[Results of the treatment of newly detected pulmonary and pleural tuberculosis at the Lung Disease and Tuberculosis Clinic of the Bialystok Medical Academy 1980-1984]. / Wyniki leczenia gruzlicy pluc i oplucnej nowo wykrytej w materiale Kliniki Chorób Pluc i Gruzlicy AMB w latach 1980-1984.

The material analysed comprises 207 patients with newly detected lung tbc treated in the Clinic of ++Phthisiopneumonology of the BMA during 1980-1984. The age and sex of patients, radiological picture, detuberculization resulting from the combined therapy with 4 drugs with RMP, 3 drugs + RMP and with 3 drugs without RMP were taken into account, so as was the weekly rhythm of negativity and the forms of lung tbc. The material included 143 men (69%) and 64 women (31%). The highest proportion of hospitalized patients due to lung tbc among men was within the age range from 41 to 60 years (38.5%) while among women from 21 to 40 years 42.2%). Most frequent lung tbc were hemogenous (38.2% of cases) next 26.1% were the infiltrative forms. Total tbc negativity was achieved in 98.3% of cases and the rhythm of negative sputum appeared to be markedly faster when 4 drugs were combined with RMP. Summing up, in all newly detected cases with negative sputum with radiologically active lung tbc a clinical improvement has been achieved, and the radiologically seen improvement included 92.6% of cases.

Leucocyte migration inhibition and rosette tests in pleural effusion.

Lymphocytes from pleural effusions have been examined with leucocyte migration inhibition tests (LMIT) and the numbers of B and T lymphocytes estimated. In cases of tuberculous pleurisy a positive LMIT was more frequent than in those of neoplastic etiology. In cases of other etiology no difference has been observed. The proportion of T lymphocytes in pleural effusions from patients with neoplasia was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than in other diseases. The number of B lymphocytes was also lower than in cases of other etiology (P < 0.01). The per cent distribution of T and B lymphocytes in tuberculous pleural effusion differed markedly from that of malignant etiology, in the former the proportion of B lymphocytes was high while that of T lymphocytes was low.

[Treatment of new and chronic tuberculous patients with ethambutol and Rifampicin (author's transl)]. / Die Anwendung von Rifampicin (RMP) und Ethambutol (EMB) bei der Erst- und Wiederholungsbehandlung Tuberkulosekranker

In patients with chronic pulmonary tuberculosis the results of chemotherapy between drug regimens containing ethambutol or rifampicin were compared. Patients in both groups were randomized selected. After 4 months of chemotherapy negativization was reached to 100% in the RMP-group compared to 80% of the patients in the EMB-group. In 98 chronics EMB was added to the chemotherapy regimen and resulted in 90% of negativization. In a small subgroup RMP was added to the regimen and 100% negativization could be obtained. Among 220 patients with chronic pulmonary tuberculosis, treated with RMP in 9 hospitals according to our protocoll, in 205 patients (93.2%) the excretion of bacilli was cessated. In 54 new cases treated with EMB and another combination and in 20 new cases treated additionally with RMP the sputum converted to negative in 100% of the patients. But the the negativization was reached 24 days earlier on the average in the group treated with RMP. Antituberculotic drugs are administered in our clinic according to the body weight.

Application of the leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) test in clinical management of diseases of the respiratory system.

Results of the leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) test using RT23 tuberculin were compared with the skin reaction of tuberculin (OT), intensity of bacillary excretion and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. LMI tests were made at the beginning and toward the end of the courses of antituberculosis treatment. In patients suffering from sarcoidosis (BBS), the LMI test was performed using Kveim's antigen and RT23 tuberculin.