[Predictors of epilepsy in children after ischemic stroke]. / Prediktory formirovaniya epilepsii u perenesshikh ishemicheskii insul't detei.

AIM: To determine clinical/instrumental predictors of symptomatic epilepsy after ischemic stroke in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty-six patients, aged 0-15 years, with the diagnosis of ischemic stroke (ICD-10 I63.0-I63.9) were examined. The duration of the study was 18 months - 12 years. Patients were stratified into post-stroke (n=22) and control (n=114) groups, the latter included patients without epilepsy regardless of the presence of convulsive seizures in the acute stage of stroke. Predictors were determined based on EEG and characteristics of convulsive syndrome in the acute stage of stroke. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The following prognostic criteria were found: generalized type of seizures, focal type of seizures with secondary generalization, epileptiform (peak and/or peak-wave) activity, focal character of epileptiform activity, generalized type of seizures in the combination with slow wave background activity on EEG, generalized type of seizures in the combination with slow wave activity and disorganized activity on EEG.

[The inherited procoagulant and prothrombotic condition as the main etiological factor for ischemic stroke in infants].

The data on the risk factors and etiology of ischemic stroke in 31 infants, aged under 3 years, are summarized. The results of genotyping of blood coagulation and folic acid gene polymorphisms in patients and 83 healthy people are presented. Significant differences were found for -455 G>A FGB (р=0.03) and 807 C>T ITGA2 (р=0,005) polymorphisms. Different gene-gene combinations that can cause hypercoagulation and arterial thrombosis in this age were identified. The most frequent combinations include polymorphisms of genes for FGB, fibrinolysis system and folate cycle enzymes (OR=3,79 and more, p<0.05). A clinical case of ischemic stroke in a girl, aged 10 months, after operated congenital heart malformation is presented.

[Use of omaron in patients with post-stroke cognitive disorders].

Efficacy of omaron (a combination of piracetam 400 mg and cinnarizin 25 mg) has been studied 3 months after stroke in 90 post-stroke patients. Forty-five patients receiving the basic therapy (antihypertensive and antithrombotic drugs, statins) have been included in the control group and 45 patients of the main group received in addition omaron (1 pill 3 times daily during 2 months). Intensity of neurologic disturbances, degree of disability, cognitive functions assessed by neuropsychological tests (the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Frontal Assessment battery, the Five words test, the Clock drawing test, the Schulte test) and emotional state (the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, the Spilberger scale) have been measured. During the period of the study, none of the patients had stroke or myocardial infarction. The improvement of indices of neurological status, decrease of disability degree and normalization of arterial pressure were found in both groups after 2 months of treatment. The significant improvement (p<0,05) of performance on tests for neurocognitive functions and parameters of emotional state was noted in patients treated with omaron compared to those of the control group. The good tolerability of omaron, absence of serious side-effect in combination with other drugs used for prevention of secondary stroke were reported.

[Influence of cultivation time and composition of growth medium on formation of capsule, quantity and immunological properties of Pasteurella multocida capsular antigen].

Results of study of capsule formation and immunologic properties of capsular antigen of attenuated strain LA-25 of Pasteurella multocida grown on liquid medium from non-food materials and Hottinger's broth depending on cultivation time are presented.

[Characterization of Escherichia coli strains O157:H7, isolated on the territories of the Central Federal District].

The characterization of E.coli strains O157:H7, isolated from humans and animals on some territories of the Central Federal District, is presented. Among the isolates from human outbreaks, related and, probably, related cultures prevailed, while among the isolates obtained from different animals mainly unrelated cultures have been detected. A conclusion has been made concerning the existence of several independent zoonotic reservoirs of E. coli O157:H7 infection on this territory. The advantages and drawbacks of the use of pulse electrophoresis in the characterization of E. coli O157:H7 are discussed. Grounds are given for the necessity of the patients examination with hemorrhagic enetrocolitis for the presence of E. coli O157:H7, as well as for the expediency of having a special item for the registration of this E. coli infection in relevant statistical forms.

Distribution and characterization of Campylobacter spp. from Russian poultry.

The distribution of Campylobacter spp. on 13 poultry farms (broiler chicken, quail, pheasant, peacock, and turkey) from eight regions (Vladimir, Vologda, Voronezh, Kaluga, Liptsk, Moscow, Orenburg, and Orel) in Russia was surveyed. Intestinal materials were plated onto Campylobacter-selective medium and plates were incubated microaerobically at 42 degrees C for 24 or 48 h. Identification was based on colonial morphology, microscopic examination, and biochemical tests; latex agglutination assays were used for confirmation. In total, 116 isolates were derived from 370 samples. Isolation rates were similar, regardless of whether the birds were from small or large broiler production farms. Susceptibility of 48 representative (from these production sources) strains of Campylobacter spp. to 38 antimicrobial compounds was determined by disk diffusion assays. All strains tested were sensitive to amikacin, gentamycin, sisomycin, chloramphenicol, imipenem, oleandomycin, erythromycin, azitromycin, and ampicillin. The strains were also sensitive to 100 microg/disk of carbenicillin, fluoroquinolones, and to nitrofurans. Fluoroquinolone sensitivity was most notable and may be related to its limited application in poultry production within Russia. Hippurate and ribosomal RNA gene primers were developed and used to distinguish Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli and to provide a measure of strain discrimination. The combination of PCR analysis and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) typing were conducted for selected isolates. The various poultry species and the different locations yielded Campylobacter isolates with discrete randomly amplified polymorphic DNA patterns. The distribution and substantial diversity of Campylobacter spp. isolates appears similar to that previously reported in other countries.

Purification and some properties of lysostaphin, a glycylglycine endopeptidase from the culture liquid of Staphylococcus simulans biovar staphylolyticus.

This work presents a method for purification of lysostaphin, a glycylglycine endopeptidase, from the culture liquid of S. simulans biovar staphylolyticus to homogeneity in a few steps. The method includes ultrafiltration and ion-exchange and hydrophobic chromatographies. The enzyme was isolated in preparative amounts with the yield of 51%. Some physical and chemical properties of the enzyme are described.

Use of trinitrophenylation for quantification of protease and peptidase activities.

A sensitive and precise method for quantifying protease and peptidase activities is suggested. N-Terminal amino groups of peptides which are formed during hydrolysis of the substrates react with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS), and the trinitrophenyl (TNP) derivatives are determined spectrophotometrically. Spontaneous hydrolysis of TNBS is considerably diminished on trinitrophenylation at pH 7.4 rather than at pH 9-10 as is usually used. The trinitrophenylation method can be used to determine the initial rate of hydrolysis and the kinetics of reactions catalyzed by proteases and peptidases.

[Bacterial IgA1-protease: production, properties and prospects for use]. / Bakterial'nye IgA1-proteazy: poluchenie, svoistva, perspektivy primeneniia.

Some pathogenic bacteria have been demonstrated to secrete specific IgA1-proteases, the enzymes cleaving the molecules of the first subclass of human immunoglobulin (IgA1) in the single point from the hinge with the formation of Fab- and Fc-fragments. Cleavage generally deprives immunoglobulins having defense properties and the enzymes are considered as pathogenic factors. How to determine the activity, purification, and the promises of use of IgA-proteases is described. Whether inactivated meningococcal IgA1-protease as a vaccine against any of the five (A, B, C, Y, W135) serotypes of pathogenic meningococci is discussed.

[Fatal outcome caused by lysthenon in a child at the early stage of primary myopathy]. / Letal'nyi iskhod, vyzvannyi listenonom u rebenka s nachal'noi stadiei pervichnoi miopatii.

A child aged 3 years 10 months with latent early stage of primary myopathy died during surgery for left-side cryptorchidism after injection of lysthenon. Asystole, the immediate cause of death, was caused by release of potassium ions from skeletal muscles into the blood. Myopathy was diagnosed at autopsy by histological examination of the diaphragm and mm. pectoralis major and gastrocnemius.

[Staphylococcus aureus-lysing enzymes: isolation and some properties of lysostaphine]. / Fermenty, liziruiushchie zolotistyi stafilokokk. Poluchenie i nekotorye svoistva lizostafina.

The authors investigated a procedure for isolating lysostaphine, a complex of enzymes that lyse the cells of virtually any S. aureus strains in the fermenter and large bottles. It was shown that the activity of the enzyme in the fermenter might be much higher than in the flask. The enzyme can be concentrated on the hollow fibers, purified on the ion exchanger and kept without decreasing its activity within a year. The process can be scaled and, lysostaphine may be used in the treatment of man and animals after its proper biological tests.

[A digital radiographic device for medical diagnosis]. / Tsifrovaia rentgenograficheskaia ustanovka dlia meditsinskoi diagnostiki.

The paper outlines a digital radiographic device which records radiation by scanning with a one-dimensional multiwire proportional chamber connected on-line to a computer. The device drastically reduces a dosage load on patients, improves the diagnostic potentialities of projectional radiography, yields quantitative diagnostic information, creates special diagnostic programmes, has fast-access and fire-safe archives. The device may be used for general-purpose radiographic examinations and it has advantages when used instead of conventional fluorographs.

[Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae: plasmids, resistance to antibacterial drugs]. / Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae: Plasmidy, ustoichivost' k antibakterial'nym preparatam.

The plasmid profile, virulence and antibacterial drug susceptibility of various strains of E. rhusiopathiae were determined. No correlations between the virulence of the strains, their antibiotic resistance and the plasmid content were detected. Structural and functional analysis of one of the isolated plasmids was carried out to use the plasmid as a vector in the genetic study of E. rhusiopathiae.

[Possibilities of using Salmonella cya, crp mutants as vectors of an oral recombinant vaccine]. / Vozmozhnost' izpol'zovaniia mutantov cya, crp sal'monell v kachestve vektorov rekombinantnoi vaktsiny oral'nogo primeneniia.

The Salmonella typhimurium B-2/1 double mutant with cya and crp mutations was obtained by a recombination process. The mutant exhibited a low virulence and inability to utilize citrate. In terms of these properties, the mutant differs from the wild-type strain. The mutant is able to persist in the body of mice, cattle, and monkeys, provoking the immune response to its oral administration.

[Role of physical properties of laser radiation in light absorption by heme-containing biological molecules]. / O roli fizicheskikh kharakteristik lazernogo izlucheniia v pogloshchenii sveta gemosoderzhashchimi biologicheskimi molekulami.

Influence of space and time coherence, spectral density and polarization of laser radiation upon the light absorption by hemolyzate, oxyhaemoglobin and catalase is studied experimentally. It is shown that the main physical factor of laser radiation defining the light absorption by the analysed biological molecules is time coherence and hence, the monochromatic property of laser beam.