[Thoracoscopy in verification and treatment of pleural exudate syndrome under conditions of a multifield hospital].

Under an analysis of results of treatment of 186 patients with pleural exudate syndrome there were 139 patients treated by traditional methods, 47 patients treated using the proposed medico-diagnostic program based on using thoracosopy under local anesthesia. Using the proposed medico-diagnostic measures can be used at any multifield hospital where patients with pleural exudate syndrome are admitted although the hospital has neither phthisiatrical nor phthisiothoracic departments.

[The immune response of viral hepatitis patients who use narcotic preparations]. / Immunnyi otvet u bol'nykh virusnymi gepatitasmi--potrebitelei narkoticheskikh preparatov.

The characteristics of cell-mediated and humoral immunity were studied in 611 patients with different etiological forms of acute virus hepatitides (HB, HC, HB + C, HC + HBsAg). As the result of the systematic abuse of psychoactive preparations, introduced by intravenous injection, in 166 patients (27.2%) drug addiction developed, ehile 445 (72.8%) patients had no addiction. The study revealed that in drug users with HB the secondary T-cell immunodeficiency of the hyposuppressor type in combination with depression in B-cell-mediated immunity (a decrease in the absolute number of B lymphocytes) could be registered, and in patients having no drug addiction the secondary T-cell immunodeficiency characterized by a decrease in the content of T helpers simultaneously with the increased content of T suppressors and B lymphocytes.

[Sulfated polysaccharides as inhibitors of receptor activity of P-selectin and P-selectin-dependent inflammation]. / Sul'fatirovannye polisakharidy kak ingibitory retseptornoi aktivnosti P-selektina i P-selektinzavisimogo vospaleniia.

The inhibitory effects of sulfated polysaccharides-fucoidan and heparin on P-selectin-ligand interaction in vitro and on the ability of fucoidan to inhibit the leukocyte extravasation in rat peritonitis were studied. The lectin activity of P-selectin in vitro was based on its ability to bind lectin-labeled synthetic ligand, Sialyl-Lea/x, conjugated with polyacrylamide (PAA). Fucoidan and heparin inhibited binding of labeled ligand to both purified P-selectin and the activated platelets expressing P-selectin on their surface. The inhibitory effect of fucoidan 100-fold higher than that of heparin. As P-selectin plays an important role at an earlier stage of the inflammation process, the antiinflammatory action of fucoidan on P-selectin-dependent peritonitis in rats was studied. Peritonitis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of the peptone solution and was characterized by an increase in total cell number and neutrophil percentage in rat peritone exudate. Intravenous injection of fucoidan was found to cause a dose- and time-dependent reduction of neutrophil extravasation into inflamed peritoneum. The minimal dose of fucoidan, that was able to produce 96.8 +/- 2.9% inhibition of neutrophil extravasation--if administered within the first 15 min after peptone-B was 0.8 mg per rat. Significant effect of fucoidan injection (about 80% inhibition) was also obtained 1.5 h after the induction of inflammation. Fucoidan administered 2.5 h after peptone had virtually no effect on neutrophil extravasation. The data obtained show that fucoidan blocks the inflammation process at its earlier stages--most probably at the expense of its interaction with P-selectin.

Fucoidan inhibits leukocyte recruitment in a model peritoneal inflammation in rat and blocks interaction of P-selectin with its carbohydrate ligand.

Neutrophil recruitment into systemic inflammatory sites in vivo is thought to be initiated by selectin-mediated endothelial adherence. The effect of fucoidan (natural sulfated polymer of L-fucose) on the selectin dependent PMN migration into rat peritoneum following the induction of inflammation by peptone injection was studied. Peritonitis was characterized by an increase in the total cell number (from 45.3 x 10(6) to 91.6 x 10(6)/rat), and by highly elevated PMN content (from 0.2% to 58%) in the rat peritoneal cavity 3 h after peptone injection. Intravenous administration of fucoidan was found to reduce, in a dose-dependent manner, neutrophil migration into peritoneum. Fucoidan in a dose as low as 0.8 mg per rat caused 96.8% reduction of neutrophil extravasation. The inhibitory effect of fucoidan was also dependent on the time intervals between the peptone and fucoidan injections. The maximal inhibitory effect of fucoidan was observed within the first 15 min after the induction of peritonitis and it was maintained at a level of 80% during 1.5 h. Administration of fucoidan 2.5 h after peptone injection had practically no effect on PMN extravasation. Since P-selectin is known to play a key role at the earlier stages of PMN extravasation, it was suggested that the inhibitory effect of fucoidan was mostly due to its interaction with P-selectin. The in vitro experiments demonstrated the high affinity of fucoidan for both isolated P-selectin and P-selectin in plasma membranes of activated platelets.

[Molecular mechanisms of receptor-mediated endocytosis and their use in directed transport of biologically active compounds]. / Molekuliarnye mekhanizmy oposredovannogo retseptorami éndotsitoza i ikh ispol'zovanie dlia napravlennogo transport biologicheski aktivnykh soedinenii.

The review considers the general and specific mechanisms of receptor-mediated endocytosis of various endogenic and exogenic bioactive compounds. The application of these mechanisms for developing of effective approaches to site-directed transport of bioactive compound to certain target cells and tissues and ways of their employment in biology and medicine are discussed.

[Chemical attachment of p-aminophenylgalactoside to acid alpha-glucosidase from human liver]. / Khimicheskoe prisoedinenie p-aminofenilgalaktozida k kisloi al'fa-gliukozidaze iz pecheni cheloveka.

Chemical modification of the COOH-groups of acid alpha-glucosidase from human liver by 1-ethyl-3 (3'-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide. HCl in the presence of rho-aminophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside was carried out. The presence of covalently bound galactose derivative in the enzyme was followed by changes in the absorption spectra and electrophoretic mobility during polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by the ability of modified alpha-glucosidase to interact specifically with castor-bean lectin (RCA II). The modified enzyme retained its catalytic activity towards maltose and did not differ from native alpha-glucosidase in terms of its affinity for this substrate, the Km values for maltose during 5 and 6 mM, respectively. The in vitro changes in the marker specificity of acid alpha-glucosidase against the unchanged catalytic properties of the enzyme are discussed.

[Effect of periodate oxidation on activity of acid alpha-glucosidase from human liver]. / Sokhranenie fermentativnoi aktivnosti kisloi al'fa-gliukozidazy pecheni cheloveka, podvergnutoi periodatnomu okisleniiu.

Treatment with sodium metaperiodate caused oxidation of carbohydrate residues in acid alpha-glucosidase (gamma-amylase). Efficiency of the oxidation was monitored by a decrease in specific binding of alpha-glucosidase with concanavaline A-Sepharose. The degree of oxidation reached 96% in a medium containing 0,011 M NaIO4, pH 5.5, within 120 min. The residual activity of oxidized alpha-glucosidase was about 77%. The rate of oxidation and residual enzymatic activity were shown to depend also on concentration of sodium metaperiodate and duration of the reaction.