Mokra A. Morphological and functional features of age-related changes in the pancreas concurrent with pulmonary hypertension

This dissertation studied of patterns of age-related changes in the pancreas, its blood and lymphatic channels concurrent with pulmonary hypertension. Findings of this study indicate that pulmonary hypertension causes in the pancreas reorganizing of its structures, in particular, atrophic changes in the acini, degenerative and apoptotic changes in exocrine pancreatic cells, expansion of the cavities in intralobular and interlobular excretory ducts and thinning of their walls, degenerative changes of ductal epithelium, increase in stromal component due to proliferation of connective tissue and sclerotic effects. Also found were morphological and functional changes in the external pancreatic parenchyma, which occurred against the background of reduced density of the blood and lymphatic channels. Given the condition of pulmonary hypertension, these changes were more prevalent in old animals and in the cases of pulmonary heart.