Immune and enzyme disorders in patients with acute pancreatitis

Analysis of immune and enzyme disorders in 85 patients with acute pancreatitis shows that persistent imbalance of immunoregulatory T-lymphocytes with suppression predominance; reduction of all immunoglobulines number, imbalance in phagocytic immunity with height of absorbing activity of neutropils and stimultaneous decrease of their digestive capacity are prognostically unfavourable for high risk of pyonecrotic complications and lethal outcome. It is necessary to include immunocorrectors in combined therapy. Direct assessment of leukocytic elastase activity and alpha-IP level in blood plasma permits to evaluate spreading of inflammatory process and it severity, efficacy and prognosis of treatment.     

Classification of thyroid gland operations

Classification of operations on thyroid gland depending on the tissue volume preserved and basing on the analysis of surgical treatment of more than 2000 patients was presented. Substantiation and characteristics of its headings permits to take into account the intervention volume, what is peculiarly important during the automatized processing of large masses of information.     

IgM, IgG and IgG subclass antibodies to herpes simplex virus in persons of different ages

IgM, IgG antibodies to herpes simplex virus and their subclases were investigated in 565 subjects of different age tested at virological laboratories of St. Petersburg in 1996-1997. The majority of these subjects had a history of herpes infection and 21.5% had IgM antibodies to herpes simplex virus (HSV), marker of acute herpetic infection. Besides IgM, IgG1 antibodies can be referred to early antibodies appearing during the acute stage of herpetic infection. The predominant subclass was HSV IgG3 antibodies. As for IgG4, they were completely absent in infants aged under 1 year, were detected in 6.2% children aged under 14 years, and were present in 12.2-12.5% adults.     

Characterization of Russian rabies virus vaccine strain RV-97

The RV-97 rabies virus vaccine strain is widely used in Russia as a component of the live attenuated oral anti-rabies vaccine "Sinrab". This vaccine has also been used in some other countries, such as Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine. Entire genome sequencing is an effective tool for studying the genetic properties of virus strains. In this study, a simple technique for obtaining the entire genome sequence of the rabies virus was used. The entire genome sequence and the deduced amino acid sequences of the major viral proteins were compared with those of other rabies vaccine virus strains. The RV-97 strain forms a separate phylogenetic branch and seems to be phylogenetically more related to the group of Japanese vaccine strains. It also contains several unique amino acid changes in known immunodominant sites of G and P proteins.     

Thyroid Cancer in Children of Ukraine after the Chernobyl Accident

The results of treatment of 330 children (< 14 years) and adolescents (15–18 years) with thyroid cancer who were operated on at the Institute of Endocrinology after the Chernobyl accident in 1986 were analyzed. The number of young patients increased after 1986 (1981–1985, 9 cases; 1986–1990, 37 cases; 1991–1995, 177 cases; 1996–1998, 116 cases). Most of these children and adolescents were younger than 8 years at the time of the accident (84.2%). More than half of the children (58.1%) lived in areas receiving the highest radiation exposure. These thyroid cancers developed after a short latent period, were more aggressive at presentation, and expressed regional (57.3%) or distant (14.5%) metastasis. Solid papillary cancers were present in 93.1%. Coexisting thyroid conditions were common (thyroid hyperplasia, 25.1%; nodular goiter, 18.8%; chronic thyroiditis, 10.2%). Most patients were treated by total thyroidectomy with intraoperative visualization of recurrent laryngeal nerves and parathyroid glands. When lymph node metastases were identified, a modified neck dissection was performed. Such operations were done in 277 (84.1%) patients. Postoperatively, the patients were treated with radioiodine and thyroid-stimulating hormone suppressive therapy. Postoperative complications included recurrent nerve palsy in 12.3% and permanent hypoparathyroidism in 6%. Operations for local recurrence of cancer were performed in 2.8% cases and for regional metastasis in 4%. The general mortality was 1.8%. We anticipate that there will be more patients with thyroid cancer during the next few years. Therefore this high risk population for thyroid cancer must be carefully monitored and evaluated during the next several decades.     

A System of Local Analyzers for Noninvasive Diagnostics of the General State of the Tissue Microcirculation System of Human Skin

Biomedical Engineering - A system of wearable analyzers for simultaneous monitoring of blood microcirculation and oxidative metabolism in the tissue microcirculation system in several areas of the...     

Comparison of oncological and functional outcomes and quality of life after transanal or laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Techniques in Coloproctology - The aim of this study was to compare long-term oncological, functional outcomes and quality of life (QoL) after transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) and...     

Thermal Properties of Lightweight Steel Concrete Wall Panels under Different Humidity Conditions

The paper presents the thermal properties of lightweight steel concrete wall panels under different humidity conditions: under normal operation conditions and high moisture of the structure. The total thermal resistance (considering thermal inhomogeneity) of the enclosing lightweight steel concrete structure with a thickness of 310 mm using monolithic low-density foam concrete (density grade of D200), at an equilibrium humidity of 5% and 8%, was experimentally established. It was equal to 4.602 m^2.0C/W and 4.1 m^2.0C/W, respectively. In the dry state, the total thermal resistance of this structure was 5.59 m^2.0 C/W, which corresponds to a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.057 m °C/W. The influence of both horizontal and vertical joints of lightweight steel concrete wall panels and the absence of thermoprofiles on thermal properties was insignificant when using heat-insulating gaskets. The actual total thermal resistance of the structure was 2.5–2.8 times higher than that obtained by calculation under high-humidity conditions (29–32%). At the same time, the decrease in the value compared to the same value at an equilibrium humidity of 5% was only 4–6%. This indicates the good workability even of a structure with high-humidity foam concrete if the reduced total thermal resistance is complied with by the standardized one.