[The status of the immunity system in diphtheria]. / Sostoianie sistemy immuniteta pri difterii.

The complex study of cell-mediated and humoral immunity characteristics, as well as nonspecific protective factors, in 30 diphtheria patients, 9 clinically healthy carriers and 54 healthy subjects was carried out. In healthy immunized subjects normal characteristics of all elements of immunity were observed in combination with high titers of antitoxins and sensitization of lymphocytes to diphtheria toxoid. In healthy carriers the presence of cell-mediated and humoral immunity to diphtheria was associated with disturbances of the metabolic activity of phagocytes and a decrease in the proliferation of lymphocytes in response to the mitogen. Diphtheria patients were found to have changes in all elements of immunity, especially pronounced in severe forms of the disease.

[Neurologic characteristics of diseases caused by Inkoo and Tahyna viruses]. / Nevrologicheskaia kharakteristika zabolevanii, vyzyvaemykh virusami Inko i Tiaginia.

Two principal forms of diseases caused by Inkoo and Tahyna viruses were observed, fever (25 pts, 61%) and neuroinfection (13 pts, 31.7%). In 3 (7.3%) subjects the infection was inapparent. Ten patients presented with mixed forms of infection (virus-virus or virus-bacterial). Clinical manifestations were characterized by marked polymorphism and low specificity. The onset was acute with expressed symptoms of infection and weak catarrhal manifestations. Of the patients with the neuroinfectious form of the disease 3 presented with aseptic meningitis, 2 with meningoencephalitis, and 5 with encephalitis. Aseptic meningitis was characterized by a combination of general infectious and moderately expressed meningeal syndromes with weak inflammatory changes in the spinal fluid. Encephalitides were associated with numerous neurological symptoms which manifested on days 3-7 of the illness. These symptoms were asymmetry of nasolabial folds, hemiparesis, dysarthria, dysphagia, generalized tremor, tongue deviation. No significant differences in the clinical manifestations of Inkoo and Tahyna infections were observed.

California serogroup virus infections in the Ryazan region of the USSR.

Serum samples from 60 people diagnosed in the summer of 1989 as having acute respiratory infections, meningitis or meningoencephalitis, acute pneumonia, Lyme disease, or other illnesses were tested by neutralization and hemagglutination-inhibition with Tahyna, Inkoo, and snowshoe hare viruses of the California serogroup (family Bunyaviridae, genus Bunyavirus). Demonstration of a diagnostic increase in antibody titers between paired serum samples from seven people showed that their illnesses were probably caused by Inkoo or Tahyna viruses. The clinical pictures were less specific. One patient had signs of meningoencephalitis, three had signs of meningitis, and three had influenza-like illnesses. These observations and other results suggest that California serogroup viruses are widespread in Russia and may account for an unexpectedly large number of presently undiagnosed febrile illnesses, some with central nervous system involvement.

[Complex treatment of toxoplasmosis in women with a history of severe obstetric problems]. / Kompleksnoe lechenie toksoplazmoza u zhenshchin s otiagoshchennym akusherskim anamnezom.

A total of 43 females with chronic required toxoplasmosis and habitual abortion were exposed to comprehensive investigation and etiological treatment with regard to toxoplasmosis. In the majority of cases combined involvement of various organs and systems was revealed. Treatment of 14 pregnant women in presence of threatened abortion positively affected not only the course and outcomes of advancing pregnancies but the development of future pregnancies as well.

[Cytochemical method for detecting dehydrogenase activity in the leukocytes of native blood smears]. / Tsitokhimicheskaia metodika vyiavleniia aktivnosti degidrogenaz v leikotsitakh nativnykh mazkov krovi.

A cytochemical method of detection of dehydrogenases in blood leucocytes is proposed. Native smears are dried up in the air to be incubated at 37 degrees C in gel-containing medium composed of polyvinyl alcohol, sucrose, a corresponding substrate, cofactors and inhibitors of cytochrome oxidases activity. Using corresponding media, activities of succinate, malate, glutamate, lactate-, alpha-glycerophosphate, alcohol, beta-oxybutyrate and glucoso-5-phosphate dehydrogenases were revealed. Half-reduced diformazan providing diffuse rosy staining of cells was removed after the incubation, and the incubation medium was washed out by rinsing the smears in 60% acetone solution. As a result monochromatic micropreparations may be received. Finally, smears are fixed in formalin. The above method provides a reduced loss of enzymes, preserves a good cell morphology and eliminates non-dehydrogenase effects of tetrazolium reduction into formazan.

[Errors in the diagnosis and tactics in the ambulatory management of patients with infections]. / Defekty diagnostiki i taktiki vedeniia infektsionnykh bol'nykh v ambulatornykh usloviiakh.

The authors discuss some defects in the diagnosis and primary treatment tactics in the management of infectious outpatients placed under observation of the district internists. The organizational and methodological measures aimed at the improvement of the diagnosis, polypragmasy control and reduction of the self-treatment hazard are suggested.