[Hematologic anomalies in Lyell's syndrome. Study of 26 cases].

Case records of 26 patients with Lyell Syndrome were reviewed for studying haematologic abnormalities. Eosinophilia, neutropenia, thrombopenia were uncommon. Circulating immature granulocytic cells were frequently encountered during the second week of evolution, mostly when leucocytosis was present.

[Monoclonal antibody typing of sub-populations of T lymphocytes in the blood and broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) in sarcoidosis].

Cell typing of sub-populations of lymphocytes is facilitated by using monoclonal antibodies (OKT); with this technique we determined the relative proportions of "helper" T-lymphocytes (OKT4) and "Suppressor" T-lymphocytes (OKT8) in the blood and the LBA of 13 patients suffering from pulmonary sarcoidosis. In the control subjects the OKT4/OKT8 ratio was 1.9 +/- 0.

A cytochemical marker for epidermal differentiation, Langerhans cells, skin resident macrophages and mitochondria.

Incubation of unfixed and unfrozen slices of skin in diaminobenzidine allows visualization of peroxidatic activity in the perinuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum of normal human Langerhans cells. A similar peroxidatic activity is observed in supra-basal keratinocytes undergoing orthokeratotic differentiation. Basal keratinocytes and melanocytes are always negative.

Dinitrochlorobenzene treatment of alopecia areata.

Forty-two patients with alopecia areata were treated with local applications of dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB); We used DNCB in two forms, an acetone solution applied weekly or a cream used every day, employing a wide range of DNCB concentrations. The concentration used was varied at the time of each application to produce a contact dermatitis. Seven patients experienced complete and lasting hair regrowth, 17 had poor results, and in 18 patients the treatment was a failure.

Neutrophil studies in psoriatics: in vivo migration, phagocytosis and bacterial killing.

A reproducible method for sequential study of migration out of human skin, phagocytosis and bactericidal activity of neutrophils is described. Untreated psoriatics exhibit an early increase of chemotactic activity (0-8 hr, p less than 0.02) and subsequently a strong inhibition of chemotaxis (8-24 hr, p less than 0.

Diaminobenzidine cytochemistry in unfixed human epidermis: a marker for epidermal differentiation and for mitochondria.

Intubation of unfixed and unfrozen slices of skin in diaminobenzidine allows visualization of a peroxidatic activity in perinuclear envelope of suprabasal keratinocytes undergoing orthokeratotic differentiation. Basal keratinocytes and melanocytes are always negative. This enzyme is absent in mucous and parakeratotic (psoriatic) differentiation.

[Methemoglobinemia and hemolytic anemia induced by Disulon].

Seven patients ingested (2.5 mg/kg) daily dapsone. Their serum samples were analyzed daily during the first week by spectrophotometry for methaemoglobinemia and weekly blood samples for red blood cells, reticulocytes count and haptoglobin level.

[Drug induced pulmonary disease. Diffuse interstitial pneumonitis during chemoradiotherapy for small cell carcinoma of the lung. Two cases (author's transl)].

Two patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung treated by chemoradiotherapy developed, diffuse interstitial pneumonitis after 7 and 21 months of treatment while in complete remission of their malignant disease. One patient died after an acute respiratory distress syndrome, but the second improved after steroid therapy and discontinuation of cytotoxic therapy. Pulmonary toxicity appeared to be related to cyclophosphamide therapy, but radiation therapy could have potentiated cyclophosphamide toxicity as it has been shown in bleomycin lung disease.

[Pulmonary collagens and their pathology (author's transl)].

Collagen is a macro-molecule of polypeptide chains arranged in a triple helix. The biosynthesis and degradation of collagen require complex enzymes systems; considerable progress has been made in their understanding in recent years. Collagen is the most important connective tissue of the body and five types are present in the lower respiratory tract.

[Concomitant pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchogenic carcinoma: a difficult diagnosis. Report of eighteen cases (author's transl)].

The diagnosis in the same patient of the two diseases is very often delayed. Generally, tuberculosis is diagnosed first, and then cancer when the radiologic lesions extend despite of antituberculous treatment. In half of our cases, tuberculous lesions could not be individualized from cancer on the chest X-ray films.