Author/Editor		Petrovič, D; Zorc, M; Zorc-Pleskovič, R; Vraspir-Porenta, O
Title		Morphometrical and stereological analysis of myocardial mast cells in myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy
Type		članek
Source		Folia Biol (Praha)
Vol. and No.		Letnik 45
Publication year		1999
Volume		str. 63-66
Language		eng
Abstract		Mast cells play a certain role in inflammation and immunological reactions. Cardiac mast cells, shown by sodium sulfate-alcian blue staining, were evaluated in endomyocadial biopsy specimens in patients with unexplained congestive heart failure. The results of histopathological analysis were consistent with active myocarditis according to the Dallas criteria in 10 patients (15%), borderline myocarditis in 9 (1.8%), and dilated cardiomyopathy in 25 patients (38.5%); these results were compared with a control group of 10 traffic accident victims. The highest numerical areal density of mast cell swas found in active myocarditis (3.92 counts/mm2, SD = 1.84), followed by borderline myocarditis (2.76 counts/mm2, SD = 1.66), dilated cardiomyopathy (1.56 counts/mm2, SD = 0.45) and control group (0.77 counts/mm2, SD = 0.19). Degranulation involved 27% (SD = 3.6) of mast cells in active myocarditis, 18% (SD = 4.5) of mast cells in borderline myocarditis, 10.8% (SD = 3.12) of mast cells in dilated cardiomyopathy and 4% (SD = 2.0) of mast cells from autopsy tissue. The differences among the four groups were statistically significant (P <0.001).
Descriptors		HEART FAILURE, CONGESTIVE MYOCARDITIS MAST CELLS CARDIOMYOPATHY, CONGESTIVE BIOPSY HEART VENTRICLE ALCIAN BLUE