Human fetal liver as a valuable source of haemopoietic stem cells for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

The CFU-GM and T cell contents of human fetal livers were studied at various times between 6-14 weeks of gestation. The number of CFU-GM increased parallel to gestational age, especially after week 10. Cells bearing mature T cell markers, however, were found only in one case out of 35 fetal liver samples. Cryopreservation of fetal liver cells hardly affected the viability and proliferative capacity of CFU-GM in the sample. According to these findings fetal liver is, at least up to the 14th gestational week, practically free of mature T cells but it does contain a considerable amount of CFU-GM (an accepted indicator of pluripotent stem cell content), consequently fetal liver can be considered as a valuable source of haemopoietic stem cells for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for children.

Virological studies on gynaecological patients.

Endometrial epithelial cells and blood samples taken simultaneously with the curettage (first serum) of 138 patients suffering from menstrual bleeding disorders as well as materials obtained from 16 induced abortions, were studied for the presence of virus. Fourteen adenovirus 2 strains were isolated from samples of the patients. Endometrial epithelial cells of 35 patients were examined with immunofluorescence method and 23 of them displayed specific fluorescence referring to the presence of viral antigens, with adenovirus and herpesvirus antisera. Studying withserological reactions the first and second (convalescent) sera of patients, high titers were found against type 2 herpesvirus in both sera, and titer rise against the latent adenovirus types in the second sera. Neither infective virus nor the presence of viral antigens were demonstrable in materials obtained from induced abortions.

[Personal experience with the immunologic pregnancy test Gravimun]. / Unsere Erfahrungen mit dem immunologischen Schwangerschaftstest Gravimun.

PIP: Experience at the Women's Clinic, Medical University of Budapest, indicates that Gravimun - an immunological pregnancy test produced by the Saechsische Serumwerk KG, Dresden - is a reliable method of detecting pregnancy as early as the 35th day after the last menstrual period. Like Pregnosticon, Gravimun is based on inhibition of hemagglutination in the presence of chorionic gonadatropin. It can detect even small amounts of the substance in the urine of a pregnant woman. In tests using Gravimun concurrently with the toad test for pregnancy, Gravimun gave no false positive results, and in 5 cases out of 37, pregnancy was detected several days earlier with Gravimun than with the conventional test. Gravimun also gave positive results for 20 out of 20 cases of threatened miscarriage. 13 cases of suspected extrauterine pregnancy were also tested; 3 tested positive with Gravimun and these diagnoses were confirmed. Only 1 of the 3 simultaneously gave positive results with the toad test; in a 2nd case, the toad test was positive 3 days later, and in a 3rd case the toad test was still negative when the pregnancy had to be interrupted. Gravimun gave 1 false negative result out of the 13 cases. These tests supported reports that the Gravimun method is 98-100% reliable. A disadvantage of the Gravimun method - as of immunological tests in general - is that a false positive result can occur in the presence of diseases associated with a high level of luteinizing hormone, e.g., hypergonadotropic amenorrhea. However, advantages of the immunological tests - reliability, sensitivity, early diagnosis of pregnancy among very young women and of extrauterine pregnancy, simplicity compared with animal tests - far outweigh the drawbacks. For Eastern Europeans, Gravimun (produced in the German Democratic Republic) is cheaper and easier to obtain than other similar preparations.^ieng