A checklist of bat-associated macronyssid mites (Acari: Gamasina: Macronyssidae) of Russia, with new host and geographical records.

The family Macronyssidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) comprises mostly obligate blood-sucking ectoparasites of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) and some other animals, such as small mammals, reptiles and birds. Here, we document and curate previously known data, and, based on our extensive survey, provide this article of bat-associated macronyssid mites of the Russian Federation. We record a total of 24 mite species belonging to 4 genera (Ichoronyssus, Macronyssus, Steatonyssus, and Cryptonyssus). Twenty-seven new host-parasite associations are reported. In addition, were provide data on five major Russian regions, for which bat-associated mite records were lacking.

[ON THE ORIGIN OF HYPERVIRULENCE OF THE CAUSATIVE AGENT OF PLAGUE].

The attempt to combine Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis into one species has been unsupported by microbiologists due to the specific features of the epidemiology and clinical presentations of their induced diseases and to basic differences in their virulence. Pseudotuberculosis is predominantly a relatively mild human intestinal infection transmitted through contaminated food and plague is an acute generalized disease with high mortality, which is most frequently transmitted by the bites of infected fleas. Y. pestis hypervirulence, the ability of single bacteria to ensure the development of predagonal bacteriemia in rodents, which is sufficient to contaminate the fleas, is one of the main events during pathogen adaptation to a new ecological niche. By analyzing the data of molecular typing of the representative kits of naturally occurring Y. pestis isolates, the authois consider the issues of formation of intraspecies groups with universal hypervirulence, as well as biovars that are highly virulent only to their major host. A strategy for searching for selective virulence factors, the potential molecular targets for vaccination and etiotropic treatment of plague, is discussed.

MRI morphometry of the cerebral ventricles in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

A total of 27 right-handed patients aged 7-30 years with diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were studied using standard MRI scans. Of these, 14 were aged below 13 years. The volumes of the lateral ventricles were measured using T1-weighted MRI images of sagittal sections of the brain to a precision of 3 mm3. External head sizes were also measured to allow ventricle volumes to be normalized. All patients underwent complex neuropsychological investigations. Memory was assessed, along with visual, auditory, tactile, and spatial recognition functions and the motor and speech spheres. Test data were assessed in terms of the severity of impairments associated with one brain structure or another on a tenpoint scale. Assessment points were summed for each hemisphere, for the "first area" (cortical structures), and all structures for statistical analysis. Neuropsychological testing revealed functional impairments predominantly of the frontal areas of the hemispheres, the hippocampus, and the reticular formation. Neuropsychological deficits were least linked with alterations in the postcentral and parietal areas of the cortex. Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the normalized left lateral ventricle volume and the degree of neuropsychological impairments (r = 0.5127 at p = 0.0063) for the whole study group. The correlation was more marked on comparison of the normalized left ventricular volume and the severity of neuropsychological impairments related to the left hemisphere (r = 0.6303 at p = 0.0004). A relationship was seen between the volume of the intraventricular space and cortical functional impairments (r = 0.5071 at p = 0.0069) in patients less than 13 years old. A relationship between ventricular volume and linear head size was confirmed (r = 0.5759 at p = 0.0017), which was more marked in subjects less than 13 years old (r = 0.6833 at p = 0.01).

[MRI-parameters of frontal lobes in schizophrenia: correlations with the level of autoantibodies to nerve growth factor in the blood serum].

The relationship between MRI-parameters of frontal lobes and levels of autoantibodies to nerve growth factor (Aab-NGF) in the blood serum of patients with schizophrenia and their relatives was studied. The negative correlation between the Aab-NGF level and the total volume of frontal lobes (r= -0,59; p<0,01) was found in the group of patients. No significant correlations were found in the control groups of healthy subjects without family history of schizophrenia and relatives of patients. The authors concede that Aab-NGF may play a substantial role in the development of neuromorphological changes in schizophrenia.

[MRI morphometry of the brain ventricles in patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder].

Twenty seven right-handed subjects aged 7-30 years with the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were exposed to standard MRI examination. From them, 14 were younger than 13 years old. The volumes of lateral ventricles were measured using T1-weighted MR-images of the sagittal brain sections to within 3 mm3. External head radii were measured additionally to normalize ventricle volumes. All patients passed complex neuropsychological testing. Memory and functions of visual, auditory, tactile and spatial recognition, motor and speech spheres were examined. Test results were evaluated by the degree of disorders with reference to corresponding brain structures on a 10-point scale. Absence of disorders corresponded to 0 points and maximum intensity of was scored as 10. Disorder scores were summed up for each of hemispheres, the first area (cortical structures), and all structures. Neuropsychological testing revealed disorders, predominantly, in the frontal area, hippocampus and reticular formation. Neuropsychological deficit was minimally related to the disturbances in post-central and parietal cortical areas. Statistical analysis revealed significant positive correlation between normalized volume of the left lateral ventricle and neuropsychological disorder score (r = 0.5127, p = 0.0063) for the whole group studied. The correlation between the normalized volume of the left lateral ventricle with the disorder score related to the left hemisphere was more significant (r = 0.6303, p = 0.0004). At the same time, a correlation of the ventricle volume and the dysfunction of the cortical structures was revealed (r = 0.5071, p = 0.0069) in subjects younger than 13 years old. The study corroborated interrelation between the volume of ventricles and linear head dimensions (r = = 0.5759, p = 0.0017) which was more pronounced in younger subjects (r = 0.6833, p = 0.01).

[The dynamic localization of a dipole source of the alpha rhythm in the human brain]. / Dinamicheskaia lokalizatsiia dipol'nogo istochnika al'fa-ritma v mozge cheloveka.

In 11 subjects the dynamic localization (with 2-ms step) of the equivalent current dipole of alpha rhythm during travelling alpha waves was studied using one-dipole 3-layered spherical head model and MRI. The dipole was localized in the occipital cortex and during the development of a single alpha wave it shifted in one or another direction while dipole's moment revealed fan-like rotation mainly in sagittal and horizontal planes. The results obtained indicate changing localization of the alpha-rhythm source in the region corresponding to striate cortex. They seem to prove scanning hypothesis that is still under discussion.

[Modification of surface residues of lysine in immunoglobulin G using the spin marker 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-maleimidopyrrolidine-1-oxyl]. / Modifikatsiia poverkhnostnykh ostatkov lizina v immunoglobuline G spin-metkoi 2,2,5,5-tetrametil-3-maleimidopirrolidin-1-oksilom.

Exposed lysine residues of human IgG were modified by a spin-label, 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-male-imidopyrrolidine-1-oxyl at pH 9.2. Under these conditions, the degree of modification was about 10 lysine residues per protein molecule. The ESR spectrum of the spin-labeled immunoglobulin was much more mobile than that of spin-labeled immunoglobulin with the modification degree of about 1 residue that was obtained at pH 7.0. Thus, the sharp increase in the modification degree due to the increase in pH by two units leads to a marked loosening of the tertiary structure of the protein in solution, which is just indicated by the mobile ESR spectrum. Lithium chloride added to the solution of spin-labeled immunoglobulin induces a similar "immobilization" of its ESR spectra as sucrose.