[Drug sensitivity of tumor cells in varieties of acute childhood leukemia].

Drug sensitivity of tumor cells was studied in 154 children diagnosed with acute leukemia. Cellular sensitivity in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was higher than in acute myeloid one (AML), while T-line ALL cells were more sensitive to dexamethasone than those of B-line. It was suggested that lower drug sensitivity of ALL cells at the earlier stages of cell differentiation was due to their reduced susceptibility to apoptosis. Among AML cells, M3 variant was less sensitive to cytozar while M4 - to vepeside. Reduced sensitivity to vincristine was found in series M3 > M1 - M2 > M4 while that to L-asparaginase was in M1- M2 > M4 > M3.

[Immunological subtypes of childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and their prognostic significance]. / Immunologicheskie subtipy T-lineinykh ostrykh limfoblastnykh leikozov u detei i ikh prognosticheskoe znachenie.

The data on examination and treatment of 39 children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) were assessed; all patients received ALL BFM-90-M treatment. The fraction of children with T-ALL among ALL patients in Belarus was 12.2% (pre-T-ALL--15, cortical T-ALL--46 and mature T-ALL--23%). Also, a subtype of T-ALL with atypical expression of markers was identified (13%). Overall 7-year survival in T-ALL patients was 47(20%). The worst prognosis was recorded in the T-ALL subgroup with atypical expression of markers (p < 0.001 as compared with the other subgroups). As for outcome--from best to worst, T-ALL subtypes ranged as follows: cortical T-ALL, mature T-ALL, pre-T-ALL and T-ALL with atypical expression of markers.

[Salvage thermochemotherapy in advanced refractory malignant tumors in children]. / Termokhimioterapiia pri refrakternykh i daleko zashedshikh zlokachestvennykh opukholiakh u detei.

The data are presented on polychemotherapy given to 17 children with advanced refractory malignant tumors using whole body hyperthermia and hyperglycemia. All patients suffered tumor progression throughout treatment and afterwards. Adjuvant Roncoleukin (interleukin-2) was administered in 5. Such salvage therapy was followed by overall tumor regression in 29.3%. Overall 4-year survival in such cases was 19%. Immunological monitoring of adjuvant whole body hyperthermia and interleukin-2 was carried out.

Use of specific anti-HLA antibodies in clinical nephrology.

In order to optimize the regimen of pathogenetic therapy of glomerulonephritis with nephrotic syndrome we used transfusions of plasma containing specific anti-HLA antibodies against the patient's phenotype as a part of the treatment in the acute stages of disease. The method was theoretically based on the conception of autoimmune genesis of glomerular lesion as well as on the assumption that the highest expression of HLA-antigens are on the surface of activated immunocompetent cells. In previous experiments in vitro we demonstrated immunosuppressive activity of cytotoxic serum on lymphocytes in the absence of complement. Stable remission that was associated with the recovery of serum IgG/IgM balance and normalization of cellular immunity indices was achieved in 72% of 50 treated patients after 2-4 transfusions. Immunotherapeutic properties of anti-HLA antibodies were also confirmed with preliminary results of plasma transfusions in 5 kidney graft recipients. Posttransfusion reactions of a non-haemolytic type were slight and transient. The data presented allow us to conclude that our method may be useful in clinical cases associated with undesirable immune activation induced by both auto- and alloantigens.

[The use of laser irradiation in nephrological practice]. / Primenenie lazernogo oblucheniia v nefrologicheskoi praktike.

The authors studied therapeutic potential and mechanism of action of low-intensity low-energy laser irradiating the skin at the site of the projection of the transplanted kidney poles through the development of chronic rejection or chronic pyelonephritis. The trial included 7 kidney recipients and 9 controls with primary chronic pyelonephritis. The treatment course implied 10 daily session of 20 minutes duration of He-Ne laser irradiation which was preceded by clinical-laboratory evaluation of the blood and urine, cellular and humoral immunity, hemostasis, central hemodynamics, local and mediator hormones, factors of nonspecific resistance, spin probe characteristics. The effect appeared contradictory. It is thought valid to combine quantum and drug therapy thus achieving optimal therapeutic effects and preventing side effects.

[The correction of immunodeficiency states in patients with acute suppurative pyelonephritis]. / Korrektsiia immunodefitsitnykh sostoianii u bol'nykh ostrym gnoinym pielonefritom.

The analysis of the examination findings of 54 patients with purulent pyelonephritis showed a great variety of immunological changes, which appeared both as differences in the types of abnormal immunity parameters and in the degree of the recorded pathological conditions. T-cell immunity deficiency was revealed in 55.6% of the patients, in a half of whom it was associated with humoral factor deficiency. In 25.9% of the patients the immunograms were similar to those in the controls and in 18.5% they were indicative of humoral immunity activation. Supplement of T-activin to the conventional antibacterial therapy contributed to an early immunological and clinical remission. The immunomodulatory effect was associated with the initial immune deficiency and manifested itself by higher relative and absolute T-lymphocyte contents along with elimination of their subpopulation imbalance. The effect proved to be less profound on the humoral immunity system. The arrest of an inflammatory reaction was evidenced by a decrease in beta-lysine levels in the serum up to normal ones. In contrast, antibacterial therapy without immunomodulation deteriorated the abnormal ratios of immunocompetent cells. The findings suggest that it is essential to take an individual approach to the use of immunomodulating therapy in patients with acute purulent pyelonephritis, taking into account not only clinical but immunological indications. It is most advisable to apply T-activin in cases of T-cell immune deficiencies with a significant imbalance of T-lymphocyte populations.

[The informativeness of determining circulating immune complexes and immunoglobulins during immunization]. / Informativnost' opredeleniia tsirkuliruiushchikh immunnykh kompleksov i immunoglobulinov v usloviiakh immunizatsii.

The authors suggest using measurements of the concentrations of circulating immune complexes (CIC) by the PEG precipitation method and of immunoglobulins by radial immunodiffusion technique for monitoring the patients after immunization with rhesus antigen (n = 20), with staphylococcal antitoxin (n = 59), and after renal allograft transplantation (n = 18). The results evidence that CIC level measurements by the PEG precipitation method are valuable in the monitoring of rhesus-immunized patients. The authors suggest including such measurements in the complex of tests for examination of rhesus-immunized donors.

[The level of beta-lysines in serum as an indicator of activity of the inflammatory process]. / Uroven' beta-lizinov syvorotki krovi kak pokazatel' aktivnosti vospalitelnogo protsessa.

A follow-up of patients with various diseases has revealed a close correlation between the 2-3-fold increase of the blood serum beta-lysins vs. the norm and the development of an acute inflammatory reaction, no matter what its etiology or localization. A high diagnostic informativeness of this parameter and the simplicity of its measurement recommend the determination of the blood serum beta-lysin levels for clinical practice to detect acute inflammations.

[Difficulties and errors in the cytological diagnosis of breast cancer]. / Trudnosti i oshibki tsitologicheskoi diagnostiki raka molochnoi zhelezy.

The paper deals with retrospective evaluation of cytograms of tumor punctates from 142 patients with breast cancer. It was found that adequate diagnosis is hard to make in cases of lobular and scirrhous carcinoma due to indistinct atypia of cells and nuclei. Errors in cytological diagnosis may arise both from absence of cell structure in tapping material and misinterpretation of morphological features of malignant cells in scirrhous carcinoma and highly-differentiated lobular cancer.