[Blastogenetic activity of medullary blood serum of patients with various blood diseases]. / Attivita' blastigenetica del siero di sangue midollare di pazienti con varie emopatie.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 24 patients were cultured in vitro in the presence of autologous peripheral serum and bone marrow blood serum, with and without PHA stimulation. Bone marrow serum showed a well defined effect, in the absence of PHA stimulation, on lymphocytes from 4 patients (2 affected by acute leukaemia, 1 by megaloblastic anemia and 1 by benign idiopathic paraproteinaemia), and a less defined effect on lymphocytes from 2 donors (1 affected by iron deficiency anemia and 1 by thalassemia minor). No difference attributable to the source of blood serum was observed in PHA stimulated cultures. These results do not allow defined statements. Peripheral blood lymphocytes cultured in vitro were affected by bone marrow blood serum only in some subjects. A clear cut correlation between this effect and the clinical features of our patients was not evident.

B and T cell surface markers on peripheral lymphocytes from diabetic patients.

A study of T and B cell surface markers was carried out on peripheral blood lymphocytes from diabetic patients, employing immunofluorescent staining for membrane Ig, and the E rosette test. According to the immunofluorescent studies the % of sIg bearing lymphocytes decreases with age; this trend is more evident in healthy individuals. Lymphocytes from diabetic patients posses a higher amount of membrane IgG than age-matched controls. It was only in the younger diabetic patients that a definite decrease was observed in the % of IgM bearing lymphocytes. The evaluation of E rosette-forming lymphocytes revealed a similar age-associated reduction both in diabetics and in controls. Some common features of the pattern of T and B cell markers on lymphocytes from younger diabetic patients and older controls suggest that the former undergo, at least from the immunological standpoint, a more precocious ageing process. It is possible that some metabolic disorders in lymphocyte activity may play a role in this, resulting in a deficiency in the control of immunological mechanisms.