Combined surgical and immunotherapeutic treatment of patients with fourth stage colon cancer.

Sixty-five patients with the fourth stage colon cancer were subjected to the combined surgical and immunotherapy. The following conclusions are made: (1) surgical elimination of the bulk of tumor mass is a necessary prerequisite for effective immunotherapy; (2) vaccination with autological tumor cells accompanied with bacille bilié de Calmette-Guérin (BCG) as the adjuvant and with interleukin-2 as the immunostimulator effectively prevents metastasizing after successful surgery; (3) the vaccine must necessary contain living tumor cells adequately presenting tumor antigens; and (4) in some cases, immunotherapy causes undesirable autoimmune complications. They can be registered by corresponding inflammation control methods.

[Genotyping of Shigella flexneri 2a strains isolated from patients with acute dysentery in St. Petersburg]. / Genotipirovanie shtammov Shigella flexneri 2A, vydelennykh ot bol'nykh ostroi dizenteriei v S.-Peterburge.

Polymerase chain reaction with universal primers (UP-PCR) was used for the genotyping of 76 S.flexneri 2a cultures isolated from patients with acute dysentery in infectious and psychoneurological hospitals of St. Petersburg. 9 types were determined, and each of them included cultures with identical UP-PCR patterns. The population of the infective agent was more heterogeneous in psychoneurological hospitals where the change of types was registered in May-September 1995. Some of these types were probably epidemic strains. UP-PCR was found to be a promising method increasing the efficiency of traditional epidemiological analysis.

[The prospects for using the genetically engineered surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) expressed by recombinant poxvirus strains as the basis for vaccines against hepatitis B]. / Perspektivy ispol'zovaniia genno-inzhenernogo poverkhnostnogo antigena virusa gepatitia B (HBsAg), ekspressiruemogo rekombinantnymi shtammami poksvirusov, v kachestve osnovy vaktsin protiv gepatita B.

The use of a recombinant poxvirus (RPV) strain, expressing HBsAg in the process of reproduction in different bioreactor systems under stationary and bioreactor conditions of cultivation, made it possible to obtain highly purified HBsAg. The identity and purity of HBsAg was confirmed by the analysis of its amino acid composition, SDS electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, electron microscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography. Good prospects of the use of RPV-expressed gene engineering HBsAg as the basis vaccines against hepatitis B was demonstrated in 10 experimental batches of vaccine. All batches of the preparation had pronounced immunogenicity and were safe and nontoxic in animal experiments. The ID50 of experimental batches did not exceed 211 ng/ml, which, according to the data of comparative experiments, was lower than, or equal to, corresponding values of analogous foreign commercial preparations, based on plasma or yeast HBsAg.

[The virus-inhibiting activity of a preparation obtained from a mussel hydrolysate]. / Virusingibiruiushchaia aktivnost' preparata, poluchennogo iz midiinogo gidrolizata.

Antiviral properties were found with a preparation obtained from mussel meat by acid hydrolysis. In the experiments in vitro this mussel hydrolysate reduced the infectious activity of influenza viruses in neutralization tests by 3-6 log. Applications of the preparation to mice infected with a toxigenic influenza virus strain protected from death 66-84% of the animals, the survival rate in controls being from 9 to 16%. The protective effect of mussel hydrolysate was observed both after intranasal and oral administrations. The optimal protective effect was obtained when the preparation was used 5-24 hours before inoculation.

[Expert research on sera yielding false-positive results for HIV antibodies during screening]. / Ekspertnye issledovaniia syvorotok, daiushchikh lozhnopolozhitel'nye rezul'taty na antitela k VICh pri skrininge.

The significance of different serological methods and assay systems for the verification of false positive cases of HIV infection has been analyzed on the basis of materials obtained in arbitration studies. As demonstrated by this analysis, the use of such highly specific and sensitive systems as Huma-Lab, Enzygnost, Serodia and Erythrorecombinant has made it possible to obtain a reliable result as early as at the first stage of expert diagnosis in the enzyme immunoassay and the agglutination test. The methods of radioimmunoprecipitation and indirect immunofluorescence have permitted a more precise differentiation of doubtful results than that achieved by immune blotting.

[Clinico-epidemiological analysis of the cases of HIV infection in the north-western region of Russia]. / Kliniko-épidemiologicheskii analiz sluchaev VICh-infektsii v Severo-Zapadnom regione Rossii.

The paper provides an epidemiological characterization of HIV infection spread in a Russia's large region with more than 10 million people. The epidemiological findings show that the significant onset of HIV infection occurred among the population in this region in mid 1988. Homosexuals and bisexuals are prevalent among the HIV-infected, sexual contact is the main mode of HIV transmission. In addition to delivery of HIV infection from foreign countries, there are cases of local transmission. The clinical evidence indicates that most HIV-infected people are asymptomatic. Herpes viruses, Mycobacteria tuberculosis, Toxoplasma and fungi are common among causative agents of AIDS-related infections.

Principles of selective inactivation of viral genome. VI. Inactivation of the infectivity of the influenza virus by the action of beta-propiolactone.

The kinetics of inactivation of the infectivity of the influenza virus by beta-propiolactone have been studied. Rate constants have been determined for inactivation of the A/Leningrad/385 (H3N2) and B/Leningrad/489/80 influenza virus under the action of beta-propiolactone on a virus-containing allantoic fluid and on a purified viral suspension. The data obtained allow calculation of the time required for inactivation of the influenza virus infectivity to a given extent in virus-containing solutions at any initial concentration of beta-propiolactone.

[The use of the indirect hemagglutination reaction for the serodiagnosis of HIV infection]. / Primenenie reaktsii nepriamoi gemaggliutinatsii dlia serodiagnostiki VICh-infektsii.

An assay system, based on the passive hemagglutination test and permitting the serodiagnosis of HIV infection with correct results in more than 99% of cases, has been developed. Three kinds of freeze-dried erythrocyte diagnostica (with shelf life exceeding 6 months), possessing high serological activity and sensitized with recombinant gene-engineering polypeptides, have been obtained. The proposed assay system is highly promising for mass examination of sera for the presence of antibodies to HIV due to the simplicity of assay techniques, the possibility of storing the diagnostica within a wide range of temperatures (4 degrees-30 degrees C) and obtaining results in a short time (3 hours).

[A new method for the rapid diagnosis of acute streptococcal infection]. / Novyi metod ékspress-diagnostiki ostroi streptokokkovoi infektsii.

The work deals with the development of the rapid method of the identification of acute streptococcal infection on the basis of the coagglutination test. The rapid method of the extraction of group-specific polysaccharide antigen from the cell walls of group A streptococci is proposed. The data on the use of native sera and their fractions in the development of coagglutination diagnostica have been described and analyzed. The advantages of the new method of the diagnosis of acute streptococcal infection in comparison with the traditional microbiological method are shown.

[The results of using the molecular hybridization of nucleic acids in the complex study of nasopharyngeal smears from patients with influenza and other acute respiratory diseases]. / Rezul'taty ispol'zovaniia molekuliarnoi gibridizatsii nukleinovykh kislot v kompleksnom issledovanii nosoglotochnykh smyvov ot bol'nykh grippom i drugimi ostrymi respiratornymi zabolevaniiami.

A complex study of samples obtained from patients with influenza and other acute respiratory diseases has revealed that the laboratory methods used in this study can be rated in the following order according to their sensitivity: isolation of the virus in chick embryos, analysis of seroconversions in the hemagglutination inhibition test, immunofluorescent determination of viral antigens, determination of viral antigens by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), detection of RNA-containing viral structures by means of molecular hybridization. From the point of view of the possibility of documenting influenza A in patients, the best results are achieved by the combination of molecular hybridization and EIA techniques: 90% and more of all cases. A rational scheme for the examination of samples obtained from patients with a view to epidemiological study, including both traditional and new rapid diagnostic methods, is proposed.

[The use of commercial immunoenzyme and latex preparations for the demonstration of human rotavirus antigens]. / Ispol'zovanie kommercheskikh immunofermentnykh i lateksnykh preparatov dlia indikatsii antigenov rotaviusa cheloveka.

The results of using enzyme immunoassay and latex preparations for the diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis are presented. High effectiveness of the enzyme immunoassay system developed in the USSR with latex diagnostic agents, such as Rotalex (Orion Diagnostica, Finland), Slidex Rota Kit (BioMérieux, France), The Wellcome Rotavirus Latex Kit (Wellcome Foundation Ltd., Great Britain), 48-63% and 21-41% respectively, has been noted. The results of the comparison of the system developed in the USSR with Wellcozyme Rotavirus, an enzyme immunoassay system manufactured by Wellcome Foundation Ltd. (Great Britain), are practically comparable. The results of the block test and the confirmation test used for control indicate that the Soviet preparation is specific. Materials on the practical evaluation of the assay system at health institutions are presented. Good prospects for the use of this system in the diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis, as well as in the realization of epidemiological surveillance on this infection, are substantiated.

[Preparation of a staphylococcal immunosorbent sensitized by antibodies to the M-subunit of LDH]. / Poluchenie stafilokokkovogo immunosorbenta, sensibilizirovannogo antitelami k M-sub''edinitsam LDG.

A simple and rapid immunochemical procedure is developed for estimation of the LDH1 activity which involved separation of LDH1 from other LDH isoenzymes using immunosorbent. The immunosorbent consisted of killed Staphylococcus aureus cells, membrane of which contained protein A with absorbed antibodies towards M-subunits of porcine LDH.

Molecular hybridization with DNA probes as a laboratory diagnosis test for influenza viruses: further investigations on the possibilities of the method.

The possibilities of the molecular hybridization test, i.e. test, i.e. using neuraminidase probes of different subtypes for subtype specific detection of influenza, as well as different probes (PA, M, NP) for type A specific detection of influenza viruses in infected cells were shown. The results of molecular hybridization in washings' analyses from patients during the outbreaks give us an opportunity to make some conclusions about the usefulness of the method in epidemic control of influenza morbidity.

[Analysis of the potentials of molecular hybridization of nucleic acids as a method of the laboratory diagnosis of influenza]. / Analiz vozmozhnostei molekuliarnoi gibridizatsii nukleinovykh kislot kak metod laboratornoi diagnostiki grippa.

The possibilities of using the DNA copies of different genes of influenza A virus for the detection of virus-specific RNa by molecular dot hybridization have been studied. High specificity and sensitivity of the RNA determination techniques have been demonstrated, as well as the efficacy of using DNA probes with the sequences of conservative genes (polymerase, nucleoprotein and matrix genes) for the detection of influenza A virus subtypes H1N1, H2N2, H3N2 and probes with the copies of the corresponding hemagglutinin genes for the differential determination of subtypes H3N2 and H1N1. The complex analysis of nasopharyngeal washings has confirmed the efficacy of the dot hybridization method for epidemiological investigations, particularly for deciphering influenza outbreaks, especially those of mixed etiology.