Effects of swim stress and alpha-MSH acute pre-treatment on brain 5-HT transporter and corticosterone receptor.

The forced swim test (FST) can lead to stress-related diseases such as depression, through activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and corticosteroid disregulation. Among the proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) has been shown to regulate long-lasting behavioral responses. Moreover, serotonergic pathways in various brain areas are activated by stressors, a feature that suggests a role for serotonin in both stress-induced HPAA disregulation and depressive physiopathology.

Genetic and morphological findings in progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (Byler disease [PFIC-1] and Byler syndrome): evidence for heterogeneity.

Byler disease (ByD) is an autosomal recessive disorder in which cholestasis of onset in infancy leads to hepatic fibrosis and death. Children who have a clinically similar disorder, but are not members of the Amish kindred in which ByD was described, are said to have Byler syndrome (ByS). Controversy exists as to whether ByD and ByS (subtypes of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis [PFIC]) represent one clinicopathological entity.

Lessons learned from autopsies at a pediatric teaching hospital.

Twenty-six percent of pediatric patients had discrepant major diagnoses revealed at autopsy. A printed form used to document permission for autopsies improved the autopsy rate. No variables were found to predict the success rate for obtaining autopsies.

Association of Epstein-Barr virus with leiomyosarcomas in young people with AIDS.

Background: Children with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have an unusually high incidence of smooth-muscle tumors (leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas) in addition to malignant lymphomas. We tested the hypothesis that the smooth-muscle tumors in these children are associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Methods: Tissue specimens of five leiomyosarcomas and two leiomyomas from six children with AIDS were studied for evidence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and EBV by in situ hybridization and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Radiographic patterns of PLH/LIP in HIV positive children.

A retrospective study was performed of the radiographic patterns of the lungs in children being followed in the Children's Hospital Aids Program (CHAP). The most consistent finding was a diffuse reticulonodular pattern in the lungs. In addition, lung consolidation, either isolated or in combination with nodules, was noted.

Disseminated leiomyosarcoma in a child with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

A child with disseminated leiomyosarcoma and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is reported. She was originally believed to have peptic ulcer disease by radiographic and endoscopic evaluation but was found subsequently to have hypergastrinemia, hypochlorhydria, and a smooth muscle tumor. Leiomyosarcoma in children and its evolution in AIDS are discussed.

Rheumatic heart disease in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Acute rheumatic heart disease (RHD) with Aschoff nodules and biventricular dilation was diagnosed at autopsy in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome who died of pneumonia due to Pneumocystis carinii. The relationship of acute RHD and human immunodeficiency virus-associated immune deficiency is discussed.

Sarcoidosis of the uterus.

The present case of sarcoidosis of the uterus and the previously reported cases are reviewed. Uterine sarcoidosis is usually detected during the investigation of abnormal uterine bleeding in patients with prior evidence of sarcoidosis in another site. However, in several of the reviewed cases, either the uterus was the site of the initial diagnosis of sarcoidosis or its involvement was detected soon afterward.

Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system in children with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Three children with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and primary lymphoma of the CNS are described. All three children had clinical signs of focal mass lesions and progressive neurologic deficits. In one child the deterioration was extremely rapid.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-associated renal disease in children.

Five children with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and clinically significant renal disease had detailed pathologic examination of renal tissue (biopsy specimens, autopsy specimens, or both). All patients had proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, and edema; one patient had persistent azotemia. In two cases, renal disease was the first manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Syndromes of cardiovascular malformations induced by copper citrate in hamsters.

Pregnant golden hamsters were injected intraperitoneally on the morning of the eighth day of gestation with a solution of copper citrate (2.7 mg/kg) or deionized water. Embryos were removed from the mothers by laparotomy on the 12th and 13th days of gestation, serially sectioned through the thorax, and examined for cardiac malformations.

Copper-induced heart malformations in hamsters.

The injection of copper citrate into pregnant golden hamsters induces a specific pattern of cardiovascular malformations in their embroys. The syndrome consists of double-outlet right ventricle, pulmonary hypoplasia and a ventricular spetal defect.