The distribution of ABO and Rh (antigen D) blood groups and of serum albumin, haptoglobin and transferrin variants, in a group of mothers of malformed newborns was investigated. In the first phase of the study, the results showed borderline statistical differences in the distribution of the transferrin types between the study group and a suitable control population. The second phase of the research, where only transferrin phenotypes were studied, showed the same trend as in the first one, but the results were not statistically significant. We conclude that probably there are no true distribution differences, but that it would be desirable to study this problem in a different ethnic group.

OBJETIVOS: Estudiar la incidencia, características clinicopatológicas e inmunofenotípicas de los linfomas extraganglionares (LEG) en el área hospitalaria de Lima Metropolitana. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Se estudió todos los casos de LEG con diagnóstico anatomopatológico durante 1998 en cuatro hospitales generales y el Instituto de Enfermedades Neoplásicas. Se recogió datos de las historias clínicas. Dos patólogos revisaron las muestras histológicas, usando la clasificación REAL. RESULTADOS: Se diagnosticó 616 linfomas no Hodgkin, de los cuales 308 (50,0%) fueron primarios extraganglionares, y 88 linfomas de Hodgkin. La localización más frecuente de los LEG fue estómago (70 casos) y piel (49 casos). Los linfomas primarios de estómago, orofaringe, intestino y glándulas salivares fueron a predominio de inmunofenotipo B, los linfomas de la nasofaringe y piel fueron a predominio de células T. En el tracto digestivo fueron más frecuentes los linfomas de la zona marginal MALT. En linfomas de células T predominó el T periférico. CONCLUSIONES: La mayor frecuencia de LEG en órganos como el estómago, intestino, piel y orofaringe, coincide con lo reportado en otras latitudes. El número de LEG con relación a linfomas ganglionares fue más elevado que lo encontrado por otros autores.

The frequency of the serum atypical pseudochloinesterase variant was significantly higher (p less than 0.005) in a group of 115 lepromatous leprosy patients than in a comparison group of 133 healthy individuals. This finding corroborates the results obtained in the group of patients from India, and supports the contention that the serum atypical pseudocholinesterase is one of the possible genetic factors involved in susceptibility to leprosy.

The frequency of structural chromosomal aberrations in two samples (AM and PM of the same day) from each of nine normal subjects, cultured in two different laboratories, was studied by six observers. The results were analyzed in order to determine the relative importance of inter‐ and intralaboratory factors in the variability of chromosomal abnormalities. In addition to the difference in the frequency of the abnormalities between the subjects studied, there were differences due to observers from different laboratories (P < 0.01), as well as between laboratories (P < 0.01). These results could be explained in part by insufficient agreement between observers from different laboratories and by differences in the quality of the method used.

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