Typical Changes of Erythrocytes in Chronic Inflammation

Structural and metabolic status and function of erythrocytes were studied in patients with chronic bronchitis, chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper airways, and chronic colitis. Complex study of the peripheral component of the erythron showed that disorders in erythrocyte morphology and function (decreased erythrocyte dry weight, low concentration of sulfhydryl groups and lipoproteins, decreased content of high molecular weight polypeptides in parallel with increased content of low molecular weight proteins, increased number of transformed cells, and enhanced reversible aggregation) were nonspecific and did not depend on the location of the inflammatory process.     

Hantaviruses and hantavirus infections

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HVRS) has been for decades a topical problem for healthcare systems of many countries in the Eurasian continent. Viruses triggering HVRS alongside with other related viruses (but not pathogenic to man) were discovered in 70-80-ies and formed a new genus Hantavirus of the Bunyaviridae family. The study results of a severe outbreak of the respiratory disease with the mortality rate of 60% (South-West of the USA, 1933) showed that hantaviruses were also among the causative agents. Later, the disease was designated as hantavirus cardio-pulmonary syndrome. By now, it has been established that hantaviruses are wide spread with different rodents being their carriers. The discussed viruses cause, in rodents, a chronic asymptomatic infection and are transferred, later, to man by the aerogenic path through excretions of infected animals. Studies of hantaviruses have been restricted for a long time due to their high pathogenicity (protection equipment not below than the P-3 level is needed), because of a lack of a laboratory model of infected animals and because of a low growth in cell cultures. With the rapid development and application of molecular biological techniques of the recent years, substantial progress has been made in studies of hantaviruses. Different aspects of hantavirus ecology, molecular biology, morphology, pathogenesis and diagnostics are discussed in the offered survey.     

Chronic bronchitis: participation of red cells in the pathologic process

To study characteristics of structural-metabolic status and function of erythrocytes in patients with chronic bronchitis (CB), the examination was made of 53 CB patients (39 male and 14 female). A complex study of morphofunctional state of peripheral erythron included investigation of protein and lipid composition, microviscosity of the lipid phase of erythrocyte membrane, surface architectonics, ultrastructure, reversible aggregation of red cells, concentrations of sulfhydric groups, lipoproteins and dry cell mass in erythrocytes. CB patients were found to have prominent defects in membrane structure and metabolism of mature red cells (reduced dry mass and concentration of sulfhydric groups and lipoproteins, abnormal protein composition and lipid membrane spectrum, increased viscosity of membrane lipid bilayer), alterations of surface architectonics, shape, ultrastructure of erythrocytes. Disorders in structural-metabolic status of erythrocytes in CB patients affected their functional features, the ability for reversible aggregation, in particular. Functional disturbances of erythrocytes in CB patients aggravate the course of the disease and need correction with membrane-stabilizing and membrane-repairing drugs.     

The surface architectonics, functional characteristics, and metabolism in peripheral blood lymphocytes in acute herpes virus infection

Twenty-five patients (males--11, females--14; aged 18 to 45) with chronic herpes virus infection relapsing at the time of clinical tests were examined, including investigations of the surface architectonics, the ability to blast-transformation and the metabolic status of peripheral-blood lymphocytes. Chronic herpes virus infection was found to be concurrent with changes of the percentage ratio of lymphocytes with the surface micro-patterns of different types, with a more intense activity of the immunity T-chain and with a changed nature of the intracellular metabolism of lymphocyte cells.     

Mechanisms of the development of anemia in stomach cancer

Structural and metabolic statuses of erythrocytes were evaluated using cytophoto- and interferometry, fine-layer chromatography, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, electrophoresis and fluorescent probing in 48 stomach cancer patients. Structural and metabolic disorders were detected in mature erythrocytes in patients with and without anemia. Changes in the structure and metabolism of peripheral blood erythrocytes taking place prior to quantitative changes were identified. Anemia development pathways were dependent on enhanced hemolysis of circulating erythrocytes and influx of immature cells from the bone marrow. The changing statuses of the membranes and metabolism appeared to play quite a role in erythrons being damaged by tumor process. Dysfunctional erythrocytes of stomach cancer patients need to be corrected by membrane-stabilizing and -repairing drugs.