Diagnostic value of antibodies to modified citrullinized vimentin in early rheumatoid arthritis

A hundred and two patients (18 males, 84 females; mean age, 50.3 +/- 12.3 years) diagnosed as having early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were examined. A control group consisted of 189 patients with various rheumatic diseases and 30 healthy donors. The serum concentrations of antibodies to modified citrullinized vimentin (MCVA) and to cyclic citrullinized peptide2 (CCTP2A) were measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA); rheumatoid factor (RF) IgM was determined by nephelometric immunoassay. In early RA, the level of MCVA (median, 49.6 U/ml; interquartile range, 0.9-249.3) was significantly higher than in the control group 1.65 U/ml; 0.3-19.7). There was a direct significant correlation between the levels of MCVA and CCTP2A (p = 0.9), as well as RF IgM (p = 0.6). The diagnostic efficiency of MCVA (area under the curve, 0.705; 95% confidence interval, 0.607-0.803) was higher than that of CCTP, (0.590; 0.467-0.714), but lower than that of RF IgM (0.813; 0.736-0.889). MCVA was comparable with CCTP, and RF IgM in sensitivity; however, it ranked below them in specificity (71%). Choice of the optimum upper normal range (30 U/ml) permits up to an 88% increase in MCVA specificity and the concurrent consideration of results of testing MCVA, CCTP2A, and RF IgM is attended by up to a 78% increase in sensitivity. EIA of MCVA is a sensitive and specific serological test for the diagnosis of early RA.     

Integral assessment of endogenous intoxication in patients with purulent mediastinitis

The parameters of endogenous intoxication (EI) were studied in patients with purulent mediastinitis (PM). The integral index of E1--the coefficient C(EI) that included the relative indices (as to the normal values) of the total and effective concentrations of albumin, medium molecular-weight peptides, leukocytic intoxication index, and malonic dialdehyde, was developed. The values multiplied together are C(EI) and reflect the manifestation of EI. The level of EI in patients with PM was ascertained to be much increased on postoperative days 1 and 3. Extracorporeal hemocorrection (plasmapheresis, prolonged venovenous hemofiltration) used in complex therapy diminishes the degree of EI by several times, on day 10 after surgery in particular. The use of C(EI) is shown to considerably increase the diagnostic sensitivity of the early stage of EI, to prescribe adequate detoxifying therapy in time, and to evaluate its efficiency.     

Biokinetics of transdermal therapeutic medicinal form of phenazepam

We studied the rate of phenazepam absorption into the blood and its transport to the brain from a transdermal therapeutic system and bioavailability of the drug in this system. Hydrogel matrix consisting of polyvinyl alcohol and 1,2-propylene glycol was used for application. Transdermal application of 0.1–0.4 mg phenazepam in a dose of 14 mg/kg provided a stable level of this drug during application interval (1–48 h), while its bioavailability for blood plasma and brain was 0.63 and 0.2, respectively (determined for 0.4 mg phenazepam). The rate of drug penetration into the blood and brain was 46 and 60 ng/ml/h, respectively. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 12, pp. 633–635, December, 2000     

In Vitro Development of Neural Progenitor Cells from Human Embryos

Behavior of stem/progenitor cells from the brain of human embryos during in vitro culturing was studied. Cultured cells from human embryonic brain developed and formed neurospheres heterogeneous by their cell composition. In a serum-containing medium some cells underwent differentiation by the neuronal pathway, while others remained in the stem state.