Faculty Bibliography

In an attempt to detect early evidence of hemochromatosis-induced diabetes mellitus, hemoglobin Alc (Hgb Alc) levels were determined in four patients treated with chronic transfusions. All four were found to have significantly elevated Hgb Alc levels on several occasions. On further investigation, it was discovered that elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin were present in donor blood stored in dextrose solutions, thus leading to a higher level in the recipients. Hemoglobin Alc levels appear to be unreliable in patients receiving large amounts of transfused blood

An infant who presented with a thigh mass and coagulopathy was found to have a hemangioendothelioma. The tumor rapidly enlarged despite accepted therapeutic modalities, and the child died after a sudden cardiac arrest. Postmortem examination revealed a highly invasive tumor mass that had infiltrated the bowel and involved the inferior mesenteric artery, resulting in ischemic colitis of the left colon. A discussion regarding the pathophysiology with respect to endothelial cell properties and other microscopic features of the tumor is presented