Immunological status of children after thymectomy performed at the age between 2 months and 15 years for teratoma in 5, and hyperplasia in 1. Cellular immunity parameters--as percent and total T lymphocyte count and their PHA reactivity, humoral immunity--as IgG, IgA, IgM concentrations, and phagocytosis--as phagocytosis index, NBT test, complement components--C3c, C4--concentration were evaluated between 6 and 12 years following surgery. No abnormalities within investigated parameters, nor the history of more frequent infections or other immunological disorder were detected.
Forty nine patients with carcinoma of the uterine body were examined. Four hundred ninety one normal females served as controls. The risk factors included: age over 30, premenstrual tension syndrome and postmenopausal uterine bleeding, advanced age at first pregnancy, infertility, hormonal treatment, mammary gland disorders, irregular prophylactic follow-up.
Histologic material included 90 placentas of normal pregnancy and 36 of preterm deliveries. The particular attention was paid to mast cells in connective tissue of placental villi. Samples were fixed in 4% acid formaline and stained both with acridine organ and routine technique. Mast cells were found adjacent chorionic vessels in placentas delivered at term. The same feature was observed in preterm delivered placentas.
Intraventricular drug administration via the IR is often used in the therapy of leukemic and carcinomatous meningitis. We reviewed our 10-year experience with 32 patients, with IR placed for intraventricular chemotherapy to characterize infectious complications associated with IR. Infectious complications occurred in 9 patients (27.1%). Local cellulitis (S. aureus) occurred at the site of IR in 2 patients. Seven patients (21.8%) had 12 episodes of bacteriologically proven or clinically suspected meningitis, or positive IR CSF cultures without symptoms (4-P. acnes). While patients with local infection may require IR removal, more than half of those with meningitis may be treated with antibiotics alone without IR removal. Patients with positive cultures in the absence of symptoms may require no therapy at all.
An analysis of 130 breech deliveries was carried out. The material was divided into two groups: vaginal delivery and delivery by cesarean section. In both groups maternal age, parity, weeks of pregnancy, newborn weight. Apgar score in the 1st and the 5th minute and perinatal mortality rate of newborns were compared. Frequency of breech presentation in our material was about 4.1%. Cesarean section was performed in 66.2% of cases being 22.7% of all cesarean sections performed in this period. In primiparae (58.5% of breech presentation) cesarean sections were performed in 75% and in 93.3% of the primiparae in their 30-ties. Perinatal mortality rate of the newborns in all breech deliveries was 15.4%, in vaginal delivery group--22.7% and in cesarean section group--11.8%. Total perinatal mortality rate in this period was 10.4% of totally 3424 deliveries. We have not found any fetal injuries caused by the mode of delivery.
In the first description of transfer factor in 1955, Lawrence defined it as "the active principle in viable leukocytes, leukocyte extracts and leukocyte dialysates obtained from immune human donors which has the capacity to transfer cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) in vivo to nonimmune recipients". The dialysates are reported to contain a number of antigen-independent activities affecting monocytes, macrophages and lymphocytes. In some cases these "nonspecific" activities separate out with the fraction causing skin test conversion, but it has not been shown that the same molecule is responsible for both effects. Chemical structure of transfer factor (TF) has not been defined, yet. Its m.w. is 2000-3500. TF has been used to treat a wide range of clinical disorders, including immunodeficiency diseases, neoplasms, chronic fungal, viral and bacterial infections with varying degrees of reported success. The reports on the efficacy of TF in the prevention of varicella in childhood leukemia evoked renewed interest in possible clinical applications of this leukocyte derived material. There is no convenient animal in vivo model of TF activity investigations, and there is no sensitive and reproducible in vitro assay in regard to its activity and specificity. In presented paper the passive transfer of DTH to tuberculin in guinea pigs was reported, both by intact lymphocytes as well as by its crude homogenate. Sephadex column fractionation of crude leukocyte extract have been done. Attempts to define the in vitro activity of leukocyte extract as well as its fractions by leukocyte migration inhibition test have been made.
The aim of this study was to assess physical development of 33 children at the age between 1 and 36 months, suffering of myelomeningocell. In each of patients the level of spinal damage and presence or absence of hydrocephalus were established. Somatic measurements were performed by means of the technique commonly accepted for children under the age of 3 years. The most delayed physical development was observed in children with the highest level of spinal cord damage (up to Th10); children with spinal damage cord located below L5 were slightly delayed in physical development. In comparison with healthy children, the patients were of short stature and light weight with shorter lower limbs and slightly shorter upper ones. They had also undeveloped skeleton, big heads and overgrown fat tissue. Analysis of the body proportions indicated that the length of trunk, shoulder and hip breath as well as circumference of chest did not differ from the values found in healthy controls but they were increased in the relationship to body height. Additionally, the body weight of children with undeveloped skeleton and muscles was close to the normal and it was due to overgrown fat tissue.
Lesions to the central nervous system were studied in twenty children, aged 1-12 years decreased because of neoplastic disease of internal organs and treated with cytostatics. The young age of the patients allowed to attribute the observed changes to this disease. Several damaging factors occurring during its course were analysed. Lesions were found in cerebral and cerebellar cortex; walls of blood vessels were also damaged. We may conclude that chemotherapy prolonging the survival of children allowed the development of encephalopathy and modified its picture.
Forty seven cases of Ewing's sarcoma in children are discussed. This group was divided in two subgroups. The first (23 children) included patients treated with radiotherapy and monodrug chemotherapy non systematically--1 patient alive. The second (24 children) included patients treated with multidrug chemotherapy systematically and radiotherapy. Good results of the treatment was obtained in 8 patients from the second group with localised neoplastic disease.
Liver and ovarian tissue samples of the immature healthy Wistar rats were examined histologically after administration of the repeated low doses of cyclophosphamide. The youngest experimental group was at the age of 7/14 days. Morphologic examination involved histochemical, histoenzymatic, morphometric and ultrastructural techniques. The observed changes in the liver tissue were minimal and totally reversible at time of animals maturity. Pathomorphological changes in ovaries were more evident and complex, concerning all structures of the gland. The dominant features of the damage included the disturbances of the physiological morphological maturation and the widespread hyperluteinization of all structures. In spite of the morphological changes, the activity of the hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in ovaries remained unchanged.
The results of follow-up studies in 323 children, examined by extended health balance method in 1977 and 1981 are prescuted. In repeated examination of 11-year old pupils health status changes during the first years of school were analysed, depending on their school maturity groups in the I examination at the age of 6 years. Increasing number of disorders in children's health status both in the group with full and partial school maturity was observed. The incidence of these disorders, was however significant in the group with partial school maturity.
The important finding in anemia of pregnancy is impairing hormonal placental function, certain complications of pregnancy and labor. Oxytocinase in the maternal serum was determined to evaluate placental function. Many authors pointed out the important role of the enzyme in biochemical monitoring of human pregnancy. 120 females at the III trimester of gestation were selected at random, but women with additional complications of pregnancy were excluded. Serum iron, total iron binding capacity, hemoglobin level, red blood cells count and hematocrit were assayed. Oxytocinase activity in different periods of gestation was compared to the earlier established normal values. It was found that iron deficit was associated with decreasing activity of the enzyme. It is concluded that there is impaired placental function in pregnancy anemia.
The structural gene coding for human arylsulfatase B (ARSB) has been assigned to chromosome 5 and then to 5p11-5qter by means of somatic cell hybridization. The somatic cell hybrids used in the present studies were derived from fusion experiments between Chinese hamster, a3 line (TK-) and human leukocytes from a patient carrying the reciprocal balanced translocation t (5;21) (q11;q22) according to the method described previously. About 90 independent hybrid clones were selected for further analysis. They were tested for the presence of human markers employing the methods routinely used. ARSB activity was checked upon as previously. Giemsa banding technique was used to identify human and hamster chromosomes in the hybrid cells. Human ARSB activity was detected in 12 hybrid clones; 6 of them appeared to be informative. Out of 78 clones negative for human ARSB, 3 containing the product of translocation, 5pter-5q11: 21q22-21qter were found. Human superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) activity, a marker for chromosome 21, was found in 27 clones. The informative hybrid clones both positive and negative for ARSB are presented in table I. Six informative clones retained the region 5q11-5qter as the only portion of chromosome 5 and they expressed the activity of human ARSB and hexosaminidase B (HEXB), a marker for 15q13. It seems worth-while to point out that human ARSB activity was found only in the hybrids which retained the product of the translocation carrying 5q11-5qter in high percentage of the cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Serial electroencephalographic (EEG) records were registered in 63 children (38 boys and 25 girls) at the age between 1 month to 7 years in 1981-1987. Examinations were done while awake and during spontaneous sleep. Evaluation was performed in relation to the age and physiological status during examination. Three hundred ninety two EEGs recorded. The following types were found in the initial EEG records in 63 children: 1-normal, 29-hypo-arrythmic, 16 with generalized paroxysmal abnormalities, 12 with localized abnormalities, and 4 with generalized abnormalities. Table 1--illustrates types of the disorders in initial EEG records. Table 2--evolution of the disorders. Table 3--evolution of the disorders in EEG records in relation to the clinical data. Evaluated data concerning types of EEG records, their evolution during observation, as well as their correlation with some clinical data showed: the most significant relation between types of the initial EEG records and clinical data--occurrence of other types of seizures before infantile spasms, abnormal neurological status and delayed psychomotor development--in relation to hypo-arrythmic records was found. The most significant tendency towards normalization of the initial EEG records was found in relation to generalized paroxysmal abnormalities whereas the least significant tendency was found in relation to initial EEG records with localized abnormalities, and less significant with hypo-arrythmic, normalization of EEG records is most significantly related to: disappearance of infantile spasms and occurrence of this type of seizures as the only spasms, less frequent neurological abnormalities and also delayed psychomotor development.
The concentration of uric acid in a 24-hour urine of 94 healthy children was determined. The concentrations of uric acid and numbers of children of various groups of age are presented in table I and II.
Plasma and amniotic fluid amino acids were assayed in 20 women of genetic risk groups in the second trimester of pregnancy. The age of patients ranged from 19 to 38 years. Indication for amnio-puncture were: chromosomal aberration or neural tube defect in previous pregnancy or age of pregnant women over 35 years. Blood and amniotic fluid were obtained with transabdominal amnio-puncture performed routinely in prenatal diagnosis. Amino acids were assayed with ion exchange column chromatography, using automatic amino acids analyzer LKB 4400. The obtained results were compared with plasma and amniotic fluid amino acids patterns in healthy women at the same trimester of pregnancy. The comparison of plasma aminograms revealed increased concentrations (above 100%) of cystine and alanine in the examined group. In women with neural tube defect in previous pregnancy and in those over 35 years of age, increased proline, leucine and valine (above 50%) concentrations were found. Decreased concentrations of glutamic acid (about 60%) was detected in women with chromosomal aberration in previous pregnancy and in those older than 35 years. Amniotic fluid amino acid pattern showed in all three patients groups decreased values arginine and ornitine (amino acids of the urea cycle), and also of cystine and taurine. In women with neural tube defect in previous pregnancy and in those older than 35, decreased concentration of lysine, serine and leucine was found. Also in the above 2 groups increasing tendency in comparison to the values in healthy women was observed for alanine (30-40%) and asparagine (150-215%). No correlation was observed between particular amino acids plasma concentration and amniotic fluid in our patients. Ratios of plasma to the amniotic fluid (P/FA) amino acid concentrations were calculated for the examined group and compared with those in healthy pregnant women. While in the last population most of the analyzed scores is below 1 which points higher amino acid concentration in amniotic fluid than that in plasma, performed analysis revealed; an increase in P/AF ratio by 214% in the group of "neural tube defect" women, alanine, glutamine and ornitine P/AF ratios were 35-50% than the normal value. P/AF ratio for cystine by 176%, for tyrosine--100% and for ornitine and arginine--55-65% respectively higher than normal in patients of "chromosomal aberration". P/AF ratio for glutamine acid was decreased by about 50%. In patients examined because of age above 35 years, P/AF ratio for cystine was increased by 200%, for alanine by 125%, for proline, histidine, ornitine, phenylalanine, I-leucine and metionine were increased by 30%-50%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
We estimated in vitro degradation and consumption of glycogen by placental tissue derived from pregnancies complicated by gestosis and anemia. Placental tissue was incubated in suitable medium. Glycogen concentration either before or after incubation was assayed. Glycogen consumption was expressed as micromoles of glucose per 1 g of wet tissue, the percentage of glycogen consumption has been shown in tables. It is concluded that in advanced gestosis and severe anemia of pregnancy the consumption of native glycogen is increased, consequently it may lead to metabolic insufficiency of human placenta.
