Importance of mechanical damage to urinary red blood cells by the glomerular basement membrane

The reasons for morphological changes of urinary red blood cells (RBC) in patients with glomerulonephritis are still controversial. In order to evaluate the importance of mechanical damage by the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), we examined urinary RBC taken from the patients with two different diseases which have characteristic GBM changes. Urinary RBC taken from 20 patients with Alport syndrome and nine with thin GBM disease were examined using a scanning electron microscope. Nineteen out of the 20 patients (95.0%) with Alport syndrome showed ‘glomerular type’, while five of the nine patients (55.6%) with thin GBM disease showed ‘glomerular type’. These results suggest that more complicated GBM abnormalities cause more severe RBC distortion. Therefore, we conclude that mechanical damage by the GBM may be the major factor in dysmorphism of urinary RBC.     

A Case of a Short-Coupled Variant of Torsades De Pointes with Electrical Storm

TAKEUCHI, T., et al. : A Case of a Short-Coupled Variant of Torsades De Pointes with Electrical Storm. This case report describes a short-coupled variant of Torsades de Pointes with a characteristic ECG pattern consisting of a prominent J wave in leads V₃–V₆, in which an electrical storm was evoked with autonomic receptor stimulation and a blockade test. The patient's frequent VF attacks were triggered by short-coupled premature ventricular contractions with a right bundle branch block morphology and left-axis deviation, and were suppressed by deep sedation followed by a combination therapy using verapamil and mexiletine. Interestingly, with the use of those drugs, the prominent J wave diminished. The mechanism underlying this syndrome is discussed. (PACE 2003; 26[Pt. I]:632–636)     

Umbilical cyst containing ectopic gastric mucosa originating from an omphalomesenteric duct remnant

An umbilical cyst originating from an omphalomesenteric duct remnant is extremely rare, and to the best of our knowledge, it has scarcely been reported in medical literature. We present ultrasonographic manifestations and computed tomographic findings of an umbilical cyst originating from an omphalomesenteric duct remnant in a 6-year-old girl. In cases of umbilical cyst, radiographic evaluation alone may not differentiate an omphalomesenteric duct remnant with heterotopic gastric mucosa from a urachal remnant, and surgical intervention is required.     

Ascending Colon Stenosis:A Rare Presentation of Perforated Appendicitis

Abstract : Described is a 49-year-old Japanese male who developed an ascending colon stenosis secondary to perforated appendicitis. The patient was examined at our hospital because of an abdominal pain and the presence of a firm mass in the right flank. A barium enema and colonoscopic examination revealed an ascending colon stenosis with multiple nodular elevations. On laparotomy, an inflammatory mass, originating from a ruptured appendix, was found adhered to the cecum and the ascending colon. Thus, a right hemicolectomy was performed. Microscopic examination revealed a periappendiceal abscess with marked submucosal fibrosis and lymphoid hyperplasia of the ascending colon and cecum. Large intestinal stenosis is a rare complication of appendicitis, and there have been only a few reported cases involving the ascending and sigmoid colon, and the rectum. In these cases, however, the polypoid lesions as seen in our case have never been described. In reviewing the literature, we found only two other cases in which a coarse or a polypoid lesion, similar to our case, was noted in the cecum, though the mucosal change was localized and luminal stenosis did not occur. Thus, when a patient with an ascending colon stenosis is encountered, a possibility of periappendiceal abscess must be kept in mind.     

ELEVATED SERUM THYROGLOBULIN AS A MANIFESTATION OF ACUTE HAEMORRHAGE INTO THE THYROID GLAND

Clinical observations and serial determinations of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) were made in five patients with acute haemorrhage into the thyroid gland. Fever, local pain and acceleration of erythrocyte sedimentation rate were minimal or were not observed, and serum T4 and T3 were normal. Although all patients showed an increase in serum Tg, this was most obvious in three subjects and it gradually decreased as the nodule became smaller. There was no correlation between the serum Tg concentration and the nodular size. Acute haemorrhage into the thyroid gland should be added as one of the causes to increase serum Tg concentrations.