Descriptions of two new cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Panama, and coincident infection with Rickettsia rickettsii in Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. in an urban locality of Panama City, Panama.

The clinical and pathologic characterisation of two fatal cases of tick-borne rickettsiosis in rural (El Valle) and urban (City of Panama) Panama are described. Clinical and autopsy findings were non-specific, but the molecular analysis was used to identify Rickettsia rickettsii in both cases. No ticks were collected in El Valle, while in the urban case, R. rickettsii was detected in Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l., representing the first molecular finding in this tick in Panama and Central America.

[Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia. The first reported case at the "Santo Tomás" Hospital]. / Linfadenopatiá angioinmunoblástica con disproteinemia. Primer caso reportado en el Hospital "Santo Tomás".

Description of the first case of angio-immunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia diagnosed in a male patient 64 years old and which preceded the development of a lymphoma. The importance of this study is the association that may exist between certain drugs and the development of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy, which occurred in our patient with the use of diphenylhydantoin. This disease can present itself up to 22 years after exposure to the agent.

[Thymoma of fusiform cells. Report of a case]. / Timoma de células fusiformes. Informe de un caso.

A 63 yo female was hospitalized with a 2 week history of vomiting, epigastric pain, anorexia and weight loss. She had an incidental finding of left anterior upper mediastinal mass on Chest Xray and TSP of 2.2 gm% and globulins of 1.2 gm% along with endobronchial larvae of Ascaris lumbricoides and malignant cells and Strongyloides stercoralis in the gastric mucosa. She died after a progressively deteriorating course and at autopsy a thymoma predominantly composed of spindle shaped cells was found. This rare variant of thymoma has been associated with red cell agenesis and with immunodeficiency (Good's syndrome).