[Design of equine serum-based Marburg virus immunoglobulin].

Immunoglobulin (Ig) against Marburg fever (MF) has been obtained from the equine serum. In terms of physicochemical and immunobiological properties, the obtained preparation corresponds to the quality of heterologous commercial immunoglobulins. The application of Marburg virus (MV) Ig with a titer of no less than 1:2048 by the emergency prevention scheme 1-2 hours after intraperitoneal inoculation of guinea pigs with MV in a dose of 20-50 LD50 protected 88-100% of the animals from death. MV Ig is recommended for emergency prevention of human MF.

[Chronic hepatitis B and C in renal graft recipients].

Clinical and morphological features of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), C (CHC), and B+C (CHB+C) were studied in 283 renal graft recipients. High total bilirubin serum levels were detected significantly more often in CHB and CHB+C patients vs. CHC patients. High ALT activity was noted in 65% of CHB patients and only in 45% of CHC patients (p = 0.003). Stable low activity of hepatitis prevailed in renal recipients; it was noted in 56.7% of CHB patients, 66.2% of CHC patients, and 62% of CHB+C patients. The character of pathomorphological liver changes in chronic viral hepatitis was studied in 53 renal graft recipients using puncture biopsy. Histopathological activity index (HAI, Knodell R.G. et al., 1981) witnessed a more severe liver lesion in CHB vs. CHC and CHB+C. Thus, inflammatory activity in CHB was found to be minimal or low in 13 patients, and moderate or high in 11 patients, whilst a minimal or low activity in CHC or CHB+C was found in 16 and 10 patients, respectively, and a moderate activity was detected only in two and one, respectively (p = 0.016 and 0.024 compared with CHB). Advanced hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis was significantly more frequent (p = 0.006) in CHB patients (eight out of 24) than in CHC ones (none out of 18). The rate of advanced sclerotic changes in CHB+C was lower (one out of 10 patients) than that in CHB, and similar to CHC. Thus, clinico-morphological manifestations were more prominent in renal graft recipients with CHB vs. CHC.

[Hemorrhagic (Marburg, Ebola, Lassa, and Bolivian) fevers: epidemiology, clinical pictures, and treatment].

The evaluation of the biological and epidemiological properties of Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, and Machupo viruses suggests that they are of social importance for health care authorities. The studies have created prerequisites to the development of reliable biosafety means against these pathogens. Particular emphasis is laid on the methods for infection diagnosis and on the studies to design specific protective agents--immunoglobulins and inactivated vaccines.

Serine-phosphorylated STAT1 is a prosurvival factor in Wilms' tumor pathogenesis.

Wilms' tumor (WT), one of the most common pediatric solid cancers, arises in the developing kidney as a result of genetic and epigenetic changes that lead to the abnormal proliferation and differentiation of the metanephric blastema. As activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) plays an important role in the maintenance/growth and differentiation of the metanephric blastema, and constitutively activated STATs facilitate neoplastic behaviors of a variety of cancers, we hypothesized that dysregulation of STAT signaling may also contribute to WT pathogenesis. Accordingly, we evaluated STAT phosphorylation patterns in tumors and found that STAT1 was constitutively phosphorylated on serine 727 (S727) in 19 of 21 primary WT samples and two WT cell lines. An inactivating mutation of S727 to alanine reduced colony formation of WT cells in soft agar by more than 80% and induced apoptosis under conditions of growth stress. S727-phosphorylated STAT1 provided apoptotic resistance for WT cells via upregulation of expression of the heat-shock protein (HSP)27 and antiapoptotic protein myeloid cell leukemia (MCL)-1. The kinase responsible for STAT1 S727 phosphorylation in WT cells was identified based upon the use of selective inhibitors as protein kinase CK2, not p38, MAP-kinase kinase (MEK)1/2, phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, protein kinase C or Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). The inhibition of CK2 blocked the anchorage-independent growth of WT cells and induced apoptosis under conditions of growth stress. Our findings suggest that serine-phosphorylated STAT1, as a downstream target of protein kinase CK2, plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of WT and possibly other neoplasms with similar STAT1 phosphorylation patterns.

[Use of guinea pigs for assessing the efficacy of vaccines against Lassa fever]. / Ispol'zovanie morskikh svinok dlia otsenki éffektivnosti vaktsin protiv likhoradki Lassa.

The use of guinea pigs as a laboratory model was proven to be appropriate in investigating the vaccines developed against Lassa fever at the preclinical study stage. An adapted variant of Lassa virus was cultivated, which caused death of guinea pigs with respect for an agent's dose. Finally, it was shown to be possible to investigate the immunogenic and protective properties of the inactivated antigen of Lassa virus in experiments with guinea pigs.

[Effectiveness of cycloferon in treating virus-associated inflammatory gynecologic diseases]. / Effektivnost' tsikloferona v lechenii virusassotsiirovannykh vospalitel'nykh ginekologicheskikh zabolevanii.

Cycloferon, a low molecular weight interferon inducer synthesized in Russia, was used for treating chronic acute gynecological inflammations. The etiology of diseases was mixed in the majority of cases. Clinical efficacy of the drug was 79%. Cycloferon, an antiviral immunomodulating drug, is recommended for combined therapy of chronic and acute gynecological inflammations.

[New approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases of the adnexa uteri]. / Novye podkhody v diagnostike i lechenii vospalitel'nykh zabolevanii pridatkov matki.

The paper summarizes follow-ups of 2500 patients with inflammatory diseases of the uterine appendages, provides evidence for the benefits of laparoscopic diagnosis and treatment of all types of this condition, which makes it possible to verify the diagnosis and perform less traumatic organ-sparing operations. To use combined antiinflammatory antibiotic therapy in view of the etiology of inflammation, as well as immunomodulators is the requisite condition for treating acute types of a disease. The new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases of the uterine appendages substantially improved therapeutical outcomes and maintained female reproductive function.

[Comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of ofloxacin in comprehensive treatment of acute inflammatory diseases of the uterus and uterine appendages]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka éffektivnosti ofloksatsina v kompleksnom lechenii ostrykh vospalitel'nykh zabolevanii matki i pridatkov.

Ofloxacin was used in the complex therapy of acute inflammatory diseases of the uterus and uterine appendages. The patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 included 15 patients treated with ofloxacin in a dose of 200 mg administered intravenously twice a day for 4 to 6 days. After that period the drug was used orally in the same dosage for 4 to 6 days. Group II was control and included 20 patients treated with some other broad spectrum antibiotics such as amplox, gentamicin and 3rd generation cephalosporins. Because of the disease severity in 33 patients they were subjected to surgical operations. The clinical recovery was stated in all the 35 patients. However, by a complex of the indices the efficacy of ofloxacin was higher than that of the other antibiotics. An improvement of the general state (no headache or weakness and normalization of the body temperature) was observed in the patients of group I 2-3 days earlier as compared to the patients of group II. Purulent discharge from the genitalia ceased 3-4 days earlier in the patients of group I by comparison with the control patients. Good tolerance of ofloxacin was observed and no severe adverse reactions were recorded.

[Preparation of hyperimmune horse serum against Ebola virus]. / Poluchenie giperimmunnoi loshadinoi syborotki protiv virusa Ebola.

Immunization of horses with Ebola virus resulted in production of specific virus-neutralizing antibodies with their maximal level attained on days 28 to 42 postimmunization. Repeated cycles of immunization lead to increase of antibodies titer to 1:4096.

[The prevention of the adhesive process after surgical interventions in gynecological patients in the reproductive period]. / Profilaktiki spaechnogo protsessa posle khirurgicheskikh vmeshatel'stv u ginekologicheskikh bol'nykh v reproduktivnom periode.

Dynamic laparoscopy making use of special tubes was carried out in 149 patients (30 with acute inflammatory diseases of the uterine tubes, 80 following reconstructive surgery on the tubes suffering from tuboperitoneal sterility, 9 operated on the internal genitals). Repeated laparoscopic examinations were carried out in the course of 14 days, every 2-3 days. The course of the postoperative period was assessed by the presence of adhesions, hyperemia, edema, and exudation. Adhesions were separated, during mixtures were delivered including antibiotics, corticosteroids, enzymes, rheopolygluquins; chromohydrotubations was carried out. Dynamic laparoscopy in patients with inflammatory diseases of the internal genitals helped detect positive results 2-3 days after intensive care was started and prevent adhesions. This method appears to be particularly valuable if used after inflammatory processes and interventions on the internal genitals in young, more so in nulliparous women planning to have children in future.

[The isolation of hyperimmune horse serum to the Ebola virus]. / Poluchenie giperimmunnoi loshadinoi syvorotki k virusu Ebola.

Immunization of horses with Ebola virus resulted in the production of specific virus-neutralizing antibody with maximum titres at 28-42 days. Repeated cycles of immunization led to a rise in antibody titres to 1:4096.

[Experimental Lassa fever in hamadryas baboons]. / Eksperimental'naia likhoradka Lassa u pavianov gamadrilov.

Intramuscular or aerogenic inoculation of baboons with Lassa virus reproduced a severe form of the disease which clinically, pathoanatomically and virologically resembles the severe form of human Lassa fever reported in the literature. The severity of monkey infection is demonstrated by rapid development of symptoms of general toxicity in the presence of fever, manifestations of hemorrhagic diathesis, high level of viremia and isolation of the causative agent from nasopharyngeal washings.

[The therapeutic efficacy of ribamidil and virazole in experimental Lassa fever in monkeys]. / Terapevticheskaia éffektivnost' ribamidila i virazola pri éksperimental'noi likhoradke Lassa u obez'ian.

The therapeutic efficacy of ribamydil and virasol was evaluated in experimental Lassa fever in monkeys which received these drugs at various intervals after the onset of the clinical illness. Ribamydil or virasol administered in the first day of fever protected from death 60% to 66% of the infected animals, but when the drugs were given 2 days after the onset of fever the number of survivors declined to 0.20%. When the treatment was started 4 days after the onset of fever none of the drugs prevented deaths of Lassa virus-infected baboons.

[Comparative evaluation of the antiviral efficacy of virazole and ribamidil in experimental Lassa fever in monkeys]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka protivovirusnoi éffektivnosti virazola i ribamidila pri éksperimental'noi likhoradke Lassa u obez'ian.

Lassa virus administered to monkeys aerogenically induced in these laboratory animals a fatal disease modelling the severe course of human Lassa fever. It was demonstrated experimentally that ribamydil, a Soviet analogue of virasol, as well as foreign commercial virasol was therapeutically effective in experimental Lassa fever in aerogenically infected monkeys.