Cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation in a 23-year-old woman with broken heart syndrome.

Broken heart syndrome, also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is a syndrome characterized by a transient regional systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle associated to a psychological stress. We herein describe a case of a 23-year-old female habitual marijuana user who was resuscitated after cardiac arrest and then diagnosed with midventricular stress cardiomyopathy complicated by subendocardial hemorrhage. We discuss this unique pathological finding, the incidence of arrhythmias in this syndrome, and the possible relation with chronic cannabis and tobacco use.

Paleopathology of cardiovascular diseases in South American mummies.

Background: Cardiovascular disease has emerged as the world's leading cause of death in the last century. An epidemiological focus of this disease that extends not only beyond the developed world but also far back into antiquity asks new questions about associated risk factors. Ancient mummies found in the Atacama desert are well preserved and show signs of cardiovascular disease as early as 1000B.

Paleopathology of Spleens in South American Mummies.

This study analyzed 19 naturally mummified pre-Columbian individuals excavated from desert regions of southern Peru and northern Chile. In the majority of autopsies of mummies, the spleen cannot be identified due to rapid autolysis and decomposition; therefore, our aim was to identify, in the cases in which the spleen was found, any normal and abnormal structures from mummified spleen tissues. The research consisted of gross and microscopic examinations of the spleen.

Paleopathology in South American mummies: a review and new findings.

This article is a review of research and additional unpublished diseases that have been discovered and documented in naturally mummified remains recovered from South America. A new impetus in paleopathological studies was the work and discovery of a solution for rehydration of mummified tissues by Sir Marc Armand Ruffer in 1913. This solution allows the paleopathologist, after performing the autopsy, to process the tissues in a manner similar to current practices in pathology.

Diseases of the spine in South American mummies.

Objective: The skulls and spinal columns of people from ancient civilizations, which frequently are found in a preserved state at archeological sites, can provide a large amount of information about these individuals' physical condition through paleopathological investigation.

Methods: This study represents the examination of more than 700 human remains dating back more than 8000 years that were recovered from archaeological excavations in the Andean region of southern Peru and northern Chile.

Results: Examples of congenital malformations, degenerative processes, infectious diseases, neoplasias, and traumatic diseases were discovered.

Further studies on fecal parasites in antiquity.

This is a continuation study of the survival of antigenic material over the centuries using mummified human remains from the Andean area of South America. The fluorescent antibody kit from Meridian Diagnostics (Cincinnati, OH) was used to identify some Cryptosporidium species and Giardia species found in feces from the intestines of mummies 500 to 3,000 years old. The specimens that were positive by direct visualization using fluorescent antibody were then tested with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reaction using a Meridian kit just released on the market.

Diseases of the skull in pre-Columbian South American mummies.

Objective: The majority of paleopathological investigations focus on the study of the skull. This is because the skull is the most frequently preserved part of the human body recovered from archaeological excavations. From studying the skull, a variety of information can be obtained regarding the individual, such as sex, age, nutritional status, and other disease processes, if present.

Ultrastructure of a well-preserved lymphocyte from a mummified human.

A well-preserved lymphocyte was found during the electron microscopic examination of the cerebral material recovered from a naturally preserved male mummy from northern Chile dating back over 500 years. The cytoplasmic structures were easily recognizable. This study represents one of the best ultrastructural analyses of mummified human peripheral blood elements.

Intentional cranial deformation: a disappearing form of self-mutilation.

Of the forms of human self-mutilation that have been recorded, few have been so widespread and long lasting as intentional cranial deformation. The earliest known record of the practice is from Iraq and dates back to 45,000 BC. The custom, which was practiced in many areas of the world, continued well into this century.

Primary left ventricular mural endocarditis diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography.

Primary left ventricular mural abscess was detected by transesophageal echocardiography and was confirmed at necropsy in a 44-year-old woman with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia and cerebrovascular embolism. In two occasions, transthoracic echocardiography failed to show the mural abscess in this patient. Because of the aggressive nature of primary mural endocarditis, early use of transesophageal echocardiography is recommended in patients with Staphylococcal bacteremia and suspected endocarditis even in the absence of valvular abnormalities detectable by the transthoracic approach.

HIV/AIDS clients' satisfaction with selected aspects of clinic nursing services.

The authors report findings from a semistructured interview study of a random sample of adult clients (N = 20) receiving care in the infectious disease clinic at a large university-affiliated state-supported teaching hospital. Clients were asked to respond to items designed to measure their satisfaction with nursing and social work services at the ID Clinic. Over all, the clients interviewed reported relative satisfaction with services received; however, clients offered substantive suggestions for continuing quality improvement.

Maternal mortality in pre-Columbian Indians of Arica, Chile.

A study of female mummies representing seven pre-Columbian Andean populations of Arica, Chile, dating from 1300 B.C. (Azapa phase) to A.

Alterations of host defenses paralleling cholesterol-induced atherogenesis. II. Immunologic studies of rabbits.

Cholesterol-fed rabbits are more susceptible to experimental infections than similar animals given a normal diet. Multiple tests were employed to estimate functions of reticuloendothelial (RE) phagocytosis, lymphocyte activity, polymorphonuclear (PMN) and macrophage chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and bactericidal activity, as well as enzymatic activity of the macrophages. RE phagocytosis was unchanged in the cholesterol-fed animals.

Alterations of host defenses paralleling cholesterol-induced atherogenesis. I. Interactions of prolonged experimental hypercholesterolemia and infections.

Cholesterol may interfere with normal repair processes in the arterial wall. It is also possible that this same action occurs during inflammation and repair throughout the body. This hypothesis was tested by giving intravenous injections of Bacteroides fragilis, a bacterium that is innocuous for normal rabbits even when multiple large doses are given.