Metabolic disturbances of the lymphoid cells and their significance for clinical pathology.

The presentation and discussion of the metabolic disturbances of lymphoid cells is preceded by some brief data on their nomenclature, philogeny, morphology and methodology (some regarding T and B lymphocytes). The most noteworthy results of cytochemical investigations are those concerning cellular biochemical components such as DNA, RNA, glycogen and lipids. Emphasis is layed on the results of optic and electronic cytoautoradiographic investigations. The cytoenzymologic explorations have shown the necessity of determining the activity of certain enzymes such as acid phosphatases, beta-glucuronidase, aryl-sulphatase, succin-dehydrogenase (SDH), lactic and malate dehydrogenases (LDH and MDH), glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), DNA- and RNA-polymerases, certain proteases, dihydrofolate-reductase, a.o. The author insists on the value of the data obtained by the above mentioned investigations for the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of acute and chronic leukemias, various lymphomas, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, myasthenia gravis, a.o.