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The present study employs a new technique for the study of human t-cell effected function in patients with chronic lymphocyte leukaemia: mitogen-stimulated interferon. Cultures of macrophage's, T cell-enriched lymphocytes, or macrophage's and lymphocyte combined were prepared form the blood of fourteen normal donors and five patients with chronic lymphocyte leukaemia/ The effects of the mitogens, phyohaemagglutini and pokeweed, on interferon production and lymphocyte transformation were studied and the following observations made: (a) T-cell effector and proliferative functions were depressed as evidenced by the absence of interferon and proliferative response to PHA and PWN at 3 days in vitro; (b) three out of five patients showed no interferon or proliferative response at 6 day's thus indicating a B lymphocyte abnormality as well ; (c) macrophage's form both normal and leukemic subjects augmented mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte interferon production and lymphocyte transformation. However, the addition of normal allogeneic macrophage's to cultures of lymphocytes prepared form the patients did not restore the proliferative and interferon response to normal levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixteen patients with extensive non-small carcinoma of the lung were treated with methotrexate, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and adriamycin. Cyclophosphamide and adriamycin were administered after pretreatment with amphotericin B. Amphotericin B-related toxicity was mild; cytotoxic chemotherapy-related toxicity was tolerable. The partial response rate was 12.5% and median survival was between 19 and 20 weeks. Response rate and survival were not superior to those of a similar drug combination lacking amphotericin B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mononuclear phagocyte complex is a widespread system of cells originating in the bone marrow monoblast and promonocyte, passing through the intermediate monocyte stage in the blood, and culminating in the tissue macrophages of the lung, liver, spleen, and pleural and peritoneal spaces. The cells are prominently phagocytic and have a well-developed lysosomal system. They function in host defense reactions against micro-organisms, in interactions with lymphoid cells in immunity, in disposal of cell debris, and possible in the regulation of granulopoiesis. Monocytes and the alveolar macrophage are the most accessible cells of this system for study. Several diseases of mononuclear phagocytes have been identified and characterized. These include microbicidal defects associated with increased susceptibility to infection, enzyme defects leading to storage diseases, and neoplastic diseases in which both cell proliferation and biologically active cell products contribute to the clinical disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung macrophages obtained by segmental lavage from three patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis were studied in vitro. The macrophages exhibited morphologic abnormalities including excessive lipid accumulation and giant secondary lysosome formation. These cells survived poorly in tissue culture, showed impaired chemotactic activity, and had decreased adhesiveness to glass. They phagocytized normally but had substantially decreased capacity to kill ingested Candida pseudotropicalis. Evidence was obtained that the macrophage defect was acquired and probably related to ingestion of the proteinaceous alveolar fluid. Peripheral blood monocyte function was normal in one patient and morphologic abnormalities were produced in normal monocyte-derived macrophages cultured with proteinaceous lavage material. These studies suggest that the lung macrophage in alveolar proteinosis is a defective cell as a consequence of an abnormal pulmonary environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone marrow transplantation is emerging as a viable therapeutic approach to a number of diseases that are usually or uniformly fatal. We review here recent experiences in bone marrow transplantation in man at UCLA and in various other institutions throughout the world. We examine marrow transplantation in immunodeficiency diseases, acute leukemia, and aplastic anemia and consider the problems of infection in the transplant recipients. The applications of tissue typing to marrow transplantation and immunologic manipulations, which may influence engraftment and graft-versus-host disease, are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity for human monocytes to take up tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) and tetanus toxoid (TT), as well as human serum albumin, transferrin and IgG was studied in vitro. PPD was taken up more avidly and lost from the cells more rapidly than were the other proteins studied. The major fraction of PPD was rapidly degraded. Serum factors inhibited the uptake of the bacterial antigens: PPD uptake was reduced by IgG, albumin and serum, whereas TT uptake was significantly reduced only by whole serum. Although selective binding of the antigens to serum proteins occurred, the binding patterns did not correspond to the patterns of inhibition of antigen uptake induced by serum or its fractions. Monocytes from patients with active tuberculosis took up significantly less tubercular antigen than did monocytes from normal subjects or patients with inactive tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a method for assessing the lymphocyte transformation of human leucocyte cultures induced by phytohaemagglutinin and tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) by the measurement of the uptake of thymidine. The thymidine uptake of the cultures has been expressed as percentage of the total activity added. The mean basal uptake of twenty-two unstimulated cultures was 0-96 percent. The mean uptake of twenty-four PHA stimulated cultures was 19-5 percent, whilst the mean uptake of eleven PPD stimulated cultures from seven subjects, who were strongly positive on skin testing to tuberculin, was 20-1 percent. A rise of thymidine uptake was detected in five out of six tuberculin negative subjects.