially igG (x +/- ES = 928.57 +/- 86.87 mg/dl) and IgA (x +/- ES = 157 +/- 17.84 mg/dl). However, the highest determinations were found in those of the congestive heart failures. The quotients obtained from the ascites immunoglobulin/serum immunoglobulin ratio are useful from a statistics point of view, though their practical value is limited. No plasma/ascites correlation was observed either in cirrhotic or in neoplastic patients. Quantification of haemope in proved to be conclusive in differential diagnosis. The 100% of benign ascites (cirrhosis, congestive heart failure and kidney failure) showed lower values than 170 mg/dl while 90.5% of neoplastic patients showed higher figures than said value. The average was 30.79 +/- 5.31 mg/dl for cirrhotic patients and 205.19 +/- 9.62 mg/dl for neoplastic patients with a statistically significative different for both groups (p less than 0.001). There is a high probability that its determination could show the etiology of the process. It was useful not only in cases of both neoplastic and cirrhotic ascites but also in those which had a cardiac origin, in which it showed intermediate values (mean +/- ES = 83.75 +/- 15.77 mg/dl). We feel that its incorporation to the routine followed when studying peritoneal effusions will afford a quick etiologic orientation.

[Liver cirrhosis and pregnancy. An infrequent association. A rare case of liver cirrhosis with 3 pregnancies]. / Cirrosis hepática y embarazo. Asociación poco frecuente. Un caso raro de cirrosis hepatica con tres embarazos.

A chronic etylist 46 year old female patient with a chronic active hepatitis of a probable alcoholic origin in presented. Between 1983 an 1987 she became pregnant three times and had normal children. We suggest probable hypotheses for etiology of hepatic cirrhosis, hypogonadism and sterility.

Hepatitis alcoholica en un servicio de clinica medica. / Alcoholic hepatitis in an Internal Medicine Ward

Se presentan 20 enfermos con hepatitis alcoholica destacandose su baja incidencia en pacientes internados en salas de Clinica Medica. Las formas ictericas fueron las mas frecuentes. Se analizan sus caracteristicas clinicas, humorales e histologicas. Se revisa la literatura mundial y se actualiza el tema

Feocromocitoma maligno del organo de Zuckerkandl. / Malignant pheochromocytoma of the organ of Zuckerkandl

Se presenta una paciente mujer de 15 anos de edad portadora de un feocromocitoma maligno del organo de Zuckerkandl con multiples metastasis oseas (craneo, clavicula, vertebras). Se destaca su prolongada sobrevida (7,5 anos desde el momento del diagnostico) y el beneficio obtenido (clinico y bioquimico) con la extirpacion quirurgica y la radioterapia administrada. Su buena evolucion se vincula estrechamente con el control hemodinamico de la enfermedad logrado con la terapeutica combinada de alfa y beta bloqueantes