Morphological and endoscopic characteristics of chronic gastroduodenitis in children with lesions of the hepatobiliary system and pancreas

Morphological and endoscopic features of a chronic gastroduodenitis combined with dyskinesia of bile ducts and pathology of hepatobiliary system and pancreas (chronic cholecystocholangitis, cholecystopancreatitis, "reactive" pancreatitis) are studied in 72 children. The most severe changes in the duodenal mucosa (chronic atrophy or, less frequently, diffuse duodenitis) were found in patients with dyskinesia of bile ducts and with disturbances of hepatobiliary system and pancreas. A characteristic feature of chronic duodenitis in patients with diseases of hepatobiliary system and pancreas lymphangiectasia in the villi.     

A comparative study on the u.v. resistance of double-stranded and single-stranded encephalomyocarditis virus RNAs: evaluation of the possible contribution of host-mediated repair

To reveal previously suggested host-mediated repair of u.v.-induced lesions in dsRNA of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus, two sets of experiments have been carried out: (i) samples of dsRNA of EMC virus were irradiated with different doses of u.v. light and their infectivity was assayed in krebs II cells, before and after conversion of dsRNA into a ss form: (ii) samples of ssRNA of EMS virus were similarly irradiated and their infectivity was assayed before and after conversion of ssRNA into a ds form. No evidence for a significant host-mediated repair of dsRNA in this virus-cell system has been obtained.     

Role of computerized tomography in the diagnosis of encapsulated cerebellar abscesses in acute otitis media]

Two rare cases of encapsulated cerebellar abscesses that developed 2-2.5 months after acute otitis media are described. In both patients, otitis media was cured using conservative therapy although it was aggravated by mastoiditis in one case and antritis in the other. Abscesses were removed by means of a neurosurgical trans-occipital approach. Computer tomography detected "volume formations" in the cerebellum but failed to differentiate between an abscess and tumor. It is concluded that in such cases antrotomy (mastoidotomy) is not necessary.     

Old vaccines for new infections: Exploiting innate immunity to control COVID-19 and prevent future pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unparalleled pursuit of vaccines to induce specific adaptive immunity, based on virus-neutralizing antibodies and T cell responses. Although several vaccines have been developed just a year after SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2019, global deployment will take months or even years. Meanwhile, the virus continues to take a severe toll on human life and exact substantial economic costs. Innate immunity is fundamental to mammalian host defense capacity to combat infections. Innate immune responses, triggered by a family of pattern recognition receptors, induce interferons and other cytokines and activate both myeloid and lymphoid immune cells to provide protection against a wide range of pathogens. Epidemiological and biological evidence suggests that the live-attenuated vaccines (LAV) targeting tuberculosis, measles, and polio induce protective innate immunity by a newly described form of immunological memory termed “trained immunity.” An LAV designed to induce adaptive immunity targeting a particular pathogen may also induce innate immunity that mitigates other infectious diseases, including COVID-19, as well as future pandemic threats. Deployment of existing LAVs early in pandemics could complement the development of specific vaccines, bridging the protection gap until specific vaccines arrive. The broad protection induced by LAVs would not be compromised by potential antigenic drift (immune escape) that can render viruses resistant to specific vaccines. LAVs might offer an essential tool to “bend the pandemic curve,” averting the exhaustion of public health resources and preventing needless deaths and may also have therapeutic benefits if used for postexposure prophylaxis of disease.     

Two types of NP-NP associations in influenza virus-infected cells

Two types of NP-NP associations are shown to form in the influenza virus-infected cells. Early NP synthesis gives rise to NP associations stabilized by relatively weak bonds. These structures are designed as NP multimers. The high protease- and heat-sensitivities allow NP-multimers to be regarded as incompletely folded proteins. Post-translationally, NP-multimers transform to compact NP associations (NP oligomers) that are relatively highly heat-and protease-resistant. The NP-multimers untransformed to the folded compact NP-oligomers accumulate in the cells and partially degraded. Whether both types of NP-NP associations may be of significance is under discussion.     

Activation of the human homologue of the Drosophila sina gene in apoptosis and tumor suppression.

Developmentally regulated genes in Drosophila, which are conserved through evolution, are potential candidates for key functions in biological processes such as cell cycle, programmed cell death, and cancer. We report cloning and characterization of the human homologue of the Drosophila seven in absentia gene (HUMSIAH), which codes for a 282 amino acids putative zinc finger protein. HUMSIAH is localized on human chromosome 16q12-q13. This gene is activated during the physiological program of cell death in the intestinal epithelium. Moreover, human cancer-derived cells selected for suppression of their tumorigenic phenotype exhibit constitutively elevated levels of HUMSIAH mRNA. A similar pattern of expression is also displayed by the p21waf1. These results suggest that mammalian seven in absentia gene, which is a target for activation by p53, may play a role in apoptosis and tumor suppression.     

Use of a three-component scheme of immunosuppression on morphologic and immunohistochemical changes of transplants in the early postoperative period

Three-component (cyclosporin A, corticosteroids and azathioprine) immunosuppression has been widely introduced in the treatment of recipients of renal transplants because it allows a significant reduction of the components' doses in greater effectiveness. The analysis of the results of 83 puncture biopsies obtained in the immediate postoperative period after kidney transplantation has shown that administration of an imidazole derivative allows raising therapeutic concentration of cyclosporin up to 200-300 ng/ml, thus preventing rejection crises. However, increased blood concentration of cyclosporin does not increase its toxicity as a result of a significant fall in the overall level of the metabolites.