Surgical treatment of myasthenia gravis in children

Thymectomy was included in the complex of therapeutic measures in the management of generalized myasthenia in 41 children. Much attention was given to preoperative management in which plasmapheresis was applied along with the traditional methods. As a result, maximum compensation of the myasthenic disorders was achieved and spontaneous respiration was restored in 9 patients who were given artificial ventilation of the lungs before the operation. The authors describe the techniques of thymectomy and the changes found in the thymus during histological study. No complications occurred. All of the children were discharged from the clinic in an improved condition. The late-term results were studied in 38 children in follow-up periods of 6 months to 4 years. Marked stable improvement was recorded in 31 (77.5%) patients.     

Electron-cytochemical investigation of the brain mitochondria at various times after death

An electron-cytochemical investigation was made of oxidation of 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) in the brain of rats and man at different times after death. The oxidation product of DAB was localized in the mitochondria, lipofuscin granules, and erythrocytes. Oxidation of DAB by rat and human brain mitochondria was shown to be only very slightly depressed even 2 days after death.Laboratory of Experimental Pathology and Pathomorphology of the Brain, Institute of Psychiatry, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. V. Snezhnevskii.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 81, No. 6, pp. 757–759, June, 1976.     

The Possibility of Using the ICR Mouse as an Animal Model to Assess Antimonkeypox Drug Efficacy

As a result of the conducted experimental studies on intranasal challenge of ICR mice, rabbits and miniature pigs (even in the maximum variant) with the doses of 4.0–5.5 lg PFU of monkeypox virus (MPXV), some clinical signs such as purulent conjunctivitis, blepharitis and ruffled fur were found only in mice. The 50% infective dose (_CID₅₀) of MPXV for these animals estimated by the presence of external clinical signs was 4.8 lg PFU, and _LID₅₀ estimated by the virus presence in the lungs of mice 7 days post‐infection taking into account its 10% application in the animal respiratory tract was 1.4 lg PFU. When studying the dynamics of MPXV propagation in mice challenged intranasally with 25 _LID₅₀ of MPXV, the maximum pathogen accumulation was revealed in nasal cavity, lungs and brain: 5.7 ± 0.1, 5.5 ± 0.1 and 5.3 ± 0.3 lg PFU/ml, respectively. The pathomorphological examination of these animals revealed the presence and replication of the pathogen in the traditional primary target cells for MPXV (mononuclear phagocyte system cells and respiratory tract epitheliocytes) as well as in some other types of cells (endothelial cells, reticular cells, connective tissue cells). Our use of these animals to assess the antiviral efficacy of some drugs demonstrated the agreement of the results (a significant positive effect of NIOCH‐14 and ST‐246) with those described in scientific literature, which opens up the prospects of using ICR mice as animal models for monkeypox to develop preventive antismallpox drugs.     

Genovariants of Vibrio cholerae biovar El Tor: Construction,molecular-genetic,and proteomic analyses

Experimental modeling of the emergence of virulent Vibrio cholerae El Tor genovariants is presented. It has been shown that the obtained genovariants differed neither in phenotypic or genotypic traits from natural genetically altered strains that emerged in populations of wild-type strains. It has been established, using the PCR and sequencing methods, that the genovariants formed in the process of conjugation carried in their genome a fragment of the CTX^Classφ prophage genome with the ctxB1 gene of classical-type cholera vibrios. It has been shown that changes in the prophage’s structure led to higher levels of toxigenicity and virulence in the genovariants compared to a typical recipient strain. A proteomic analysis has also revealed changes in the expression of 26 proteins performing various functions in the cell, such as metabolism, energy exchange, transport of amino acids, etc.). These data are indicative of the effect produced by the new DNA region in the genome of the genovariants on the expression level of some house-keeping genes. The obtained results confirm the idea that horizontal gene transfer is one of the mechanisms leading to the emergence of genovariants in the populations of wild-type strains.     

Infection of Chickens Caused by Avian Influenza Virus A/H5N1 Delivered by Aerosol and Other Routes

This study presents results of the study of infectivity of avian influenza virus (AIV) A subtype H5N1 strains isolated from agricultural birds across the territory of the Russian Federation and CIS countries. The results of the susceptibility of chickens to the AIV isolates delivered by the aerosol route and the dissemination of the virus in the organs of infected birds are presented. As was observed, the sensitivity of birds to AIV by the aerosol route of infection is 30 times higher than by intranasal route, 500 times higher than by the oral route and 10 000 times higher than by the intragastric route of infection, which is indicative of higher permissivity of respiratory organs to AIV. The highest titres of AIV A subtype H5N1(A/Chicken/Kurgan/05/2005 strain) in aerosol‐infected chickens were found in nasal cavity mucosa, lungs, cloaca, serum and kidney, where viable virus accumulation was detected by 18 h post‐infection (p.i.). The highest virus titres were observed 54 h p.i. in lungs, serum and kidney, reaching the value of 8.16 lg EID₅₀/g(ml) in the lungs. The results showed that birds infected by the aerosol route developed higher titres of virus than those infected by other routes.     

Use of an Ellipsoid Artificial Heart

Experiments with the Poisk model of an ellipsoid artificial heart are reported. With a modified model of the diaphragm type made from polyurethane, calves survived for a mean of 55 days, with a maximum survival of 3 months. With adequate anticoagulation therapy, no thrombogenesis was observed in the blood chamber (except for the inlet valves); a low level of plasma hemolysis was observed postoperatively. Good correlation was demonstrated between the stroke volume and left and right atrial pressures. Changes in the blood coagulation indices are reported. Implantation of a clinical variant of this prosthesis into human cadavers demonstrated no difficulties in placing the heart in the pericardial cavity. Developmental efforts are continuing.     

Ultrasound-assisted puncture method of treatment of hepatic hydatid cysts

Results of treatment of 31 hepatic hydatid cysts in 28 patients were analyzed. The size of the s ranged from 3 to 25 cm. In 26 cases the cysts contained flive es, in 2 cases they were suppurated after US-assisted intraoperative puncture. Simple hydatid cysts (type I by M. Milcevic) were diagnosed in 24 patients (solitary--in 22, multiple--in 2), solitary cysts of type II--in 2 patients. In 23 cases aspiration-catheter treatment with complete removal of chitin membrane by one-stage (4) or two-stage (19) methods was performed. After removal of chitin membrane in 3 patients lateral fistula between spurious cysts cavities and peripheral branches of intrahepatic bile ducts were revealed which spontaneously. Glue composition "Rabrom" was used in 2 cases for closure of the residual cavity. In 4 patients who had cysts less 6 cm in size puncture irrigation of chitin cavity with 30% NaCl (PAIR technique) without it removal was performed. In one patient transcutaneous catheter (PAIR-PD technique) was used for irrigation of the cyst larger than 6 cm. The duration of two-stage aspiration-catheter treatment with removal of chitin membrane was 25.6 +/- 9.6 days. In moderate calcinosis of the fibrous membrane and bile fistulas period of hospitalization was 34 +/- 8.1 days. Treatment with PAIR and PAIR-PD took 1 and 3 days respectively. Complications of percutaneous methods were regarded as mild: hyperthermia (12), right-sided hydrothorax (6), subcapsular hematoma (1), urticaria (1). All the complications were treated conservatively and with US-assisted punctures. Long-term (from 6 months to 9 years) results of treatment were followed up in 26 patients: there were no recurrences. Suppuration of the residual cavity 6 months after the glue occlusion was eradicated by transcutaneous catheter drainage. One lethal outcome was not associated with complications of aspiration-catheter treatment. Both methods of transcutaneous treatment of hepatic hydatid cysts are effective and safe. A hypertonic solution of NaCl I produces a reliable antiscolecidal and sclerosis effect.     

Structural-functional organization of dark and light smooth myocytes in the musculature of visceral organs

Using electron microscopy, the smooth musculature of human and laboratory animal bronchi, intestine and ureters was found to contain smooth myocytes of light and dark types, which had the cytoplasm of different electron density. Both types of myocytes are characterized by a high degree of differentiation. The significant differences between light and dark myocytes were detected in the ultrastructural organization of their contractile elements. On the basis of data obtained, light and dark myocytes should be considered as mature cells in different phases of their functional activity. Some part of them, light myocytes, are in the state of "passive" contraction and may serve as a tissue functional reserve. Mutual transformation of light and dark myocytes seems to be possible and may be caused by functional requirements, which are realized at the level of tissue regulation.     

Virological and immunological indices in patients with multiple sclerosis

The level of specific antibodies to viruses of measles, parotitis, type-6 herpes, Epstein-Barr, tick-borne encephalitis and Borrelia burgdorferi as well as presence of genetic samples and antigens of the above infectious antigens were studied in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The cytokines Th1 and Th2 parameters were investigated in blood serum of patients at different MS stages. The titer of antibodies to measles virus was noted to be increasing in MS patients with age and disease aggravation. The level of antibodies to any of the studied infectious agents, except for the type-6 herpes virus, was not dynamically changing for as long as 9 months. The viral genetic samples (measles RNA) were detected just once in 2 patients; the detection time coincided in both cases with MS aggravation. The cytokines dynamics failed to correlate with MS aggravation or exacerbation while the total index of all studied cytokines was decreased. A high MMPw 9 content in blood serum correlated with MS exacerbation in 1 patient.