[Use of darunavir in HIV-infected women during pregnancy].

The use of antiretroviral drugs (ARVDs) in a mother and a child can reduce the risk of vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to less than 1%; therefore, highly active antiretroviral therapy is used in all pregnant women regardless of indications for HIV-infection treatment. The major requirements for choosing an ARVD to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission are its high safety for a pregnant woman, a fetus, and a baby and its high therapeutic efficacy. Clinical trials of darunavir (DRV) in adults and children have shown a high virologic response, good tolerance, and safety. Trials and observations have demonstrated the high efficacy and safety of a DRV when used in pregnant women. Pharmacokinetic studies in pregnant women have indicated the effective and well-tolerated concentration of a DRV when it is co-administered with low-dose ritonavir, which permits the use of a DRV for both the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission and the treatment of pregnant women who require antiretroviral therapy. The Russian clinical protocol "Use of ARVDs in the package of measures for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission" approved by the National Scientific Society of Infectiologists in 2013 recommends DRV as an alternative drug in antiretroviral therapy regimens for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission and to treat maternal HIV infection.

Effect of geometric modification of fumed nanoscale silica for medical applications on adsorption of human serum albumin: Physicochemical and surface properties.

The influence of the geometric modification (GM) of fumed nanoscale silica A300 (NS) on the adsorption capacity of human serum albumin (HSA) as well as the physicochemical and textural properties of the protein/nanosilica system was analyzed. An effective medical enterosorbent based on fumed nanosilica was designed and produced in the Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. To design an effective nanomaterial for biomedical applications as a wound-healing material, the adsorption, physicochemical and surface properties of the initial nanosilica (NS), nanosilica after geometric modification (GM-nanosilica), and HSA/nanosilica biocomposites were characterized. The differences in sorption capacities, acid-base, textural, and surface properties of the obtained materials were monitored using the diffuse UV-vis reflectance spectroscopy, the potentiometric titration of suspension, the nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, the scanning electron microscopy with the energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis and the digital optical microscope. For a deeper understanding of the nature of immobilized HSA molecules on the nanosilica and GM-nanosilica, the surface functional groups were characterized by the FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that the adsorption properties, physicochemical and textural characteristics of fumed nanoscale silica depend on the mechanical treatment time (tMT) and bulk density (db). In fact, as the tMT increases, the db of initial fumed nanosilica increases, and the protein adsorption capacity decreases, however, it remains at an acceptable level: 0.075 g/g, 0.056 g/g, 0.032 g/g for GM-nanosilica after 1, 4, and 7 h of mechanical treatment, respectively. HSA adsorption significantly changes the surface morphology, acid-base character, and structure of both unmodified and modified nanosilica.

Successive interaction of pairs of soluble organics with nanosilica in aqueous media.

Successive interaction of different pairs of water-soluble polymers (poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)), proteins (bovine serum albumin (BSA), ovalbumin, gelatin, and ossein), and smaller organics such as lecithin (1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine, SOPC) and Aethonium (1,2-ethylene-bis(N-dimethyl carbodecyl oxymethyl) ammonium dichloride) with nanosilicas A-300 (S(BET)=232 and 297 m(2) g(-1)) and A-50 (S(BET)=52 m(2)g(-1)) was studied using dynamic light scattering, adsorption, and infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy methods. Time-dependent rearrangement of particle size distributions (PSDs) depicts appearance of both smaller and larger aggregates for silica/PEG(I-first adsorbate)/BSA(II-second adsorbate) and silica/PVP(I)/BSA(II) (i.e., BSA adsorbs onto PEG/silica or PVP/silica) than that for silica/organic compound I. However, in the cases of PVA(I)-BSA(II) and PVA(I)-SOPC(II) a similar effect is not observed because only increased aggregation occurs. The successive equilibrium adsorption of similar pairs shows a diminution of the adsorption of the second compound (gelatin, ovalbumin) with increasing amount of the first adsorbed polymer (PEG or PVP).

HIV-1 seroprevalence rates in women and relinquishment of infants to the state in St Petersburg, Russia, 2002.

The effectiveness of rapid HIV-1 testing and nevirapine prophylaxis for HIV-infected mothers without prenatal care has been shown. We found that from 1998 to 2002, HIV-1 seroprevalence in women giving birth in St Petersburg, Russia increased 100-fold: from 0.013% to 1.3% (p<0.0001). HIV-1 seroprevalence was 8% (114 of 1466) in women without prenatal care and 1% (376 of 37645) in those with prenatal care (p<0.0001). All 376 HIV-1-infected women with, and 41% (47 of 114) of HIV-1-infected women without prenatal care received intrapartum antiretroviral therapy (p<0.0001). In women who were HIV-1 positive, 26% (30 of 114) of those without prenatal care and 4% (13 of 371) of those with prenatal care relinquished their infants to the custody of the state, compared with 1% (354 of 37 621) of HIV-1-negative women (p<0.0001).

Morphology and surface properties of fumed silicas.

Several series of fumed silicas and mixed fumed oxides produced and treated under different conditions were studied in gaseous and liquid media using nitrogen and water adsorption-desorption, mass spectrometry, FTIR, NMR, thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC), photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), zeta potential, potentiometric titration, and Auger electron spectroscopy methods. Aggregation of primary particles and adsorption capacity (Vp) decrease and hysteresis loops of nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms becomes shorter with decreasing specific surface area (S(BET)). However, the shape of nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms can be assigned to the same type independent of S(BET) value. The main maximum of pore size distribution (gaps between primary nonporous particles in aggregates and agglomerates) shifts toward larger pore size and its intensity decreases with decreasing S(BET) value. The water adsorption increases with increasing S(BET) value; however, the opposite effect is observed for the content of surface hydroxyls (in mmol/m2). Associative desorption of water (2(SiOH)-->SiOSi+H2O) depends on both the morphology and synthesis conditions of fumed silica. The silica dissolution rate increases with increasing S(BET) and pH values. However, surface charge density and the modulus of zeta-potential increase with decreasing S(BET) value. The PCS, 1H NMR, and TSDC spectra demonstrate rearrangement of the fumed silica dispersion depending on the S(BET) value and the silica concentration (C(SiO2)) in the aqueous suspensions. A specific state of the dispersion is observed at the C(SiO2) values corresponding to the bulk density of the initial silica powder.

Interaction of poly(ethylene oxide) with fumed silica.

Interaction of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, 600 kDa) with fumed silica A-300 (SBET = 316 m2/g) was investigated under different conditions using adsorption, infrared (IR), thermal analysis (TG-DTA), AFM, and quantum chemical methods. The studied dried silica/PEO samples were also carbonized in a flow reactor at 773 K. The structural characteristics of fumed silica, PEO/silica, and pyrocarbon/fumed silica were investigated using nitrogen adsorption-desorption at 77.4 K. PEO adsorption isotherm depicts a high affinity of PEO to the fumed silica surface in aqueous medium. PEO adsorbed in the amount of 50 mg per gram of silica (PEO monolayer corresponds to CPEO approximately 190 mg/g) can disturb approximately 70% of isolated surface silanols. However, at the monolayer coverage, only 20% of oxygen atoms of PEO molecules take part in the hydrogen bonding with the surface silanols. An increase in the PEO amount adsorbed on fumed silica leads to a diminution of the specific surface area and contributions of micro- (pore radius R < 1 nm) and mesopores (1 < R < 25 nm) to the pore volume but contribution of macropores (R > 25 nm) increases with CPEO. Quantum chemical calculations of a complex of a PEO fragment with a tripple bond SiOH group of a silica cluster in the gas phase and with consideration for the solvent (water) effect show a reduction of interaction energy in the aqueous medium. However, the complex remains strong enough to provide durability of the PEO adsorption complexes on fumed silica; i.e., PEO/fumed silica nanocomposites could be stable in both gaseous and liquid media.

Contamination of some avian species with viruses of the leukosis-sarcoma complex.

Contamination of 8 avian species with leukosis viruses was studied. An insignificant portion of sera from 4 and 24 months old chickens contained neutralizing antibody to 3 sero-types (A, B and D) of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV). Sera from guinea-fowl reacted positively in the neutralization test only with the RSV-RAV-1 strain. None of the Peking duck and semi-domestic Maran fowl sera was found to contain antibody to RSV strains. Twenty-five and 6.6% of embryos derived from 7-8 and 24 to 30 months old chickens respectively, 30% of liver specimens from 3-4 months old chickens 3.3% of liver specimens from adult guinea-fowl and 72% of liver specimens from Maran fowl contained the group-specific leukosis complement-fixing antigen (gs-antigen). Duck embryos and livers from 24-30 months old chickens, crows, sparrows, rooks or jackdaws contained no gs-antigen. Duck embryos did not react and ducklings reacted poorly to inoculation with RSV whereas guinea-fowl embryos and chickens proved to be highly susceptible to RSV.

[HIV infection: the psychological indices at different stages of the disease]. / VICh-infektsiia: psikhologicheskie pokazateli na raznykh stadiiakh bolezni.

The pronounced forms of depression and the levels of neuro-psychical adaptation and subjective control (attitude to the disease) were studied in 27 patients with HIV infection. 14 patients were at stage A, 8 patients were at stage B and 5 patients were at stage C of the CDC classification (1994). Starting from the early stages of the disease, neuro-psychical adaptation disturbances were noted: at stage A 10 patients belonged to group 5 of health, at stage B 8 patients and at stage C 2 patients. Most of the patients (15) had a low level of subjective control, 12 patients exhibited a medium level, which should be taken into consideration in prescribing and carrying out curative and diagnostic procedures.

[HIV infection in children perinatally infected]. / VICh-infektsiia u detei s perinatal'nym infitsirovaniem.

During the period from 1987 to the middle of 1996 only 20 children were born of HIV-infected women, while during the following 1.5 years the number of such children were 59, the maximum number of seropositive children being registered in Kaliningrad and the Kaliningrad region, in the Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol and Nizhny Novgorod (altogether 46 children). Out of 79 children born of HIV-infected mothers during the whole period of the epidemic, 8 children died. Out of the children born before 1995 who remained alive, 9 children were struck off the register after 3 years of observation due to the absence of HIV infection. By the end of 1997 63 children were registered, the majority of them born in 1996-1997.

[The clinical course of HIV infection in children who were parenterally infected]. / Klinicheskoe techenie VICh-infektsii u detei s parenteral'nym putem infitsirovaniia.

The data on the study of the clinical course of HIV infection in 127 children, 124 from these infected in nosocomial foci. The overwhelming majority of the children were infected at the period of their stay in hospitals of Elista, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Shakhty (Rostov Province) and Stavropol'. At the end of 9-9.5 years elapsed since the appearance of the first documented cases of parenteral infection 33 children (26%) died. The study revealed that at the age under 1 year the course of HIV infection could rapidly progress into the stage of AIDS in the presence of aggravated premorbid background linked with the unfavorable course of pregnancy in the mother and a severe disease in the child prior to contacting HIV infection.

[The characteristics of the course of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients and prophylactic measures]. / Osobennosti techeniia tuberkuleza u VICh-infitsirovannykh i mery ego profilaktiki.

Morbidity in HIV infection and tuberculosis in persons having these two infections in association was analyzed. According to the data for the end of the first quarter of 1997 the presence of association of HIV infection with tuberculosis was found in 91 patients. In 70.3% of cases HIV infection was contacted before the appearance of tuberculosis and in 18.7% of cases, after it; in 11% of cases the order of appearance of these two diseases could not be established. The study revealed that the markedness of the clinical picture of tuberculosis was determined by the progress of HIV infection.

[Problems of designing cardiac monitoring systems]. / Problemy proektirovaniia kardiomonitornykh sistem.

The paper considers one of the ways of solving the problems arising from the design of up-to-date monitoring systems. It describes a Karmon 01M multifunctional fixed monitor manufactured by SEM (Systems of Electronics and Medicine), which may include as many as three randomly chosen modules and replace software for new versions.

[Operative control of the status of a patient based on variations in heart rate using information criteria]. / Operativnyi kontrol' sostoianiia patsienta po variatsiiam ritma serdtsa s pomoshch'iu informatsionnykh kriteriev.

In 22 patients who were in a resuscitative unit the authors analyzed variations in cardiac rhythm by using informative criteria. It was shown that varying severity of a patient's status was characterized by different values of the informative criterion chosen and obtained from an analysis of appropriate time cardiac interval sequence. The presented results suggest that in terms of the information theory, the analysis of cardiac rhythm is principally suitable for operative control of the functional state of the patient who is in an intensive care unit.

Structural, textural and adsorption characteristics of nanosilica mechanochemically activated in different media.

The structural, textural, and adsorption characteristics of mechanochemically activated (MCA) fumed silica A-300 as dry or water, ethanol, or water/ethanol-wetted powders (0.5 g of a solvent per gram of silica) in a ball mill for 1-6 h were studied in comparison with those of the initial powder. The MCA treatment enhances bulk density (ρ(b)) of the powder (from 0.045 g/cm(3) for the initial silica to 0.4 g/cm(3) for 6 h-MCA-treated water-wetted silica) depending on medium type and MCA time (t(MCA)). Stronger effects are observed for the MCA treatment of water-wetted silica than of dry or ethanol- or water/ethanol-wetted samples. The MCA treatment weakly affects the specific surface area (S(BET)). However, void (pore) size distribution, porosity, particle aggregation and size distribution in aqueous suspension, behavior of interfacial water, properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/silica composites and adsorption of gelatin depend more strongly on the t(MCA) and ρ(b) values. Some of the observed changes in the characteristics (e.g., gelatin adsorption) depend on the ρ(b) value but are independent of the medium type used on the MCA. Other characteristics are nonlinear functions of both t(MCA) and ρ(b) values.