Morphometric investigations were performed in 18 biopsies from 16 patients with the nephrotic syndrome and 10 biopsies from 10 patients with mild proteinuria not associated with oedema. All biopsies showed normal glomeruli on light microscopy. The interstitial fibrosis was significantly increased in both patient groups compared with controls, and it was greater in the patients with mild proteinuria than in the group with nephrotic syndrome. A significant negative correlation was present between the degree of fibrosis and renal function in both groups of patients.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci are frequently isolated from the milk of women with signs of puerperal mastitis. In order to evaluate the pathogenicity of these bacteria, strains of S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus isolated from cases of mastitis in nursing women were inoculated into the mammary glands of lactating mice. Although clinical signs of mastitis were absent, by histological examination, mastitis was demonstrated in 78-93% of the glands. Abscesses were found in a few cases only. The inoculated bacteria were re-isolated in 41-61% of the cases, and when inoculated in numbers of 10(2) to 10(4) c.f.u. the bacteria multiplied above input levels in several cases. It is concluded that coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from the milk of women with puerperal mastitis can produce mastitis in mice and should be considered as a possible etiologic agent of mastitis in nursing women.

126 basal cell carcinomas from 7 patients with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome were examined histologically and--using a scoring system--compared with 54 solitary basal cell carcinomas. The solid subtype formed 78.9% of all tumors in the head and neck region and 48.9% of those located elsewhere. A broader spectrum of histological subtypes was noticed in tumors from patients with the syndrome. As multiple, keratinizing odontogenic and epidermal cysts are often seen in the nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome it was interesting to see that multiple keratinizing cysts within skin tumors were recorded more often in this group.

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