Infant leukemia in Belarus after the Chernobyl accident.

Petridou et al. [1] have reported an increase in infant leukemia in Greek children born between 1/7/86 and 31/12/87 and have linked this increase to in utero radiation exposure due to the Chernobyl accident. Subsequently, Michaelis et al. [2] have reported a similar trend for Germany but found that it was not correlated to the levels of contamination. For Belarus, which was much more severely affected, a similar but much weaker trend is found.

[Unstable chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes of liquidators of the Chernobyl accident consequences]. / Nestabil'nye khromosomnye aberratsii v limfotsitakh uchastnikov likvidatsii posledstvii avarii na Chernobyl'skoi AES.

AIM: Analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes for detecting unstable chromosome aberrations in liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster consequences and in residents of territories contaminated after the accident. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood lymphocytes were tested for unstable chromosome aberrations in 216 subjects who worked for different periods after the Chernobyl accident in 1986-1987 in the 30-km zone and at adjacent territories. The results were correlated to the duration of stay in the zone, terms of examination after the work, exposure dose fixed in the files, deviations in the health status and blood values, and with similar data on 21 residents of the stringent control regions of the Gomel district and 265 patients with different hematological diseases and donor blood samples exposed in vitro. RESULTS: Chromosome aberrations detected in the examined group are represented by dicentrics, paired and nonpaired fragments, acentric rings, and gaps. CONCLUSION: Although not everything is yet clear, we consider that detection of unstable chromosome aberrations of the dicentric type in lymphocytes of subjects who participated in liquidation of the accident consequences in remote periods after exposure persuasively proves that a radiation exposure, no matter what its dose was, took place, and hence, there are good grounds for including the subjects with aberrations in the high risk group. On the other hand, the absence of such aberrations does not rule out the detrimental effect of radiation on the organism.

Post Chernobyl Hemoblastoses in the Republic of Belarus (brief communication).

Data on the incidence of acute leukemia (AL) in children in the Byelorus Republic is analysed and comparisons made between the incidence of AL prior and subsequent to the Chernobyl accident in 1986. The Byelorus Republic was directly and heavily contaminated at that time and careful records of the incidence of cases of AL and other malignancies have since been kept. Byelorus is divided into large administrative regions-oblasts-which are subdivided into raions. Both the levels of radiation and estimates of chemical pollution in these areas are available. Childhood AL incidence appears to be unrelated to radiation dosage in that no increases were seen in the more radiation contaminated areas. However there appeared to be a more likely relationship with chemical pollution. Adult AL and other myeloproliferative and lymphoproliferative disorders have appeared to increase since 1986 but again the authors attribute this more to rising levels of chemical pollution possibly associated with radiation as a coleukemogen.

Childhood leukemia in Belarus before and after the Chernobyl accident.

Childhood leukemia (ICD 204-208 [1]) incidence rates in the different regions of Belarus are reported for a period before and after the Chernobyl accident (1982-1994). There are, at this point, no recognizable trends towards higher rates.

Frequencies of unstable chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes of Chernobyl emergency accident workers.

On the basis of the investigation of unstable chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes of Chernobyl accident emergency workers, of residents of the contaminated areas, of patients with blood diseases and of donor's blood irradiated in vitro it is stated that presence of unstable chromosome aberrations such as dicentrics in lymphocytes of emergency workers and residents indicates that they have been overexposed. However, in the absence of the described aberrations in individuals involved in emergency work or in residents years after accident it is impossible to reject the overexposure.

[Effect of anti-HLA antibodies on the electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes]. / Vliianie anti-HLA-antitel na élektroforeticheskuiu podvizhnost' éritrotsitov.

The authors studied the influence of anti-HLA antibodies on electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes. A total of 25 samples of erythrocytes and 30 samples of anti-HLA sera of varying specificity were used. It has been established that electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes, sensitized by anti-HLA antibodies, is lowered that permitted validation of the possibility of using the method of analytical cellular electrophoresis for identification of antigens and antibodies of the HLA system. It has been proved that practically all I class HLA antigens identified in the present work are expressed on erythrocytes .

[Thrombocytic component of hemostasis in patients operated on for acute inflammatory diseases of the abdominal organs]. / Trombotsitarnoe zveno gemostaza u operirovannykh bol'nykh s ostrymi vospalitel'nymi zabolevaniiami organov briushnoi polosti.

Thrombocytopathy in the form of dissociation of functional properties of the thrombocytes was revealed in patients with purulent appendicitis. Patients with restricted peritonitis had an increased amount of thrombocytes, activation of their functions, changes in the thrombocyte formula, different correlative interrelations between the size of thrombocytes and their properties.

[Expression of A, B, and H antigens on erythrocytes of patients with leukemia]. / Ekspressiia A, B, H-antigenov na èritrotsitakh bol'nykh leikozami.

The level of ABO(H) antigen expression was estimated on erythrocytes isolated from the peripheral blood of 94 leukemia patients. The control group included 1014 blood donors. It was found that the level of H antigen expression was lowered in all forms of leukemia, while the levels of A and B antigen expression were unchanged. It has been suggested that the lowering of H antigen expression level is a pathogenetic sign of the leukemic process, and its value could be used for the control of the disease course character.

[Mathematical assessment of the blood prothrombinase-thrombin activity by the autocoagulation test]. / Matematicheskaia otsenka protrombinazo-trombinovoi aktivnosti krovi po autokoaguliatsionnomu testu.

A new method for estimation of the time course of prothrombinase-thrombin activity is suggested. The method is based on approximation of the autocoagulogram appropriate section to the regression straight line and estimation of the angular coefficient B. This coefficient more accurately reflects the rate of the prothrombinase-thrombin activity growth and decline. The method is time-saving and simple, it is recommended for estimation of functional activity of hemostasis major component and of the principal marker of thrombin formation, the blood disseminated intravascular coagulation.

[An immunonephelometric micromethod of determining the levels of fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products]. / Immunonefelometricheskii mikrometod opredeleniia produktov degradatsii fibrina i fibrinogena.

A method for measuring fibrin and fibrinogen degradation products (F/FgDP) is described, making use of polyspecific antifibrinogen antiserum and of nephelometric recording of the amount of antigen-antibody precipitate, resultant from the interaction of this antiserum with the F/FgDP of the tested serum. The measurement results have been compared to the data of the passive hemagglutination inhibition test; the correlation coefficient r = 0.92 (p less than 0.001). The coefficient of variations of the experimental results has been v = 4.16 +/- 0.93%. F/FgDP levels in the blood sera of 15 donors and of 10 hematologic patients have been measured.

[A kinetic micromethod of determining the activity of antithrombin III]. / Kineticheskii mikrometod opredeleniia aktivnosti antitrombina III.

A method for measuring the blood plasma antithrombin III (AT III) activity is suggested, based on measurement of the rate of inactivation of added standard volume (0.05 ml) of plasma thrombin AT III. The thrombin residual activity in the mixture is detectable over the course of fibrinogen tests. Curves are plotted, reflecting the rate of inactivation of thrombin AT III in the tested and reference plasma samples; by modeling and comparing these curves the values of the examined sample AT III activity are obtained, with the effects of fibrinogen and fast antithrombins various levels eliminated.

[Determination of soluble complexes of fibrin monomers in plasma taking into consideration the fibrinogen level]. / Opredelenie rastvorimykh kompleksov monomerov fibrina v plazme s uchetom urovnia fibrinogena.

Quantitative modifications of beta-naphthol, ethanol, and protamine sulfate tests are described, which are based on spectrophotometry of the formed precipitate. The findings have demonstrated a correlation between these tests' results and the plasma fibrinogen concentration. It is recommended that the paracoagulation test parameters be estimated with consideration for fibrinogen level. The results of measurements of the plasma fibrin monomer soluble complexes in 13 donors and in 72 patients with blood diseases and hemostasis are presented. The results permit a conclusion that these tests used alone or in various combinations are sufficiently sensitive, specific, and informative for the examinations of patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation; combined use of three paracoagulation tests has been found to be optimal.

[Disseminated intravascular coagulation in newborn infants with infection]. / Disseminirovannoe vnutrisosudistoe svertyvanie krovi pri sepsise u novorozhdennykh.

The treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in infants with sepsis should be instituted after multimodality therapy of pyo-inflammatory diseases taking into account the degree of hemostatic disorders. In stage I DIC (hypercoagulation one), it is necessary to reach an adequate level of the inhibitors of the thrombin and plasmin systems. In this case it is quite sufficient to use donor's cryoplasma without heparin administration. In stage II DIC (transitory one) and stage III (hypocoagulation one), it is required that the drugs possessing antithrombin and antiplasmin activity, substitution therapy with blood preparations and components as well as measures to control hemorrhagic diathesis may be used.

[Indications for using heparin in diffuse suppurative peritonitis in children]. / Pokazaniia k primeneniiu geparina pri razlitom gnoinom peritonite u detei.

In non-complicated course of diffuse purulent peritonitis in children the anti-thrombin (frozen plasma) drugs are thought by the authors to be sufficient for purposeful correction of disturbed hemostasis in children. The appearance of laboratory signs of IDS and clinical manifestations of functional insufficiency of parenchymal organs are considered to be an indication to use frozen plasma and heparin irrespective of previous operations.