Acquired Pelger-Huët: what does it really mean?

Pelger-Huët anomaly (PHA) is a benign inherited condition characterized by hyposegmentation of the neutrophil's nucleus and excessive chromatin clumping. An acquired neutrophil dysplasia similar to PHA has been described in hematological diseases and in some clinical conditions. It has been known as acquired or pseudo PHA. Although some hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, the mechanism of nuclear change is still unclear. Only the laboratory and clinical data combined will yield a better understanding on the need for follow-up and management of patients in the appropriate cases. In addition, a possible cause of pseudo PHA must always be investigated to add insights to the full understanding of this abnormality. Whether this neutrophil phenomenon has clinical implications remains to be elucidated. It is clear that only a small number of patients under drugs (immunosuppressive and others) may present these neutrophil abnormalities. Most of them do not show this phenomenon and we are unable to explain the different responses in drug users. Whether these patients display a predisposition for developing bone marrow or other diseases in the future, it is a very intriguing matter and only a follow-up will solve this question.

Nova formulaçäo para o tampäo alcalino utilizado na dosagem de creatinina no sangue e urina, pelo método de Heinegard-Tiderstrom modificado / New formulation for the alkaline buffer used in the determination of blood and urine creatinine

Uma nova formulaçäo para o preparo do tampäo alcalino empregado no método de Heinegard-Tiderstrom, modificado por LOPES et alii (1983), é apresentada para a dosagem de creatinina no sangue e na urina. A modificaçäo foi proposta com a finalidade de obter uma metodologia que facilitasse o preparo do tampäo alcalino, garantindo a näo precipitaçäo em baixas temperaturas, além da reduçäo do custo. A nova formulaçäo do tampäo alcalino foi avaliada em comparaçäo com o método de Heinegard-Tiderstrom modificado, através da dosagem de 100 (cem) amostras de soro. A análise dos resultados demonstrou uma excelente correlaçäo linear, sugerindo que este reagente preenche todos os requisitos necessários ao seu emprego na dosagem de creatinina, apresentando ainda as vantagens na preparaçäo, estabilidade e custo mais baixo.