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The survival of blood neutrophils labeled in vivo was studied in the calf. Disappearance of labeled neutrophils from the blood of calves was followed after a period of cross circulation with their chimeric, immunologically tolerant twins, which had been given tritiated thymidine 6½ days previously. Under these conditions, neutrophils were shown to leave the blood in a random exponential fashion, with half-disappearance times of between 6.4 and 7.5 hr. Hydrocortisone given to one calf 48 hr after cross circulation caused a neutrophilic leukocytosis, during which substantial numbers of labeled neutrophils reappeared in the blood.

We have examined the binding to sheep alveolar macrophages (AM) and peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) of sheep immunoglobulin G subclasses or rabbit IgG immune complexes formed between rabbit anti‐DNP IgG and DNP‐bovine serum albumin. Binding studies using 125I‐rabbit IgG immune complexes demonstrated 6.6 ± 3.5 × 104receptors per alveolar macrophage; these receptors bound immune complexes with an average association constant of 3.3 × 107M−1. Saturation binding was achieved by 90 minutes at 4° with 6 × 10−8M IgG. Binding of subclasses of sheep IgG was examined by immunofluorescence. Only 10% of alveolar macrophages bound monomeric IgG1 and no binding of sheep IgG2 monomer could be demonstrated. In contrast, most peripheral blood PMN (93.0 ± 9.5%) bound IgG2, but not IgG1. No binding to adult peripheral blood PMN of rabbit IgG immune complexes could be demonstrated. To study further the development of pulmonary host defense, we examined the expression of receptors for IgG immune complexes (Fcγ R) on alveolar macrophages obtained from animals aged 8 through 180 days. At 8 and 21 days of age, the number of FcγR varied considerably (75,000–192,000 sites per cell) and equalled or even exceeded that of adult sheep. FcγR number declined by 42 and 90 days of age, where a nadir was reached (37,000 ± 6,000 and 25,000 ± 6,000 sites, respectively). By 180 days of age, the number of receptors had approached those of normal adult sheep (70,000 ± 20,000 sites per cell). These studies parallel previous observations that revealed age‐related differences in the phagocytic capacity of ovine alveolar macrophages.

A method of clinical staging of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has been proposed which is based on the concept that CLL is a disease of progressive accumulation of nonfunctioning lymphocytes: stage 0, bone marrow and blood lymphocytosis only; stage I, lymphocytosis with enlarged nodes; stage II, lymphocytosis with enlarged spleen or liver or both; stage III, lymphocytosis with anemia; and stage IV: lymphocytosis with thrombocytopenia. Analysis of 125 patients in the present series showed the following median survival times (in months) from diagnosis: stage 0, > 150; stage I, 101; stage II, 71; stage III, 19; stage IV, 19. The median survival for the entire series was 71 mo. The prognostic significance of the stage remained even after adjustment was made for age and sex. However, both sex and age were shown to be poor predictors of survival after adjustment for stage. The method of staging proved to be a reliable predictor of survival whether used at diagnosis or during the course of the disease. The proposed staging system was an equally accurate indicator for survival when applied to two other previously published studies of large series of patients.

A patient with multiple myeloma developed periodic blood neutropenia (periodicity of 15–25 days) after 3 yr of intermittent treatment with cytotoxic agents. Peaks of serum colony-stimulating activity (CSA) level coincided with valleys of blood neutrophils. Fraction of marrow neutrophils in the multiplicative pool was high during blood neutrophil valleys and low during neutrophil peaks. In contrast, the maturation storage pool exhibited the reverse pattern. An increased fraction of marrow neutrophilic cells in the multiplicative pool was in active proliferation during a blood neutrophil valley and a decreased fraction during a blood neutrophil peak. These findings suggest that the marrow granulopoiesis was regulated through CSA. The defect causing the periodicity was probably related to the reduced number of neutrophils in the marrow maturation storage pool, which in turn may be related to a reduced and/or defective granulocytic stem cell pool size consequent to the long-term administration of cytotoxic drugs and/or infiltration of the marrow by myeloma cells.

Supernatant fluid from liquid medium cultures of phase I Bordetella pertussis organisms (pertussis supernatant) when given to calves and sheep by intravenous injection produces a marked lymphocytosis. Thoracic duct and splenic vein cannulation was performed in some animals to study the mechanism of production of this lymphocytosis. There was a transient increased mobilization of lymphocytes from the lymphoid organs as seen by the increase in output of lymphocytes from thoracic duct and splenic vein within a few minutes following administration of pertussis supernatant. This was followed by a decrease in the thoracic duct cell output as long as the blood lymphocyte count remained elevated, indicating an inhibition of recirculation of lymphocytes from blood to lymph. There was no evidence of increased new cell production.

Autologous erythrocytes were irradiated at doses of 35,000 to 200,000 rads, chromated, and red cell survival studied. The 24-hour loss of labeled cells and subsequent apparent erythrocyte survival times were found to be functions of the radiation dose. ECIB-produced red cell hemolysis of a mild degree is to be expected during courses of therapy, as demonstrated by clinical findings. However, there is no doubt that acute, severe, hemolysis could be produced by administering large doses to patients over a short period of time.

1. Two patients with acute leukemia had considerable decreases in leukemic cells in the peripheral blood as well as reduction in size of spleen and leukemic masses after 10 injections of 3H-TDR given over a 5-day period. Each injection was 0.25 µc./Gm. body weight.