MEDizzy - A 48-year-old man who has a long history of excessive

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General Pathology (I)

A 48-year-old man who has a long history of excessive drinking presents with signs of alcoholic hepatitis. Microscopic examination of a biopsy of this patient’s liver reveals irregular eosinophilic hyaline inclusions (Mallory bodies) within the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes. These hyalin inclusions are composed of which one of the following substances?

ExplanationMallory bodies (alcoholic hyaline inclusions) are irregular eosinophilic hyaline inclusions that are found within the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. Mallory bodies are composed of prekeratin intermediate filaments within an amorphous matrix. They are a nonspecific finding and can be found in patients with several diseases other than alcoholic hepatitis, such as Wilson disease, and in patients who have undergone bypass operations for morbid obesity. In addition to keratin filaments, which are characteristic of epithelial cells, other types of intermediate filaments include neurofilaments (found in neurons), desmin filaments (found in muscle cells), vimentin filaments (found in connective tissue cells), and glial filaments (found in astrocytes).