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The possibility of utilizing antistaphylococcal vaccine and local phage lysate for complex therapy of chronic and acute haematogenous osteomyelitis in children is demonstrated on three clinical cases. The study reassurmes good experience with this therapy in adult patients with chronic osteomyelitis. The results obtained so far in children suggest that the application of antistaphylococcal vaccine and of local phage lysate positively influences the course of the osteomyelitic disease and reduces the number of relpases. In order to specify and intensify the clinical effect of the above mentioned preparations, this method is being employed in other cases of chronic and acute haematogenous osteomyelitis.

Non-esterified cholesterol was determined enzymatically with the cholesterol oxidase-peroxidase reaction using phenol and 4-aminophenazone as chromogens. This assay as done in the supernatant containing the lipoprotein-X. Other serum lipoproteins were removed by precipitation with heparin and zinc acetate followed by centrifugation. No standardization was required, the lipoprotein-X concentration being calculated with the use of the constant.

During a period of 4 years urine samples from 54 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were repeatedly analysed for the activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and alanine aminopeptidase (AAP). Increased urinary enzyme levels were consistently found in 8 patients with severe lupus nephritis and the nephrotic syndrome, as well as in 9 patients with chronic lupus nephritis resistant to therapy. A further group of 9 patients with lupus nephritis responded favourably to immunosuppressive therapy with arrest of kidney-damaging processes; a concomitant normalization of urinary enzyme levels was observed, giving an accurate reflection of the progression of the disease. Another 14 SLE patients showed raised enzyme levels preceding the development of clinical signs of nephropathy. The last 14 SLE patients displayed neither nephropathy nor altered enzyme activities. The determination of urinary enzyme activities is, therefore, considered to be a useful supplement to the routine biochemical analyses performed on the urine in cases of SLE.

Turbidimetric determination of the cholestasis characterizing lipoprotein-X is based on the separation from the serum investigated of interfering lipoproteins by precipitation with the appropriate concentration of heparin and zinc acetate followed by centrifugation. In the supernatant the abnormal lipoprotein-X, which is not precipitated under these conditions, was determined by measuring the turbidity after addition of calcium chloride and heparin.

In the population of peripheral blood lymphocytes from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients activity of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) was lower than in healthy individuals. However, when erythrocyte-rosette forming cells (E-RFC) and non erythrocyte-rosette forming cells (non E-RFC) were separated by E-RFC method it was found that in SLE patients the activity of GGTP was increased in E-RFC and decreased in the population of non E-RFC. The altered activity of GGTP may be due to impaired surface membranes and changes in activation of these cells in SLE patients.