Malignancy in kaolin pneumoconiosis found with F-18 FDG positron emission tomography.

Kaolin pneumoconiosis may produce radiologic findings similar to those of malignancy. Current management includes serial radiologic examination and lung sampling of suspicious parenchymal opacities and nodules to exclude associated malignancy. This may result in unnecessary pulmonary resections in patients with already compromised lung function.

beta-hydroxybutyrate induces acute pulmonary endothelial dysfunction in rabbits.

The authors examined the effects of high ketone body and glucose concentrations on endothelial cell (EC) function in perfused rabbit lungs. beta-Hydroxybutyrate (beta OHB), at 5 mM, decreased endothelial angiotensin-converting enzyme (eACE) activity, whereas 25 mM glucose (HG), 1 mM beta OHB, or 10 mM acetoacetate (AcAc) did not. Dry to wet weight ratios were also reduced in lungs perfused with 5 mM beta OHB, but not with AcAc.

Aortic valve rheumatoid nodules producing clinical aortic regurgitation and a review of the literature.

The majority of cardiac involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an incidental finding at postmortem, as less than 3% of patients with RA have clinical cardiac signs or symptoms. Most cardiac involvement in RA involves the pericardium and has been known since Charcot first described an RA patient with pericarditis in 1881. Cardiac involvement takes two different forms: non-specific inflammatory changes and specific granuloma formation.

Gastrointestinal pathology in sickle cell disease.

The literature was reviewed to investigate the existence of unique gastrointestinal (GI) pathological lesions in sickle-cell disease (SCD). Chole- and choledocholithiasis have long been recognized, but bilirubin gallstones can occur in any chronic hemolytic anemia. Acute pancreatitis has been reported as a possible ischemic consequence of sickling.