[Neurotoxic syndrome of sheep due to the ingestion of plants of the Mediterranean scrub: clinical, histopathological, histochemical and ultrastructural observations]. / Sindrome neurotossica da ingestione di piante della 'macchia mediterranea' nell'ovino: osservazioni cliniche, istopatologiche, istochimiche ed ultrastrutturali.

A severe neurological disorder was observed during a very dry season, in sheep pasturing on land with mediterranean vegetation. During the crisis, lasting 5-20", ataxia and convulsions were the main clinical signs. Brain congestion, spongy appearance of the liver, interstitial nephritis and hyperpigmentation of visceral lymph nodes were the most important macroscopic lesions. Histopathological, histochemical and ultrastructural findings confirmed liver and kidney lesions and showed considerable neurovisceral storage of lipofuscin. Although further toxicological and experimental studies are needed to elucidate the origin of the disease, the Authors attribute the outbreak of the neurological syndrome to the ingestion of a neurotoxin containing plant.

Acute intestinal pseudo-obstruction: report of two cases.

Two cases of acute intestinal pseudo-obstruction diagnosed over a 6-year period are reported. One patient had acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome) associated with severe cardiopulmonary disease and the other a rare idiopathic small bowel pseudo-obstruction: both were treated successfully. The various treatments and a short review of the literature are presented.

Nuclear DNA content distribution in five parotid gland tumors. A preliminary report.

Quantitative cytophotometric evaluations of nuclear DNA content were made on epithelial cells obtained from five cases of parotid gland tumors. The measurements were performed on sections stained with Feulgen reaction and, as control of diploid value, adventitious small lymphocytes as well as normal epithelial cells were considered. A fairly good correlation between the type of histogram of DNA values and a progressive degree of atypia was found since particularly high levels of hyperdiploidy were found in more severe tumors.