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The results of therapy of febrile episodes during the pregraft phase in bone marrow transplant was retrospectively evaluated in 84 granulocytopenic patients. Most patients received co-trimoxazole and i.v. ticarcillin as antibacterial prophylaxis. 47 episodes were treated with a third generation cephalosporin plus an aminoglycoside, with a 55% favorable response rate. 37 episodes were treated with a wide spectrum penicillin plus an aminoglycoside, with a 41% response rate (p greater than 0.05). Among the 23 infections caused by gram-negative bacilli the response rate was 89% (8 of 9) with the first regimen, and 21% (3 of 14) with the second one (p = 0.003). The investigation of in vitro sensitivity suggested that prophylactic ticarcillin favors the infections due to bacilli with cross-resistance to wide spectrum penicillins. The antibiotic regimen did not influence the final resolution or the mortality rate of the febrile episode.

Fifteen bone marrow autotransplants (BMAT) in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) were performed after the first remission. The mean age was 37 years (range 12 to 60 years). According to the morphological classification FAB, 8 patients had monocytic leukemia (M4, M5) and 7 myeloid leukemia (M1, M2, M3). The mean interval elapsed between the date of complete remission and the BMAT was 3.9 months (range 1 to 5-9 months). In 8 patients this interval was longer than 6 months and in 7 cases it was shorter than 6 months. After achievement of the complete remission all patients underwent certain cycles of intensification before the BMAT. Eight patients received only a cycle whereas 7 patients received more than one cycle (between 2 and 4). The conditioning protocol consisted of cyclophosphamide (CP) (60 mg/kg x 2) and total body radiotherapy (TBR) (10 Gy) in 9 patients; CP and busulfan in five; and CP, cytarabine at high doses and melphalan in one case. Marrow extraction was performed after completion of chemotherapy of intensification. In 5 cases the bone marrow was depleted of leukemic cells by previous in vitro treatment with ASTA-Z. There are at present 8 alive patients. The survival free of illness was 51.8%. Seven patients died: 3 cases because relapse of the leukemia, 3 due to attachment failure of the transplantation, and one patient suffered a viral myocarditis. The survival free of illness was significantly longer in those patients transplanted after 6 months of the complete remission.

We evaluated six patients in whom a diagnosis of Sheehan's syndrome had been made. The plasma levels of the following hormones were measured: basal thyroxine (T4), estradiol and cortisol; and also follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), growth hormone (GH), thyrotropin (TSH), prolactin (PRL) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), basally and after acute challenge with LH releasing hormone (LHRH), GRF (1-29)NH2 or insulin hypoglycemia, TSH releasing hormone (TRH) and lysine-8-vasopressin, respectively. Two patients underwent chronic LHRH stimulation by pulsatile subcutaneous administration with infusion pump. In 4 cases, computed tomography (CT) was performed although cranial X-ray study was normal. A severe and generalized pituitary involvement was found in all patients, 3 of whom had diabetes mellitus. Probably, more insidious cases go unnoticed. The presence of asymptomatic partial empty sella (ES) in all the CTs that were carried out raises the possibility that it is another evolutive feature of SS.

The presence, composition and significance of cryoglobulins was studied in a group of 80 patients suffering from different chronic liver diseases. 43 patients (53.75%) had detectable levels of cryoglobulins and there was a significant correlation (p less than 0.02) between the presence of these and the group of chronic active hepatitis. The immunochemical analysis of the cryoglobulins showed a clear predominance of type III (mixed polyclonal). There was a statistically significant correlation (p less than 0.001) between the appearance of cryoglobulins in chronic liver disease (in general) and extrahepatic clinical manifestations. When the subgroups were analyzed, this correlation was significant in the group of patients with chronic active hepatitis (p less than 0.002) and in those with liver disease of unknown origin (p less than 0.001). The type of cryoglobulins most frequently found in the group of patients with extrahepatic manifestations was also type III (mixed polyclonal).

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (men I) associates hyperparathyroidism with pancreatic tumors. The evaluation included the patient and its family, periodically. A good patient medical history, biochemical blood tests, carried out regularly and in an organised fashion, brings to the fore the diagnosis without difficulties. Tumoral markers are now being considered an important test for diagnosis and follow-up (gastrin, pancreatic peptid, prolactin...). The newest chromogranin is a polypeptidic group which increases in the blood of patients with endocrine neoplasias (including hyperparathyroidism and tumors of pancreatic islet cells). The specific neural enolase is increase in pancreatic islet cells tumor. The evaluation of S-100 substance, 7-B2 protein, neurotensin, alpha sub-unit of chorionic gonadothrophin and other markers will soon be of help in the diagnosis of men I.