Successful treatment of gastrointestinal mucormycosis in an adult with acute leukemia: case report and literature review.

Mucormycosis has emerged as an important cause of invasive fungal infection in patients with hematologic malignancies. Gastrointestinal mucormycosis is an unusual presentation of this invasive fungal infection, and it causes considerable morbidity and mortality. Such outcomes are due in part to a nonspecific presentation that results in delays in diagnosis and treatment. Successful treatment of gastrointestinal mucormycosis involves surgical debridement and appropriate antifungal therapy.

[Examination of circulating stem cells from the granulocyte-monocyte line in patients with Hodgkin's disease]. / Badanie krazacych we krwi komórek macierzystych linii granulocytowo-monocytowej u chorych na ziarnice zlosliwa.

The formation of granulocyte-monocyte colonies by bone marrow cells cultured in a semiliquid environment is a widely applied technique of granulocytopoiesis examination. Applying this method the number of circulating in blood stem cells of the granulocyte-monocyte line (CFC-GM) has been assessed in 35 patients with Hodgkin's disease. In 12 patients the number of circulating in blood CFC-GM prior to the irradiation has been greater as compared with the norm accepted for our investigation. It has been the greatest in patients with nodular sclerosis type of Hodgkin's disease. In 25 patients smaller than accepted as normal number of circulating in the blood CFC-GM has been present particularly in patients with mixed cellularity type of Hodgkin's disease. Following the application of chemotherapy according to MOPP scheme during the first two weeks no circulating CFC-GM have been present in blood. The lowest number of stem cells in blood has been observed prior to IV and VI course of chemotherapy. The interruption of treatment for 8 weeks resulted in major increase of the number of circulating CFC-GM in the blood.

[Evaluation of the activity maintaining the growth of granulocyte- monocyte colonies in the calf fetal sera of Polish production]. / Ocena aktywnosci podtrzymujacej wzrost kolonii granulocytarno-monocytarnych w cielecych surowicach plodowych krajowej produkcji.

Calf fetal serum is an important component added to the medium used for culturing granulocytic-monocytic colonies. Its composition decides on the serum biological activity and ability to maintain the growth of the said colonies. The growth of granulocytic-monocytic colonies in the presence of various sera served for evaluation of their activity. It was found that calf fetal sera of the Polish origin are characterized by the favourable activity and may replace similar, foreign made sera. The highest biological activity maintaining the growth of the granulocytic-monocytic colonies exhibit sera obtained from a 7-month or younger calf fetuses.

Autologous neutrophils inhibit production of colony stimulating activity by normal human lymphocytes.

Experiments were designed to study the way in which normal human polymorphs (PMNs) inhibit the production or release of colony stimulating activity (CSA) by normal lymphocytes incubated alone or in conjunction with normal monocytes. PMNs were first incubated with lymphocytes for various periods at various concentrations. The PMNs were then removed and the 'conditioned' lymphocytes were used alone or after addition to adherent mononuclear cells (monocytes) for the production of conditioned medium. The samples of conditioned medium were then assayed for CSA in a standard system for culturing granulocyte/macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-C) in agar. We found that the capacity of PMNs to inhibit CSA production by lymphocytes or by lymphocytes plus monocytes was directly proportional to the number of PMNs originally incubated and maximal at relatively short incubation times (i.e. 2-4 h). Such inhibition could be counteracted by the introduction of known stimulators of CSA production by monocytes, e.g. phytohaemagglutinin or bacterial toxin. We conclude that normal lymphocytes 'conditioned' or 'programmed' by contact with PMNs may themselves have a reduced capacity to produce CSA and may also act to reduce CSA production by monocytes. Such programmed lymphocytes could thus be a component of the mechanism by which PMNs exert a physiological inhibition on CSA-dependent granulopoiesis in vivo.

[Fetal hemoglobin in various pathological conditions in adults]. / Hemoglobina plodowa w niektórych stanach patologicznych u doroslych.

Fetal haemoglobin concentration was determined in the blood of 122 adult patients. Raised level of this haemoglobin was found in cases of anaemia during chronic renal failure and in certain cases of malignant neoplasms. Besides that, fetal haemoglobin level was determined in anaemia associated with other diseases (liver failure, hyperthyroidism, myasthenia gravis). The obtained results are discussed.