[Activation of the complement system during hemodialysis].

One of the adverse effects of haemodialysis is activation of the complement system occurring at the contact of blood with the dialyser membrane. In vitro conditions it was found by means of a modified method of registering haemolitic complement activity pre- and post-incubation with the membrane that the activation of complement in a given blood donor depends both on the inherent complement reactivity and on the surface physico-chemical qualities. The contribution of each component was estimated by means of the coefficient of spontaneous speed (kspont) and of induced speed (kind) of complement activation.

[Intrasplenic xenotransplantation of human fetal pancreatic islet cell cultures in rats with experimental diabetes mellitus].

Islet cell cultures obtained from the pancreas of human embryos were transplanted to the spleen pulp of rats with alloxan diabetes mellitus. During 1-2 weeks after transplantation, 6 of the 8 recipients manifested a decrease in glycemia to normal or almost normal. The antidiabetic effect of xenotransplantation of islet cell cultures was well preserved throughout the entire observation period (up to 4 months).