[The Cu/Fe ratio and its significance in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and prognosis of bronchopulmonary cancer]. / Raportul Cu/Fe si semnificatia sa în patogenia, diagnosticul si prognosticul cancerului bronhopulmonar.

In 197 cases with various bronchopulmonary affections, iron was dosed in serum, according to Weippel's method, and copper, according to Cantarov's method. Cu/Fe serous ratio was found in the normal patients between 0.7 and 1.7 higher than the control sample were reached (1.2); in OCBP the ratio was twice versus the control sample (2.62 versus 1.2). In the disease diagnosis and prognosis, the determination of the Cu/Fe serous ratio is suggested in those suspected of bronchopulmonary cancer. The increase of the ratio shows the aggravation by metastases, and the improvement after operations indicates the lack of metastases. The advantages of the test are: sensitivity, specificity, predictability, economy.

Advantages of treatment with Reprimun in sarcoidosis.

Favourable results were obtained by treatment with Reprimun alone or in association with low doses of Prednisone in 112 patients with sarcoidosis (59% with active sarcoidosis and 33% failures of a previous corticotherapy). Treatments were applied during 3-6 series each one of 6 weeks at intervals of 2 weeks between series. In comparison with the classical corticotherapy, treatment with Reprimun has better results, namely: absence of any major adverse reactions; reduction of the treatment period to 6-12 months (3-6 series); 95% lasting remissions in the sarcoidoses with initial treatment and 78% remissions in the case of failures of a previous corticotherapy.

[Preliminary results of the use of a new derivative of rifamycin SV in the treatment of sarcoidosis]. / Rezultate preliminare privind utilizarea unui nou derivat de rifamicina SV in tratamentul sarcoidozei.

Seven patients with advanced forms of mediastino-pulmonary sarcoidosis (involvement of the pulmonary parenchyma, and restrictive respiratory syndrome), confirmed by histopathologic investigation, have been treated with a new SV-rifamycin derivative, 1246-EH, or "Reprimum" without any other association. Reprimun was given in daily doses of 10 mg/kg of body weight for a period of two weeks, then, for another 4-5 weeks, the drugs was given intermittently in doses of 15 mg/kg of body weight twice weekly. Between two cycles of therapy a period of 14 days was free of drug administration. In all patients the treatment with the new derivative was well tolerated. The treatment was not followed by adrenal deficiencies, neither was noted obesity, bone decalcification, gastric ulcers, etc., which are commonly associated with prolonged corticoid therapy. The treatment with "Reprimun" efficient for all patients. A clear clinical and X-ray improvement was noted after the first three months of treatment with the new drug. Respiratory function, as well as clinical and radiological signs improved, the serum immunologic parameters, and the biochemical ones were also significantly improved (Ig, C3 total serum proteins and gammaglobulins). All parameters which were tested were finally improved and became normal. In only two of the seven patients the radiological aspects of the lung suggested the presence of sequellae at the end of the treatment. In these two patients there was a persistant reduction in the respiratory volume, as well as a discret hypoxemia. However, both these patients had a more advanced form of the disease, with extensive pulmonary fibrosis, and in these cases prolonged corticoid therapy which had previously been applied had failed. Reprimun had an immunological-modulatory effect in all patients, resulting in normal levels of IgG, IgA, and C3 in the first three months of therapy. There was a direct correlation between the normalization of immunological indicators and the good evolution of the diseases, a fact which suggests once again the existence of some immune mechanisms involved in the maintenance of sarcoidosis.

[Changes in cellular transcription on terms of the type of proliferative stimulus in immune-reactive lymphocyte cultures]. / Modificari ale transcriptiei celulare în functie de tipul stimulului proliferativ în culturi de limfocite imunreactive.

Transcriptase activities were investigated in cell extracts of human circulating lymphocyte cultures stimulated for proliferation with polyclonal mitogens like PHA, PPD, and endotoxin from Salm. typhimurium S, and also with two polynucleotides. Enzymic activity of the cell extracts was tested differentiatelly for direct (DNA/RNA) and reverse (RNA/DNA) transcription, using appropriate template-primers: activated DAN and poly (dA). r(pU)10 for direct transcription, and poly (rA.rC. rU), poly (dA) x d(pT)10, and poly (rA). d(pT)12-18 for reverse transcription. All lymphoproliferative stimulators are able to enhance simultaneously the cellular mitosis and the direct transcriptase activity in the cell. There is a good correlation between the two effects. Enzyme affinity to natural DNA is higher than to synthetic poly (dA) r(pU)10 PHA, a mitogen for T lymphocyte, enhances the eukaryote type of reverse transcriptase, while among the mitogens for B lymphocyte the PPD enhances an intermediate (viral-eukaryotic) type of reverse transcriptase, and ENDO is not stimulatory for reverse transcription. Duplex polyribonucleotides have an adjuvant activity: they intensify the action of stimulators but they have not a direct enhancing activity. The different transcriptases involved in the lymphocyte differentiation and proliferation may be targets for clinically useful immunosuppressive drugs differentiated for T and B cells.

[Evolution of serum parameters of iron metabolism and of the natural resistance of tuberculosis patients under treatment]. / Evolutia unor parametri serici ai metabolismului fierului si ai rezistentei naturale la bolnavii cu tuberculoza sub tratament.

The authors have studied the evolution of serum parameters of iron metabolism in patients with tuberculosis during the standard chemotherapy. The results are discussed, in the perspective of a model of natural resistance depending on iron. No strict correlation was found between the bacteriostatic capacity of the serum and the process of saturation with iron of transferrin, probably due to participation in the bacteriostatic effect of other factors beside transferrin. The results have demonstrated that the imbalance between the serum values of copper (that are increased), and those of iron (that are low) tends to become normal during the recovery, as evaluated by a negativation of the sputum cultures. These results suggest that the use of a ratio between copper and iron in the blood serum as a method for assessing the recovery of the balance in the tuberculous organism during therapy is justified.