Structural-and-functional alterations in the arterial wall and clinical manifestations of nonspecific aortoarteritis.

The authors studied structural-and-functional properties of the arterial wall, also assessing elastic properties of the common femoral artery and the brachial artery flow-dependent dilatation (FDD) index in a total of thirty-six patients presenting with nonspecific aortoarteritis (NAA). The overwhelming majority of the patients, i. e., twenty-four (89%), showed a statistically significant decrease in the FDD as compared with the control-group patients (P<0.05). We revealed a statistically reliable (P=0.0005) inverse correlation between the level of systolic arterial pressure and an increase in the rigidity index of the common femoral artery wall. Also determined was a correlation of the femoral artery wall rigidity (systolic AP equalling 140 mm Hg and higher) and the brachial artery flow-dependent dilatation index (r=-0.61). All the patients suffering from non-specific aortoarteritis were diagnosed as having a decrease in the elasticity values, accompanied by an increase in systolic arterial pressure (r=0.36; P=0.07). Comparing the level of systolic arterial pressure with the values of the distensibility coefficient and compliance coefficient revealed a weak inverse correlation (r=-0.28 and 0.21, respectively). Evaluating the impact of duration of the disease on the distensibility coefficient, compliance coefficient and the rigidity index made it possible to detect a statistically significant (P=0.0039) direct correlation between the rigidity index and the duration of non-specific aortoarteritis. To a leaser degree, the duration of the inflammatory process influenced the distensibility coefficient and compliance coefficient (r=-0.28; r=-0.30, respectively; P=0.06).

[Dystrophin gene expression in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy after myoblast transplantation]. / Ekspressiia gena distrofina u bol'nykh miodistrofiei Diushenna posle transplantatsii mioblastov.

Based on originally designed technique of myoblast cultivation and in accordance with the approved by the Russian Ministry of Health "one muscle treatment" protocol of myoblast transplantation to the Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients, the first in Russia clinical trial of this gene correction method was carried out. Immonologically related myoblast cultures (30 to 90 million cells per patient) were injected after all preliminary procedures into tibialis anterior muscles of four boys selected from a group of volunteer recipients (Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients) based on the analysis of a number of surface antigens in donor-recipient pairs. The condition of the patients remained satisfactory during the whole period of post-transplantation follow-up (from 6 months to 1.5 years). Six months after myoblast transplantation the presence of donor DNA or dystrophin synthesis was demonstrated in muscle biopsies of three out of four patients. This result confirms efficacy and safety of the procedure used.

[Early antigens induced by cytomegalovirus in human tumor and leukemia cells]. / Rannie antigeny, indutsirovannye tsitomegalovirusom, v opukholevykh i leikoznykh kletkakh cheloveka.

Immunological methods (complement fixation test, immunofluorescence) demonstrated that the antigen associated with cytomegalovirus can be detected in some malignant and benign tumors and lymphoid cells in human leukemia. No antigen of the same specificity was found in tissues from the same patients and in normal donor lymphocytes.

[Association of retrovirus D with human malignant neoplasms]. / Assotsiatsiia retrovirusa D so zlokachestvennymi novoobrazovaniiami cheloveka.

Immunological methods of investigation (CFT, immunofluorescence and radioimmunoassay) showed that the antigen induced by retrovirus D was discovered in some malignant and benign human tumors of various localizations. No association of retrovirus D with human hemoblastoses could be established.

[HLA-antigens and some pathogenetic aspects of reactive arthritis]. / HLA-antigeny i nekotorye patogeneticheskie aspekty reaktivnykh artritov.

AIM: Investigation of associations of reactive arthritis (ReA) with histocompatibility antigens class I and II and determination of new approaches to assessment of association ReA with antigen HLA B27. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 118 ReA patients with associated intestinal and 82 ReA patients with associated urogenital infection were studied. The infection was identified bacteriologically, with agglutination reaction, enzyme immunoassay, direct and indirect immunofluorescence, culturing. HLA-antigens were studied in lymphocytotoxic test: locus A, B and C in all the patients, DR in 65 patients. RESULTS: ReA triggers were intracellularly parasite bacteria: facultative parasites in the enterocolitic variant (Yersinia, as a rule), obligate parasite in the urogenital (Chlamidia, as a rule). HLA B27 antigen was discovered in 77.5% of patients (RR 45.8), HLA DR1--in 48.4% of patients (RR 3.3). In urogenital variant HLA B27 antigen occurred more frequently than in enterocolitic: 87.8% (RR 95.6) versus 70.3% (RR 31.5); p < 0.01). In HLA-B27-positive patients compared to HLA-B27-negative ones there were higher ESR (p < 0.001), leukocyte count (p < 0.05), concentrations of CRP and alpha-2-globulins (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In HLA-B27-subjects optimal conditions exist for generalization of obligate parasites and favorable for production of facultative ones. The degree of association of ReA with HLA B27 antigens is dependent on adaptive features of microorganisms appearing in the process of evolution--obligaty and facultativeness of their internal parasitivity.

[Various aspects of the chronic course of Reiter's disease]. / Nekotorye aspekty khronicheskogo techeniia bolezni Reitera.

A comparative clinicolaboratory study of followed-up patients with a chronic (38 patients), acute and lingering (137 patients) course of Reiter's disease was conducted. The role of a persisting focus of infection in the genitourinary organs and genetic predisposition (HLA-B27 was detected in 100% of the cases) in the formation of a chronic variant of disease was shown. Sacroileitis, amyotrophy, bursitis and enthesitis developed more frequently in a chronic than in an acute variant; erosion in the joints was detected in over 40% of the patients. Morphological investigation of the synovial bioptates revealed a picture of chronic synovitis with superficial localization of an inflammatory process.

[Solid-phase method in determination of blood groups and rhesus factor]. / Tverdofaznyi metod opredeleniia grupp krovi i rezus-faktora.

A new method for identification of blood group and Rh factor on polystyrene plates has been developed. For blood group identification the test serum is fixed with fruglumines, for Rh factor identification antiglobulin serum is fixed with 10% gamma-globulin. Blood group and Rh factor were identified in 38 donors; the data indicate a high activity and reliability of typing test plates.

[Clinical and hematological significance of antigranulocyte autoantibodies]. / Kliniko-gematologicheskoe znachenie antigranulotsitarnykh autoantitel.

Sera of thirty patients with acute and chronic immune neutropenias for different target cells: polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL), macrophages, T and B lymphocytes are studied. An increase of the level of antigranulocyte antibodies is associated with a decrease of PMNL count, whereas a decrease of these antibodies' level is paralleled by an increase of the neutrophil count. It is noteworthy that the sera of patients with acute neutropenias contain autoantibodies similar to antibodies to CD13 antigen, which react mainly with the neutrophils. The sera of patients with chronic neutropenias contain antibodies similar to anti-CD45 antibodies and react with all target cells.

[Autolymphocytotoxins in the differential immunodiagnosis of chronic lympholeukemia and malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the leukemization stage]. / Autolimfotsitotoksiny v differentsial'noi immunodiagnostike khronicheskogo limfoleikoza i zlokachestvennoi nekhodzhkinskoi limfomy v stadii leikemizatsii.

The authors have investigated the possibility of using sera with cold auto-lymphocytotoxic antibodies for the differential diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and malignant non-Hodgkin's disease (MNHD) at the stage of leukemization. The new rapid immunologic method was approved in the diagnosis of 40 CLL and 52 MNHD patients. The high informative value of this method has permitted the authors to recommend its use as an additional procedure for the differential diagnosis of the above lympho-proliferative diseases.

[Preparation of universal anti-rhesus sera using soluble synthetic group A and B substances]. / Poluchenie universal'nykh syvorotok antirezus s pomoshch'iu rastvorimykh sinteticheskikh gruppovykh veshchestv A i B.

Isohemagglutinins alpha and beta were neutralized by soluble synthetic group A and B substances in group ++anti-rhesus sera. The investigations conducted have shown that water-soluble polymers A and B are efficient agents for the preparation of universal ++anti-rhesus sera. The neutralizing properties of synthetic and natural group A and B substances were comparatively studied.

[Antigen, common for mature human B- and T-lymphocytes, detected with the use of autolymphocytotoxins]. / Antigen, obshchii dlia zrelykh B- i T-limfotsitov cheloveka, obnaruzhivaemyi s pomoshch'iu autolimfotsitotoksinov.

The investigation of adsorption capacity of B- and T-lymphocytes in respect to autolymphocytotoxic antibodies (ALCTA) has shown that these two populations of mature cells have a common antigen against which ALCTA are directed. This antigen is insufficiently expressed of pathologic cells of patients with B-cellular variant of chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL). B-lymphocytes of patients with malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, hairy-cell leukemia, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia are more mature, as compared to those of CLL patients, and carry surface antigens to which autoantibodies are directed.

[Immunological and hematological reconstruction of recipients in bone marrow transplantation from closely related donors]. / Immunologicheskaia i gematologicheskaia rekonstruktsiia retsipienta pri transplantatsii kostnogo mozga ot blizkorodstvennogo donora.

Erythrocyte chimerism, graft versus host reaction, and course of disease were studied in patients subjected to bone marrow transplantation from 40 HLA identical sibs and 7 monozygotic twins. Disease relapses were observed in 35% of patients after allogenic and much more often in those after isogenic bone marrow transplantation. Relapses occurred in all patients subjected to transplantation from monozygotic twins. These results may be explained by the genetic and biological deficiencies of bone marrow cells from HLA identical sibs. 15% of recipients developed an acute graft versus host reaction after transplantation from HLA identical sibs; this is three times less than after transplantation from genetically unrelated donors, as reported elsewhere.