An electron microscopical study of nutritional muscular degeneration (NMD) of myocardium and skeletal muscle in calves

Etiologic factors and pathologic alterations in selenium-vitamin E deficiency and excess in animals and humans

The etiology of selenium-vitamin E (Se-E) deficiency diseases may be complex. Many of the syndromes involve combined deficiency of selenium and vitamin E. Selenium moves into the animal and human food chain from soil and plants, which may contain inadequate amounts of the nutrient in many areas of the world. Vitamin E may be in low concentration in many animal feeds unless supplements are added. Some syndromes, such as steatitis in cats, result from an increased requirement of vitamin E in diets that contain large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and these diseases will only respond to vitamin E administration. Deficiency syndromes in animals owing to pure Se deficiency are infrequent and have been produced mainly by laboratory studies utilizing extreme deficiency conditions. Other factors that may affect the occurrence of these deficiency diseases are concurrent dietary deficiency of S-containing amino acids, bioavailability of different forms of dietary Se, intake of compounds that antagonize Se (e.g., silver salts), and exposure to various prooxidant substances (e.g., iron compounds, oxygen, ozone, and various drugs).

Pathology of chronic vitamin E deficiency in fatal familial intrahepatic cholestasis (Byler disease)

A case of fatal familial intrahepatic cholestasis (Byler disease) developed a neuromuscular syndrome similar to that in experimental vitamin E deficiency and abetalipoproteinemia, and died of hepatic and cardiac failure. Serum vitamin E level was extremely low. Autopsy revealed intrahepatic cholestatic cirrhosis without obliterative lesions in the bile duct system and marked splenomegaly with splenoma-like nodules. The other pathological lesions were considered to be due to chronic vitamin E deficiency as follows:1. Mitochondrial changes especially of the hepatocyte and cardiac muscle. 2. Cardiomyopathy. 3. Myopathy. 4. Vasculopathy. 5. Systemic lipofuscinosis. 6. Lesions of the reproductive and endocrine organs. 7. Kyphoscoliosis and pes cavus. 8. Systemic neuroaxonal dystrophy with peripheral neuropathy.