[The heterogeneity of human lymphoid leukemias unmasked by immunological studies of membrane markers (author's transl)].

The immunological analysis of the membrane phenotype of the leukemic cells, by studies of various markers and antigens unmasks some degree of heterogeneity of chronic lymphocytic leukemias and of acute lymphoblastic leukemias. This analysis gives indications of the nature and origin of the proliferating cells. The analysis gives indications of the nature and origin of the proliferating cells.

Clinical and hematological heterogeneity of T-cell derived lymphoproliferative diseases.

Human lymphoproliferative disorders characterized by T derived neoplastic cells include Sezary's syndrome and mycosis fungoides, most childhood lymphoblastic lymphomas, about a quarter of acute lymphoblastic leukemias and rare cases of poorly differentiated immunoblastic or lymphocytic lymphomas as well as a small percentage of chronic lymphocytic leukemias. Particular emphasis is placed on the immunological diagnosis of T derived cells using various membrane markers and on the hematological and clinical features of each of the disorders discussed.

Intracytoplasmic and surface-bound immunoglobulins in "nonsecretory" and Bence-Jones myeloma.

Immunoglobulins were studied at the cellular level by direct immunofluorescence in twenty-five patients with 'nonsecretory' myeloma and thirty-six patiens with Bence-Jones (BJ) myeloma. The results were compared with those obtained in a control group of thirty-six patients with common secretory myeloma. A monoclonal Ig (IgG in eighteen, IgA in three and kappa chains only in three cases) was found in the cytoplasm of the plasma cells from all the patients with 'nonsecretory' myeloma, with a striking dysbalance in the staining brightness for the heavy and the light chains.

Immunological classification of acute lymphoblastic leukaemias: evaluation of its clinical significance in a hundred patients.

The use of T and B lymphocyte markers and of different antisera raised against malignant B cells and fetal thymocytes allowed the classification of 100 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) into three groups. (I) Patients with non-T non-B ALL whose cells were devoid of conventional B and T markers but characterized by a leukaemia associated antigen (69 cases). (2) Patients with T-derived ALL (28 cases).

Characterization of a subpopulation of human T lymphocytes reactive with an heteroantiserum to human brain.

A rabbit antiserum to human fetal brain reacted after suitable absorptions with a subpopulation of human normal T cells. The distribution of reactive T cells varied according to the organ tested: 23% of peripheral blood lymphocytes, 5% of tonsil lymphocytes, and less than 1% of thymocytes were positive. Reactive cells did not transform after phytohemagglutinin or pokeweed stimulation but were at least weakly stimulated by allogeneic cells.

Membrane markers in "histiocytic" lymphomas (reticulum cell sarcomas).

Neoplastic cells from 9 patients affected with a "histiocytic" lymphoma were studied with 5 membrane markers of B or T lymphocytes. In 2 patients a monoclonal B-cell proliferation was found; they had been affected previously with well documented B-cell proliferations: chronic lymphocytic leukemia or Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. The blast cells of 2 other patients had T-cell features; in a fifth case, the abnormal cells carried only a strong receptor for the Fc fragment of IgG, which suggested their truly monocytic origin.

Immunological characterization of blast cells in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Evaluation of its clinical significance.

A panel of lymphocyte surface markers was used to identify blast cells from 111 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Three groups of patients were found. 1) 14 patients with B derived ALL.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia of T-cell origin. Immunological and clinical evaluation in eleven patients.

Eleven patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia of T-cell origin are reported. The identification of the leukaemic cells was performed with seven different membrane markers for either T or B lymphocytes. The reactivity of the leukaemic T cells with three different heteroantisera to T cells differed from patient to patient but was homogeneous in individual cases.

[Treatment of hemophilia with immunologic inhibitor of factor VIII by using "activated" coagulant fractions].

Bleeding episodes in hemophiliacs with inhibitor to factor VIII are often dramatic situations. High level inhibitors do not respond to massive amount of factor VIII and are often refractory to immunosuppressive drugs such as cyclophosphamide. In this situation it has been proposed to use "activated prothrombin complex" to control bleeding in hemophilic patients with inhibitors.

[Malignant melanomas of Lille 1967-1972. Comparison between "histoprognosis" and actual outcome (author's transl)].

This work groups 126 cases of malignant melanomas operated since 1967. Seventy-seven cases responding to 2 criterions were selected: reexamination of the primary pathologic sample of melanoma according to 4 tests of histoprognosis and adequate follow-up of the patient. Histoprognostic criterions according to Clark and Mihm were the histogenetic type, the level of invasion plus vascular embolic neoplastic invasion and the notion of mitotic index.

A molecular defect in thrombasthenic platelets.

An IgG antibody found in the serum of a thrombasthenic patient reacted in complement fixation with platelets from 350 normal individuals but was nonreactive with platelets from eight other thrombasthenic patients. ADP-induced aggregation of normal platelets was inhibited by the patient's antibody. Family studies using the quantitative complement fixation test showed that healthy heterozygotes were easily distinguishable from normal or thrombasthenic individuals since their platelets had an intermediate amount of the reactive antigen.

Evaluation of T and B lymphocyte membrane markers in human non-Hodgkin malignant lymphomata.

Lymphoma cells from 25 patients were studied for the presence of B lymphocytes (membrane bound Ig and Fc receptor) and T lymphocytes (rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes) membrane markers. All cases of well differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma and of acute lymphosarcoma cell leukaemia and most cases of poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma behaved as B cell monoclonal malignancies. However, the malignant cells of some patients were not definitely classified according to their B or T cell origin or lacked these membrane markers.

Acute leukemia with Burkitt's tumor cells: A study of six cases with special reference to lymphocyte surface markers.

In six patients with acute leukemia (about 2% of the patients referred for acute lymphoblastic leukemia) the blast cells invading bone marrow and blood showed all the cytologic, cytochemical, and electron microscopy features of Burkitt's tumor cells. The presence of monoclonal surface immunoglobulins (their synthesis being proved by in vitro culture experiments), the binding of IgG aggregates, and the absence of rosette formation with sheep red cells documented the monoclonal B-cell origin of these blast cells which is in sharp contrast to the findings in common acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The course of the disease was usually rapidly fatal without chemotherapy-induced remission.

The monoclonal nature of lymphatic leukemia.

Monoclonal membrane-bound Ig were found by immunofluorescence on the lymphocytes in the vast majority of cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The distribution of H and L chains among these patients reflected the distribution of surface Ig on normal lymphocytes and IgM was the predominant class. The importance of the study of surface Ig synthesized in vitro is outlined.