EFFECTS OF WHOLE BODY IRRADIATION ON MARROW
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Table 2.—“Mitotically Connected” Abnormalities in Bone Marrow Cells 3.5 Years
after Accidental Exposure to Radiation Individuals
Number of
Ery throblasts
Counted
.
Binucleated
“Early”
Erythroblasts
per 1000
Binucleated
“Late”
Erythroblasts
per 1000
Total
Binucleated
Erythroblasts
per 1000
High dose group
A
4050
4000
1.25
4.25
Cc
D
E
2000
2000
3000
2.5
0.5
1.3
4.0
1.0
4.0
B
Low dose group
F
G
H
1.4
5.1
6.5
1.5
5.3
x = 5.08 + 2.1
0.01 > p > 0.001
(compared to normal}
2006
3050
2000
0.5
0
0
;
2.0
2.0
_ 0,0
F and G only:
Comparisons
SAK
TMF
EPC
CRC
6.6
5.0
3000
4160
1000
2000
0
0.2
0
0
0.7
0.9
1.0
2.0
2.5
2.0
0.0
x2=15+10
x = 2.25 + 0.63
p > 0.05
(comparedto normal)
0.7
1.1
1.0
2.0
x = 12 + 0.48
group. From these numbers it appears that there is evidence for an increase
in the frequency of multinucleated red cell precursors 3.5 years after the
radiation accident in the high dose group whereas the findings are not
significant in the low dose group. In contrast, the differences in the frequency
of binucleated myelocytic cells between the normal and irradiated persons
was not significant. It should be pointed out that the occurrence of early
binucleated erythroblasts must be considered abnormal in particular, Such
cells are shown in figure 4. Their nuclear and cytoplasmic characteristics correspond to those of proerythroblasts, and early and late basophilic normoblasts. Such immature binucleated cells are extremely rare in completely
normal marrow smears in which they are mostly polychromatic or oxyphilic.®*
Erythroblasts with three nuclei were found 3 times, and tripolar mitoses in
three instances in smears of the high dose group. Among 53,167 erythroblasts
of eight “normal” persons, not one pluripolar mitosis was seen by Berman.°?
Mitotic indices in all eight men were determined in Feulgen-stained squash
preparations, using the same technics as in 1958 to study mitotic indices early
after the accident.** The results are given in table 3. The mitotic indices in
the high dose group andin the low dose group were notstatistically different
(p > 0.05) from the values found in seven healthy comparisons.”® In the
squash preparations of the high dose group, the mitoses were distributed between the phases of the mitotic cycle in the proportions: prophase 15.3 per