Influence of some cytostatics on leucocyte function.

Phagocytic activity, nitroblue tetrazolium reduction and candidacidal capacity have been studied in a group of normal persons and in three patients with acute leukaemia. The studies were performed in vitro in whole blood to which either a solvent only, or daunorubicin or vincristine had been added. The nuclei of all kinds of leucocytes showed characteristic changes in daunorubicin samples, resembling a beginning necrobiosis.

Phagocytic activity of leukaemic blasts.

Phagocytic activity of leukaemic blasts in 20 adults and 16 children suffering from acute leukaemia was studied in vitro by the use of ferrioxidsaccharate. Most frequently phagocytosing blasts were encountered in myelomonocytic leukaemias. The morphological character of positive blasts resembled often that of monocytoid cells.