Liver specimens from 10 cases of yellow fever (YF) were studied by light and four by electron microscopy to review morphological aspects of the disease relevant to its diagnosis, with special emphasis on acidophilic bodies (AB) and on the possible presence of the virus within infected cells. The AB were compared with those found in 22 out of 69 liver specimens with other pathological processes. In YF the typical alteration was an acidophilic hepatocellular necrosis with a preferential midzonal distribution. Ceroid pigment was abundant, its amount was proportional to the degree of liver cell damage and it was found in altered hepatocytes and Kupffer cells in the most damaged areas. The inflammatory infiltrate was scanty, not only in portal tracts but also within the lobules. Electron microscopically, no viral particles were found in liver cells or AB. The latter appeared as round or elliptical cytoplasmic masses, surrounded by a conspicuous cellular membrane and densely packed with organelles, fat vacuoles and residual bodies. They differed from AB in other liver diseases by the presence of fat vacuoles and ceroid pigment. Some peculiarities of AB in other liver diseases such as presence of bile pigment and iron, would depend upon the presence of these pigments in the hepatocytes which originated them.

Costa RFB, Fagundes DJ, Juliano Y, Novo NF, Vieira WTT. Effects of external gamma radiation on femoral artery reimplantation in rats: morphometrical analyzes. Acta Cir Bras [serial online] 2003 Mar-Apr;18(2). Available from URL: http://www.scielo.br/acb. ABSTRACT -Purpose: To investigate the effects of external gamma radiation on rat femoral artery reimplant. Methods: Sixty-two male Wistar rats were distributed in two groups I (Control) and II (Irradiated), both formed by three observation subgroups: 2 (10 animals), 7 (11) and 21(10) postoperative days (PO). The right femoral artery of each animal was split up and reimplanted (end-to-end anastomosis), through microsurgery technique. In the first PO day group II animals were irradiated with a single dose of 15Gy, external source. The histological analysis, qualitative and descriptive analysis, was accomplished through hematoxylin and eosin (HE), Verhoeff and Masson trichromium methodology. Morphometric analysis was realized in the same slides used to histological analysis stained by HE. Computer software was used to quantify morphological alterations of the vascular wall, by processing captured images from a microscope. It was analyzed the intimal layer (intimal hyperplasia and endothelium cells formation) and the nuclei percentage of smooth muscular cell in the medium layer and in the intima hyperplasia. The data were treated applying the statistical tests: Fisher s exact, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and analysis of variance (p < .05). Results: The patency graft was observed by microscope distal to the autograft in 93.5% (29/31). It was observed that the gamma-radiation reduced the degree of covering of the vascular wall for the neo-formed endothelium. The nuclei percentage of smooth muscular cells, in the media, was smaller compared to control animals, although it was no significant for the studied sample size. The irradiated group showed a significant lower luminal stenosis and the intimal hyperplasia occurrence. In this group the percentage of smooth muscular cells proliferation, in the media, were significantly lower for 7 and 21 days of observation. Conclusion: The external single dose of 15 Gy gamma-radiation delivered at first postoperative day may inhibit the endothelial cells regeneration and the percentage of lumen stenosis and prevents intimal hyperplasia, in the 2, 7 and 21 PO on femoral artery autograft in rats.

Com o objetivo de avaliar a eficácia do pericárdio bovino (PB) para corrigir defeitos arteriais, provocado nas artérias femorais cão, foram realizados remendos de PB e veia cefálica autóloga (VA). Foram utilizados vinte cães, Canis familiaris (oito machos e doze fêmeas), divididos em dois grupos de dez animais (I e II), para serem reoperados no 7º e 30º dias de pós-operatório (PO), respectivamente. Para análise dos dados, aplicou-se o teste do qui-quadrado ou teste exato de Fisher (a£ 0,05). Nas avaliações clínicas não foram observadas alterações significantes, independentemente, do tipo de enxerto utilizado e tempo de observação PO. As avaliações histológicas, entre os enxertos de PB e VA, não diferiram significantemente quanto à presença de infiltrado inflamatório agudo e trombo mural, que predominaram no 7º PO, enquanto a presença de tecido de granulação, placa miofibroblástica e células endoteliais predominaram no 30º PO. A presença de necrose, no 7º PO, entre os enxertos de PB e VA, foi significantemente maior no PB. Os enxertos não sofreram calcificação. Ocorreu significante reação tipo corpo estranho ao fio de polipropileno, no 30º PO, em ambos os enxertos. O PB mostrou-se eficaz como substituto arterial em cães, comparável à VA, para o período de observação estabelecido.

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