a connection between pathological processes and the pigmentation must be restricted to cases with greater than the normal age-related deposition of ceroid pigment".5 Large amounts of lipofuscin have been demonstrated in the livers of patients following excessive intake of phenacetin"6, but not to date in patients taking either ketoprofen or azathioprine. The histological and electron microscopy findings in the case rule out diffuse disease and, by exclusion, strongly suggest a focal pattern of hepatic necrosis. References 1 Urowitz MB, Gordon DA, Smythe HH. Azathioprine treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: a double blind cross-over study.

No abstract

Whilst the association between smoking and peptic ulceration has been reported previously, the relationship between smoking and the complications of ulcers, such as perforation, bleeding or acute painful exacerbation, has not been examined. In a retrospective study comparing 275 emergency admissions for peptic ulcer with 275 controls, cigarette smoking was significantly more common only in those with a perforated duodenal ulcer. Of 128 patients with perforated duodenal ulcers, 110 (86%) were cigarette smokers compared with 65 (51%) of the 128 matched controls (X2, P less than 0.01). Cigarette smoking in patients with bleeding or acutely exacerbated ulcers was not significantly more common than in controls. These findings strongly suggest a particular association between smoking and perforated duodenal ulcer.

Organisms that are present in the normal faecal flora, especially Bacteroides fragilis, were isolated significantly more often from perirectal abscesses associated with a fistula. Other organisms similar to those associated with infection of obstructed apocrine glands at other sites were isolated from abscesses without fistulas. These findings suggest that perirectal abscesses with and without fistulas may have a different aetiology and that appropriate bacteriological investigation may give an indication of the presence of an unsuspected fistula and thus provide useful guidance to the correct surgical management of the patient. Staphylococcus aureus and other skin organisms were found less frequently than in previous studies on perirectal sepsis and were equally common in cases with or without a fistula-in-ano.

The effect of acute and chronic venous hypertension on the lymph draining from the hind limb has been studied in 10 dogs. Acute venous hypertension was produced by venous occlusion, and chronic venous hypertension by fashioning an arteriovenous fistula in the groin. Acute venous hypertension trebled the lymph flow and doubled its fibrinogen concentration thus increasing the net transport of fibrinogen across the interstitial space by 600 per cent. Chronic venous hypertension had a similar effect and caused the appearance of alpha-2-antiplasmin in the lymph. The fibrinolytic activity of the lymph did not change significantly in either group of experiments. These results suggest that the deposition of interstitial fibrin seen in the skin of the postphlebitic limb is related to an increased concentration of interstitial fluid fibrin, and to the appearance of the fibrinolytic inhibitor, alpha-2-antiplasmin, without a concomitant increase of fibrinolytic activator.