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graft failure in the first year compared with 35/110 (32%) with no Strep. fcccalis urinary infection, graft-loss rates due to rejection being 5/19 (26%) and 22/110 (20%), respectively. These differences are not significant. Our analysis is, of course, open to many criticisms-many of which could also be applied to the study of Byrd and coworkers. Both studies are retrospective, the analysis of the significance of urinary infection in the first year is limited to urinary infections in the first month only, and, perhaps most importantly, the definitions of urinary-tract infection in both studies are arbitrary. This interesting question will only be answered, we believe, by prospective studies where the presence or absence of Strep. fœcalis urinary infection in doubtful cases is confirmed or excluded by suprapubic bladder aspiration. Department of Nephrology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, 3050 Victoria, Australia
JUDITH A. WHITWORTH A. J. F. D’APICE PRISCILLA KINCAID-SMITH
PREVENTION OF ANTIBLASTIC NEUTROPENIA WITH LITHIUM CARBONATE et al.1 have described the use of lithium in of granulocytopenia caused by antiblastic treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (A.M.L.) and Gupta et al .2 gave oral lithium salts to stimulate granulocytopoiesis in patients with Felty’s syndrome. We have used lithium to prevent or treat the neutropenia caused by antiblastic chemotherapy in patients with solid tumours and lymphoma. So far we have treated fifty patients with daily doses of 900 mg/day of lithium carbonate, divided in three doses, and have checked the serum lithium levels once or twice a week in the first three weeks to
(sumarised in the table) wasçèvaluated by comseverity of the neutropenia in tlie two lithium and control groups before and after the first cycle of chemotherapy. In the nine lithium-treated patients the white-blood-cell count (by 17.3%) and the neutrophil-count (by 29.6%) both rose after chemotherapy, while in the nine controls both the whiteblood-cell count (by 25.3%) and the neutrophil-count (by 20-3%) fell, the differences between the two groups being significant (P
graft failure in the first year compared with 35/110 (32%) with no Strep. fcccalis urinary infection, graft-loss rates due to rejection being 5/19 (26%) and 22/110 (20%), respectively. These differences are not significant. Our analysis is, of course, open to many criticisms-many of which could also be applied to the study of Byrd and coworkers. Both studies are retrospective, the analysis of the significance of urinary infection in the first year is limited to urinary infections in the first month only, and, perhaps most importantly, the definitions of urinary-tract infection in both studies are arbitrary. This interesting question will only be answered, we believe, by prospective studies where the presence or absence of Strep. fœcalis urinary infection in doubtful cases is confirmed or excluded by suprapubic bladder aspiration. Department of Nephrology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, 3050 Victoria, Australia
JUDITH A. WHITWORTH A. J. F. D’APICE PRISCILLA KINCAID-SMITH
PREVENTION OF ANTIBLASTIC NEUTROPENIA WITH LITHIUM CARBONATE et al.1 have described the use of lithium in of granulocytopenia caused by antiblastic treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (A.M.L.) and Gupta et al .2 gave oral lithium salts to stimulate granulocytopoiesis in patients with Felty’s syndrome. We have used lithium to prevent or treat the neutropenia caused by antiblastic chemotherapy in patients with solid tumours and lymphoma. So far we have treated fifty patients with daily doses of 900 mg/day of lithium carbonate, divided in three doses, and have checked the serum lithium levels once or twice a week in the first three weeks to
(sumarised in the table) wasçèvaluated by comseverity of the neutropenia in tlie two lithium and control groups before and after the first cycle of chemotherapy. In the nine lithium-treated patients the white-blood-cell count (by 17.3%) and the neutrophil-count (by 29.6%) both rose after chemotherapy, while in the nine controls both the whiteblood-cell count (by 25.3%) and the neutrophil-count (by 20-3%) fell, the differences between the two groups being significant (P
