Tropical pyomyositis in a Greek adult

A case of tropical pyomyositis in a 24-year-old Greek is reported. The patient presented with high fever and swelling of the left thigh, generalized lymphadenopathy and multiple infiltrations in both lung fields on X-ray of the chest. Multifocal muscle abscesses were detected by CT scan of the left thigh and gluteal area. Staphylococcus aureus was identified in cultures of the purulent material which was surgically drained. The patient was subsequently treated with appropriate antibiotics. Lack of familiarity with this disease caused diagnostic confusion and delayed the initiation of treatment.     

Aberrant branches of the radial digital nerve in the index and middle finger: Two case‐reports

This report describes two incidental findings of aberrant branches of the radial digital nerves in the middle finger of a 52‐year‐old man who cut himself with a grinding machine, and in the index finger of a 45‐year‐old female who sustained a flexor sheath infection following a dog bite. In both patients, two equally sized radial digital nerves were found and both nerves originated from one common digital nerve. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2010.     

Prolonged effect of Corynebacterium parvum stimulation on granulopoiesis

An intravenous injection of 548 microgram of killed Corynebacterium parvum (C. parvum) into C57BL mice led to a significant increase in the number of both committed stem cells (GM-CFC) and proliferating cells of bone marrow granulocytic series. This increase appeared 24 h after the injection of the bacterium, persisted in varying levels until the 4th week and was accompanied by a marked and prolonged granulocytosis. The proportion of GM-CFC in DNA synthesis was found to be increased 1, 2, and 5 d after injection of C. parvum. Increased serum lysozyme levels were observed on the 9th and 15th d. These findings suggest that C. parvum can stimulate granulopoiesis in the animal system. This property of the bacterium should be considered when a combined chemo-immunotherapy schedule has to be applied.     

ApoB/ApoA1 ratio and subclinical atherosclerosis.

AIM: It has been demonstrated that an increased apolipoprotein B (ApoB)/apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA1) ratio is associated with atherogenic low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles and the development of clinical cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that ApoB/ApoA1 ratio is associated with early subclinical atherosclerosis as demonstrated by ultrasonic measurements. METHODS: Both common carotid and common femoral bifurcations have been scanned with high-resolution ultrasound in 767 volunteers over the age of 40. The latter consisted of 95% of the population of two randomly selected areas. IMTcc, IMTmax (including plaques), total plaque thickness (TPT) (the sum of the thickest plaques present at each bifurcation in cm) and black plaque burden (BPB) (TPT means plaque type) using the Widder classification with type 1 being the most hyperechoic and calcified and type 5 the most hypoechoic plaque were recorded. A medical history was taken with emphasis on risk factors present and a fasting lipid profile including ApoB and ApoA1 was determined. RESULTS: In the total population (N.=767) the mean (+/-SD) ApoB/ApoA1 ratio was 0.85 (+/-0.22). In linear regression analysis, the Apob/ApoA1 ratio was significantly associated with all the ultrasonic measurements of early atherosclerosis (intima media thickness, IMTcc, IMTmax, TPT and BPB). These findings remained significant after correcting for age, gender, smoking, hypertension and diabetes (P<0.001 for all). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that a high ApoB/ApoA1 ratio is associated not only with early atherosclerosis but also with hypoechoic (BPB) and by inference unstable plaques.     

Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the red cells of patients with thalassemia

L-alpha-Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8) has been reported to be absent in the erythrocytes of normal adults, but can be found in those of cord blood and of thalassemia major. The aid of this study was to investigate whether there is any relation between GDH and gamma-chain synthesis. Erythrocyte GDH activity was determined on 118 different blood samples. It was undetectable in normal adult erythrocytes and definitely high in cord blood cells (23.6 UI/10(11) RBC). Considerable GDH activity was also noted in patients with thalassemia major (11.0 IU10(11) RBC) as well as in cases with pronounced reticulocytosis (11.4 IU/10(11) RBC). Red cells from beta- thalassemia heterozygotes exhibited moderate but distinct GDH activity (5.2 IU/10(11) RBC). After fractionation into young and old erythrocyte populations, clearly higher GDH activity was found in the younger cells; however, there was no significant correlation with the reticulocyte count. Presence of reticulocytes alone appears insufficient to explain the values obtained in cord blood and the thalassemias, especially heterozygous. Furthermore, no direct correlation between GDH and fetal hemoglobin (HbF) was obtained in cord and thalassemic erythrocytes.     

The anemia of childhood revisited

Summary The question of the mechanism of the physiological anemia of childhood was reexamined; we took into consideration the fact that microcytosis is a feature of this anemia as well as the evidence suggesting that the 2,3 DPG/hemoglobin ratio may depend in part on red cell size. In a group of normal, not-iron deficient children a high inverse correlation was obtained between the MCV and the 2,3 DPG/Hb ratio; this latter ratio did not correlate with serum phosphorus levels, previously incriminated in the indirect causation of the anemia of childhood.     

Hairy cell leukemia and myelomatosis: chance association or clinical manifestations of the same B-cell disease spectrum

We describe three patients who had typical features of hairy cell leukemia (HCL) and multiple myeloma (MM) at the same time. In two, both diagnoses were made within a short period of time, and in the third, HCL had been present for 2 yr before the appearance of a paraprotein, bone lesions, and plasma-cell infiltrates established the diagnosis of MM. Although this association has not been previously reported, cases of HCL with osteolytic lesions or a paraprotein band have been described. The cases described may represent clinical manifestations of closely related disorders arising from divergent differentiation from a common B-cell precursor rather than a chance association.     

'Silent'β-thalassaemia caused by a 'silent'β-chain mutant: the pathogenesis of a syndrome of thalassaemia intermedia

In a Greek family three cases of β-thalassaemia intermedia were diagnosed as resulting from the interaction of a typical high HbA₂-β-thalassaemia with an atypical (silent) β-thalassaemia gene. Following electrophoresis of globins on an acid-urea-Triton-acrylamide system, an otherwise silent β-like variant was revealed in the carriers of the atypical thalassaemia gene and in the intermediates; it amounted to 33% of the non-α chains in the former and to c . 75% in the latter. The provisional name Hb Knossos is suggested for this abnormality.