Phage antibodies from combinatorial library neutralize vaccinia virus

The library of human scFv antibodies displayed on the surface of bacteriophages was panned against Vaccinia virus (VACV), strain Elstree. 75% binding with Vaccinia virus. 5 clones were characterized for their binding with VACV and their ability to neutralize VACV in plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Antibodies from the clones were obtained as soluble individual molecules and their binding activities were confirmed in ELISA.     

Reactive oxygen species initiate a metabolic collapse in hippocampal slices: potential trigger of cortical spreading depression

Excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) underlies oxidative damage. We find that in hippocampal slices, decreased activity of glucose-based antioxidant system induces a massive, abrupt, and detrimental change in cellular functions. We call this phenomenon metabolic collapse (MC). This collapse manifested in long-lasting silencing of synaptic transmission, abnormal oxidation of NAD(P)H and FADH₂ associated with immense oxygen consumption, and massive neuronal depolarization. MC occurred without any preceding deficiency in neuronal energy supply or disturbances of ionic homeostasis and spread throughout the hippocampus. It was associated with a preceding accumulation of ROS and was largely prevented by application of an efficient antioxidant Tempol (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl). The consequences of MC resemble cortical spreading depression (CSD), a wave of neuronal depolarization that occurs in migraine, brain trauma, and stroke, the cellular initiation mechanisms of which are poorly understood. We suggest that ROS accumulation might also be the primary trigger of CSD. Indeed, we found that Tempol strongly reduced occurrence of CSD in vivo, suggesting that ROS accumulation may be a key mechanism of CSD initiation.     

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in children with tuberculosis of the respiratory organs

Cases of pneumocystic pneumonia were recorded among children with tuberculosis of the respiratory organs. Epidemiological and clinicoroentgenological characteristics of pneumocystic pneumonia in 15 children at the age of 3 to 15 years with tuberculosis of the respiratory organs are presented. Peculiar clinical manifestations of pneumocystic pneumonia in the children of the preschool and younger school ages were studied. Special laboratory methods and in particular the immunofluorescence test (IFT) made it possible to detect the pathogen in the contents of the respiratory tracts, as well as immunological shifts in the children.     

The deciduous teeth in children born to mothers with heart defects

Stomatological examinations of infants aged 6 to 36 months, whose mothers suffer from heart diseases, have revealed that the number of infants with deciduous dental tissue abnormalities grows with the age of the infants, reaching the maximum in those aged 3 years: 63.88 percent. Caries and caries-complicated diseases were recorded in 3-year-old children. This permits regarding the presence of a heart disease in a mother as a risk factor in respect of developing deciduous teeth abnormalities and caries.     

Ways of reducing disability in rheumatoid arthritis

An analysis of primary disability of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the Vinnitsa area over the period of 1981-1983 as compared to that of 1971-1973 showed a decrease in its proportion and the improvement of some indices of medical labor examination over the studied period confirming the efficacy of organizational measures in prophylactic medical examination of RA patients in the above area.