Peripheral mononuclears under normal hemopoiesis and after chemotherapy or/and cytokin were isolated on blood cell separator and cryopreserved. The cells from 22 patients with different hematological and solid malignancies were examined. Mononuclears with high content of hemopoiesis precursors may be collected rapidly after stimulation. Fast and persistent recovery of hemopoiesis in transplantation of this material after superhigh-dose chemotherapy of prognostically unfavourable patients is demonstrated. Cytokin (granulocytic and granulocytic-macrophagal growth factors) promoted fast and reliable production of sufficient quantities of peripheral blood hemopoiesis cells precursors.

The success in acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) treatment for the last 10 years has been referred to growing intensity of chemotherapy. The efficacy of treatment has been assessed in 56 patients under 60 years of age. Double induction of remission according to the scheme TAD-9 (2-day administration of cytosar) and consolidation by large-dose cytosar (1 g/m2) with rubomycin have increased the frequency of 2-year recurrence-free running from 13 to 35%. Resistance to treatment was absent. Maintenance prolonged total and recurrence-free survival. Mycosis and hepatitis were factors responsible for inadequate intensity of chemotherapy. These need more advanced prevention. The intensive double induction and consolidation did not raise general toxicity and immediate lethality compared to standard regimens which proved inferior to the proposed treatment.

The authors investigated cellular and humoral immunity in 53 children over 3 years of age suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The children had remission lasting from 6 to 120 months and were followed up for 7-14 years after the diagnosis was made. The treatment was performed according to programs of polychemotherapy practiced in 1981-1988. In November of 1995 42 children were alive, 15 had the disease for 10 years. Lymphocytopenia (absolute number of T-cells and B-cells fell 3-5 and 2-3-fold, respectively) was reported in all the examinees both in early remission and later (6-12, 24-60, 60 and more months since the disease onset). In early remission there was a significant reduction in the serum IgG, IgA and IgM. In children with ALL lethal outcome serum IgM and absolute number of E-RFCa dropped in early remission more significantly indicating deep drug-induced depression of lymphocytopoiesis. After 5 years of treatment the pool of peripheral T-lymphocytes and T/B lymphocyte proportion changed for the best, though their absolute number was subnormal. Serum IgG, IgA and circulating immune complexes were 1.3-1.5 times higher than normal which may be explained by gastrointestinal pathology and food allergy in the majority of children treated.

In spite of the fact that official statistical data show lower cancer morbidity of pediatric population in Russia than in Europe and USA (9.7 against 13.8 and 13.6, respectively), real cancer incidence may be close to mean incidence in Europe and USA as in Moscow it is 14.8 in boys and 12.0 in girls. Lower numbers in some other regions may be attributable to low standards of cancer diagnosis and inadequate case registration. In Moscow where standards of children's hematological service are high the proportion of some malignancies is the following: hemoblastoses-48.5%, CNS tumors-19.8%, neuroblastoma-8.0%, renal tumors-6.5%, sarcomas of soft tissues and bones-2.4 and 4.6%, respectively. The efficacy of anticancer treatment of children in many regions of Russia is poor, but the situation may be changed for the best by introduction of new approaches developed in the Moscow Research Institute of Pediatric Hematology.

In experiments on mice AKR the authors investigated the effects which could be produced by cyclic fasting on the mice survival. It was found that one of the variants of this fasting noticeably prolongs the survival of the animals. The proportion of the animals that died of acute lymphoid leukemia among other causes of death declined.

Cyclosporin A (CA) was used in the treatment of 2 patients with acquired aplastic anemia. Upon reaching hematological remission these children had recurrence consequent to dose lowering or discontinuation of CA. The remission occurred again when full-dose CA treatment was resumed. Slow 2-year decrease in CA dose led to uneventful end of CA treatment without deterioration of blood picture.

The interaction of human peripheral blood leukocytes with alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), its glycoforms as well as neoglyco-conjugates representing carbohydrate chains of AGP or its fragments was studied by flow cytometry. It was shown that the main target cells for AGP as well as for conjugates of its carbohydrate chains with polyacrylamide (PAA) are monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes but not lymphocytes. The interaction of AGP with monocytes and granulocytes are mediated by its carbohydrate chains: the binding of AGP with cells was inhibited by AGP, AGP oligosaccharides as well as conjugates of oligosaccharides and its fragments with PAA. The data obtained show the existence of monocyte (and granulocyte) receptors which interact with complex type sialooligosaccharides of AGP.

Peripheral blood (PB) neutrophils and lymphocytes from 14 patients with immune neutropenia were studied using the technique of rosette-formation in 2 neutrophil fractions with diverse specific density. All the neutropenia cases were divided into 2 groups by phagocytosis completeness in all the PB neutrophil types studied. Patients of group 1 had impaired phagocytosis D-RFN in elevated levels of these cells, autorosette-forming lymphocytes and neutrophils. Patients of group 2 had defective phagocytosis D-RFN and EAC-RFN in combination with extremely high contents of autorosette-forming including early lymphocytes. The above complex of techniques may be used for prediction of the duration and severity of neutropenia which is important for further selective studies into the causes of neutropenia and effective treatment.

Possible influence of most frequently encountered types of pathology during pregnancy on the cell composition of umbilical cord blood was studied. These pathologies included: treated iron-deficiency anemia, essential hypertension, threatening spontaneous abortion. A number and proliferative potential of granulocyte-macrophage precursor cells of umbilical cord blood were studied by agar drop-liquid media culture method. It was found that the types of pathology studied do not influence cell composition, number and proliferative potential of granulocyte-macrophage precursor cells from umbilical cord blood. These results show that umbilical cord blood after pathological pregnancy can be considered as a source of transplantable hemopoietic cells.

Specialists from Research Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology have developed a modified method of defrosted red cells deglycerinization which implies 2 cycles of centrifugation and using small quantities (625 ml) of low-cost and available washing solutions of sodium chloride. Simple performance and cost efficacy of this method make red cell cryopreservation more convenient for practice.

The advances in transplantation of hemopoietic stem cells (HSC) from umbilical human blood (UHB) necessitate introduction of effective methods of HSC isolation and preservation. The studies show that UHB cells remained viable even after several days of storage at room temperature. Density gradients proved effective for isolation of cell precursors from UHB. Most of hemopoietic cell-precursors in UHB have low density (under 1.070 g/ml) which becomes greater with cell maturation.

The paper describes processing of peripheral blood screening based on methods of mathematical statistics and partially ordered sets theory. This allows global assay of individual and populational blood, assessment of borderline conditions by introduction of global criterion. The above methodology was tried to analyze data obtained at screening of peripheral blood from children living in radionuclide-contaminated regions. The most considerable contribution to region-specific populational differences belongs to red cells, monocytes, band neutrophils, eosinophils. Hemogram deterioration in children and adolescents seems to result rather from chemical pollution and social factors than radiation effect (in doses not high than 2.2 rem a year).

Transcobalamin II (TcII) level was studied in plasma of 40 children with acute leukemia. TcII is a cobalamin-binding protein which mediated the cellular uptake of Cbl and interacted with surface membrane receptor of hemopoietic cells. Plasma TcII and cobalofilins were analysed by PAGE using 57Co-cyanocobalamin. In addition, the mature human placenta with high specificity and affinity to TcII receptors was applied for TcII plasma identification. As compared to control, significant difference of TcII activity in the plasma of children with ALL was noted. There were children with low and high TcII concentration vs. control (484 +/- 42 and 1166 +/- 62, p > 0.001). Therefore, it is necessary to assay individually all the biochemical parameters of Cbl-transport system of children with ALL for adequate metabolic correction.

Present-day chemotherapy warrants complete remissions in 45-70% of patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia. However, therapeutic policy at the stages of remission induction and residual disease remains disputable. The authors studied the role of 3 chemotherapy programs (7 + 3, 7 + 3 + vincristine, C-ROPM) in achievement of remission of acute leukemia and effects of long-term standard regimens of remission maintenance and bone marrow transplantation on long-term relapse-free survival of patients. The addition of vincristine to the program 7 + 3 failed to make remission more frequent and recurrence-free survival longer. C-ROMP program warranted remission in 70% of patients, this proportion being significantly higher than on programs 7 + 3 and 7 + 3 + vincristine. More intensive chemotherapy during remission induction resulted in a rise of 4-year recurrence-free survival from 12 to 44%. Bone marrow transplantation used for treatment intensification in remission increased 4-year recurrence-free survival compared to standard chemotherapy from 44 to 80%.