The endoscopic bronchial picture of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis of various age groups

Endoscopic pictures of the bronchi were studied in 509 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis. Tuberculosis of the bronchi and its aftereffects such as cicatricial lesions were detected in 31.1 per cent of the children and adolescents, 7.9 per cent of the adults at the age of 18 to 29 years, 9.0 per cent of the adults at the age of 30 to 55 years and 14.7 per cent of the adults at the age of 56 to 75 years. Nonspecific endobronchitis was diagnosed in 27.9 per cent of the children and adolescents, 44.9 per cent of the adults at the age of 18 to 29 years, 46.3 per cent at the age of 30 to 55 years and 44.1 per cent at the age of 56 to 75 years. The incidence and nature of tuberculosis of the bronchi and nonspecific endobronchitis were not related to the patients' age.     

Determination of the sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to antibiotics using a synthetic liquid culture medium

Antibiotic sensitivities of 120 Ps. aeruginosa strains isolated from patients and environmental objects have been studied by microdilutions in modified Jorgensen's liquid synthetic nutrient medium. Use of "transitional" concentrations of antibiotics permits a simultaneous examination of the sensitivities of 7-8 Ps. aeruginosa cultures to 6-11 antibiotics. The simplicity, low price, low consumption of nutrient medium, sufficient accuracy and good reproducibility of the results recommend this method for laboratory practice.     

Action of remantadine on fusion of the lipid envelope of influenza a virus with plasma and internal membranes in lymphoblastoid cells

Department of Biomembranes, Research Center for Development and Introduction of Modern Methods of Molecular Diagnosis, Ministry of Health of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR I. P. Ashmarin.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 109, No. 5, pp. 483–485, May, 1990.     

Mutagenicity of gamma-radiation,mitomycin C,and etoposide in the Hprt and Tk genes of Tk(+/-) mice

The recently developed Tk(+/-) mouse detects in vivo somatic cell mutation in the endogenous, autosomal Tk gene. To evaluate the sensitivity of this model, we have treated Tk(+/-) mice with three agents that induce DNA damage by different mechanisms, and determined spleen lymphocyte mutant frequencies (MFs) in the autosomal Tk gene and in the X-linked Hprt gene. gamma-Radiation, which produces single- and double-strand breaks by nonspecific oxidative stress, efficiently increased Hprt MF, but not Tk MF. Mitomycin C, which produces bulky DNA monoadducts and crosslinks, was mutagenic in both the Hprt and Tk genes, but the response was greater in the Tk gene. An inhibitor of the ligase function of DNA topoisomerase II, etoposide, did not increase Hprt MF, and induced a small, but nonsignificant increase in Tk MF. Combined with previous data, the results indicate that the two genes are differentially sensitive to many agents, and that the Tk gene is more sensitive than the Hprt gene to some, but not all types of DNA damage.     

Effect of radioprotectors on cyclic AMP-dependent protein phosphorylation

The ability of radioprotectors (serotonin, aminoethylisothiouronium) in radioprotective doses to stimulate cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation of mouse liver cytosol and nuclear and spleen cytosol proteins in vivo was demonstrated. In experiments in vitro, the radioprotectors had no direct action on protein kinase activity or its stimulation by cyclic AMP. It is postulated on the basis of these results and those of previous investigations that activation of cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation is due to an increase in the intracellular cyclic AMP concentration under the influence of the radioprotectors.Laboratory of Radiation Biophysics, Department of Biophysics, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR S. E. Severin.) Translated from Byulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 87, No. 3, pp. 230–232, March, 1979.     

Alterations of arginase activity in scrapie-infected mice and in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

We followed the dynamics of arginase activity, the ultrastructural changes, and accumulation of the scrapie agent in the CNS of scrapie-infected mice. The arginase activity has been shown to increase 5-fold within the first 3-4 months of the incubation period followed by subsequent fall at its end. The peak of increased arginase activity coincided with appearance of multilayer membranes, whereas the decrease of this activity was associated with the greatest development of status spongiosus, synaptic degeneration, accumulation of five-layer membranes as well as with maximal accumulation of the scrapie agent in the CNS. Examination of 100 patients with different forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) revealed a 2-8-fold increase of arginase levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as compared with the background levels in the comparative groups of control patients. Similar enzyme alterations in scrapie--and in ALS--are discussed in terms of possible resemblance of their pathogenesis.     

Photodynamic action of concanavalin A-chlorin conjugate e6 on human fibroblasts

Laboratory of Biomembranes, Institute of Applied Molecular Biology, Ministry of Health of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR I. P. Ashmarin.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 109, No. 2, pp. 150–152, February, 1990.     

Electrophysiologic diagnosis of neurogenic bladder in children with myelodysplasia

Ninety-seven children with neurogenic bladder and myelodysplasia were subjected to complex examination. The somatic innervation of the sphincter urethrae externus and sphincter ani muscles was appraised by the method of sacral guided reactions by a CT-01 electromyograph and by an original method consisting in registration of the reflex response of the named anatomical structures according to the fluctuations of the intraurethral and intraanal pressure. It was established that maintained, partly disturbed, and absolutely absent somatic innervation of the sphincters of the bladder and rectum is encountered in patients with myelodysplasia. The more the innervation of the sphincters disturbed is, the more the urinary bladder is excluded from the "accumulation-evacuation" urodynamic cycle and the lesser the probability of disorders of urodynamics of the upper urinary tract is, and vice versa. The obtained information is important in choosing the therapeutic tactics for patients with a neurogenic bladder.