Treatment of Hodgkin's disease in children with or without radiotherapy.

From 1975 until 1984 37 children with newly diagnosed Hodgkin's disease were treated with six mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP) courses with or without involved field radiotherapy (25 Gy) independent of the stage of their disease. Patients with small lymph node tumors (less than 4 cm) received only six MOPP-courses. Patients with large lymph node tumors (greater than 4 cm) received involved field radiotherapy, 25 Gy to the large tumor masses, between the third and fourth MOPP-course.

Alpha-hemolytic streptococcal septicemia with severe complications during neutropenia in childhood cancer.

After introduction of selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD), a change toward an increase of infections by Staphylococcus epidermidis and alpha-hemolytic Streptococci has been noticed in the predominant etiology of infections during neutropenia. During a 27-month study period, 165 positive blood cultures were obtained from 64 neutropenic children. In 26 cases there was septicemia caused by Streptococci.

Eosinophilic meningitis preceding meningeal relapse in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: abnormal nucleotide content of eosinophils.

A case of eosinophilic meningitis 2 months before the appearance of lymphoblasts in the cerebrospinal fluid is described in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The peripheral blood showed no simultaneous eosinophilia. The child was successfully treated for her CNS relapse, and complete remission was easily obtained.

An analysis of histology and DNA-ploidy in primary wilms tumors and their metastases and a study of the morphological effects of therapy.

In children with Wilms' tumours the length of survival is greatly influenced by success in preventing or controlling metastatic disease. The current study focuses on the morphological aspects of metastases when compared with the primary tumour. In 8 patients it appeared that blastema is the most likely component to metastasize, whereas epithelial and stromal components were hardly, if at all, represented in metastases.

Inhibin increases in the ovaries of female rats approaching first ovulation: relationships with follicle growth and serum FSH concentrations.

In order to relate various prepubertal events in a group of 95 late prepubertal female rats, the following data were obtained during the last 10 days before the day of first ovulation: amounts of ovarian inhibin-like activity (ILA) in some animals (n = 47); size and numbers of healthy (antral) follicles with a volume greater than or equal to 100 X 10(5) microns3 (or diameter greater than or equal to 260 microns) present per ovary in their litter-mates (n = 48); serum FSH concentrations in both groups. Rats were unilaterally ovariectomized to obtain an ovary for either estimation of ILA content or for histological procedures and counting of follicles. At the time of unilateral ovariectomy they were bled to obtain serum for estimation of FSH concentrations.

Disappearance of factor VIII:C antibodies in patients with haemophilia A upon frequent administration of factor VIII in intermediate or low dose.

In 18 haemophilia A patients with antibodies against factor VIII:C (F VIII:c) the effect of regular treatment with factor VIII (F VIII) in intermediate or low dose was studied. All patients with previous maximal F VIII:c antibody levels between 5 and 60 Bethesda Units per millilitre (BU/ml) showed a decrease of antibody level and normal F VIII recovery within 1-2 months. From nine patients with previous maximal antibody levels above 60 BU/ml four showed a decrease of antibody level within 2-26 months.

Continuous venous access in children for long-term chemotherapy by means of an implantable system.

Between June 1983 and December 1984, 42 Port-a-Cath (PAC) systems have been implanted to establish continuous venous access in 42 children (aged 1 to 16 years) undergoing long-term chemotherapy. The PAC is a totally implantable closed system. Absence of permanent skin penetration decreases the risk of infection.

[Experiences with a completely implantable intravenous system in children].

A totally implantable system for venous access has been implanted in 65 children with chronic disease requiring repeated or/and prolonged intravenous therapy. The experiences are described. They indicate that the use of wide catheters (internal diameter greater than or equal to 0.

Inhibin-like activity in ovarian homogenates of prepubertal female rats and its physiological significance.

The presence and physiological significance of ovarian inhibin-like activity (ILA) in immature rats was studied by measuring ILA in ovarian homogenates and by studying the short-term changes in serum concentrations of FSH and LH after unilateral or bilateral ovariectomy. Inhibin-like activity in ovarian homogenates was estimated using an in-vitro bioassay system with dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells and subsequent measurement of FSH and LH levels in the spent pituitary cell medium. Inhibin-like activity, expressed in units/ovary, was undetectable in 13-day-old ovaries, was present in 18-day-old ovaries (5.

Inhibin-like activity in media from cultured rat granulosa cells collected throughout the oestrous cycle.

Granulosa cells of antral ovarian follicles from adult 5-day cyclic rats were cultured on each day of the cycle. The rat granulosa cell conditioned medium (rGCCM) was harvested and renewed on each day of a 4-day culture period. Inhibin-like activity and progesterone were estimated in rGCCM using an in-vitro bioassay system with dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells and radioimmunoassay respectively.

Immunochemical characterization of platelet-specific alloantigens.

Immunoprecipitation was performed with platelet-specific alloantisera (anti-Zwa, -Zwb, -Baka and antiserum Luc) and 125I-labelled platelets of a panel of donors typed for these platelet-specific alloantigens. This was done by sensitization of intact, radiolabelled platelets with the antisera, solubilization of the sensitized platelets with Nonidet P-40 and recovery of the immune complexes from the lysate with heat-killed, formalin-fixed Staphylococcus aureus, strain Cowan I. In the case of platelet antibodies of the IgM class, bacteria also preincubated with rabbit-IgG anti-human IgM before treatment of the lysate were applied.

Effect of the binding of anti-Zwa antibodies on platelet function.

Anti-Zwa antibodies can induce a Glanzmann-like platelet dysfunction in normal Zwa-positive platelets. Although a normal shape change and release reaction was always recorded in response to adenosine diphosphate and collagen, the aggregation on these inducers could be completely inhibited by anti-Zwa antibodies. Analogous to the platelets from patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, normal platelets sensitized with anti-Zwa did not associate with fibrinogen upon exposure to adenosine diphosphate.

Detection of carriers in Glanzmann's thrombasthenia.

Quantitative glycoprotein (GP) analysis of whole platelets or platelet membranes was performed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and periodic acid Schiff staining in the families of two unrelated Glanzmann's thrombasthenia (GT) patients. Each family consisted of two symptom free parents, a symptom free daughter and a GT daughter. All symptom free members had a normal bleeding time, clot retraction and platelet aggregation response to adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), collagen and adrenalin.

Studies on quinine- and quinidine-dependent antibodies against platelets and their reaction with platelets in the Bernard-Soulier syndrome.

The sera of 14 patients with quinine/quinidine-dependent thrombocytopenia were studied in the platelet suspension immunofluorescence test (PSIFT), the 51Cr-lysis assay and the complement fixation test (CFT). When anti-Ig or anti-IgG reagents were used, the PSIFT proved to be a little more sensitive than the 51Cr-lysis assay and far more sensitive than the CFT. With the PSIFT, it was possible to determine the immunoglobulin class of the antibodies, which in all sera was IgG of the subclass IgG1.

Estimation of inhibin-like activity in spent medium from rat ovarian granulosa cells during long-term culture.

Granulosa cells were isolated from antral follicles of intact, adult female rats by treatment with EGTA and hypertonic sucrose, and were kept in culture for 1, 15 or 37 days. The amount of inhibin-like activity in spent rat granulosa-cell media (rGCCM) was assessed by using a bioassay for inhibin (measurement of the unstimulated release of FSH and LH by pituitary cells in culture). After 1 day in culture, inhibin-like activity was detected in rGCCM of 0.

The Evans syndrome: characterization of the responsible autoantibodies.

The immunofluorescence test on paraformaldehyde-fixed cells was used for the detection of antibodies bound to the platelets and granulocytes and present in the sera of 24 patients with Evans syndrome and a further 29 patients with both idiopathic thrombocytopenia (ITP) and idiopathic neutropenia (INP), but without autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA). The direct immunofluorescence test on platelets and/or on granulocytes was positive in all patients with a cytopenia, but the sera of only 17 patients with the Evans syndrome and 15 of the other patients contained platelet- or granulocyte-specific autoantibodies. From absorption and elution experiments, it appeared that the autoantibodies were directed against antigens specific for the various peripheral blood cells, i.

Primary and secondary autoimmune thrombocytopenia. A serological and clinical analysis.

In 357 thrombocytopenic patients, the autoimmune nature of the thrombocytopenia was established with the immunofluorescence test on paraformaldehyde-fixed platelets in suspension (PSIFT). In 142 patients, autoimmune thrombocytopenia (AITP) was accompanied by (an)other disease(s) and thus classified as secondary AITP. No significant difference was found in the distribution of the immunochemical characteristics of the autoantibodies between primary and secondary AITP.

Effects of single injections of bovine follicular fluid on gonadotrophin concentrations throughout the oestrous cycle of the rat.

A single injection of steroid-free bovine follicular fluid (bFF), which contains inhibin-like activity, was given to adult female rats at 09.00 h on dioestrus-2 (the day after metoestrus), dioestrus-3, pro-oestrus or oestrus. peripheral concentrations of gonadotrophins were measured at 2-h intervals after injection.

Specificity of autoantibodies in autoimmune thrombocytopenia.

In 42 patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenia (AITP) and a positive direct platelet suspension immunofluorescence test (PSIFT), the antigenic specificity of the autoantibodies was studied. Because the autoantibodies were often not detectable in the serum and additional HLA antibodies may disturb the reaction pattern with the platelet panel, we used eluates prepared from the patients' platelets for this study. Thirty-five patients had antibodies equally reactive with normal platelets, irrespective of their antigenic make-up, but not with the platelets from two Glanzmann's disease patients.

Time-related secretion of gonadotrophins after a single injection of steroid-free bovine follicular fluid in prepubertal and adult female rats.

The time-related changes in gonadotrophin concentrations after a single injection of steroid-free bovine follicular fluid (bFF), which contains material with inhibin-like activity, were studied in 25-day-old and adult female rats which either were intact or had been ovariectomized 2 days before. In ovariectomized and intact rats administration of bFF caused a selective suppression of FSH after 4--8 h in 25-day-old rats and after 3--4 h in adult rats. No systematic changes in concentrations of LH after bFF injection were observed.