Normal blood cell values in groups of population from various geographic areas of Romania.

The aim of this work was to determine the normal values of erythro-, leuko-, and thrombocytes in several groups of population situated in various geographic areas (hills, plain, sea-side), considering that such data could be useful for the delimitation between the normal conditions and the near-normal ones. Sixteen hematologic parameters have been investigated in 2,053 healthy subjects, insisting particularly on those most frequently required in the clinic, i.e., erythrocytes/microliter, hemoglobin (g%), hematocrit (%), leukocytes/microliter, and thrombocytes/microliter. No significant differences related to the geographic areas were recorded. The normal values of the hematologic parameters are presented in separate tables.

The area of lymphocyte nucleoli (ALN) and its relationship with RNA synthesis in lymphocytes after blastic transformation in in vitro cultures.

The area of lymphocyte nucleoli (ALN) is a recently imagined method (Micu et al., 1978) which can detect cytochemically the microscopically visible surface of nucleolar RNA, measurable in mu2. The normal ALN value in peripheral blood is 84.4 +/- 9.2 mu2. Using in vitro cultures of PHA-stimulated lymphocytes obtained from 106 patients with various internal diseases, the authors could demonstrate a relationship between the rate of the lymphocytic RNA biosynthesis and the ALN variations, namely that an RNA hyper- or hyposynthesis is accompanied by an increase or a decrease, respectively, of the ALN.

The area of lymphocyte nucleoli, a new method estimating the blastic transformation of stimulated lymphocytes in in vitro cultures.

To estimate the degree of lymphocyte reactivity in patients with internal diseases with immune components, the authors used a new method of investigation, the area of lymphocyte nucleoli (ALN), recently proposed by them. ALN was determined in blood cultures stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and sacrificed after three days. The blood was obtained from 120 patients with chronic internal diseases with immune components such as: bronchial asthma, chronic hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The data obtained showed clearly that, compared with the classical test of lymphocyte blastic transformation, ALN--which presented increases even by more than 100% over normal in rheumatoid arthritis and in systemic lupus erythematosus--can supply additional information regarding the degree of reactivity of the cultivated lymphocytes. In CLL, as it was to be expected, ALN values were below the normal.

Study of lymphocyte reactivity in various stages of chronic liver disease following acute viral hepatitis.

Lymphocyte reactivity was studied in 210 subjects who had suffered from acute viral hepatitis, distributed into three lots according to the time-interval from the acute disease. The laboratory investigations included: study of the lymphocyte nucleolar apparatus (amount of nucleolar RNA, relative and absolute areas of lymphocyte nucleoli) and determination of the proportion of the rosette-forming B-cells. A marked increase of the nucleolar RNA amounts and of the B-cell count was observed in the lot of patients investigated after one to 10 years from the acute hepatitis, while in those who, after longer periods (more than 10 years) had developed a liver cirrhosis the values of these parameters were lower than normal. It is assumed that such changes could predict, already in the early stages, either the favourable course of the disease or its progress to chronicity; the hypersynthesis of lymphocyte nucleolar RNA would suggest the interference of these cells in the immune disorders implicated in the development of chronic liver disease.

RNA biosynthesis in lymphocytes from various chronic diseases (cytochemical, cytoautoradiographic, optic and electronic study).

In lymphocytes of patients with myasthenia gravis and systemic lupus erythematosus high indices of uridin labelling were very often encountered, similar to those observed in evident malignant diseases such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Hodgkin's disease. The electron cytoautoradiographic investigations showed particularly that large sized nucleoli and even the giant ones are sometimes not the result of an RNA-hypersynthesis but of an RNA accumulation. The utility of such data for the therapy with immunodepressing drugs is discussed.

Behaviour of leukocyte acid phosphatase in various chronic diseases.

Leukocyte acid phosphatases were investigated in 146 patients with different chronic diseases. The method of investigation used was that of Kaplow and Burstone slightly modified by the authors in what regards the pH of the incubation medium. Normal or slightly increased scores were observed in the granulocytic series of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, lupus erythematosus disseminatus and chronic lymphocytic leukemia a moderate enzymatic activity was generally observed in the lymphocyte and more marked in severe forms of disease. A marked increase of the enzyme activity was observed in patients with myeloma. The possibility of a correlation between the intensity of enzyme activity and immunoglobulin formation is discussed.

Behaviour of leukocyte acid phosphatase in various chronic diseases.

Leukocyte acid phosphatases were investigated in 146 patients with different chronic diseases. The method of investigation used was that of Kaplow and Burstone slightly modified by the authors in what regards the pH of the incubation medium. Normal or slightly increased scores were observed in the granulocytic series of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, lupus erythematosus disseminatus and chronic lymphocytic leukemia a moderate enzymatic activity was generally observed in the lymphocyte and more marked in severe forms of disease. A marked increase of the enzyme activity was observed in patients with myeloma. The possibility of a correlation between the intensity of enzyme activity and immunoglobulin formation is discussed.