[Hypermethioninemia. Apropos of a case in a consanguineous couple].

We describe a female child from a consanguineous marriage (uncle-niece) with hypermethioninemia and hypermethioninuria without homocystinuria. She had several signs and symptoms previously undescribed in this pathology as growth retardation, generalized hypotonia, digestive disturbances, white skin, hypochromia of iris, thin, sparse and blond scalp hair. The pedigree suggests an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern.

[Hemoglobin S. Apropos of a family].

The present paper describes a homozygote patient for the gene of hemoglobin S. The patient is the first child of non-consanguineous parents. The family study revealed 11 heterozygote subjects for the sickle cell disease.

Gc globulin and prealbumin serum levels in patients with cancer and benign inflammatory diseases and in asymptomatic smokers.

Gc globulin and prealbumin serum levels were determined in a coded serum panel from the National Cancer Institute-Mayo Clinic. Serum samples came from 100 patients with cancer (lung, prostate gland, or gastrointestinal tract), from 50 patients with benign inflammatory diseases from the same organs as those of the cancer patients, and from 50 clinically healthy smokers. No differences were observed among groups in the Gc globulin (vitamin D carrier) serum concentrations; however, prealbumin (vitamin A carrier) serum levels were decreased for patients with benign inflammatory diseases and for cancer patients; the cancer group showed the greatest decrease.

Altered carbohydrate content of alpha1-antitrypsin in patients with cancer.

The glycosylation of IgG and alpha1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT) was studied by their precipitation with concanavalin A in a codified serum panel from the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, Md.) and the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.).

Serum IgG and IgD and levels in some infectious and noninfectious diseases.

Serum IgG and IgD levels were determined in the following groups: professional blood donors, healthy smokers and patients with acute hepatitis, with acute salmonellosis, with hepatic cirrhosis, with cancer (prostate, lung and gastrointestinal tract) and with benign diseases of the same organs as the cancer patients. IgG was significantly increased in the groups of patients with hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis and cancer. IgD values showed a wide dispersion in all the groups, which do not allow for comparisons among means.

Distinct glycosylation of serum proteins in patients with cancer: brief communication.

Concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin, lectins that interact with serum glycoprotein in a manner similar to the antigen--antibody reaction, were used as "antibodies" in a single radial immunodiffusion technique to test a coded serum panel (from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md., and the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.) containing a) 99 serum samples from patients with different types of malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract, prostate gland, and lung, b) 50 samples from patients with benign diseases of the same organs as those affected in the cancer patients, and c) 50 samples from apparently healthy smokers.

Intrafamilial correlation analysis for IgM serum levels.

The IgM serum level was determined in the members of 29 healthy families. The IgM mean concentrations between fathers and mothers and between sons and daughters were significantly different (P less than .01), with higher serum IgM levels in females than in males.

The origin of serum protein, A, B, and H blood group, and Gm and Inv antigens in house dust.

Materials precipitated from an aqueous extract of house dust by saturation with ammonium sulphate showed immunological reaction with antisera to human serum albumin, human alpha1-acid glycoprotein, human IgG, Gm and Inv antigens and to A, B and H antigens. It is concluded that the albumin and alpha1-acid glycoprotein are of human origin. It seems that the apparent IgG activity is due to cross-reactivity since, from the anticipated specificities of the Fab and Fc fragments of human IgG, the former could not be detected, and since Gm (6) activity was present, unexpectedly, in Swiss house dust.

Histidinaemia in a consanguineous marriage.

Support to the autosomal recessive inheritance for histidinaemia is given by the finding of an affected product from a first-cousin marriage. The histidine loading test done on the parents confirms previous reports that female heterozygous metabolize the amino acid at a slower rate than male heterozygous.