Benezech 1975

617
has signally failed to shed much light on the cause of this INCIDENCE OF ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE
type of renal stone, and the epidemiological approach SIR,-Why are more figures from " other centres
might prove much more fruitful in this as well as in other around the country " needed; and what purpose is to be
" diseases of civilisation ". served by sending them to Dr Blendis and his colleagues
70 Rodney Street,
Liverpool 1. NORMAN GIBBON. (Sept. 13, p. 499) ? Figures are already available, 1-3 and
alcoholism is now the astiological factor in from two-thirds
to three-quarters of patients with cirrhosis in this country.
Dudley Road Hospital,
NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS IN 47,XYY MEN Birmingham B18 7QH. A. PATON.
SIR,-Neurophysiological abnormalities have been des-

cribed in 47,XYY men.1,2 Some authors have also drawn
attention to a high frequency of epileptic-type seizures and
involuntary movements. 3,4
COUNTERIMMUNOELECTROPHORESIS IN
In 51 males with this karyotype we have found: (i)
DIAGNOSIS OF HYDATID DISEASE
1 subject with a tremor among 22 adults (aged 20 or over)
identified in a survey of the general population; (ii) 3 SIR,—We were interested in the results reported by
patients with seizures and suspected epilepsy among 23 Prof. Kelkar and Dr Kotwal (March 29, p. 755) who used
47,XYY men in psychiatric wards or maximum-security counterimmunoelectrophoresis (C.E.P.) to detect hydatid
hospitals; and (iii) 1 younger patient with some mongoloid disease. They used a crude agar (Difco Bacto) as the
features who had choreiform movements and late sequelae gel and sterile hydatid fluid as the antigen. Clear-cut
of acute anterior poliomyelitis. He was 1 of 6 children or immunoprecipitates were obtained in 67% of proven
teenagers with a 47,XYY karyotype at the Institut Medico- cases of hydatid disease. None of the sera from normal
Pedagogique. volunteers and from 5 cases of other parasitic infec-
These findings suggest that there may be a neurological tions were positive. These findings suggested that the
abnormality in XYY men as well as a mental disorder C.E.P. test is very specific, although no more sensitive
causing socially deviant behaviour.5 than other tests commonly used to diagnose hydatid disease.
Hôpital Psychiatrique, The indirect haemagglutination test (I.H.), for example, is
F. 33410 Cadillac Sur Garonne. M. BENEZECH. positive in more than 80% of the cases of human hydati-
Laboratoire de Cytogénétique, dosis.4.5
F. 73011 Chambéry, France. B. NOËL. We compared the results obtained by C.E.P. and l.H. in
26 cases of active hydatidosis established at operation
PHILADELPHIA CHROMOSOME IN ACUTE DIAGNOSIS OF HYDATIDOSIS BY C.E.P. AND Lah. TESTS

LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKÆMIA
SIR,—To the cases described by Propp and Lizzi 6 and
by Dr Schmidt and colleagues (May 17, p. 1145) we would
liketo add a third in which Ph chromosome was found in
acute lymphatic leukaemia (A.L.L.).
A 7-year-old girl had A.L.L. diagnosed on clinical grounds
and on examination of blood-smears and bone-marrow.
Chemotherapy was started with vincristine and prednisone.
Intercurrent varicella was, successfully treated by intrå-
venous cytarabine. Prophylactic irradiation of C.N.S. and
intrathecal methotrexate were given. After complete
remission was achieved, the patient was put on maintenance
treatment with daily 6-mercaptopurine and weekly metho-
Percentages are shown in parentheses.
trexate.
Chromosomes were studied before chemotherapy and
after remission. Blood cultures were set up with and (19 cysts of the liver, 9 cysts of the lung, 4 cysts of the bone),
without phytohaemagglutinin and slides were made after in 8 patients in whom the cysts had previously been
4-72 hours. Metaphases were found only in the P.H.A.- surgically treated for over a year, in 6 cases with other
stimulated 72-hour cultures. Before chemotherapy 5 of parasitic infections (3 cases of T aenia saginata infestation,
12 cells examined clearly showed the PhI chromosome. 3 cases of Enterobius vermicularis infestation), and in 21
After remission all 40 metaphases examined had a normal healthy volunteers.
46,XX karyotype. For the C.E.P. test we used the technique of Prof. Kelkar
University Children’s Hospital, and Drotwal. The antigens used were a pool of sterile
Het Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis, hydatid sheep fluid (H.F.) or the same pool concentrated
Niewe Gracht 137, a hundred times (H.F.C.) by dialysis against polyethylene
Utrecht, Netherlands. J. P. VAN BIERVLIET.
glycol 4000 (B.D.H.). A barbitone-acetate buffer with a
J. VAN HEMEL pH of 8-4 and ionic strength 0 05 was used in a continuous
Center of Clinical Cytogenetics, K. GEURTS. electrophoresis system. Electrophoresis was performed at
Department of Haematology, room temperature for an hour using a current of 15 mA per
State University of Utrecht. K. PUNT. slide. The I.H. test was performed by the technique pro-
Dutch Childhood Leukaemia posed by other workers’5 using H.F.C. antigen.
Study Group, The Hague. E. DE BOER-VAN WERING.
The results (see accompanying table) indicate that the
1. Benezech, M., Noel, B. Bordeaux Méd. 1975, 8, 961.
2. Wright, M. O., Clin. Sci. molec. Med. 1973, 45, 337. 1. Forshaw, J. Br. med. J. 1972, iv, 609.
3. Casey, M. D., et al.J. ment. Defic. Res. 1972, 16, 215. 2. Jain, S., Paton, A., Wansbrough-Jones, M. H. ibid. 1973, i, 116.
4. Daly, R. F., Matthews, C. G. Neurology, Minneap. 1974, 24, 655. 3. Jain, S., Paton, A., Wansbrough-Jones, M. H. Midl. med. Rev.
5. Benezech, M., Bourgeois, M., Noël, B. Ann. med. Psychol. 1974, 2, 3, 1973, 9, 13.
365. 4. Sorice, F. G. Mal. infett. parassit. 1966, 3, 1.
6. Propp, S., Lizzi, F. A. Blood, 1970, 36, 353.
-
5. Kagan, I. G. Bull. Wld Hlth Org. 1968, 39, 25.

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617

SIR,-Neurophysiological abnormalities have been des-

PHILADELPHIA CHROMOSOME IN ACUTE DIAGNOSIS OF HYDATIDOSIS BY C.E.P. AND Lah. TESTS

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