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Cancer is a group of over one hundred diseases featured by incontinent, uncoordinated cell division occur when primitive reproductive process lost the authority unlike normal cells to produce harmful immature cells in the body. Nanosystem in particular themagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been advanced and explored in recent years with wide use in tumor targeting in oncology to conquer the incontinent growth of proliferating cells. The MNPs are kind of smart, highly functionalized, biocompatible coated nanostructures with intrinsic magnetic properties of magnetic response of assembling and positioning, heat absorption, ferromagnetism and super paramagnetism in vivo at the specific site under the enforced alternating external magnetic field and makes them the most promising tool and design with reduced the probability of resistance that provides theranostics (multimodal and functional) platform for cancer diagnosis (imaging and monitoring), and magnet targeted controlled delivery of therapeutics in cancer therapy. The iron oxide based MNPs like Fe3O4 (magnetite) and γ-Fe2O3 (maghemite) are the widely explored nanostructures because of their lowest toxicity and viable biocompatibility in oncology with wide biomedical application in MRI contrast agent, MDT, MHT, PDT and PTT. This review put light on the various aspects of MNPs including its synthetic routes, biomedical application spectra in cancer investigations such as imaging, diagnosis, magnet drug targeting, genetic medication and tumor thermal ablation therapy with its future perspectives and challenges.

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is highly contagious in chicken farms and is a cell-associated oncogenic herpesvirus. The gross morphology and histopathological characteristics of neoplasm are one of the important components of diagnosis. The spleen of infected birds 6-10 weeks old were obtained from a broiler chickens in poultry estate, Gadap, Karachi district, Sindh. On histopathological examination lymphoreticular infiltrations of neoplastic cells were seen under high magnification. A number of atrophied cells and extensive inflammatory reaction was present. Lymphoid cells of various sizes, lymphoblasts and immature cells were observed. Necrotic foci and haemorrhages were present. In some slides focal pleomorphic cell proliferation was obvious. Besides neoplastic lymphocytic aggregation and dysplastic foci were observed.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. The study was conducted in Elobied town during the period May 2011 to September 2011. The aim of this study is to detect the abnormalities of leucocytes among sickle cell anemic patients. 40 sickle cell anemic patients; age range between 8 months to 23 years. Blood sample was taken for all patients and the laboratory investigation were performed using automated estimation for: hemoglobin (Hb), Packed cell volume (PCV), red cell count (RBCs), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), mean cell concentration (MCHC), and total white blood cells, comment on blood film using manual methods. The conclusion of this study there is increase in total white blood cells with shift to left in neutrophil precursor in sickle cell patients with complications ,the most immature cells are band form, myelocytes and metamyelocytes, and there also lymphocytosis and neutrophilia which has been increases in response to infections.

In recent years, studying the role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in many pathological inflammatory conditions has become a very active research area. Although the role of MDSCs in cancer is relatively well established, their role in non-cancerous pathological conditions remains in its infancy resulting in much confusion. Our objectives in this review are to address some recent advances in MDSC research in order to minimize such confusion and to provide an insight into their function in the context of other diseases. The following topics will be specifically focused upon: (1) definition and characterization of MDSCs; (2) whether all MDSC populations consist of immature cells; (3) technical issues in MDSC isolation, estimation and characterization; (4) the origin of MDSCs and their anatomical distribution in health and disease; (5) mediators of MDSC expansion and accumulation; (6) factors that determine the expansion of one MDSC population over the other; (7) the Yin and Yang roles of MDSCs. Moreover, the functions of MDSCs will be addressed throughout the text.

Blood leukocyte indices were studied in outbred male rats of five age groups: 1.5; 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Six-month-old rats served as the control. The increase in age was accompanied by an increase in the total leukocyte count (starting from 12 months) and the percentage of neutrophils (both banded and segmented), eosinophils, and monocytes. At the same time, the number of lymphocytes decreased. Polychromatophilic and immature cells occurred starting from the 18 months of age, and some leukocytes demonstrated cytoplasm plasmatization. In immature, 1.5-month-old rats (as in 12-month-old rats), only the proportion of eosinophils and the total leukocyte number decreased. The dynamics of integral leukocyte indices (ILI) reflects the process of the restructuring of separate links in the immune system of the organism. Age-related changes in the ILIs in rats (starting from the age of 18 months) indicated an increase in infectious intoxication and the inflammatory process, the activation of cellular immunity and the effector link, the prevalence of nonspecific protection cells (neutrophils) and their immature forms, and the activation of delayed-type hypersensitivity processes, as well as a decrease in immunoreactivity and the body adaptation level. The 24-month-old rats demonstrated the lowest Garkavi adaptation index. The microphagocyte number increased in the blood, while the body allergization level was the lowest and the level of intoxication was the highest in the 1.5-month-old rats.

Neurons and synapses manifest pronounced variability in the amount of plasticity induced by identical activity patterns. The mechanisms underlying such plasticity heterogeneity, which have been implicated in context-specific resource allocation during encoding, have remained unexplored. Here, we employed a systematic physiologically constrained parametric search to identify the cellular mechanisms behind plasticity heterogeneity in dentate gyrus granule cells. We used heterogeneous model populations to ensure that our conclusions were not biased by parametric choices in a single hand-tuned model. We found that each of intrinsic, synaptic, and structural heterogeneities independently yielded heterogeneities in synaptic plasticity profiles obtained with two different induction protocols. However, among the disparate forms of neural-circuit heterogeneities, our analyses demonstrated the dominance of neurogenesis-induced structural heterogeneities in driving plasticity heterogeneity in granule cells. We found that strong relationships between neuronal intrinsic excitability and plasticity emerged only when adult neurogenesis-induced heterogeneities in neural structure were accounted for. Importantly, our analyses showed that it was not imperative that the manifestation of neural-circuit heterogeneities must translate to heterogeneities in plasticity profiles. Specifically, despite the expression of heterogeneities in structural, synaptic, and intrinsic neuronal properties, similar plasticity profiles were attainable across all models through synergistic interactions among these heterogeneities. We assessed the parametric combinations required for the manifestation of such degeneracy in the expression of plasticity profiles. We found that immature cells showed physiological plasticity profiles despite receiving afferent inputs with weak synaptic strengths. Thus, the high intrinsic excitability of immature granule cells was sufficient to counterbalance their low excitatory drive in the expression of plasticity profile degeneracy. Together, our analyses demonstrate that disparate forms of neural-circuit heterogeneities could mechanistically drive plasticity heterogeneity, but also caution against treating neural-circuit heterogeneities as proxies for plasticity heterogeneity. Our study emphasizes the need for quantitatively characterizing the relationship between neural-circuit and plasticity heterogeneities across brain regions.

Pure erythroid leukemia (PEL) is an aggressive and exceedingly rare form of acute leukemia characterized as a neoplastic proliferation of immature cells committed to the erythroid lineage. It has a poor overall median survival of two to three months. To our knowledge, there are currently only a handful of reports of PEL arising from polycythemia vera. Most reported cases have been associated with radiation therapy or chemotherapeutic alkylating agents. Here we report a rare occurrence of polycythemia vera treated with phlebotomy and hydroxyurea that underwent leukemic transformation to pure erythroid leukemia.

Spermatogenesis, the complex process of male germ cell proliferation, differentiation, and maturation, is the basis of male fertility. In the seminiferous tubules of the testes, spermatozoa are constantly generated from spermatogonial stem cells through a stereotyped sequence of mitotic and meiotic divisions. The basic physiological principles, however, that control both maturation and luminal transport of the still immotile spermatozoa within the seminiferous tubules remain poorly, if at all, defined. Here, we show that coordinated contractions of smooth muscle-like testicular peritubular cells provide the propulsive force for luminal sperm transport toward the rete testis. Using a mouse model for in vivo imaging, we describe and quantify spontaneous tubular contractions and show a causal relationship between peritubular Ca2+ waves and peristaltic transport. Moreover, we identify P2 receptor-dependent purinergic signaling pathways as physiological triggers of tubular contractions both in vitro and in vivo. When challenged with extracellular ATP, transport of luminal content inside the seminiferous tubules displays stage-dependent directionality. We thus suggest that paracrine purinergic signaling coordinates peristaltic recurrent contractions of the mouse seminiferous tubules to propel immotile spermatozoa to the rete testis., eLife digest As sperm develop in the testis, the immature cells must make their way through a maze of small tubes known as seminiferous tubules. However, at this stage, the cells do not yet move the long tails that normally allow them to ‘swim’; it is therefore unclear how they are able to move through the tubules. Now, Fleck, Kenzler et al. have showed that, in mice, muscle-like cells within the walls of seminiferous tubules can create waves of contractions that push sperm along. Further experiments were then conducted on cells grown in the laboratory. This revealed that a signaling molecule called ATP orchestrates the moving process by activating a cascade of molecular events that result in contractions. Fleck, Kenzler et al. then harnessed an advanced microscopy technique to demonstrate that this mechanism occurs in living mice. Together, these results provide a better understanding of how sperm mature, which could potentially be relevant for both male infertility and birth control.

The article presents the application of the method for determining the quantitative parameters of erythropoiesis to patients with acute leukemia. The objective of the work is an investigation of erythropoiesis cytokinetic parameters under the normal health conditions and during the development of the acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the acute myeloblastic leukemia. It was found that the distribution of reticulocytes shifts towards an increase of immature reticulocyte fraction while the ratio between maturing and immature cells remains unchanged. The method presented can be used in clinical diagnostic and scientific research of bone marrow hematopoietic activity.

The outer layers of the vaginal epithelium (VE) are important because they accumulate glycogen which, under optimal conditions, Lactobacillus spp. consume to grow and acidify the vaginal microenvironment with lactic acid. We hypothesized that exposure to lubricant, for example in the conduct of a transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS), may contribute to the shedding of mature epithelial cells, exposing immature cells. Cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) was sampled at four time points by menstrual cup (Softdisc™) from 50 women referred for TVUS, during which a controlled volume of lubricant was applied to the TVUS wand. Samples were collected (1) immediately before TVUS and (2) 6–12 hours, (3) within one week, and (4) two weeks after TVUS. Clinical vaginal lubricants are similar to commercial lubricants, and often have a high osmolality or pH, and contain bactericides such as methylparaben and propylparaben. The number and maturity of epithelial cells in each CVF sample were measured by quantitative and differential fluorimetry (maturity index, MI). Comparisons of cell-counts and maturity were made by paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Among women with a high pre-TVUS MI (> 3), there was a decrease in median cell-count and mean MI in the sample collected 6–12 hours after TVUS (pn = 26 and p < 0.001, n = 26, respectively). For these women, cell-count and MI remained lower in the sample collected within the subsequent week (pn = 29 and p<0.01, n = 29, respectively), and MI remained lower in the sample collected within two weeks of TVUS (pn = 25), compared to the pre-TVUS sample. Among participants with a low pre-TVUS MI (< 3), cell-count was higher in the sample collected within two weeks of TVUS compared to the pre-TVUS sample (p = 0.03, n = 15), but no significant changes in MI were observed. Results were similar when restricted to reproductive-age women. This preliminary data indicates hypertonic vaginal lubricants may increase vaginal epithelial cell shedding.

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) treatment increases heart function and decreases heart dilation after myocardial infarction. Here, we investigated whether part of the cardioprotective effect of BNP in infarcted hearts related to improved neovascularisation. Infarcted mice were treated with saline or BNP for 10 days. BNP treatment increased vascularisation and the number of endothelial cells in the infarct border and remote zones of infarcted hearts. Endothelial cell lineage tracing showed that BNP directly stimulated the proliferation of resident mature endothelial cells in both areas of the infarcted hearts, via NPR-A binding and p38 MAP kinase activation. BNP also stimulated the proliferation of WT1+ epicardium-derived cells but only in the hypoxic area of infarcted hearts. Our results demonstrated that these immature cells have a natural capacity to differentiate into endothelial cells in infarcted hearts. BNP treatment increased their proliferation but not their differentiation capacity. We identified new roles for BNP and new therapeutic strategies to improve heart recovery in infarcted hearts.

Background: Skin is the interface between an organism and the external environment, and hence the stratum corneum (SC) is the first to withstand mechanical insults that, in certain conditions, may lead to integrity loss and the development of pressure ulcers. The SC comprises corneocytes, which are vital elements to its barrier function. These cells are differentiated dead keratinocytes, without organelles, composed of a cornified envelope and a keratin-filled interior, and connected by corneodesmosomes (CDs). Summary: The current review focusses on the relationship between the morphological, structural, and topographical features of corneocytes and their mechanical properties, to understand how they assist the SC in maintaining skin integrity and in responding to mechanical insults. Key Messages: Corneocytes create distinct regions in the SC: the inner SC is characterized by immature cells with a fragile cornified envelope and a uniform distribution of CDs; the upper SC has resilient cornified envelopes and a honeycomb distribution of CDs, with a greater surface area and a smaller thickness than cells from the inner layer. The literature indicates that this upward maturation process is one of the most important steps in the mechanical resistance and barrier function of the SC. The morphology of these cells is dependent on the body site: the surface area in non-exposed skin is about 1,000–1,200 μm2, while for exposed skin, for example, the cheek and forehead, is about 700–800 μm2. Corneocytes are stiff cells compared to other cellular types, for example, the Young’s modulus of muscle and fibroblast cells is typically a few kPa, while that of corneocytes is reported to be about hundreds of MPa. Moreover, these skin cells have 2 distinct mechanical regions: the cornified envelope (100–250 MPa) and the keratin matrix (250–500 MPa).

Previous studies have described bacterial vaginosis (BV) as associated with increased cell-shedding from the cervicovaginal epithelium. Cell-shedding in excess of cell-proliferation is thought to decrease epithelial barrier function and increase susceptibility to infection. This study evaluated the number of shed cells in mid-vaginal smears from women with a diagnosis of symptomatic BV (sBV, n = 17), asymptomatic BV (aBV, n = 71), or no BV (n = 104) by Amsel criteria. The sBV smears contained significantly more shed cells (median 158/100X field) than no BV smears (median 91/100X field), p = 7.2e-9. However, we observed that aBV smears contained significantly fewer shed cells (median 35/100X field) than no BV smears, p = 22.0e-16. The sizes of cell-aggregates (cells shed in sometimes multilayered sections with intact cell-cell attachments) followed the same pattern. Cell-aggregates in sBV smears were significantly larger (median approximately 220,000 μm2) than those in no BV smears (median approximately 50,000 μm2), p = 1.8e-6, but cell-aggregates in aBV smears were significantly smaller (median approximately 7,000 μm2) than those in no BV smears, p = 0.0028. We also compared the superficial cell index (SCI), a measure of cervicovaginal epithelial cell maturity, in no BV and aBV smears with relatively low numbers of shed cells (≤50/100X field). The SCI of no BV smears was significantly higher (median 0.86) than that of aBV smears (median 0.35), p = 4.3e-98, suggesting a depletion of mature cells with exposure and shedding of underlying immature cells in aBV with low number of shed cells. These results indicate that aBV may contribute disproportionately to the increased susceptibility to reproductive tract infections associated with BV. Our findings remained true when considering only those smears in which the microbiota comprised a diverse set of strict and facultative anaerobic bacteria (Community State Type IV (n = 162), thus excluding those dominated by Lactobacillus spp. This is consistent with our developing hypothesis that high-shedding sBV and low-shedding aBV could be temporally separated phases of the same condition, rather than two separate forms of BV. These findings might inform future work on clinical management of symptomatic and asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis.

In Ayurvedic perspectives in integrative healthcare, the three laws of nutrition include Kedara kulya nyaya, Kshira dadhi nyaya, and Khale kapota nyaya. Kedara kulya nyaya is the law of transmission. After food has gone through the process of digestion, jathara agni extracts the nutritional essence (ahara rasa) used to form the first dhatu, which is rasa dhatu. Khale kapota nyaya is the law of selectivity. Nutritional components of food are based on the area of the body that requires it. Kshira dadhi nyaya is the law of transformation. Each dhatu has agni that nourishes, warms, and transforms immature cells of a mature dhatu, to form the mature tissue of the next dhatu.

The concept of vulnerability of the immature brain is multifactorial by definition. Newer scientific work in this area has shifted and enlarged the concept from theoretical frameworks to the multiple levels (molecular, cellular, anatomic, network, behavioral) of the organization of the growing brain. The concept of vulnerability was first introduced by Donald O. Hebb in the 1950s and referred to the inability of the immature brain to completely recover normal development after a brain insult. The concept of vulnerability was further extended to the limitations of the brain in the development of specific skills in neuronal substrates originally used for other functions. We present an overview of some neurodevelopmental processes that characterize the immature brain and that can predict vulnerability in the case of disturbances: Hebb's principle, synaptic homeostasis, selective vulnerability of immature cells in mammals, and inherited constraint networks. A better understanding of the vulnerability mechanisms may help in early detection and prevention and further proposed individualized therapeutic approaches to enhance children's developmental outcomes.

A comparative analysis of leukocyte types number in rat blood smears at the craniocerebral (CCH 32°C) and immersion (IH 27°C) hypothermia, surface rhythmic cold exposures (RCEs 5°C) and whole body cryostimulation (WBC –120°C), as well as in 24 hrs revealed the leukocytosis (at IH and 24 hrs after CCH and IH), leukopenia (at CCH, RCEs and 24 hrs after WBC), lymphopenia, an increase in band and segmented cells (under all conditions except IH) and eosinophils (only at CCH and 24 hrs after WBC). Plasmatic cells (except WBC), polychromatophilic and immature cells (immediately and in 24 hrs after CCH and IH), cytoplasm plasmatization in some leukocytes (24 hrs after CCH and IH) were observed. Leukocyte indices showed the immunoreactivity disorder, decreased allergization, activation of cell immunity, nonspecific cell protection and inflammation (under all conditions, except IH), as well as microphages (at WBC and 24 hrs after CCH and IH), an effector component of immunity (at CCH, RCEs and 24 hrs after WBC), immediatetype hypersensitivity responses (except at CCH and 24 hrs after WBC). The nuclear shift index was increased (except RCEs and WBC). The adaptation index was raised only at IH. Probl Cryobiol Cryomed 2018; 28(4): 293-310

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a series of innate cells that play a significant role in inhibiting T cell-related responses. This heterogeneous population of immature cells is involved in tumor immunity. Recently, the function and importance of MDSCs in transplantation have garnered the attention of scientists and have become an important focus of transplantation immunology research because MDSCs play a key role in establishing immune tolerance in transplantation. In this review, we summarize recent studies of MDSCs in different types of transplantation. We also focus on the influence of immunosuppressive drugs on MDSCs as well as future obstacles and research directions in this field.

To the editor: Pure erythroid leukemia[1][1] (PEL), or AML-M6b, is a rare form of leukemia characterized by proliferation of >80% undifferentiated or pronormoblastic immature cells committed exclusively to the erythroid lineage.[2][2] Previous reports have described the aggressive nature of

Leukemia creates abnormal and immature cells in the bone marrow which cannot fight infection effectively. To reduce the death and severe suffering, effective early diagnosis and screening are needed. Leukemia is diagnosed with complete blood count and bone marrow examination. The manual diagnosing of leukemia needs special training and it is not accurate when done by non-experts. Hence an automated system is necessary for diagnosing and classifying the subtypes of leukemiaearlier for proper treatment using blood microscopic images. This automated system will increase the accuracy of all subtypes and it is useful in the rural areas where hematologist’s experts are less. Many researchers have proposed different methods for diagnosing the leukemia. This paper gives the review of various methods with improved accuracy and their results are compared.

Background: Leukemoid reaction is not uncommon in neonatal period. It is usualy caused by Down syndrome, antenatal corticosteroids, or perinatal infections. The Enterococcus fecalis is a kind of nosocomial opportunistic pathogen and can cause neonatal septicemia with high mortality. However, neonatal leukemoid reaction induced by Enterococcus fecalis septicemiais is relativity rare. Here, we reported a three-day-old newborn suffered from leukemoid reaction caused by Enterococcus fecalis septicemia. Case Description: A three-day old boy was hospitalized in our NICU of the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University for jaundice and leukocytosis with comphalitis. Blood routine test displayed leukocytosis with immature cells, bone marrow smear examination showed leukemoid reactions, and the secretion of umbilicus culture showed infection of Enterococcus fecalis. Cefathiamidine was administrated for anti-infection. The baby symptoms eased rapidly, and leukocytosis was return to normal gradually. Conclusion: Enterococcus fecalis can cause neonatal septicemia, which can lead to neonatal leukemoid reaction. Early diagnosis and reasonable antibiotics administration are very important to improve the prognosis of neonatal leukemoid reaction.

Resident stem cells of the heart are denoted as heterogeneous population of immature cells, which reside in the myocardium and characterized by their ability to self-renewal and are multipotent differentiation capacity into cardiomyocyte-like and vascular like cells. CSCs were originally isolated directly by long enzymatic digestion of heart tissue and selection using stem cell markers. However, long exposure to enzymatic digestion and small myocardial sample size can affect the possibility of obtaining a significant amount of viable cells. To avoid these problems, we developed a method consisting of growing of the CPC in explant culture and subsequent immunomagnetic selection.

Simple Summary Relapse after apparent remission remains a major cause of death in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). On the cellular level, leukemia relapse is considered to emerge from subpopulations of therapy-resistant leukemic stem cells (LSC). Identification and targeting of LSC are thus most important goals for AML treatment. However, AML and their LSC are highly heterogeneous. Here, we review the current knowledge on AML LSC identification and targeting via surface antigens with a focus on heterogeneity among different AML subgroups and genetic backgrounds. Abstract Patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) show highly heterogeneous clinical outcomes. Next to variabilities in patient-specific parameters influencing treatment decisions and outcome, this is due to differences in AML biology. In fact, different genetic drivers may transform variable cells of origin and co-exist with additional genetic lesions (e.g., as observed in clonal hematopoiesis) in a variety of leukemic (sub)clones. Moreover, AML cells are hierarchically organized and contain subpopulations of more immature cells called leukemic stem cells (LSC), which on the cellular level constitute the driver of the disease and may evolve during therapy. This genetic and hierarchical complexity results in a pronounced phenotypic variability, which is observed among AML cells of different patients as well as among the leukemic blasts of individual patients, at diagnosis and during the course of the disease. Here, we review the current knowledge on the heterogeneous landscape of AML surface markers with particular focus on those identifying LSC, and discuss why identification and targeting of this important cellular subpopulation in AML remains challenging.

Introduction: The American pathologist James Stephen Ewing (1866 -1943) first described this tumor in 1920. The sarcoma originates in the beginnings of nerve tissue. It contains small, round, immature cells, and it is closely related to soft tissue tumors, such as pPNET, Askin's tumor and neuroepithelioma, which together form a family - Ewing's tumors (ESFT). The tumor affects more often Caucasian men, is extremely rare in African Americans, and is typical of children and adolescents. In 95% of cases, the patients are between 4 and 25 years old. The clavicular localization of the tumor is extremely rare, almost casuistic, especially in male individuals over 35 years of age. A few similar cases have been described in the available literature. Аim: The aim of this article is to focus on the diagnostic challenges, the difficulties associated with surgical removal, as well as the early metastases of Ewing's sarcoma with clavicular localization. Materials and Methods: The presented patient is a 35-year-old man with late-diagnosed Ewing's sarcoma of the left clavicle. Results: Despite the en-bloc excision of the tumor mass, chemo- and radiotherapy, the patient survived for only three years. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of a sarcoma located in the clavicle is very important due to the anatomical features of the area, which makes soft tissue radicalization of the tumor extremely difficult at an advanced stage.

[Figure][1] A 20-year-old woman presented with anemia (Hgb 6.2 g/dL), circulating immature cells (80/cmm), and compression fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Bone marrow biopsy was performed to evaluate for acute leukemia. Aspirate smears were hypercellular, showing large vesicular

Leukemia is white blood cells cancer, which characterized with production of immature blood cells. Overcrowding of bone marrow with this abnormal immature cells, which interference with normal blood cells production, this may be lead to hyperleukocytosis, cytopenias, liver and kidney failure. In this study reports a case series of four patients with acute leukemia were studied. From this study, we concluded that hyperleukocytosis and cytopenias, disturbance in liver and kidney function were correlated with ALL than in AML.

Objective The medullar blast count is a milestone in the prognostic assessment in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The optical microscopy (OM) may sometimes be inaccurate in this disease. The aim of this work is to test the flow immunocytometric (FCM) determinations of medullar immature cells (CD45±) and the expression, among them, of CD33, CD34, and CD117 markers, for their prognostic relevance. Methods In a retrospective analysis of 98 patients affected by MDS, the IPSS was re-calculated by means of the FCM determination of blasts. Survival of patients at low or intermediate-1 IPSS risk was compared with the survival of patients at intermediate-2 or high IPSS risk. In the 64 cases with OM blast count lower than 5%, the survival of patients with the FCM count of medullar blasts ≤2% was compared with that of patients with FCM count >2%. Results Each single marker had a prognostic weight comparable to the optical blast count. The FCM blast count was particularly efficient in distinguishing the risk of having up to 2% or more than 2% of blasts in patients without OM excess of blasts. Conclusion This method is interesting as prognostic tool, especially in patients without excess of blast.

We presented a 5-month-old boy with differentiated neuroblastoma and ossifying renal tumor of infancy (ORTI) arising at the left adrenal gland and upper pole of the ipsilateral kidney, respectively. They were located in the adjacent organs with different morphology and immunohistochemistry characteristics. To our best knowledge, coexistence of differentiated neuroblastoma and ORTI in a patient has never been reported. In our report, two contiguous lesions might be represented collision tumor, originated from the same clusters of immature cells and triggered by different mechanism.

e14181 Background: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous cell populations that play a critical role in tumor associated immune suppression. MDSCs consist of immature cells with myeloid lineage markers CD11b and Gr1 in mice and accumulate in large numbers in tumor bearing mice including HER2/neu+ breast cancers. This study was conducted to test whether anti-neu antibody treatment can affect on MDSC populations and immunosuppressive functions. Methods: Female BALB/c mice(5–6weeks of age) were used. The TUBO mammary carcinoma cell line was cloned from a spontaneous mammary tumor in a BALB Neu Tg mouse, as cell lines and reagents. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) populations were evaluated by flow cytometry. The RT2 Profiler PCR array was used for cytokine expression analysis according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Results: Total number of MDSC in tumor and spleen were decreased within 3 days after anti-neu antibody treatment, but percentage of MDSC in tumor (day2) was reduced more quickly than percentage of MDSC in spleen (day3). The relative populations of MDSC in CD45.2+ cells were significantly decreased such as MO-MDSC. Immunosuppressive activity of MDSC was also reduced by anti-neu antibody treatment. MDSC reduced by anti-neu antibody was due to inhibition of the immunosuppressive factors Arg1 and IDO. In addition, combination therapy with 5-FU may enhance MDSC reduction. Conclusions: MDSC can be a potential therapeutic target in anti-neu antibody treated therapeutic model and the effect of anti-neu antibody could be further improved using other therapeutic treatment to target MDSC.

Acute leukemia is a hematopoietic stem cell malignant disease, with abnormal proliferation of leukemic and immature cells that suppress the production of normal blood cells and extensively invade peripheral tissues. The bleeding complications are very common in acute leukemia and often lead to death. One major cause for hemorrhage is thrombocytopenia, which is caused by the replacement of normal bone marrow cells with leukemic cells and the inhibition of megakaryocytes functions. Declines in platelet count as well as in function in acute leukemia have been reported in many studies. Here, we reviewed the literatures concerning platelet changes in acute leukemia.

The number of peripheral blood B lymphocytes doubles during acute exercise, but the phenotypic composition of this response remains unknown. In two independent exercise studies, using complimentary phenotyping strategies, we investigated the mobilisation patterns of distinct B cell subsets. In study one, nine healthy males (mean ± SD age: 22.1 ± 3.4 years) completed a continuous cycling bout at 80% MAX for 20 mins. In study two, seven healthy experienced cyclists (mean ± SD age: 29.9 ± 4.7 years) completed a 30 min cycling trial at a workload corresponding to +5% of the individual blood lactate threshold. In study one, CD3−CD19+ B cell subsets were classified into immature (CD27−CD10+), naïve (CD27−CD10−), memory (CD27+CD38−), plasma cells / plasmablasts (CD27+CD38+) and finally, recently purported ‘B1’ cells (CD27+CD43+CD69−). In study two, CD20+ B cells were classified into immature (CD27−IgD−), naïve (CD27−IgD+), and IgM+/IgG+/IgA+ memory cells (CD27+IgD−). Total B cells exhibited a mean increase of 88% (study one) and 60% (study two) during exercise. In both studies, immature cells displayed the greatest increase, followed by memory cells, then naïve cells (study one: immature 130% > mature 105% > naïve 84%; study two: immature 110% > mature 56% > naïve 38%). Our findings show that, unlike T cells and NK cells, B cell mobilisation is not driven by effector status, and, for the first time, that B cell mobilisation during exercise is comprised of immature CD27− IgD−/CD10+ cells.

The regeneration potential of differentiated Sertoli cells subjected to thermal treatment was studied by the method of cell transplantation. Cells from mice with artificial cryptorchism (1.5 months after fixation of the testes in the body) and after culturing (10 days, 37°C) were transplanted. Transplantation of Sertoli cells from 2-3-month-old and 2-day-old mice served as controls. The cells were transplanted into the testes of recipient mice, from which sex cells and Sertoli cells were removed by busulfan and cadmium salt treatment. Adult mouse Sertoli cells exposed to thermal treatment exhibited much higher regeneration potential than intact cells. Two months after transplantation, mature Sertoli cells subjected to thermal treatment populated the recipient testicular tubules, formed new tubules, and in some cases supported the development of sex cells similarly as immature cells from newborn mice.

Zusammenfassung An Hand eigener Untersuchungen wurde das normale zytochemische Muster der neutrophilen Granulozyten verschiedener Spezies (Mensch, Pferd, Rind, Hund, Katze) dargestellt. Zu den dabei angewandten zytochemischen Methoden wurden die methodischen Grundlagen beigefugt. Es wurde uber den Nachweis von einigen der Hauptbausteine (Glykogen, Fett, Ribonukleinsaure) sowie uber die enzymatischen Aktivitaten (Phosphatasen, Esterasen, Peroxydasen, Dehydrogenasen) in den neutrophilen Granulozyten bei den untersuchten Spezies berichtet. Die bisherigen Norm-Untersuchungen zeigten, das Glykogen, Fett und die alkalischen Phosphatasen, Esterasen und Peroxydasen im Zytoplasma der neutrophilen Granulozyten verschiedener Spezies in recht unterschiedlichem Mas vorhanden sind und in den reifen Zellen angereichert vorkommen. Dagegen waren Ribonukleinsaure, saure Phosphatase und die Dehydrogenasen am starksten in den granulozytopoetischen Vorstufen vertreten. Die Beobachtungen uber die Abweichungen von der Norm bei verschiedenen Zustanden oder Krankheiten wurden an dieser Stelle nur gestreift. Summary The cytochemistry of neutrophil leucocytes The author reports on the normal cytochemistry of neutrophils of various species (man, horse, cattle, dog, cat) and indicates the principles which form the basis of the various techniques. The results demonstrate the principal basic constituents (glycogen, fat, ribonucleic acid) and the enzymatic activities (phosphatase, esterase, peroxidase, dehydrogenase) in neutrophils of the various species examined. The results with normal animals show that glycogen, fat and alkaline phosphatase, esterase und peroxidase are present in variable amount in the neutrophils of different species and increase in amount in the immature cells. In contrast ribonucleic acid, acid phosphatase and the dehydrogenase are present in maximal amounts in the immature cells. Variations from the normal in disease conditions are only briefly mentioned. Resume La cytochimie des granulocytes neutrophiles Dans des recherches personnelles, l'auteur presente la cytochimie normale des granulocytes chez differentes especes (Homme, Cheval, Boeuf, Chien, Chat) et indique les principes ayant servi de base aux methodes cytochimiques employees. Ce travail traite de la mise en evidence des principaux elements (glycogene, lipides, acide ribonucleique) ainsi que des activites enzymatiques (phosphatases, esterases, peroxydases, dehydrogenases) des granulocytes neutrophiles des especes etudiees. Les recherches effectuees jusqu'a present sur des cellules normales montrerent que le glycogene, les lipides et les phosphatases alcalines, les esterases et les peroxydases sont presents en quantite fort variable dans le cytoplasme des granulocytes neutrophiles de diverses especes animales et sont enrichies dans les cellules en pleine maturite. Par contre l'acide ribonucleique, la phosphatase acide et les dehydrogenases etaient representees au maximum dans les stades immatures de la lignee granulocytaire. Les observations concernant les anomalies observees dans diverses conditions ou maladies n'ont ete que brievement signalees dans ce travail. Resumen Citoquimica de los granulocitos neutrofilos Con arreglo a estudios propios se presenta el modelo citoquimico normal de los granulocitos neutrofilos de diversas especies (hombre, caballo, vaca, perro y gato). A las tecnicas citoquimicas empleadas se agregan los fundamentos metodicos. Se informa sobre la identificacion de algunas de las piezas estructurales principales (glucogeno, grasa, acido ribonucleico) y sobre las actividades enzimaticas (fosfatasas, esterasas, peroxidasas, dehidrogenasas) en los granulocitos neutrofilos en las especies examinadas. Los analisis modelo efectuados hasta la fecha indican que el glucogeno, grasa y fosfatasas alcalinas, esterasas y peroxidasas se encuentran en el citoplasma de los granulocitos neutrofilos de diversas especies en cantidades bien diferentes y que se hallan acaudaladas en las celulas maduras. A su vez, el acido ribonucleico, fosfatasa acida y las dehidrogenasas estaban representadas en cantidad maxima en las fases previas granulocitopoyeticas. Las observaciones hechas sobre desviaciones de la normalidad en diversas situaciones o enfermedades solo se citaron de pasada en este trabajo.

Regenerative medicine encompasses new emerging branch of medical sciences that involves the functional restoration of tissues or organs caused by severe injuries or chronic diseases. Currently, there are two contending technologies that can repair and restore the damaged tissues, namely platelet-rich plasma (PRP)- and stem cell (SC)-based therapies. PRP is a component of blood that contains platelet concentrations above the normal level and includes platelet-related growth factors and plasma-derived fibrinogen. Platelets are the frontline healing response to injuries as they release growth factors for tissue repair. SCs, on the other hand, are the unspecialized, undifferentiated, immature cells that based on specific stimuli can divide and differentiate into specific type of cells and tissues. Differentiated SCs can divide and replace the worn out or damaged tissues to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with specialized functions. Despite these differences, both approaches rely on rejuvenating the damaged tissue. This review is focused on delineating the preparation procedures, similarities and disparities and advantages and disadvantages of PRP- and SC-based therapies.

A 17-year-old woman had acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with a leucocyte count of about 100 times 109/1. The great majority of the leucocytes were immature. About half of them were without granules; in the other half the granules were usually scanty, but occasionally numerous and rather coarse. A few cells had Auer rods arranged in bundles. The patient had uncompensated disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) with a severe tendency to bleed. Everything fitted with variant hypergranular promyelocytic leukaemia, except for the staining of 30% of the immature cells by Loffler's unspecific esterase with α-naphthyl acetate. The patient may, therefore, be classified as either a variant of variant form M3, or as a transition between M3 and acute monocytic leukaemia.

Summary: A study was carried out to evaluate 792 semen of high (≥ 6 ml) and low (≤ 1 ml) volume and sperm counts ranging from 0.1 to 200 times 106 per ml. Particularly emphasized were: motility percentage and grade, percentage viability, morphologically normal sperm and immature cells, and the concentration of fructose in semen (mg/ml). The Duncan multiple range test and the Kruskal-Wallis test with multiple comparison of ranks were used in the statistical analyses. The results show that abnormal semen volume influence neither the basic tendency of andrological parameters to change in accordance with sperm counts of semen nor to correlate with each other. The quality of motility was significantly higher in specimens of high semen volume as compared to those of low semen volume. The concentration of fructose in semen was generally higher in specimens of high volumes than in those of low volumes, including semen devoid of sperm. It was assumed that in general increased semen volume does not affect the quality of other andrological parameters, thus being probably unrelated with fertility potential. The considerably lower values of both motility and viability characterizing the semen of low volume would suggest a lower fertility potential of specimens affected by this type of abnormality. Zusammenfassung: An 792 Spermaproben mit einem hohen (≥ 6 ml) und niedrigen (≤ 1 ml) Ejakulatvolumen und einer hohen Spermatozoendichte zwischen 0,1 und 200 times 106 per ml wurde eine Untersuchung angestellt, um die Motilitat, die Lebensfahigkeit, den Anteil normaler Spermatozoen und unreifer Zellen sowie die Fruktosekonzentration zu beurteilen. Fur die statistische Analyse wurden der Duncan-multiple-range-Test und der Kruskal-Wallis-Test benutzt. Die Resultate ergeben, das ein abnormales Ejakulatvolumen weder die Grundtendenz der andrologischen Parameter beeinflust in Ubereinstimmung mit der Spermatozoenzahl noch mit anderen Parametern korreliert. Die Qualitat der Motilitat war signifikant hoher in Ejakulaten mit einem hoheren Volumen; ebenso war der Fruktosegehalt in diesen Proben hoher. Es wird angenommen, das im allgemeinen ein erhohtes Ejakulatvolumen die Qualitat anderer andrologischer Parameter nicht beeinflust, wahrscheinlich ohne eine Beziehung zum Fertilitatspotential. Die beachtlich niedrigen Werte fur Motilitat und Lebensfahigkeit charakterisieren das Sperma mit einem herabgesetzten Volumen und konnten es nahelegen, das ein herabgesetztes Fertilitatspotential dieser Proben durch diesen Typ von Anormalitat beeintrachtigt ist.

The selection of exact pH (6.85/6.90) concentrations of the stains and staining times made it possible to use the May-Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG) staining method for smears studied with a Hematrak model 240 automated differential leucocyte counter. The differences between the smears stained by the method of Wright according to the recommendations of the manufacturer and the present MGG-modification resulted in non-significant differences in the recognition of various types of leucocytes. The differences between the manual method and those obtained by Hematrak for the MGG-stained samples with normal total leucocyte counts were nonsignificant with all types of leucocytes except basophils, which were underestimated by the instrument. The present staining procedure was adequate in studying of neutrophilias. When samples with lymphocytosis or with immature cells were examined, too few lymphocytes and immature cells and too many monocytes were obtained by the instrument, as compared to the manual method.

Summary: A study was carried out to evaluate the andrological parameters in 540 human semen specimens divided into groups according to sperm counts. The parameters were: motility percentage and grade, percentage of viability and of morphologically normal sperm and immature cells. The Duncan multiple range test and the Kruskal-Wallis test with multiple comparison of ranks were used in the statistical analyses. Of particular interest, among other our findings, were the significant differences obtained by comparing the group with sperm counts up to 5 × 106 per ml semen and that with counts ranging from 5.1 to 10 × 106 per ml semen. This was true for all parameters with the exception of semen volume. Comparison of the Oligozoospermie groups (up to 20 × 106ml) with those having higher sperm counts also showed significant differences. There was a trend towards improvement of the examined parameters with the increase in sperm density, but with a remarkable heterogeneity particularly within the Oligozoospermie groups. In all groups motility, viability and morphological normality of sperm showed a positive correlation with each other. »Normal values» of the parameters studied could be derived from scatterplot charts over the entire range of sperm counts and from the statistical evaluation of the grouped material. Zusammenfassung: Bei 540 Samenproben wurde eine Analyse der andrologischen Parameter vorgenommen: Motilitat (Grad und Prozentsatz), Lebensfahigkeit (%), Anteil morphologisch normaler Spermatozoen und unreifer Zellen. Fur die statistische Analyse wurden der Duncan-Test und der Kruskal-Wallis-Test herangezogen. Von besonderem Interesse waren im Rahmen der eigenen Ergebnisse die signifikanten Differenzen, die bei einem Vergleich oberhalb vom 5 × 106Sp./ml erhoben wurden und zwar mit Werten zwischen 5,1 und 10 × 106Sp./ml. Das traf fur alle Parameter mit Ausnahme des Samenvolumens zu. Ein Vergleich der Ologozoospermiegruppen (oberhalb vom 20 × 106Sp./ml) mit denen einer hoheren Spermatozoendichte zeigte ebenfalls signifikante Differenzen. Es ergab sich ein Trend in Richtung auf eine Verbesserung der untersuchten Parameter mit Anstieg der Spermatozoendichte, allerdings mit einer bemerkenswerten Heterogenitat vor allem in den Oligozoospermiegruppen. In allen Gruppen zeigte die Motilitat, die Lebensfahigkeit und der Anteil normalkonfigurierter Spermatozoen eine positive Korrelation zueinander. Es wird festgestellt, das »Normwerte« der untersuchten Parameter hergeleitet werden konnten von Scatterplotskalen uber die gesamte Reihe der Spermatozoenzahlen und von der statistischen Auswertung des in Gruppen aufgeteilten Materials.

Spleens from healthy adult cats and dogs were perfused with oxygenated Ringer solution. The majority of the erythrocytes were quickly washed out but approximately 10 % were released very slowly with a half-life of 1 hr (slow compartment). After perfusion the morphological characteristics of the cells in this slow compartment can be studied using histological sections prepared with blood stains. Under the light microscope a variety of immature and abnormal erythrocytes was seen. The immature cells were identified as rubricytes and reticulocytes, but no proerythroblasts were found. The pictures show rubricytes in various stages of maturation and denucleation evidently occurred by extrusion of either an intact or a fragmented nucleus. It is concluded that in the normal healthy animal cells released from the bone marrow at the prorubricyte stage undergo maturation in the spleen.

Summary Immature and mature red cells from anaemic homozygous and heterozygous low potassium (LK) type sheep were tested for the presence of the L antigen and for active potassium uptake. Evidence was obtained for the presence of L antigen on immature as well as mature cells, but immature cells had a higher intracellular potassium concentration and increased rate of active potassium transport which was only slightly enhanced after sensitization with L antiserum. The red cells which entered the circulation in the later phases of recovery from anaemia were not haemolysed by anti-L as readily as normal cells, but showed normal haemolytic reactions with other blood typing reagents. It is suggested that, if the L antigen is directly concerned with suppressing part of the potassium pump in mature LK erythrocytes, its effect must be mediated by changes which occur during the final maturation processes of the red cell.

Objectives: Various risks have emerged in parallel to the rapidly increasing use of cell phones. Herein we studied the effects of cell phone emitted electromagnetic waves (EMW) on rat testes. Material and Methods: Twenty one adult male Albino rats were grouped into 3 groups each consisting of 7 rats. The first group was exposed to EMW on talk mode for 8 hours per day for 20 days and then their testes were extracted. The testes of the second group were extracted after 20 days of whole day EMW exposure. The third group was the control group. For the statistical analysis Mann- Whitney U analysis was performed. Results: At light microscopic examination of the testicular tissue, the existence of a high number of immature cells in the lumen of the seminiferous tubule in addition to the normal seminiferous tubules, besides irregular tubules with a reduction in the spermatogenic cell lines and tubules without lumen were observed in groups 1 and 2. Histopathological alterations were scored as 0 = none, 1 = low, 2 = medium, 3 = serious. The average scores of the three groups were found to be 4.25 ± 1.5 for the group 1, 4.33 ± 3.9 for the group 2 and 0.37 ± 1.1 for the group 3 respectively. As a result of the statistical evaluation, group 1 and group 2 had significantly higher scores than the control group (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Infertility is one of the current problems of today due to a rapid increase in its incidence and cost. The negative effects of the EMWs on the testis should be taken into account and the necessary measures should be taken for prevention.

SUMMARY We report the case of a 34-year-old male who presented with recurrent skin ulceration due to lymphomatoid granulomatosis. Monoclonal antibody studies showed a high T helper (T4): T suppressor (T8) cell ratio in both the lesions and the peripheral blood. Plasma cells in the infiltrate showed IgA lambda staining but as yet no monoclonal immunoglobulin has been identified in the blood or urine. Lymphocytes bearing markers of immature cells (T10) were observed in the tissue and blood.

We analyse the asymptotic behaviour of a nonlinear mathematical model of cellular proliferation which describes the production of blood cells in the bone marrow. This model takes the form of a system of two maturity structured partial dierential equations, with a retardation of the maturation variable and a time delay depending on this maturity. We show that the stability of this system depends strongly on the behaviour of the immature cells population. We obtain conditions for the global stability and the instability of the trivial solution.

Cellular cardiomyoplasty is an expanding field of research that involves numerous types of immature cells administered via several modes of delivery. The purpose of this review is to investigate the benefits of different types of cells used in stem cell research as well as the most efficient mode of delivery. The authors also present data showing that stem cells isolated from bone marrow are present at both 2 weeks and 3 months after engraftment in a myocardial infarction. These cells express muscle markers at both time points, which suggests that they have begun to differentiate into cardiomyocytes. Several questions must be answered, however, before stem cells can be used routinely in the clinic. Once these questions have been addressed, the use of stem cells in clinical practice can be realized.

成熟動物における脂肪組織量の増大は, 個々の脂肪細胞が肥大することのほかに, 未分化な細胞の増殖および分化による脂肪細胞数の増加が原因と考えられている. その脂肪細胞数の調節にはホルモンによる全身的な調節機序ばかりでなく, 組織内のパラクリン因子などの局所的な調節機序によることが予測されている. この局所的調節機序を解明するためには, 組織内のパラクリン因子を介した細胞間相互作用を再現することのできる培養系の開発が必要である. そこで, 成雄ラットの白色脂肪組織から分離した未分化細胞と成熟脂肪細胞とを共培養する新しい共培養法を考案し, 未分化細胞の増殖と脂肪細胞への分化に及ぼす成熟脂肪細胞の影響を調べた. 共培養は, 未分化細胞が接着した培養ウェルに, コラーゲンゲルを被覆して多孔膜上に固着させた成熟脂肪細胞を含むカルチャー・インサートを装着することにより行った. 対照は, 細胞を含まないコラーゲンゲルのみを固着させたカルチャー・インサートを装着した (単独培養). 培養液は10%ウシ胎児血清添加DMEMを用いた. 12日間培養した後, 単独培養と比較して共培養では, 未分化細胞の細胞DNA量がおよそ1.3倍に増加した. 単独培養では脂肪滴を持つ細胞の頻度が1.3%であったのに対し, 共培養では20.6%まで増加した. トリグリセリド含量およびグリセロール-3-リン酸脱水素酵素活性も単独培養と比較して共培養ではそれぞれおよそ1.9および1.8倍に増加した. 以上のことから, 成熟脂肪細胞はパラクリン様作用により未分化細胞の細胞増殖と脂肪細胞への分化を促進することが確認され, 本共培養法が組織内のパラクリン因子を介した細胞間相互作用を調べる上で有用であることが示唆された.

Background Automated hematology analyzers generate white blood cell (WBC) suspect flags to indicate smears requiring manual review. In a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patient population with a high frequency of abnormal specimens, the usefulness of these flags depends on their sensitivity and specificity. The white cell precursor (WPC) channel on the Sysmex XN-9000 analyzer (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan) has recently been introduced in order to distinguish immature cells such as blasts and abnormal lymphocytes. Methods The efficiency of the flags generated by WPC reflex testing was compared to the white cell differential (WDF) on the Sysmex XN-9000 in 400 routine HIV samples. Results A flag was generated by the WDF channel in 346 (86.50%) samples. Addition of the WPC to the WDF resulted in a 20.99% reduction in the smear review rate. WPC analysis correctly identified the initial WDF flag in 59 (60.82%) samples with ‘blasts?’ or ‘abnormal lympho?’ flags. WPC showed an excellent sensitivity of 100%. However, the specificity remained poor. On investigation, samples with chronic infection/inflammation (35.00%) and lymphopenia (63.25%) were associated with a high false positive rate of 76.32% and 55.56%, respectively. WPC analysis removed 45 (51.72%) coexisting ‘atypical lympho?’ false positive WDF flags. The ‘atypical lympho?’ flag showed an increased sensitivity and specificity of 88.46% and 74.67%, respectively. Conclusion White cell precursor reflex testing showed improved flagging efficiency for the ‘atypical lympho?’ flag, which was a good indicator of reactive lymphocytes during chronic infection/inflammation. Nevertheless, the false positive rate for ‘abnormal lympho/blasts?’ was high in the presence of lymphopenia and infection.

Osteoinduction is the process by which osteogenesis is induced. It is a phenomenon regularly seen in any type of bone healing process. Osteoinduction implies the recruitment of immature cells and the stimulation of these cells to develop into preosteoblasts. In a bone healing situation such as a fracture, the majority of bone healing is dependent on osteoinduction. Osteoconduction means that bone grows on a surface. This phenomenon is regularly seen in the case of bone implants. Implant materials of low biocompatibility such as copper, silver and bone cement shows little or no osteoconduction. Osseointegration is the stable anchorage of an implant achieved by direct bone-to-implant contact. In craniofacial implantology, this mode of anchorage is the only one for which high success rates have been reported. Osseointegration is possible in other parts of the body, but its importance for the anchorage of major arthroplasties is under debate. Ingrowth of bone in a porous-coated prosthesis may or may not represent osseointegration.

The XE 2100 (Sysmex Corporation) is a cell counter that furthers the technology of fluorescent flow cytometry developed from the earlier range of Sysmex analysers. The new diagnostic features are a nucleated red cell count (NRBC), the ability to measure platelets by impedance as well as an 'optical' platelet count using a fluorescence dye -and an immature granulocyte (IG) count. The NRBC count was highly correlated (r = 0.97) with the manual reference count. For counts below 100 x 10 9 /l the 'optical' method and the immunocount gave good a correlation (r = 0.97) optical and impedance counts were also well correlated (r = 0.89). The use of the 'optical' platelet count significantly improves the reliability of low platelet counts. The IG count correlated with visual counts (r = 0.81) and allows the detection of immature cells at an earlier stage in the laboratory process. The introduction of fluorescent flow cytometric analysis allows extended quantification of additional cell populations and so potentially improves screening and monitoring of various pathological conditions.

We have generated mice deficient in E2F4 activity, the major form of E2F in many cell types. Analysis of newborn pups deficient in E2F4 revealed abnormalities in hematopoietic lineage development as well as defects in the development of the gut epithelium. Specifically, we observed a deficiency of various mature hematopoietic cell types together with an increased number of immature cells in several lineages. This was associated with an increased frequency of apoptotic cells. We also found a substantial reduction in the thickness of the gut epithelium that normally gives rise to crypts as well as a reduction in the density of villi. These observations suggest a critical role for E2F4 activity in controlling the maturation of cells in a number of tissues.