Histopathological study of heart and cardiac vessels in autopsy cases from tertiary health-care center

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease causing more morbidity and mortality in developed as well as in developing countries. Among Indians, atherosclerotic lesions occur 10–15 years earlier, and the lesions are formed in the advanced stage. It is difficult and expensive to evaluate the atherosclerotic lesions in living subjects. Atherosclerosis of cardiac vessels and myocardial infarction are the most common fatal cardiac diseases discovered in autopsies. The incidence of coronary artery diseases is increasing worldwide as well as in India, which carries a huge challenge in diagnosing the same. Aims and Objectives: The aims and objectives are to study the spectrum of histopathological findings in heart and atherosclerotic lesions in cardiac vessels in autopsy cases. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study done in the Department of Pathology at Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital over a period of 1 year (March 2022–December 2022). In this study, a total of 100 autopsy cases were taken to study the pathology of the heart and the grading of atherosclerotic lesions in cardiac vessels. Heart specimens were received from the Forensic Medicine Department. The atherosclerotic lesions of cardiac vessels were graded according to the American Heart Association (AHA) classification. Results: Among 100 cases studied during a period of 1 year, most of the cases were in the age group of 30–41 years. Male preponderance was noted when compared to females. Out of 100 cases, 79 cases had histopathological evidence of atherosclerosis, and other findings were as follows: one case of giant cell myocarditis, one case of pericarditis, and one case of adenocarcinoma of the lung extending into the coronary vessels. The most common type of atherosclerotic lesion seen was type 7 AHA, most frequently involving the aorta, followed by both coronary ostia and the left anterior descending artery. Conclusion: In this study, atherosclerotic lesions were observed very frequently in younger individuals. It is an indication for the implementation of antiatherogenic preventive measures in young populations. It highlights the importance of screening for cardiovascular risk factors at an early age

Histopathological spectrum of lung findings in autopsy cases

Background: The incidence of lung pathology is the most common autopsy finding and is responsible for a great deal of mortality and morbidity. It is affected by a wide variety of respiratory pathogens and is involved in many systemic diseases. It is secondarily involved in almost all forms of terminal disease. Radiological findings are usually nonspecific in lung diseases and need prompt histopathological examination to find out the exact cause of death. Aims and Objectives: The aim is to study the spectrum of histopathological findings in lung in autopsy cases. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study done in the Department of Pathology at Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital during the year 2022. Lung specimens were received from the Forensic medicine department. Gross findings were noted. Following adequate formalin fixation, the tissue specimens were processed and paraffin sectioning was done followed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The findings were documented and the results were analyzed. Results: Among 100 cases studied during year maximum cases were seen in the age group of 31–40 years (32%). Males (72%) were more commonly affected than females (28%). The most common findings are Pulmonary edema (34%) followed by congestion (32%) and other findings include emphysematous change (13%), pneumonia (10%), tuberculosis (6%), metastatic adenocarcinomatous deposits (1%), primary well-differentiated adenocarcinoma (1%), pulmonary chondroma (1%), and bronchiectasis (1%). Conclusion: The most common finding observed was pulmonary edema. In our study, male preponderance was noted. This study emphasizes to scrutinize the histopathological findings in the lung, especially following a sudden death

Bone Marrow Granuloma in Typhoid Fever: A Morphological Approach and Literature Review

Typhoid fever is one of the few bacterial infections in humans where bone marrow evaluation is routinely recommended. However, the morphological aspect of typhoid fever in bone marrow has been rarely described in the literature. We describe a 25-year-old male patient who presented with prolonged fever suspected to be of tubercular etiology. Bone marrow examination showed well-formed histiocytic and epithelioid granulomas and erythrophagocytosis; and the bone marrow aspirate culture grew Salmonella typhi A. In view of potential clinical implications, typhoid fever should be considered as a differential diagnosis to tuberculosis in the evaluation of prolonged fever; especially in high prevalent areas. We suggest that erythrophagocytosis may serve as a morphological marker in typhoid granulomas in the bone marrow; and bone marrow culture should be submitted in every suspected case for appropriate patient management

Application of a Nanotechnology-Based, Point-of-Care Diagnostic Device in Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Introduction Early detection of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is important for preventing end-stage renal failure and reducing cardiovascular complications. Availability of a validated point-of-care (PoC) device that can measure various DKD markers would be useful in this respect, especially in resource-poor parts of the world. Methods We validated a novel nanotechnology-based multianalyte PoC device (minimally invasive and does not require trained medical personnel) against laboratory gold standard tests for the detection of 5 biomarkers related to management of DM and DKD. The prospective study was funded by an International Society of Nephrology American Nephrologists of Indian Origin grant in 2 phases: (i) proof of concept: random samples were tested for the analytes with the PoC device and correlated with the laboratory gold standard; and (ii) clinical validation in a well-characterized cohort of patients. A nonenzymatic- and nonantibody-based electrochemical PoC device for quantitative measurement of markers-glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA), hemoglobin, serum albumin, microalbuminuria, urine creatinine, and albumin-to-creatinine ratio-was developed and used in this study. The disposable strips were interfaced with a multipotentiostat hand-held PoC device (3.7-V rechargeable lithium battery, 5-inch touch screen, Bluetooth enabled) working in amperometry mode, which provided the results in <1 minute. Data were analyzed using linearity plots and Bland-Altman difference plot analysis. Results A total of 4717 individuals were screened during the study (phase 1: 2576 and phase 2: 2141.) In phase 2, samples were tested in 529 subjects (346 females)-120 subjects with type 1 DM, 255 subjects with type 2 DM, 54 subjects without DM, 400 subjects with stage 2 chronic kidney disease, and 30 subjects with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. Conclusion A nanotechnology-based PoC device for quantitative measurement of HbA, hemoglobin, serum albumin, microalbuminuria, and the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio was developed for detection of early DKD and showed excellent correlation between the device and laboratory results. This device has the potential for early detection of DM and/or DKD, especially in remote communities in underserved areas of the world where prevalence of diabetes is rapidly increasing

Metabolic and other morbid complications in congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 4

Morbidity and mortality rates in patients with autosomal recessive, congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 4 (CGL4), an ultra-rare disorder, remain unclear. We report on 30 females and 16 males from 10 countries with biallelic null variants in CAVIN1 gene (mean age, 12 years; range, 2 months to 41 years). Hypertriglyceridemia was seen in 79% (34/43), hepatic steatosis in 82% (27/33) but diabetes mellitus in only 21% (8/44). Myopathy with elevated serum creatine kinase levels (346–3325 IU/L) affected all of them (38/38). 39% had scoliosis (10/26) and 57% had atlantoaxial instability (8/14). Cardiac arrhythmias were detected in 57% (20/35) and 46% had ventricular tachycardia (16/35). Congenital pyloric stenosis was diagnosed in 39% (18/46), 9 had esophageal dysmotility and 19 had intestinal dysmotility. Four patients suffered from intestinal perforations. Seven patients died at mean age of 17 years (range: 2 months to 39 years). The cause of death in four patients was cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death, while others died of prematurity, gastrointestinal perforation, and infected foot ulcers leading to sepsis. Our study highlights high prevalence of myopathy, metabolic abnormalities, cardiac, and gastrointestinal problems in patients with CGL4. CGL4 patients are at high risk of early death mainly caused by cardiac arrhythmias