[Catalytic autoantibodies in autoimmune myocarditis: clinical and pathogenetic implications].

AIM: To evaluate pathogenetic and clinical significance of autoantibodies (AAB) with catalytic activity in the serum of patients with autoimmune myocarditis (AM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was made on the sera from 99 patients with AM of different course: malignant, benign, myocardiosclerosis (MCS). In addition to standard immunological parameters, the study was made of serum levels of anticardiomyosine-antiCM (protabzymes) and anti-DNA (DNA-abzymes) of AAB. After obtaining anti-CM and anti-DNA IgG-AT, we determined non-specific and specific proteolytic activity of anti-CM. RESULTS: Maximal specific activity of protabzymes was seen in 73% patients with malignant AM, it correlated with blood levels of anti-CM AAB, DNA-abzymes activity was very high in 45% patients. In MCS proteolytic activity of autoAT was absent in 61% patients. In benign AM occurrence of protabzymes was confirmed in 35% cases. Elevated DNA-hydrolyzing activity of DNA-abzymes occurred in 13% cases. The activity had no significant correlation with serum titers of AB. In MCS proteolytic activity of AAB was absent in 61% cases, but high activity of anti-CM AAB was in 28%. The activity of DNA-abzymes in 44% ranged considerably which, in seropositive cases, detected significant correlation with serum titers of DNA-binding autoAT. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of catalytic activity of AAB may be considered as a criterial test assessing the stage, clinical variants and severity of AM. It also permits formulation of the disease prognosis and its possible outcomes.

Catalytic autoantibodies in multiple sclerosis: pathogenetic and clinical aspects.

The significance of catalytic autoantibodies abzymes in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis was evaluated in patients with different disease patterns and severity of disability.

[Structural-functional study of recombinant forms of onconase]. / Strukturno-funktsional'noe issledovanie rekombinantnykh form onkonazy.

A method for expression of an onconase gene leading to a soluble form of the protein was developed. The enzymatic and cytotoxic properties of the protein's recombinant forms were studied. Recombinant onconase with an additional N-terminal Met residue isolated in nondenaturing conditions did not substantially differ from the native enzyme in ribonucleolytic activity. The addition of a 33-mer peptide containing auxiliary elements for the simplification of isolation and detection of the recombinant protein did not affect the enzyme properties of onconase. The method proposed is useful for the onconase structure-function relation studies and enables construction of onconase-based fusion proteins for anticancer therapy.

[Immunological aspects of laboratory diagnosis of chronic urticaria]. / Immunologicheskie aspekty laboratornoi diagnostiki khronicheskoi krapivnitsy.

High prevalence of allergic diseases necessitates search for new methods of laboratory diagnosis thereof. We studied the diagnostic significance of the count of cells expressing low-affinity receptors to IgE (CD23+ cells) and compared this test with skin tests with non-infectious allergens and measurement of total serum IgE. 104 patients with various forms of chronic relapsing urticaria were examined. The count of CD23+ cells was markedly increased in atopic urticaria. The increase in the count of these cells and correlation with the results of skin test were less expressed in infectious allergic urticaria. In other forms of chronic urticaria characterized by negative results of skin tests the count of CD23+ cells was normal. The level of total serum IgE was low virtually in all patients. Hence, the count of cells carrying low-affinity receptors to IgE is highly informative, detecting IgE-mediated reactions in the patients, though this parameter does not allow identification of the allergen. This test can be used in complex with other methods of allergodiagnosis, particularly in cases when skin tests are for this or that reason impossible.