[Immunofluorescence study of changes in myoid cells in the thymus of myasthenia patients]

It has been established that the mean number of myoid cells in one visual field in the thymus from myasthenia patients exceeds normal approximately twofold, with significant individual fluctuations being recorded. The observation data allow one to distinguish two basic forms of changes in myoid cells in myasthenia: (1) virtually complete absence of myoid cells leading to deficiency of myoid antigens; (2) more frequently seen hypertrophy and the increased number of myoid cells responsible for excess myoid antigens in the thymus. Basing on the fact that hypertrophy of myoid elements is seen, in most cases, in the presence of a pronounced hypoplasia of the lymphoid tissue, a suggestion is made about derangement in myasthenia of a mechanism by which the ratio of lymphoid and myoid cells in the thymus is controlled.