Synthesis and properties of the immunotoxin CD5-ricin

Synthesis and properties of an immunotoxin produced by conjugating ricin with a novel monoclonal antibody (IgG3 of the ICO-104 class) are described. Cytolytic activity of the synthesized immunotoxin, determined by two independent methods and expressed in LD₅₀, is 0.3–0.6×10⁻⁷ M. Its specificity for target cells containing the CD5 antigen is shown. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 1, pp. 76–79, January, 1995 (Presented by Yu. A. Romanov, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences)     

Role of the interaction between different types of serotonin and α2-adrenergic receptors in the regulation of audiogenic seizures in DBA/2 micereceptors in the regulation of audiogenic seizures in DBA/2 mice

It is shown that the serotonin receptors 5-HT_1c, 5-HT₃, and 5-HT₄ and α₂-adrenergic receptors are involved in the regulation of audiogenic seizures in DBA/2 mice, and that the effects of these serotonin receptors on the duration and magnitude of convulsive activity are the opoosite of those produced by α₂-adrenergic receptors. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 4, pp. 381–383, April, 1995     

Effect of the organophosphorus compound anthio on the pulmonary and systemic circulation of non-narcotized cats

Experiments on cats demonstrate the capacity of alert animals to compensate for disorders in pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics caused by organophosphorus compounds. Heart rate, systemic arterial pressure, and total peripheral resistance completely normalize on day 3 after exposure. Pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary blood pressure remain negligibly increased. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 3, pp. 276–279, March, 1995 Presented by N. A. Agadzhanyan, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Antimetastatic effects of arbidol,a new antiviral drug

Arbidol, a new antiviral drug, is found to suppress metastases of Lewis' pulmonary carcinoma for various methods of transplantation. The effects of arbidol are compatible with those of the standard interferon inductor poly-I-poly-C. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 7, pp. 80–81, July, 1994     

Effects of an organophosphorus compound on pulmonary and systemic circulations

Shortly (30–90 min) after an intragastric administration of the organophosphorus pesticide Anthio to cats, their cardiac output begins to decrease and the right ventricular output decreased to a greater extent than the left. Blood is redistributed to the greater circulation with a diminution of blood flow in the pulmonary lobar vessels. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 117, N ^o 1, pp. 18–21, January, 1994     

Early Resistance to experimental plague in animals immunized with recombinant plague vaccine

The protective properties of recombinantSalmonella minnesota R595/pFS1 strain soon after immunization (1–3 days) are studied in a model of experimental mouse plague. Unlike the commercial EV strainYersinia pestis vaccine produced at the Saratov Anti-Plague Institute (Mikrob Research-Manufacturing Conglomerate), the experimental recombinant p preparation affords a high level of protection from the 1st day postvaccination, and surpasses the commercial preparation in such parameters as LD₅₀, mean survival time, and percentage of survivors. By the 21st day the protective indexes of both preparations are comparable. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny,Vol. 119, N ^o 1, pp. 54–57, January, 1995 Presented by A. A. Vorob'ev, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Effect of dexamethasone on the expression of binding sites for high-density lipoproteins in cultured rat hepatocytes (Independence of the hormone effect on the intracellular cholesterol pool)

It is shown that glucocorticoids play a key regulatory role directed toward the maintenance of an optimal level of binding and internalization of HDL₃ in hepatocytes. Their stimulatory effect on the expression of HDL receptors proves to be independent of changes in the CH content in parenchymal cells. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimentalnoi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 117, N ^o 1, pp. 50–53, January, 1994     

Effect of some lectins on the cholinergic structures of the frog heart

The effect of lectins (phytohemagglutinin — PHA, concanavalin A — ConA,Pisum sativum lectin — PSL,Ricinus communis lectin — RCL, and pokeweed mitogen — PWM) on the cardiac cholinoceptors is studied in experiments on isolated hearts of maleRana temporaria frogs. The test lectins in concentrations from 10⁻²³ to 10⁻³ are shown to exhibit cholinomimetic properties. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 9, pp. 252–255, September, 1994 Presented by A. D. Ado, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

The mechanism of pulmonary hypertension in rats with high-altitude hypoxia

Morphofunctional examinations of the lungs of rats exposed to high-altitude conditions for 3 to 300 days revealed that systolic pulmonary hypertension observed during the entire period of study is caused by a total increase of the elastic resistance of pulmonary arteries. Adequate bloodflow in such a case is provided by intensive work of the right-ventricular myocardium against this resistance. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, N ^o 3, pp. 324–327, March, 1996 Presented by V. A. Trufakin, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Effect of chorionic gonadotropin on lactate dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the pathologically altered liver

Chorionic gonadotropin is shown to alter lactate dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the pathologically altered liver and to exert a regulatory effect on the catalytic properties of these enzymes. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 117, N ^o 6, pp. 590–591, June, 1994 Presented by Yu. A. Romanov, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Enhancement of liver cell proliferation by GM3 ganglioside

In experiments on rats subjected to partial hepatectomy and experimentally induced hepatitis it is shown that GM₃ ganglioside of equine erythrocytes can enhance liver cell proliferation. The effect was also observed in experiments on a primary hepatocyte culturein vitro; moreover, enhancement of cell proliferation did not depend on the type of sialic acid residues. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 4, pp 427–430, April, 1995     

Effects of methyluracil and hydroxymethacil on free-radical oxidation in model systems

Three pyrimidine derivatives — methyluracil, hydroxymethacil (a new compound), and its lithium salt — were tested in model systems of differing complexity for antioxidant properties in comparison with the well-known antioxidant ionol. Tests for antiradical activity and for effects on spontaneous and Fe²⁺-ascorbate- or NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation revealed high antioxidant activity (comparable to that of ionol) of the hydroxymethacil lithium salt. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 120, N ^o 8, pp. 142–144, August, 1995 Presented by G.N. Kryzhanovskii, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Reaction of pulmonary tumor transplants to irradiation and platidiam in the subcapsular test

Effects of γ-irradiation in a dose of 6 Gy and platidiam in a total dose of 16 mg/kg on the growth rate of transplants of 20 human pulmonary carcinomas under the renal capsules of immunodepressed mice were studied. Ten out of 11 tumors resistant to radiation were found to be resistant to platidiam as well. On the other hand, only 10 out of 15 carcinomas resistant to platidiam were resistant to radiation. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 11, pp. 505–507, November, 1994     

Vestibuloprotective activity of seal serum proteins

Cat and rat experiments show that the protein fraction isolated from blood serum of the Greenland seal has a protective activity against motion sickness. This activity is comparable to that of the classical vestibuloprotector scopolamine and is greater than that of diprazine. Radioligand assay of the receptor binding showed that the serum protein fraction has the highest affinity for α₂-adrenoceptors, μ-opioid, and benzodiazepine receptors. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol 117, N ^o 4, pp. 444–445, April, 1994     

Morphometric analysis of the pulmonary vessels in premature neonates

In premature neonates with the respiratory distress syndrome the vessels of the pulmonary arterial system show stereotypical changes: dystonia with the predominance of vasoconstriction, a thickened muscular layer, and a narrowed lumen. A morphometric index is proposed: the coefficient of nonuniformity of the medial thickness of the vascular wall, which reflects a structural reorganization of the pulmonary vessels in different pathological processes. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 9, pp. 311–314, September, 1994 Presented by Yu. I. Borodin, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Effect of catalin on radical production in aqueous solutions and cross-linking in deoxyribonucleoprotein complex

The effect of catalin on cross-linking in the DNA-protein system is studied after illumination with visible and UV light. Catalin is shown to stimulate this process. The use of a hydroxylamine trap reveals that catalin (10–100 μM) induces the accumulation of free radicals in aqueous solutions as soon as 10 minutes after irradiation. A considerable amount of O ₂ ^- is fixed in the medium during illumination of catalin aqueous solution. Superoxide dismutase added to the incubation medium considerably reduced the number of recorded radicals. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 8, pp. 142–144, August, 1994 Presented by I. P. Ashmarin, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Psychotropic effects of thymogen

Effects of thymogen on the behavior of mice were studied, and the results obtained suggest that this immunomodulator possesses psychostimulatory, antidepressive, and stress-protecting properties which open up new prospects for the use of thymic peptides in psychiatry. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 2. pp. 199–200, February, 1995 Presented by E. D. Gol'dberg, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Comparative evaluation of pharmacological effects of combined application of strophanthin with some antiadrenergic agents

Pharmacological effects of strophanthin combined with the action of some antiadrenergic agents were studied on isolated frog atria and on models of acute and subacute cardiac insufficiency in rats. The studies demonstrated appreciable differences in the effects of anapriline, cordarone and tropaphen on strophanthin toxicity and on its chronoinotropic properties. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 5 pp. 502–505, May, 1995     

Effect of a peptide extract of fetal brain tissue on the intracellular pH of mouse peritoneal phagocytes

The intracellular pH (pH_i) of mouse peritoneal neutrophils, initially 0.2 U, drops after a 15-min incubation of these cells with a peptide extract of fetal brain tissue. Treatment with the preparation leads to appreciable changes in the distribution of neutrophils by the examined parameter. For macrophages, the acidifying effect of the agent and its effect on the pattern of cell distribution in terms of pH values are far less expressed. The effects of the agent in dilutions 1∶10² and 1∶10⁴ on the mean pH_i are virtually the same. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 120, N ^o 12, pp. 626–630, December, 1995 Presented by V. I. Kulakov, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Assessment of the toxic and protective effects of initiators and inhibitors of free radical reactions using a wild-type strain ofEscherichia coli and a strain deficient for superoxide dismutase

The toxic effects of H₂O₂, paraquat, and oxidized low density lipoproteins are more expressed on superoxide dismutase-deficientE. coli strains than on its wild-type strains, and the effect of tert-butyl-hydroperoxide is less dependent on the presence or absence of this enzyme in the bacterium, whereas that of bleomycin does not depend on it at all. The toxicity of the agents increases in the following series: H₂O₂<oxidized low density lipoproteins<tert-butyl-hydroperoxide <paraquat≪bleomycin. A culture ofE. coli strains AB 1157 and JI 132 may be used for assessing the toxic effect of prooxidants, and anE. coli JI 132 culture with oxidative stress induced by prooxidants as a test system for detecting the potential antioxidants and assessing the mechanism of the action. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, N ^o , pp. 74–79, January, 1996 Presented by A. I. Archakov, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences