Selection of surgical tactics in infected vascular transplants]

The article analyzes a 10-years experience of the clinic work with choice of surgical tactics in infecting vascular transplants after reconstructive operations on the aorta and arteries of lower extremities in 57 of 1079 patients operated upon. The active-waiting tactics using conservative antibacterial methods of treatment was unsuccessful since in 89.7% of cases it resulted in the development of erosive bleedings and in 62.8%--in lethal issues. Preventive reoperations (atypical shunting included) before the development of erosive bleeding in infected vascular transplants reduced the frequency of amputations from 46.2% to 26.6% (in the discharged patients), and reduced lethality almost 4 times (from 62.8% to 16.7%).     

Improving Postpartum Care: Identifying Opportunities to Reduce Postpartum Emergency Room Visits Among Publicly-Insured Women of Color

Maternal and Child Health Journal - The purpose of this study was to explore the postpartum experiences of publicly-insured women of color, and identify how postpartum care can be improved to...     

Content of Proinflammatory Cytokine in Patients with Clinical Remission of Chronic Herpes Infection during Immunocorrection

The concentrations of cytokines (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and interferon-γ) in blood plasma from patients with remission of chronic herpes infection were measured during immunocorrective therapy. Our results indicate that immunocorrection is pathogenetically substantiated and immunologically effective. It was manifested in reduction of inflammation and activation of antiviral protection Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Suppl. 1, pp. 63–66, 2008     

Diffuse toxic goiter associated with autoimmune thyroiditis

A study of 190 patients with diffuse toxic goiter combined with autoimmune thyroiditis has revealed some clinical features: a torpid course and a solid-elastic consistency of the thyroid. In 37.4% of the cases autoimmune thyroiditis was combined with a severe form of thyrotoxicosis. The combined form of diffuse toxic goiter correlated with a greater frequency of the detection of thyroid autoantibodies to thyroglobulin and microsomal antigen (in 83 and 78.3% of the patients respectively) as compared to the common form of diffuse toxic goiter (in 47.3 and 48.1%). A study of the hormonal thyroid status of 43 patients with diffuse toxic goiter combined with autoimmune thyroiditis showed that T3, T4 and TTH levels in patients with the presence of autoantibodies to thyroid antigens did not differ from the levels of these hormones in the common form of diffuse toxic goiter, and in the group of the patients with the absence of autoantibodies there was a tendency to the development of T3-toxicosis. The absence of pathognomic symptoms in combined forms of diffuse toxic goiter makes their preoperative diagnosis difficult. Interrelationship of the hormonal thyroid status and humoral antithyroid immunity was noted.     

Method of inter-intestinal anastomosis in surgical treatment of complicated colonic cancer

The elaborated method of colorectal anastomosis formation was applied for the intestinal continuity restoration after its resection for obturative colonic tumoral ileus. Insufficiency of anastomotic sutures was not revealed. Postoperative complications had occurred in 2 (6.9%) of patients. All the patients have survived.     

Generation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against FABP4

Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) is a key mediator of intracellular transport and metabolism of fatty acids in adipose tissues. FABP4 binds fatty acids with high affinity and transports them to various compartments in the cell. When in complex with fatty acids, FABP4 interacts with and modulates the activity of two important regulators of metabolism: hormone-sensitive lipase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma. Genetic studies in mice clearly indicated that deregulation of FABP4 function may lead to the development of severe diseases such as diabetes II type and atherosclerosis. In this study, we report the production and detailed characterization of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against FABP4. Recombinant glutathione S-transferase (GST)-FABP4 or His-FABP4 was expressed in bacteria, affinity purified, and used for immunization of mice, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening, and characterization of selected clones. We have isolated two hybridoma clones that produced antibodies specific for recombinant and native FABP4, as shown by Western blotting and immunoprecipitation. The specificity of generated antibodies was further tested in a cell-based model of adipogenesis. In this analysis, the accumulation of FABP4 during NIH 3T3-L1 differentiation into adipocytes was detected by generated antibodies, which correlates well with previously published data. Taken together, we produced MAbs that will be useful for the scientific community working on fatty acid-binding proteins and lipid metabolism.     

Effect of fensuccinal on experimental insulin resistance

The effects of new antioxidant fensuccinal on dexamethasone-induced insulin resistance in rats were studied. Oral administration of fensuccinal in a dose of 25 mg/kg for 2 weeks prevented basal hyperinsulinemia and insulin insensitivity of peripheral tissues. Fensuccinal also attenuated oxidative stress by decreasing the concentrations of primary and secondary lipid peroxidation products in liver homogenates. The ability of fensuccinal to prevent dexamethasone-induced insulin resistance is probably due to its antioxidant properties. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 7, pp. 42–44, July, 2000