[Retrospective evaluation of blood immunologic parameters in the course of remission of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children]. / Retrospektivnaia otsenka immunologicheskikh pokazatelei krovi u detei v raznye sroki remissii ostrogo limfoblastnogo leikoza.

The authors investigated cellular and humoral immunity in 53 children over 3 years of age suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The children had remission lasting from 6 to 120 months and were followed up for 7-14 years after the diagnosis was made. The treatment was performed according to programs of polychemotherapy practiced in 1981-1988. In November of 1995 42 children were alive, 15 had the disease for 10 years. Lymphocytopenia (absolute number of T-cells and B-cells fell 3-5 and 2-3-fold, respectively) was reported in all the examinees both in early remission and later (6-12, 24-60, 60 and more months since the disease onset). In early remission there was a significant reduction in the serum IgG, IgA and IgM. In children with ALL lethal outcome serum IgM and absolute number of E-RFCa dropped in early remission more significantly indicating deep drug-induced depression of lymphocytopoiesis. After 5 years of treatment the pool of peripheral T-lymphocytes and T/B lymphocyte proportion changed for the best, though their absolute number was subnormal. Serum IgG, IgA and circulating immune complexes were 1.3-1.5 times higher than normal which may be explained by gastrointestinal pathology and food allergy in the majority of children treated.

[Transcobalamin II levels in blood plasma of children with acute leukemia]. / Soderzhanie transkobalamina II v plazme krovi u detei s ostrym leikozom.

Transcobalamin II (TcII) level was studied in plasma of 40 children with acute leukemia. TcII is a cobalamin-binding protein which mediated the cellular uptake of Cbl and interacted with surface membrane receptor of hemopoietic cells. Plasma TcII and cobalofilins were analysed by PAGE using 57Co-cyanocobalamin. In addition, the mature human placenta with high specificity and affinity to TcII receptors was applied for TcII plasma identification. As compared to control, significant difference of TcII activity in the plasma of children with ALL was noted. There were children with low and high TcII concentration vs. control (484 +/- 42 and 1166 +/- 62, p > 0.001). Therefore, it is necessary to assay individually all the biochemical parameters of Cbl-transport system of children with ALL for adequate metabolic correction.

[Subpopulations of peripheral blood neutrophils and lymphocytes in children with immune neutropenia]. / Subpopuliatsii neitrofilov i limfotsitov perifericheskoi krovi u detei s immunnoi neitropeniei.

Peripheral blood (PB) neutrophils and lymphocytes from 14 patients with immune neutropenia were studied using the technique of rosette-formation in 2 neutrophil fractions with diverse specific density. All the neutropenia cases were divided into 2 groups by phagocytosis completeness in all the PB neutrophil types studied. Patients of group 1 had impaired phagocytosis D-RFN in elevated levels of these cells, autorosette-forming lymphocytes and neutrophils. Patients of group 2 had defective phagocytosis D-RFN and EAC-RFN in combination with extremely high contents of autorosette-forming including early lymphocytes. The above complex of techniques may be used for prediction of the duration and severity of neutropenia which is important for further selective studies into the causes of neutropenia and effective treatment.

[Results of screening hematological and cytochemical blood studies of 906 children living in Bryansk Province at places with different intensities of soil contamination with cesium-137 and strontium-90]. / Rezul'taty skriningovykh gematologicheskikh i tsitokhimicheskikh issledovanii krovi 906 detei, prozhivaiushchikh v Brianskoi oblasti v mestakh s raznoi plotnost'iu zagriazneniia pochvy tseziem-137 i strontsiem-90.

Populations of children living in the Bryansk territory (radionuclide contamination 0.2-63.9 Cu/km2) are characterized by heterogeneous blood counts, though relevant mean values are close to control. Mean cytochemical indices indicated a significant reduction in activity of point nonspecific esterase (NSEP), a marker of mature T-cells, in children from all the contaminated districts. Shifts in cytochemical blood lymphocytogram by NSEP test evidencing rejuvenascence of T-lymphocyte pool were recorded in 12-33% of children from different villages. A 10% decrease in NSEP suggested poor adaptation and feasibility of immunodeficiency. In one-third of children with low NSEP the number of lymphocytes with large-granular PAS reaction may reflect uneffective B-lymphopoiesis in these children. In two villages significantly contaminated with 137Cs and 90Sr half of the children had blood hemoglobin above 150 milligrams. Children from three villages exhibited a sharp rise in the number of lymphocytes with intensive-granular PAS reaction. These changes may be related to thyroid abnormalities. The number of children at risk of health deterioration grows with growing environmental contamination with 137Cs.

[The cytogenetic examination of different groups of children living in regions of Bryansk Province contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl accident]. / Tsitogeneticheskoe obsledovanie razlichnykh grupp detei, prozhivaiushchikh v raionakh Brianskoi oblasti, zagriaznennykh v rezul'tate Chernobyl'skoi avarii.

The frequency of chromosome aberrations (CA) was studied in peripheral blood lymphocytes from healthy children and children with thyreopathology living in the city of Klintsy, Bryansk Province (contamination level up to 5 Ci/km2), and two Moscow groups, respectively. We have observed the elevated number of dicentrics and acentric fragments in cell from children with thyreopathology with respect to those from healthy children living in Klintsy. This fact cannot be explained by influence of disease because there was no difference in cytogenetical markers between the groups of healthy children and children with thyreopathology from Moscow. The number of dicentrics was increased in cells from children with high level of internal contamination (more than 400 nCi) living in Krasnaya Gora (15-40 Ci/km2). It is proposed that the internal irradiation is more important for the CA induction. The symmetrical translocation analysis using the method of fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) has shown the absence of this type of aberrations in cells from children with high level of internal irradiation whereas the translocations frequency in cells from control children was (1.1 +/- 0.4) per 1000 cells.

[Changes in the activity of endonucleolysis of nuclear DNA in children with acute leukemia]. / Izmenenie aktivnosti éndonukleoza DNK-kletochnykh iader pri ostrom leikoze u detei.

The previously established fact of low activity of Ca, Mg-dependent endonucleolysis of cell nucleus DNA in lymphoproliferative diseases (CME-activity) brought the authors to study intranuclear characteristics of lymphoid cells in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The intensity of DNA-endonucleolysis was measured in 0.7% agarose gel using electrophoresis. Peripheral blood and bone marrow samples from 13 untreated ALL patients and 23 children in remission were examined. The age of the patients ranged from 4 to 14 years. CME-activity before treatment appeared to be 2-10 times less than normal in 8 out of 13 patients. In bone marrow cell nuclei CME-activity was universally reduced 3-20-fold. In ALL remission endonuclease activity in blood and bone marrow cells returned to normal.

[Monoclonal immunophenotyping of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in children using rapid immune alkaline phosphatase]. / Monoklonal'noe immunofenotipirovanie kletok ostrogo limfoblastnogo leikoza u detei s pomoshch'iu metoda bystroi immunnoi shchelochnoi fosfatazy.

Monoclonal immunophenotyping of leukemia cells of the bone marrow was carried out by the method of rapid immune alkaline phosphatase (RIAP) in 30 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) aged 6 months-14 years. The authors used a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MCA) produced by Leu (Belgium) and DAKO (Denmark) directed to antigens of differentiation clusters: Tdt, HLA-DR, CD: 10, 19, 20, 22, 7, 8, 2, 5, 13, 33, 14. The results indicate diversity of compositions of differentiating antigens on leukemia cells of the dominant population and a different degree of leukemic cell pool heterogenicity. RIAP advantages over flow cytometry in immunotyping of ALL cells are shown. Arguments are provided in favor of introduction of broader MCA panel.

[Cytochemical lymphocytic markers as criteria suitable for mass and selective hematologic screening of children living in areas contaminated by radionuclides]. / Tsitokhimicheskie markery limfotsitov v kachestve kriteriev, prigodnykh dlia massovogo i selektivnogo gematologicheskogo skrininga detei, prozhivaiushchikh na zagriaznennykh radionuklidami territoriiakh.

A cytochemical lymphocytogram by PAS--reaction and nonspecific esterase test was made using blood smears from 820 children living in different regions of the Bryansk area exposed to radioactive contamination and from 46 matched controls from noncontaminated territories. Most of the children were born before the Chernobyl accident. The cytochemical lymphocytogram was informative enough to evaluate lymphocytic pool and its renewal. The lymphocytogram parameters served criteria for selection of children's groups at relative risk. The groups comprised 25-60% of the examinees depending on the contamination degree and were registered for subsequent follow-up and rehabilitation.

[Significance of morphological, cytochemical and immunological identification of tumor cells in acute leukemia in children]. / Znachenie morfologicheskoi, tsitokhimicheskoi i immunologicheskoi identifikatsii opukholevykh kletok pri ostrom leikoze u detei.

The authors discuss the reported data and the results of own studies characterizing the current state of the problem of the phenotyping of leukemic cells. Emphasize the necessity of the use of a complex of morphological, cytochemical and immunological research methods for identification of tumor cells in children suffering from acute leukemia.

[Characteristics of lymphocyte populations in the bone marrow and peripheral blood of children with non-T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia during remission]. / Kharakteristika populiastsii limfotsitov kostnogo mozga i perifericheskoi krovi u detei s ne T ostrym limfoblastnym leikozom v periode remissii.

Characteristics of lymphocyte populations in the bone marrow and peripheral blood were comparatively analyzed in children with non-T acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) during remission, and in the reference group of children with conditionally normal hemopoiesis, as well as with population of lymphocytes obtained from the femur of 22-32-week fetuses. The analysis has shown pronounced changes in the children during remission. The shifts in the structure of lymphocyte population in the bone marrow of children during remission of non-T ALL are considered as compensatory, under conditions of a secondary immunodeficiency due to an abrupt diminution of the absolute number of bone marrow and circulating lymphocytes.

[Ag-negative phenomenon of nucleolar organizers of bone marrow and blood cells in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia]. / Fenomen Ag-negativnosti iadryshkovykh organizatorov kletok kostnogo mozga i krovi u detei s ostrym limfoblastnym leikozom.

The activity of nucleoli-organizing (NOR's) regions was studied in leukemic cells of 53 children with immunologically typical ALL. The Ag-negative type of ALL was found in 9 cases of IA-ALL and Comm(+)-ALL. Dominating cells were not argentaffin. Some cytological peculiarities of Ag-negative cases have been demonstrated: lower presence of E(+)-receptor on circulating lymphoid cells, the greater number of cells with smooth surface which was revealed by the scanning electron microscopic method. The cases when the product of Ag-philic reaction was impossible to be revealed are discussed.