Study of the Dynamics of Biofilm Formation and Elastase Activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Presence of Dodecanoyl-Homoserine Lactone.

We studied the effect of early accumulation of N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone on the suppression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa reproduction, biofilm formation, and elastase activity. N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone in various concentrations was added to the P. aeruginosa culture, and changes in the concentration of bacteria and the formation of biofilms were studied in dynamics. N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone in a concentration of 25 µM, decelerated proliferation of bacterial cells during the first 6 h of culturing (p<0.05) and stimulated biofilm formation after 18 h of culturing. Elastase activity of P. aeruginosa increased significantly after addition of N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone in a concentration of 0.75 µM.

[The stage of portal blood flow in patients with hemoblastosis combined with chronic hepatitis].

109 patients with hemoblastosis (HB) were examined. Average age was 31.8 +/- 1.4 years in group of lymphogranulomatosis patients, and 44 +/- 5.3 years in group of acute leukemia patients. Group of 46 patients with clinical laboratory signs of hepatic lesion was marked out. Since features of portal blood flow (PBF) revealed at dopplerography did not depend on hepatitis aetiology, all patients with chronic hepatitis were analyzed in one group. These patients were examined clinicobiochemically: functional hepatic tests, markers of viral hepatitis B and C, ultrasonic abdominal scanning, PBF dopplerography, puncture biopsy of hepar. All patients had PBF disturbances such as decrease of portal vein blood flow, increase of venous drainage of hepar and spleen. The degree of disturbances intensity increased depending on degree of chronic hepatitis activity (the index of histological activity) and hepatic fibrosis stage. Thus, presence of chronic hepatitis in HB patients regardless of aetiology, is the factor aggravating patients' stage and corrupting PBF. PBF disturbances (decrease of arterial and venous inflow and increase of venous outflow) and development of fibrous changes apparently related with compression of vessels by connective tissue around central veins, inside of lobules and among of hepatic cells. Consequence of it is including anastomosises in blood flow which leads to redistribution of PBF and portal hypertension forming.

Precision measurement of the quasifree pn-->dvarphi reaction close to threshold.

The quasifree pn-->dvarphi reaction has been studied at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY-Jülich, using the internal proton beam incident on a deuterium cluster-jet target and detecting a fast deuteron in coincidence with the K+K- decay of the varphi meson. The energy dependence of the total and differential cross sections are extracted for excess energies up to 80 MeV by determining the Fermi momentum of the target neutron on an event-by-event basis. Though these cross sections are consistent with s-wave production, the kaon angular distributions show the presence of p waves at quite a low energy. Production on the neutron is found to be stronger than on the proton but not by as much as for the eta meson.

Near-threshold production of phi mesons in pp collisions.

The pp-->ppphi reaction has been studied at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY-Jülich, using the internal beam and ANKE facility. Total cross sections have been determined at three excess energies epsilon near the production threshold. The differential cross section closest to threshold at epsilon=18.5 MeV exhibits a clear S wave dominance as well as a noticeable effect due to the proton-proton final-state interaction. Taken together with data for ppomega production, a significant enhancement of the phi/omega ratio of a factor 8 is found compared to predictions based on the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka rule.

Evidence for an excited hyperon state in pp --> pK+Y0*.

Indications for the production of a neutral excited hyperon in the reaction pp --> pK+Y0* are observed in an experiment performed with the ANKE spectrometer at COSY-Jülich at p(beam) = 3.65 GeV/c. Two final states were investigated simultaneously, viz. Y0* --> pi+X- and pi-X+, and consistent results were obtained in spite of the quite different experimental conditions. The parameters of the hyperon state are M(Y0*) = (1480 +/-15) MeV/c2 and gamma(Y0*) = (60 +/- 15) MeV/c2. The production cross section for Y0* decaying through these channels is of the order of few hundred nanobarns. Since the isospin of the Y0* has not been determined here, it could either be an observation of the sigma(1480), a one-star resonance of the Particle Data Group tables, or, alternatively, a lambda hyperon. Relativistic quark models for the baryon spectrum do not predict any excited hyperon in this mass range and so the Y0* may be of exotic nature.

[Prolit in the treatment and prophylaxis of nephrolithiasis]. / Prolit v lechenii i profilaktike nefrolitiaza.

In the course of prolit treatment there was a spontaneous evacuation of small concrements from renal calyces and ureters in 11 (27.5%) patients, dilution of the concrements and reduction in size of the latter were observed in prolit combination with blemaren (2 patients--5% and 7 patients--17.5%, respectively). Overall response was 50% while that to cyston--16.7%. Diuretic, anti-inflammatory and plastic actions of prolit manifested in 100% patients with disappearance of salts from urinary sediment, abatement of microhematuria and mild leukocyturia. Thus, prolit is a highly effective food additive in the treatment of nephrolithiasis and opens new perspectives in the treatment of urolithiasis.

a+0 (980)-resonance production in pp-->dK+K-0 reactions close to threshold.

The reaction pp-->dK+K(-)0 has been investigated at an excess energy of Q=46 MeV above the K+K(-)0 threshold with ANKE at the cooler synchrotron COSY-Jülich. From the detected coincident dK(+) pairs, about 1000 events with a missing K(-)0 were identified, corresponding to a total cross section of sigma(pp-->dK+K(-)0)=[38+/-2(stat)+/-14(syst)] nb. Invariant-mass and angular distributions have been jointly analyzed and reveal s-wave dominance between the two kaons, accompanied by a p wave between the deuteron and the kaon system. This is interpreted in terms of a(+)0 (980)-resonance production.

[Lung cancer in the elderly and middle-aged in Moscow and its surgical treatment]. / Rak legkogo u lits starshego i pozhilogo vozrasta v Moskve i ego khirurgicheskoe lechenie.

Lung cancer morbidity in Moscow in recent years is discussed. Two-thirds of the patients were 60 years of age or older. Lung cancer operability in Moscow has remained relatively stable accounting for 10-15%. The age distribution of the said parameter was as follows: patients under 60 years--30-32%; 60-69 years--12-14% and those over 70--4-5%. Results can be better if more middle-aged and elderly patients are operated on. The authors' clinical data on 842 surgical cases of lung cancer (males and females of varying age) are analysed.