With regards to the presence of iron granules in plasma cells.

We report on the occasional presence of iron granules in plasma cells in two male patients respectively 64 and 71 years old, both with excessive drinking habits. One patient also had liver cirrhosis. In both patients the bone-marrow biopsy showed a macrocytic anemia without megaloblasts. We refer the morphologic data because the cases reported are not many and the presence of iron granules in plasma cells was a curious and rare aspect. The most important feature appearing from the data issued is the gap concerning both the source and mechanism that cause this phenomenon. Some investigations have suggested that the plasma cell iron is located in mitochondria, others have noted that iron granules were located between the Golgi region and the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, the morphologic data are not related to the number of plasma cells in the bone-marrow and there is no causal relation between alcoholic abuse and plasma cell iron. The first problem is common, the second is rare.

[Increase of beta 2-microglobulin in drug addicts with anti-HIV antibodies and high risk of AIDS]. / Incremento della beta 2-microglobulina in soggetti tossicodipendenti con anticorpi anti-HIV e ad alto rischio per AIDS.

The beta 2-Microglobulin is a polypeptide present on the surface membrane of both B and T cells and is integrated into the structure of HLA antigenes. The beta 2-Microglobulin concentration have been used as a reliable indicator of glomerular and tubular function of the kidney. Increased serum concentration of beta 2-Microglobulin are observed also in lymphoproliferative disorders with high cell proliferation rates. More recently, increased concentration of beta 2-Microglobulin was shown in patients with anti-HIV antibodies with or without symptomatic AIDS. We have determined beta 2-Microglobulin in 61 subjects: 40 between the ages of 25 and 35 and seemingly healthy, 21 patients between the ages of 22 and 32 and intravenous drug abuser with anti-HIV antibodies and at high-risk for AIDS. In all subjects we have tested: BUN, creatinine, beta 2-Microglobulin and T4/T8 ratio. In 40 subjects as normal controls, beta 2-Microglobulin average was means = 1.07 mg/L (SD = 0.39), T4/T8 ratio average: means = 1.06 (SD = 0.119). In 21 patients drug abuser with anti-HIV antibodies, the beta 2-Microglobulin average was cleanly increased: means = 4.72 mg/L (SD = 2.23), the T4/T8 ratio average cleanly decreased: means = 0.54 (SD = 0.21). We believe the beta 2-Microglobulin quantitation, even if not specific for patient with symptomatic AIDS, used in conjunction with other laboratory tests, principally T4/T8 ratio, will be a useful marker for recognizing persons with possible asymptomatic AIDS who are members of populations known to be at high-risk for AIDS.

[Serum paraprotein in a patient with chronic lymphatic leukemia]. / Paraproteina sierica in un paziente con leucemia linfatica cronica.

We report a case of chronic lymphocytic leukemia associated with paraproteinemia which proved to be a complete immunoglobulin IgM lambda. This case is reported because the process of cellular differentiation exposed to intrinsic or extrinsic stimulation may undergo morphofunctional variations which lead to the formation of plasma cells with extremely high secretionary capacities during the course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

[Zinc-protoporphyrin determination in patients with sideropenic anemia and insufficient erythropoiesis]. / Dosaggio della zinco-protoporfirina in pazienti con anemia iposideremica ed eritropoiesi insufficiente.

We have measured erythrocyte Zinc-Protoporphyrin and serum ferritin in 125 subjects: 100 seemingly healthy controls, 17 with sideropenic anemia and 8 with erythropoietic insufficiency (sideropenia without anemia). Erythrocyte Zinc-Protoporphyrin was measured using Protofluor Z (Helena--Lab.) and serum ferritin was tested with immunoenzymatic technics. Patients with sideropenic anemia showed erythrocyte Zinc-Protoporphyrin values higher than controls, whereas serum ferritin was significantly lower than controls. Patients with erythropoietic insufficiency also showed erythrocyte Zinc-Protoporphyrin values higher than controls with statistical significance whereas the decrease of serum ferritin was not significant. Our study showed that Zinc-Protoporphyrin, in conjunction with serum ferritin, is a very useful test for evaluation of iron storage.

[Acquired idiopathic sideroblastic anemia with cyclic hypereosinophilia of unclear significance. A case report]. / Anemia sideroblastica idiopatica acquisita con ipereosinfolia ciclica di non chiaro significato. Descrizione di un caso.

We considered the case of an eighty-three-years-old woman who was admitted to Somma Lombardo Hospital, because of the presence of an acquired sideroblastic idiopathic anaemia accompanied by a cyclic hypereosinophilia of undefined significance. The case is reported both because references about sideroblastic idiopathic anaemia with hypereosinophilia of undefined significance are rare in the literature and because it may support the hypothesis that hypereosinophilia ensues from the myelodysplastic syndrome. Therefore it is possible that when diagnosing acquired sideroblastic idiopathic anaemia, not only thrombocytopenia, but hypereosinophilia has to be considered as an unfavourable prognostic marker for early appearance of acute non-lymphoid leukemia.