[Importance of the forensic autopsy in the diagnosis of septic shock: a case report]. / Importancia de la autopsia forense en el diagnóstico del shock séptico: a propósito de un caso.

Septic shock sometimes starts with unspecific symptoms that hamper the clinical diagnosis and, therefore an appropriate treatment. When the septic shock follows a fulminating course with a fatal outcome, the etiological diagnosis has to be conducted post-mortem. Sudden unexpected deaths in children and young adults are frequently the object of medico-legal autopsies. Some sudden unexpected deaths have an infectious origin, which requires further analyses, including microbiology, to establish the cause of death. Here, the case of a fatal septic shock in a 19-month old male infant is presented. After a mild foot injury, an infection by Streptococcus pyogenes progressed to septic shock with a fatal outcome as post-mortem studies demonstrated.

Estudio histopatológico de la evolución temporal de las lesiones / Histopathological study of progression in the injuries

En este trabajo se describen los pasos sucesivos que se observan en el proceso de inflamación y reparación de las lesiones con el objeto de poder identificar, en el estudio histopatológico, el estadio en que se encuentran. Los pasos que se siguen en este proceso son los mismos en todos los órganos, a excepción del sistema nervioso. Intentamos que la descripción de las características microscópicas tenga un sentido práctico y pueda ser aplicada y utilizada en el diagnóstico de la data de las lesiones. Las fotos microscópicas que se han elegido se corresponden con el proceso reparativo de los infartos agudos de miocardio con la finalidad de que mantengan una secuencia lógica; sin embargo, mantienen las mismas características histopatológicas que las que pueden apreciarse en la piel o en cualquier otro órgano (AU)

We describe the successive steps observed in the inflammatory and reparative process of injuries. The aim of this article is to describe the histopathological characteristics of succesive stages in a lesion appreciated in autopsy. The evolutive process of the inflammatory and reparative events are practically identical in all organs with the exception of nervous system due to its absence of connective tissue. We try a clear histopathological description and easy to apply in the microscopical observation of a injury with the purpose of to facilitate the correct diagnosis. The microscopical figures has been chosen of the reparative process in acute myocardial infarcts and maintain the same histopathological characteristics than in the skin or other organs (AU)

Autopsia por silico-asbestosis. Revisión a propósito de un caso forense / Autopsy by silico-asbestosis. A review of a forensic case

Se presenta el caso de un varón de 72 años de edad, ex fumador desde hace años, diagnosticado de silicosis y carcinoma epidermoide de pulmón derecho, solicitándose por parte de la familia autopsia judicial por la sospecha de padecimiento de asbestosis y tras su confirmación reclamación como enfermedad profesional. La exposición de este suceso nos permite realizar una revisión de una enfermedad profesional que suele pasar como desconocida en las salas de autopsia, a pesar de su repercusión judicial. La asbestosis es un tipo de neumoconiosis reconocida como enfermedad profesional producida por la inhalación de fibras de asbesto. Su inhalación provoca fibrosis pulmonar. Presenta un tiempo de latencia clínica inversamente proporcional al nivel de exposición. Además de fibrosis pulmonar pueden producirse derrames pleurales, placas fibrosas pleurales, mesoteliomas, carcinomas pleurales y carcinoma de laringe. La silicosis es la neumoconiosis producida por inhalación de partículas de sílice, entendiendo por neumoconiosis la enfermedad ocasionada por el depósito de polvo en los pulmones con una reacción patológica frente a este, en especialde tipo fibroso. La silicosis es una enfermedad fibrótica-pulmonar de carácter irreversible y considerada enfermedad profesional incapacitante en muchos países, una de cuyas variantes más raras es la silico-asbestosis, la cual requiere exposición al sílice y al amianto (AU)

The case is presented the case of a 72-year-old ex-smoker for years, diagnosed with silicosis and squamous cell carcinoma of the right lung, being requested by the judicial autopsy family suspected of suffering from asbestosis and after confirmation complaint as an occupational disease. The exposure of this event allows us to conduct a review of an occupational disease usually happens as unknown in autopsy rooms despite its legal repercussions. Asbestosis is a type of pneumoconiosis recognized as an occupational disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Inhalation causes pulmonary fibrosis in the lung presenting a time inversely proportional to the exposure level clinical latency. Besides pulmonary fibrosis may occur pleural effusions, pleural fibrous plaques, mesothelioma, pleural carcinomas and laryngeal carcinoma. Silicosis is produced by inhalation pneumoconiosis silica particles, meaning the disease caused by pneumoconiosis dust deposit in the lungs with a pathological reaction to the same, especially fibrous. Silicosis is a fibrotic lung disease-and considered irreversible disabling occupational disease in many countries one of which is the more rare variants silico asbestosis, which requires exposure to silica and asbestos (AU)

Muerte súbita cardíaca en mujer joven / Sudden cardiac death in young woman

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Estudio histopatológico de las lesiones hepáticas inducidas por paraquat / Histopathological study of paraquat induced hepatotoxicity

Se realiza el estudio histopatológico de las lesiones que el paraquat produce en el hígado. El estudio microscópico de los 15 casos revisados indica el posible papel que la lesión del endotelio juega en el desarrollo de la lesión hepatotóxica producida este plaguicida

The aim of this study is to describe the histopathological characteristics of the liver damage in paraquat poisoning. The microscopic characteristics of the liver damage in the 15 cases reviewed emphasize the possible role of the endothelial lesions in the development and pathological expression of liver damage

Ki-ras mutational analysis in rat follicular-cell proliferative lesions of the thyroid gland induced by radioactive iodine and potassium perchlorate.

Although in both human and experimental pathology ras mutations have been related to the origin and progression of follicular-cell tumours, reports differ considerably with respect to the frequency of such mutations. The present paper reports, using direct sequencing, the incidence of Ki-ras mutations (codons 12 and 13) in follicular-cell carcinomas of the thyroid gland in Wistar rats induced by administration of radioactive iodine and potassium perchlorate. Direct sequencing revealed no mutations in the amplified gene segment of any of the 72 carcinoma samples studied. This absence of mutations agrees with some and is in sharp contrast with other previous reports in the literature, both for experimental animals and in studies of human thyroid follicular-cell carcinoma. Our results suggest that Ki-ras activation via mutations at codons 12 and 13 is neither a constant event nor an early event in the development of rat thyroid follicular-cell carcinoma.

Embolismo por cristales de colesterol secundario a trombolisis: a propósito de un caso / A case of embolism caused by cholesterol crystals secondary to thrombolysis

Tradicionalmente, la Medicina Forense ha tenido que dilucidar las causas del óbito en algunas muertes naturales; en particular, aquellos casos en que el fallecimiento ocurría de forma súbita o repentina y el sujeto, real o aparentemente, gozaba de buena salud. Desde la década de los 80, el número de muertes naturales autopsiadas en el curso de Diligencias judiciales aumenta de forma paulatina, a expensas de las defunciones que ocurren a consecuencia de complicaciones de tratamientos aplicados y posibles negligencias médicas. El síndrome de embolismo por cristales de colesterol, es una entidad poco frecuente, que aparece principalmente en varones mayores de 60 años con arteriosclerosis generalizada, tras la realización de procedimientos angiográficos, cirugía vascular, o más raramente, con tratamiento anticoagulante oral, heparina o fibrinolíticos. Lo inusual del caso y sus consecuencias fatales, pueden ser de difícil comprensión a un profano, hecho que induce con facilidad a denunciar una posible malpraxis. En el presente trabajo se expone un caso estudiado por nosotros, tras denuncia judicial, detallando el cuadro clínico, examen macro y microscópico y una revisión de la literatura (AU)

Muerte súbita cardíaca en mujer joven / Sudden cardíac death in young woman

Presentamos un caso de muerte súbita cardíaca en una mujer joven sin patología arteriosclerótica en las arterias coronarias. En el miocardio y el aparato valvular no se preciaban alteraciones morfológicas.En la arteria coronaria descendente anterior se advierte un hematoma disecante que produce una oclusión completa de la luz vascular sin que existan evidencias morfológicas de degeneración quística de la media. Diagnóstico: Disección espontánea de la arteria coronaria descendente anterior (AU)

Value of ploidy pattern and nuclear texture in the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there are subvisual differences (quantitation of DNA and study of chromatin texture) that distinguish single-gland parathyroid disease (adenoma) from multiple-gland disease (hyperplasia). STUDY DESIGN: Forty-eight parathyroid glands from 41 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were studied. Cytometric differences between the chief cells and clear cells were sought. An image cytometer was used to study histologic sections stained with DNA stain reagent. In each case a total of 200 cells were measured in consecutive fields. To distinguish chief cells from clear cells, a sample of 15,600 cells collected in consecutive fields in 78 histologic sections was analyzed. RESULTS: The results indicated that none of the continuous variables differentiated between single-gland and multiple-gland parathyroid disease. The most common ploidy pattern was diploid (25/45), followed by hypodiploid (7/45) and polyploid (5/45). A tetraploid population > 3% was found in 18/45 of the cases and was more frequent in single-gland lesions (15/34) than in multiple-gland lesions (3/11). The most significant discrete variables were growth pattern and binucleation or multinucleation. Clear and chief cells were classified correctly in 61.3% of the crossover validation tests using the standard deviation of nuclear shape karyometric variable and in 76.3% using the standard deviation of maximal correlation coefficient karyometric variable. Although ploidy pattern did not show significant differences, polyploidy, aneuploidy and tetraploidy > 3% were slightly more common in chief cells. CONCLUSION: In primary hyperparathyroidism there are no subvisual differences that can distinguish adenoma from hyperplasia. Nonetheless, by cytometry, most parathyroid cells can be classified correctly as clear or chief cells.

[Effect of somatostatin-14 in simple mechanical obstruction of the small intestine]. / Action de la somastostatine-14 dans l'occlusion mécanique simple de l'intestin grêle.

In order to investigate the properties of somatostatin-14 we studied an experimental model of simple mechanical and closed loop occlusion. Forty-eight New Zealand rabbits were assigned randomly to three groups of 16: group C (controls) was operated and treated with saline solution (4 cc/Kg/h); group A was operated and initially treated with saline solution and an equal dose of somatostatin-14 (3.5 micrograms/Kg/h; and group B was operated and treated in the same manner as group A, but later, 8 hours after the laparotomy. The animals were sacrificed 24 hours later; intestinal secretion was quantified, blood and intestinal fluid chemistries were performed and specimens of the intestine were prepared for histological examination. Descriptive statistical analysis of the results was performed with the ANOVA, a semi-quantitative test and the covariance test. Somatostatin-14 produced an improvement in the volume of intestinal secretion in the treated groups compared with the control group. The results were statistically significant in group B treated after an 8-hour delay: closed loop (ml): 6.40 +/- 1.12, 2.50 +/- 0.94, 1.85 +/- 0.83 and simple mechanical occlusion (ml): 175 +/- 33.05, 89.50 +/- 9.27, 57.18 +/- 21.23, p < 0.01 for groups C, A and B C, A and B respectively. Net secretion of Cl and Na ions was also improved, p < 0.01.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Metastatic glioblastoma multiforme in cervical lymph nodes. Report of a case with diagnosis by fine needle aspiration.

Metastatic glioblastoma multiforme is a rare event usually seen in patients with previous and repeated surgery. Fine needle aspiration from enlarged lymph nodes in a patient with cerebral glioblastoma multiforme showed a highly cellular smear with dispersed single cells and cell clusters. The cells had marked pleomorphism, hyperchromasia, coarse chromatin, prominent nucleoli and occasional intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions. Multinucleate giant cells and marked endothelial proliferation were also seen. The diagnosis of metastatic glioblastoma multiforme was supported by immunohistochemistry, which showed many cells with thick and large cytoplasmic processes with intense immunoreactivity to glial fibrillary acid protein. The differential diagnosis with other metastatic small cell tumors is discussed.

Paragangliomas. Static cytometric studies of nuclear DNA patterns.

BACKGROUND: The biologic behavior of most paragangliomas cannot be predicted from their histologic appearance. Recently, cytometric studies have found an association between an aggressive clinical behavior and the presence of a hyperdiploid or tetraploid range in the DNA nuclear content. METHODS: The authors have studied morphometric (nuclear area and nuclear form factor) and DNA densitometric (integral optical density and DNA ploidy) features of 23 cases of paraganglioma by means of slide cytophotometry with the microTICAS system (University of Chicago, Chicago, IL). The samples were selected from paraffin-embedded tissue, and representative sections were stained with the Feulgen technique. The differences between groups (cervical versus extracervical paragangliomas) were investigated with the Mann-Whitney test and Fisher discriminant linear function. RESULTS: The densitometric study showed aneuploid cell lines in 15 of 16 noncervical paragangliomas (with a DNA index within the tetraploid range), whereas 3 of 7 cervical paragangliomas were aneuploid and only 1 case did not have not a diploid cell line (with a DNA index within the peridiploid range). Mean ploidy (4.33 arbitrary units [AU] and 2.72 AU, respectively), nuclear area (58.74 microns 2 and 32.08 microns 2, respectively), the minor and major DNA indices (1.09-1.24 and 1.83-1.96, respectively), and DNA content variability (2c deviation indices [2cDI] of 8.62 and 1.88 AU, respectively) were higher in noncervical paragangliomas. With Fisher linear discriminant function, mean nuclear area (P = 0.0008), 2cDI (P = 0.0030), and the minor DNA index of each cell proliferation were correlated with location. None of the variables established statistically significant differences in comparisons of malignant and benign paragangliomas. CONCLUSIONS: Karyometric and DNA densitometric parameters have limited value in determining the prognosis of paragangliomas, although they are correlated with tumoral location, which is still an indicator in establishing the prognosis of these neoplasms.

Induction of thyroid proliferative changes in rats treated with antithyroid compound.

This study was designed to investigate the histologic changes in goitrogen-induced thyroid growth of the rat. The animals were orally treated by 1% potassium perchlorate except the controls and were sacrificed in intervals ranging from 1 to 12 months. The thyroid weight increased progressively along the treatment and after 2 months showed a diffuse homogenous hypertrophy and hyperplasia of follicular cells, decreased amount of colloid and increased vascularity. After sixth month of treatment true nodules appeared with complex morphology.