Effect of the Choice of Primary Chemotherapy on the Cumulative Length of Stay in Hospital for Multiple Myeloma.

The actual use of hospital beds for patients with multiple myeloma was calculated from a randomised trial of primary treatment with either melphalan and prednisone (MP, 66 patients) or intensive combination chemotherapy with vincristine, cyclophosphamide, lomustine, melphalan and methylprednisolone (MOCCA, 64 patients). The survival of the patients was similar in both arms, and the samples, 20 and 32 patients, respectively, were well representative for the whole arms. The average numbers of hospital days were similar fur both arms.

The Finnish leukaemia group: levamisole in maintenance therapy of acute myeloid leukemia in adults.

The Finnish Leukaemia Group has carried out a randomized, multicenter trial to study the effect of levamisole on the remission maintained with 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate in acute myeloid leukaemia in adults. Levamisole was given on 3 consecutive days every 2 weeks. Twenty-five patients received only chemotherapy, while 26 patients received levamisole as well.

Myasthenia gravis and monoclonal IgG gammopathy.

Monoclonal IgG gammopathy of the lambda light-chain type was detected in a 51-year-old woman who had unexplained fever, muscle fatigue, and myalgia. One year later, myasthenia gravis was diagnosed. There was no evidence of myelomatosis or other malignancy.

Different surface glycoprotein patterns on human T-, B- and leukemic-lymphocytes.

We have labelled the exposed surface glycoproteins of human blood T- and B-lymphocytes and cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia by the galactose oxidase-tritiated sodium borohydride method. The labelled glycoproteins were separated by polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis and visualized by autoradiography. The T- and B-lymphocytes show different and characteristic surface glycoprotein patterns.