Blood bacteriostatic activity in patients with respiratory tuberculosis]

Vertical diffusion on the L?wenstein-Jensen medium was used to study blood bacteriostatic activity (BBA) in 174 patients with respiratory tuberculosis in relation to the drug resistance of isolated Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) strains and to the course of a tuberculous process. There was a clear relationship of BBA to the sensitivity of MT cultures to isoniazid: BAC was high and moderate in 90.8-98.2% of cases if strain drug sensitivity was present and low or null in 98% with drug resistance. The high and medium values of BBA correlated with the clinical indices "improvement" and "significant improvement". Patients with zero and lower values of BBA and isoniazid resistance showed a progressive specific process in 22.0% of cases. Estimation of total BBA by using liquid media is the most informative method.     

Immunological markers contributing to successful aging in Bulgarians

In order to clarify immunogenetic markers contributing to successful aging, HLA and cytokine gene profiles were analyzed in healthy elderly Bulgarians. Family segregation analysis was performed to define combined effect of haplotypes and immunophenotype profiles. The results of this study did not reveal any statistically significant allele and haplotype frequency differences between elderly and control group. In families with two generations longevity members we did not observed HLA alleles and haplotypes associated with autoimmunity. IL-10 genotype -1082G/A, -819 C/C, -592 C/C, related to the intermediate production, was positively associated, while genotype -1082A/A, -819 C/T, -592 C/A, related to the low level of production, was negatively associated with longevity in Bulgarians. This effect was modulated by IL-6 and IFNgamma genotypes associated with the low level of these pro-inflammatory cytokines. Immunophenotypic studies indicated lower relative and absolute numbers of CD3+8+, CD8+28+ and CD8+57+ cells in elderly people. Analysis in families showed that although most pronounced in the elderly group, lower numbers of CD8+ T cells were also found in middle aged and young members of the families compared to the age matched controls. A progressive CD8+28+ cell subsets decline was seen with aging. In addition, we did not observed the 'immune risk phenotype' which is a marker of an increased inflammatory activity. Based on the results of this study, it seems reasonable to suggest that a combination of specific immunogenetic and immunophenotype profiles could contribute to the successful aging and to maintaining healthy status in elderly.     

The differential diagnostic criteria and clinical features of endocrine ophtalmopathy in patients suffering from myastenia with oculomotor disturbances

The article covers clinical and ophthalmologic characteristics of oculomotor disturbances in myastenic patients with endocrine ophtalmopathy, and differential diagnostic signs and peculiarities of endocrine ophtalmopathy in patients with a combination of the two diseases.     

Key laboratory diagnostic biomarkers of coronary atherosclerosis

Laboratory lipid and lipoprotein biomarkers (total cholesterol - CH, triglycerides - TG, low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol- LDL-CH, HDL-CH, apolipoproteins B and A1 - apoB, apoA1), carbohydrate biomarkers (plasma glucose, basal insulin), high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and oxidative biomarkers (basal level of lipid peroxidation [LPO] products in LDL, LDL resistance to oxidation in vitro, oxidative modification of apoLDL and level of LDL lipophilic antioxidants) were studied in 388 men aged 42-70 years: 96 citizens of Western Siberia with angiographically documented coronary atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD); 292 men of population sample of citizens of Novosibirsk, including 44 men with CHD confirmed by standardized criteria and methods. Significant associations were found of coronary atherosclerosis and CHD with laboratory diagnostic biomarkers like blood levels of HDL-CH, TG, apoB, apoA1, basal insulin, hsCRP and basal level of LPO products in LDL and LDL resistance to oxidation.     

Tissue microarray analysis of EGFR and HER2 oncogene copy number alterations in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx

Purpose To evaluate EGFR and HER2 copy number changes and to assess their significance to tumor progression in a large group of patients with larynx cancer through the construction of a tissue microarray (TMA) consisting of 1,385 biopsies.Methods Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was applied to analyze the tumors. FISH was successful for EGFR in 1,080 (77.98%) and for HER2 in 683 (49.31%).Results HER2 was amplified in 1.02% of cases. Amplification did not correlate with the tumor phenotype-clinical stage, and grade. The low frequency of amplification of HER2 oncogene in larynx tumors showed that the mechanism responsible for the high level of receptor overexpression still remains unclear in the majority of cases. Amplification of EGFR was found in 10.37% of cases. The analysis revealed a lack of correlation between amplification of the oncogenes and the tumor phenotype. We observed a lack of difference between the samples of primary tumors and advanced disease carcinomas—tumors with regional/distant metastases and recurrent tumors regarding oncogene amplification.Conclusion These results suggest that EGFR amplification is a relatively rare event in larynx carcinogenesis that obviously does not predispose to tumor progression.     

Prognostic value of paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria clone presence in aplastic anaemia patients treated with combined immunosuppression: results of two‐centre prospective study

Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) clones are frequently detected in patients with aplastic anaemia (AA). To evaluate the prognostic role of PNH clone presence we conducted a prospective study in 125 AA patients treated with combined immunosuppressive therapy (IST). Seventy‐four patients (59%) had a PNH clone (PNH+ patients) at diagnosis, with a median clone size of 0·60% in granulocytes and 0·15% in red blood cells. The response rate at 6 months was higher in PNH+ patients than that in PNH‐ patients, both after first‐ and second‐line IST: 68% vs. 45%, P = 0·0164 and 53% vs. 13%, P = 0·0502 respectively. Moreover, 42% of PNH+ patients achieved complete remission compared with only 16% of PNH‐ patients (P = 0·0029). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, PNH clone presence (odds ratio 2·56, P = 0·0180) and baseline absolute reticulocyte count (ARC) ≥30 × 10⁹/l (odds ratio 5·19, P = 0·0011) were independent predictors of response to treatment. Stratification according to PNH positivity and ARC ≥30 × 10⁹/l showed significant distinctions for cumulative incidence of response, overall and failure‐free survival. The results of this prospective study confirmed the favourable prognostic value of PNH clone presence in the setting of IST for AA.     

Orientation of Mitosis of Fibroblasts Is Determined in the Interphase

Time-lapse films of the cultures of mouse L fibroblasts have been analyzed to find out the angles between the direction of the big axis of interphase nucleus before mitosis and the direction of the mitotic furrow in the same cell. In 41 out of 51 mitoses this angle has been found to be more than 60°. Thus, the orientation of mitotic furrows depends on the internal polarity of the cell before mitosis.     

Problems of epidemic safety of drinking water use by the population of Russia

Quantitative relationships were studied between the indicators (common coliform bacteria (CCP), glucose-positive bacteria (GPB), thermoduric bacteria (TDB), coliform bacteria, enterococci, clostridia, coliphages) and the opportunistic (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus, Klebsiella) and pathogenetic (Salmonella and intestinal viruses) microorganisms at the stages of effluent purification and decontamination, in processes of self-purification in the water reservoirs and of water preparation at water-supplying stations, as well as in the association with the incidence of acute intestinal infections of bacterial and viral genesis in different climatic zones of the country. Salmonella and the opportunistic bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were found to be highly resistant to detoxifying agents and environmental factors, adaptable, able to reproduce in pure water, to long survive in underground waters, and to accumulate when water is desalinated at the erections. The cases of intestinal infections were found in the population using the portable water of the standard quality in terms of E. coli, TDB, CCB, and enterococci. In this case only the wider integral index of GPB, which includes the indices of E. coli, TDB, CCB, as well as lactose-negative pathogenic and opportunistic species retains its sanitary significance in terms of all signs and is a reliable indicator of the potential epidemic hazard of drinking water use. Long-term studies have provided evidence for the sanitary value of coliphages as indicators of viral drinking water contamination.     

Epidemic strains influenza viruses A and B in the 2005-2006 season in Russia

Investigations indicated that the epidemic upsurge of influenza morbidity in the 2005-2006 season in Russia was caused by the active circulation of influenza viruses A and B. The Center for Ecology and Epidemiology of Influenza, D. I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, studied 182 epidemic strains. A hundred and thirteen influenza viruses A(H3N2) were similar to the reference A/California/07/2004 or were its antigenic variants. Thirteen influenza virus A(H1N1) strains that were antigenic variants of the reference A/New Caledonia/20/99 were isolated in sporadic cases. Influenza viruses B were similar to B/Malaysia/2506/2004--lineage B/Victoria/2/87). All the strains were isolated in the MDCK cell culture. Comparative study of the sensitivity of the chicken embryo (CE) and MDCK isolation system to the 1999-2006 epidemic strains showed that CE tropism was least pronounced in influenza viruses A(H3N2). Analysis of the 2002-2006 strains demonstrated that influenza viruses A reacted actively with human erythrocytes of the blood groups 0(I) and A(II) and very slightly with chicken ones. Eighty-five influenza virus A(H3N2) strains from the 2005-2006 epidemic season were investigated for rimantadine susceptibility. The frequency of rimantadine-resistant influenza virus A(H3N2) strains was 38.0%. Studies of 79 paired sera from patients revealed a rise of antibodies to influenza viruses A(H3N2) and B in 25.9-33.3 and 20.7-23.8% of cases, respectively. There was an increase in antibodies to influenza viruses A and B in the sera collected from donors in Moscow and its region in September 2005 to June 2006.