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In 72 patients with blood malignancies (leukemias), the expression and distribution of the "B-lineage" antigen CD38, was analyzed, individually and in combination with CD19, CD10, HLA-DR, CD13, CD14, CD33, CDw65, CD2 and CD7. The expression of CD38 on the surface of leukemic cells was totally different from its expression on normal hematopoietic cells. Its positivity in myeloid malignancies was as follows: In patients with acute myeloid leukemia in 21/28 cases-75% (probability of expression 0.68 +/- 0.2, p < 0.05) and in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in 4/6 cases-66%. In lymphoproliferative malignancies the CD38 antigen was expressed as follows: In patients with acute non-T lymphoblastic leukemia in 12/16 cases-75% (probability of expression 0.7 +/- 0.2, p < 0.05) and in patients with chronic B lymphocytic leukemia in 6/8 cases-75%. CD38 was also found positive in patients with acute mixed lineage leukemia.

The authors examined, using the method of flow cytometry, 56 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Leukaemic cells of the bone marrow aspirate and peripheral blood were examined on a FACS 440 apparatus for establishment of the diagnosis before treatment was initiated. Individual immunological subtypes were differentiated by means of a panel of monoclonal antibodies. 80.5% of acute lymphoblastic leukaemias originated from different developmental stages of B cells, 12.5% were formed by leukaemias from T cells and 7% were non-differentiated leukaemias. The mean follow-up period in the group was 33 months. According to the therapeutic results children with leukaemia ensuing from precursors of B cells had a more favourable prognosis than children with T leukaemia and children with non-differentiated leukaemia. Quantitative examination of nuclear DNA of leukaemic cells revealed in 55% of the patients of the group aneuploidy with clear predominance of hyperdiploidy, 45% of the patients suffered from diploidy. The least number of relapses was recorded in the investigation period in children with hyperploid acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The proliferating activity of leukaemic blasts was expressed by the number of cells in the S + G2M stage of the cellular cycle and was higher in the bone marrow than in peripheral blood but did not differ in individual immunological subtypes or in diploid leukaemias. The authors were not able to prove its prognostic importance. Flow cytometry is a rapid and sensitive diagnostic method which makes it possible to characterize more satisfactorily the heterogeneous group of acute lymphoblastic leukaemias.

A boy with neurofibromatosis suffered mumps at the age of 5. A full-blown juvenile polymyositis developed shortly afterwards. First hematological consultation was done for monocytosis in peripheral blood at the age of 7. He suffered varicella at the age of 8. Diagnosis of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia with monosomy 7 was done before the age of 9. The boy died at the age of 10.

The authors submit an account of the new classification of histiocytic diseases in childhood, they mention contemporary views on their aetiology, pathogenesis, advances in diagnosis and therapy. The paper is supplemented by case-histories from the authors' own practice.

The authors explain the principle of central venous catheters (CVC) for long-term use, indicators for insertion, mode of insertion and principles of care of children with these special CVC. The authors inserted since 1982 42 CVC of the Broviac-Hickmann type in 32 children (age 22 days--15 years; body weight 2.4-17 kg). Since 1987 they inserted 16 CVC for long-term use with a subcutaneous capsule to 16 children and adolescents (age 1 years-17 years; body weight 11.5-73.5 kg). These CVC were inserted under general anaesthesia, in catheterization theatre. There were no technical complications. The authors treated and followed under standard protocol a group of 14 children with 20 CVC of the Broviac type (age at onset of treatment 22-715 days; body weight 2.4-10 kg) as well as the above described group of 16 children and adolescents with CVC for long-term use with a subcutaneous capsule. During treatment of children with Broviac catheters five technical complications were observed (mechanical damage of the CVC); in children with CVC with a subcutaneous capsule one technical complication was recorded (damage of the chamber of the Chemoport Vygon system, by incorrect puncture). The authors searched for thromboembolic and infectious complications. In four of 20 children with Broviac catheters purulent phlebitis of the cannulated veins was found (all died)--one thromboembolic complication developed on average after 234 days of use of Broviac catheters.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The authors analyzed a group of 64 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) treated according to three protocols of different intensity. The best therapeutic results were obtained in children treated according to the most intensive protocol of the West German Multicentre Investigation BFM 83 which is graded as to its intensity with regard to the degree of risk of an adverse course. Successful remission in the entire group of patients was 93%, one third of the children developed during the investigation period a relapse of the basic disease. 12% of the children died during remission from complications of treatment. The surprising agreement of therapeutic results of different protocols after three years' complete remission is apparent from the fact that early relapses during the first two years of treatment, implying resistance to administered therapy, are at present the greatest problem of effective treatment which is not resolved even by the ever increasing intensity of treatment. In the conclusion the authors define the group of patients with a high risk of early relapse for whom new therapeutic procedures must be sought.

The authors tried to test the value of some clinical and laboratory characteristics for the prognosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in a group of 69 children treated according to three different protocols. The results were evaluated by methods of one-dimensional and multidimensional analysis. The absolute number of blasts in the peripheral blood stream and initial leucocytosis during establishment of the diagnosis proved to be the most important risk factors influencing the prognosis of the patients. Other adverse signs for the prognosis of ALL in the group were a mediastinal tumour, L2 type of leukaemic blasts according to the morphological FAB classification and age above 10 years when the diagnosis was established. The patient's sex, immunophenotype of the leukaemic blasts, chromosomal abnormality of the karyotype in the leukaemic cells, marked hepatosplenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, haemoglobin values and PAS reaction in the blasts, did not affect the therapeutic results in the author's group of patients.

The prognostic value of cellular DNA content measured by static cytophotometry was evaluated in 69 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using the pretreatment distribution of the DNA content in blast cells of bone marrow and peripheral blood. The median follow-up of the whole group of patients was 45 months. Aneuploidy was detected in 71% of children, most of them showing a hyperdiploid content (DNA index greater than 1.05). The duration of complete remission was significantly longer in patients with distinct hyperdiploid DNA content (DNA index greater than 1.16) than in those with less hyperdiploid and diploid DNA content (DNA index less than 1.16). The results achieved by static cytophotometry were compared with flow cytometry analysis and with cytogenetic investigations of chromosomal abnormalities in leukemic cells. Higher correlation was found between flow cytometry and cytogenetics. Flow cytometry proved to be a more convenient method for detection of the DNA content in leukemic cells than static cytophotometry.

Chromium-51 and arsenic-74 were used for the investigation of the uptake and the release of different chromium and arsenic species in fish. It has been found that only trimethylarsine can be rapidly taken up directly from water. The release of chromium(III), consumed by fish in food, is very rapid: about 99.9% of chromium is released within a few days. The same results were obtained with chromium(III) acetylacetonate or chromium(III) ethylenediaminotetraacetate. About 95% of arsenic acid, methylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid or arsenic(III) diethyldithiocarbamate are released within a few days whereas the remaining arsenic is released with the biological half time 35 +/- 5 days.

A series of 11 mouse monoclonal antibodies reactive with human T lymphoid cells at different stages of differentiation was used for immunological classification of leukaemic cells of 16 patients with T cell lymphoproliferative disorders by using a fluorescence assay. The majority of T-ALL cells had an immature or early thymic phenotype and T lymphoblastic lymphoma had phenotypes corresponding to different levels of more mature stages of T cell differentiation, Two cases of T-CLL and one adult patient with mycosis fungoides had mature T cell phenotypes being T-3+, T-4-, T-8+, cytotoxic/suppressor cell types and one case of T-CLL had T-3+, T-4+, T-8-, "helper/inducer" cell type, too. These results suggested that surface marker analysis in T cell lymphoproliferative disorders may be used as a highly reproducible immunological classification system that will provide additional information about phenotypes of leukaemic cells in connection with morphological analysis and clinical diagnosis.

Zinc-65 and cadmium-115 m were used for the investigation of the uptake and the release of zinc and cadmium in fish. It has been found that the uptake of these elements directly from water is relatively low. Zinc and cadmium, consumed by fish in food, are released with the biological half-time 0.25 +/- 0.05 days (94%) and 65 +/- 9 days (6%) for zinc, 0.25 +/- 0.05 days (98.5%) and 36 +/- 6 days (1.5%) for cadmium. The comparison with data obtained for mercury species shows that the cumulation of these elements in fish increases in the order cadmium, zinc, inorganic mercury (II), phenylmercury and methylmercury.

A critical review of the group separation of tervalent lanthanides and actinides and of the separation of individual transplutonium elements is presented. The theoretical principles involved are also discussed.

Arsenic(III) is extracted into carbon tetrachloride from 3.5M sulphuric acid that is 0.8M in potassium iodide. 8-Mercaptoquinoline and acetone are added to the organic extract and the absorbance of the arsenic(III)-8-mercaptoquinolinate formed is measured at 380 nm. Repeating the extraction procedure highly increases the selectivity of the method; only tin(II) interferes with the determination.

A radiometric method for the determination of submicrogram amounts of mercury (down to 5 x 10(-10)g ml ) is described. The method is based on the exchange reaction between mercury and silver-110m dithizonate. Only palladium, gold, silver, and large amounts of copper and bismuth interfere in the determination, and must be removed.

Metal chelates, extracted from an aqueous phase by organic solvents, can react with other chelating agents (or their metal chelates) dissolved in the same solvent. This exchange of metal chelates in the organic phase can be used for (1) investigation of the exchange equilibrium and composition of the metal chelates formed, (2) determination of the extraction constants, (3) preparation of new inner-complexes soluble in organic solvents, and (4) spectrophotometric determination of small amounts of metals. The theory and experimental verification of this phenomenon are given. The extraction constants of silver and zinc diethyldithiocarbamates in carbon tetrachloride have been determined by means of the extraction constants of the corresponding dithizonates. A mixed complex of arsenic(III) with dithizone and diethyldithiocarbamic acid has been prepared and its properties studied. A simple method for spectrophotometric determination of microgram quantities of arsenic is proposed.