PubMed · 7993012
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
M I Redleaf. 1994. Lingual abscess.. https://doi.org/10.1177/000348949410301210
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
Wild-caught box turtles (Terapene carolina carolina) with aural abscesses were observed over a period of several years. Histopathologic evaluation of epithelial tissues (conjunctiva, pharynx, trachea, auditory tube) revealed mucosal hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia, and accumulated keratin-like material in the middle ear cavity. These manifestations suggested the possibility of vitamin A deficiency. A nonsignificant trend toward reduced serum and hepatic vitamin A levels was observed in turtles with abscesses (mean serum and hepatic vitamin A levels 71 and 49% of respective levels in turtles without abscesses). Three organochlorine (OC) compounds (alpha-benzene hexachloride, heptachlor epoxide, and oxychlordane) and total (microg/g) OC compounds were significantly higher in turtles with abscesses compared with turtles without abscesses. No OC compounds were higher in turtles without abscesses compared with turtles with abscesses. These data suggest a possible effect of environmental chemicals on metabolism or utilization of vitamin A in wild box turtles, resulting in hypovitaminosis A.
A 40-year-old man with a history of schizophrenia and inflammatory soft tissue lesions after self-injection of elemental mercury presented to the Emergency Department. Multiple skin abscesses associated with fever required operative debridement. An incidental finding of oral mercury ingestion was followed clinically and did not result in complications. Exposure to elemental mercury through injection or ingestion is an uncommon event, but one the Emergency Physician may encounter. Subcutaneous mercury injection should be managed with local wound debridement, whereas ingestions are rarely of clinical significance.
The performance of the Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD; Gen-Probe, Inc., San Diego, Calif.) for rapid diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis was evaluated by testing 178 nonrespiratory specimens from 158 patients. Criteria for specimen inclusion were (i) a positive smear for acid-fast bacilli (n = 54) and (ii) the source if the smear was negative (tissue biopsies and aspirates and abscess material were tested; n = 124). Results were compared to those of mycobacterial culture; clinical history was reviewed when MTD and culture results disagreed. Forty-eight specimens (27.0%) were positive for mycobacteria, including 23 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex specimens; of which 21 were smear positive. Twenty-five specimens were MTD positive; 20 of these grew M. tuberculosis complex. All of the five MTD-positive, M. tuberculosis complex culture-negative specimens were considered truly positive, based on review of the medical record. Of the three MTD-negative, M. tuberculosis complex culture-positive specimens, two contained inhibitory substances; one of the two was smear positive. Excluding the latter specimen from analysis, after chart review, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the MTD were 92.6, 100, 100, and 98.7%, respectively, by specimen and 89.5, 100, 100, and 98.6% by patient. Given the few smear-negative samples from patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis in our study, additional similar studies that include more smear-negative, M. tuberculosis complex culture-positive specimens to confirm our data are desirable.