Introduction to the study of adult T-cell leukemia and HTLV-I sero-positivity in Romania.

The study presents 6 cases of leukemia/lymphoma (with mature T-cells) corresponding to the diagnostic criteria of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL): adult age onset of leukemia/lymphoma, organomegaly but normal mediastinum, leukemic cells with typical morphology and phenotype hypercalcemia. The evolution of disease was severe of subacute with resistance or partial response to therapy. The virologic assays were positive according to the ELISA test in four cases of which two presented, according to the Western blot assay, HTLV-I infection.

Hairy cell leukemia. Immunological study.

The study has been performed on peripheral blood and splenic malignant cells from 16 patients with hairy cell leukaemia (HCL). The cell surface markers were identified by rosette techniques and using monoclonal antibodies (m Ab). The surface markers' expression of the hairy cells (HC) varied.

Micronucleus test applied in patients with acute leukemia, before and at different intervals during the cytostatic treatment.

The micronucleus test was applied in a group of 36 patients with malignant disease of the blood (acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL, and acute non-lymphocytic leukemia, ANLL) in order to evaluate to what extent it may be relevant for the efficiency of the cytostatic treatment. To this end, the test was applied at the onset of the disease (when diagnosed) and at different intervals after initiating the cytostatic therapy. Determination of the incidence of micronucleated cells and immature cells (blasts) at the two moments of the study established a correlation between the frequency of micronucleated cells and blast cells, the response to the anticancerous treatment and survival duration, the data obtained reflecting the prognostic value of the test in some malignant hemopathies.

[Changes in cellular and humoral immunologic mechanisms in the postoperative period].

The study attempted to evaluate the effects of anesthesia and of surgical interventions on certain humoral and cellular components of the mechanism of specific immunity. A total of 64 patients suffering with benign and malignant affections of the stomach and of the colon that had underwent resections under general anesthesia of the hypnoanalgesia type were followed at three stages of their evolution--before surgery, at 24 hours after surgery, and 7 days after surgery. Blood samples were obtained for performing the following tests: count of lymphocytes, blastic transformations test, stimulated control (with PHA and PWM), rosetting test, total number of eosinophils, high affinity eosinophils, and other tests.