[Lethal midline granuloma].

Lethal midline granuloma is a rare clinical syndrome. In clinical practice the destructive process of the facial midline may appear as a symptom of various infective, malignant or autoimmune diseases. A physician must have a good knowledge of the problem in order to make a rational approach to diagnosis.

Diving-related fatalities caused by underwater explosions: a report of two cases.

The authors report two cases of diving-related water blast with fatal outcome resulting from nearby underwater explosions. Water blast with fatal outcome almost exclusively occurs in wars at sea. Underwater explosions are extremely rare in diving because of the limited exposure.

[Fatal rupture of an echinococcal cyst into the right atrium].

The case of a man 32 years of age with echinococcosis of the heart who died due to rupture of a pericardial echinococcal cyst into the right atrium with the range into the pulmonary circulation and fatal embolism of the branch of pulmonary artery is presented. Such localization of echinococcus is extremely unusual as well as the complication it caused, and promoted this report which is very instructive for a clinician, the more so that the patient was surgically treated, but irregularly followed up, and the disease had a poor outcome. Prophylaxis with albendazole over a period of one month and more frequent control examinations by means of adequate diagnostic methods in such cases is stressed.

Histopathology and immunopathology of skin biopsy specimens in Mediterranean spotted fever.

Histology of skin lesions and demonstration in them of Rickettsia conorii by direct immunofluorescence test (DIF) are presented in 13 patients with Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF). The lymphohistiocytic vasculitis which dominated the picture is not specific, however, it could be suggestive for the diagnosis of rickettsiosis. By DIF we demonstrated rickettsial coccobacillary forms in all the patients: in 12 macular lesions and in one "tache noire".