[Effect of the thymus on the ability of hematopoietic stem cells to recover from sublethal radiation injuries].

Following fractional irradiation of the mouse bone marrow (300 rad in vitro + 300 rad in vivo) the damage of stem hemopoietic cells was more pronounced when the interval between the irradiations was 30 min as compared to five hrs, on account of recovery from sublethal radiation injury (Elkind's repair of radiation damages). In adult thymectomized mice the capability of stem hemopoietic cells to Elkind's repair was sharply deranged 2.5 to 5 months after the operation. This effect of thymectomy was abrogated by the newborn thymus graft.