[Hyperthyroidism, eosinophilia, and fever in a 64-year-old patient].

We report on a male patient suffering from loss of weight, fatigue, fever, eosinophilia, and hyperthyreoidism. The echocardiogram revealed a left atrial mass originating from the posterior mitral leaflet. In combination with the constitutional symptoms a left atrial myxoma was diagnosed.

Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type I (CDA I): molecular genetics, clinical appearance, and prognosis based on long-term observation.

Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type I (CDA I) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder with ineffective erythropoiesis and iron overloading. More than 100 cases have been described, but with the exception of a report on a large Bedouin tribe, these reports include only small numbers of cases, and no data on the lifetime evolution of the disease are available. Since 1967, we have been able to follow 21 cases from 19 families for up to 37 years.

[Effective levels of cyclophosphamide and metabolites in pleural effusions during intravenous therapy (author's transl)].

Levels of cyclophosphamide (CP, Endoxan) and metabolites were determined in blood and pleural effusions of 5 cancer patients receiving 20 mg/kg CP i.v. The pleural concentrations of CP and its stable deactivated metabolites as 4-keto-CP and carboxyphosphamide increased slowly and even after 4 to 6 an equilibrium with plasma levels was not achieved completely.

[Leukocyte-adherence-inhibition reactivity in patients with colorectal and pancreatic cancer (author's transl)].

The immunoreactivity of patients with colorectal or pancreatic cancer was investigated by a modified leukocyte adherence inhibition test (LAI). The microcapillary-LAI-test was easy to practise and measurements had a low intra-assay coefficient of variation. The number of false positive results was low, only 1 of 39 patients with benign disease and not one of 13 healthy volunteers reacted in the presence of colorectal carcinoma extracts.

Comparative study on human pharmacokinetics of activated ifosfamide and cyclophosphamide by a modified fluorometric test.

The activated metabolites of ifosfamide and cyclophosphamide (4-hydroxy-ifosfamide and 4-hydroxy-cyclophosphamide) were analysed fluorometrically by condensation of liberated acrolein with m-aminophenol yielding 7-hydroxyguinoline. Interfering fluorescence of blood and urine was eliminated by extraction with dichlormethane and determination of blanks in which the liberated acrolein reacted with hydrazine to non-fluorescent pyrazoline. The modified test proved effective in identifying low levels of activated metabolites in man.