Laboratory screening of monoclonal gammopathies: incidence of serum monoclonal immunoglobulins during a five years survey in a general hospital.

During a five years survey of unselected serum protein electrophoreses in a general hospital, 2347 sera (0.95%) were found to be positive for one or more monoclonal immunoglobulins. Class and type distribution of monoclonal immunoglobulins (characterized by means of immunofixation electrophoresis) mostly corresponded with the literature data.

Monoclonal-oligoclonal immunoglobulins in HTLV III infected subjects: HTLV III-induced or HTLV III-associated?

Sera from 55 patients with positivity for anti-HTLV III antibodies, including 24 "healthy" subjects, 29 LAS and 2 AIDS, were examined by means of high resolution agarose gel electrophoresis and immunofixation, in order to evaluate the occurrence of monoclonal-oligoclonal immunoglobulin patterns. Monoclonal-oligoclonal immunoglobulins were found in 20.8% of "healthy" subjects and in 72.

Alpha-heavy chain disease. Report of a case with spontaneous regression.

The occurrence of alpha-heavy chain disease in an Italian adult, working in Libya, is reported, characterized by a spontaneous clinical and immunological recovery. It is suggested that the patient could have acquired the disease during his stay in an endemic area of alpha-heavy chain disease, and that the observed spontaneous remission could be related to the removal of environmental pathogenic factors, following his departure from Libya.

Incidence of myeloperoxidase deficiency in an area of northern Italy: histochemical, biochemical and functional studies.

Forty-five subjects with a complete deficiency of myeloperoxidase were identified in an area of the region Friuli-Venezia Giulia in north-eastern Italy using the Hemalog D system as the screening technique. Histochemical and biochemical tests performed on the leucocytes of some of these subjects confirmed the defects shown by the Hemalog D system. The defect was of genetic origin in seven subjects.