[Extremely elevated erythrosedimentation in an adult population in the City of Buenos Aires]

BACKGROUND

An extremely elevated erythrosedimentation rate (ESR), defined as equal or higher than 100 mm/h, has been linked to serious underlying conditions, such as infections, connective tissue and oncologic disease.

AIM

To analyze a group of patients in order to determine the underlying diagnosis and the characteristics associated with extremely elevated ESR in our environment.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of adult patients, who presented with at least one ESR equal or higher than 100 mm/h at Hospital Italiano, in Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires, Argentina) between January 2002 and August 2014.

RESULTS

During the previously stated period of time, we analyzed the results of 879 patients. All patients were over 18 years of age. The median for the ESR results was 111 mm/h (interquartile range 105-120). The most prevalent etiology of an elevated ESR was infectious (41.64%), followed by malignancies (21.62%) and autoimmune / inflammatory diseases (12.97%). The most frequent individual diagnosis found was pneumonia (11.49%), followed by undetermined causes (5.92%).

CONCLUSION

When comparing inpatient versus outpatient populations, the most frequent cause was infectious in the former group, while malignancies were the most frequent diagnosis in the latter.

Blood biomarkers and contaminant levels in feathers and eggs to assess environmental hazards in heron nestlings from impacted sites in Ebro basin (NE Spain)

Blood biomarkers and levels of major pollutants in eggs and feathers were used to determine pollution effects in nestlings of the Purple Heron Ardea purpurea and the Little Egret Egretta garzetta, sampled on three Ebro River (NE Spain) areas: a reference site, a site affected by the effluents of a chlor-alkali industry and the river Delta. The two impacted heron populations showed mutually different pollutant and response patterns, suggesting different sources of contamination. In the population nesting near the chlor-alkali plant, elevated levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in eggs, and mercury in feathers in A. purpurea chicks were related with reduced blood antioxidant defenses and increased levels of micronuclei. In Ebro Delta, high levels of plasmatic lactate dehydrogenase in A. purpurea chicks and high frequency of micronuclei in blood of both species were tentatively associated with intensive agricultural activities taking place in the area. These results provide the first evidence of a biological response in heron chicks to the release of pollutants at a chlor-alkali plant.

[Congenital monomorph adenoma of the parotid gland (author's transl)]

Congenital monomorph tubular adenoma is a very infrequent tumor. Usually diagnosis is an operative finding. Together with its' infrequency, rapid rate of growth, differential diagnosis with other vascular tumors, specially cystic lymphangioma, and its surgical excision avoiding lesion of the facial nerve, account for this publication.