SELECTION OF THE ACTIVE PHAGES AGAINST B.FRAGILIS FOR FURTHER STUDY OF THRAPEUTIC PERPECTIVES.

B.fragilis is an obligate anaerobic commensal colonizing human intestines and carries number of physiological functions. At the same time B.fragilis is commonly isolated from the septic clinical samples and due to its capsule represents one of the provoking agents for abscess development. Enterotoxigenic B.fragilis (ETBF) strains also increase the likelihood of developing colon cancer. Increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens led to the high demand to alternative antimicrobials. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy already practiced for a century in some of the Post-Soviet countries including Georgia has been suggested as a substitute of antibiotics. It should be noted that this study is the first attempt to isolate virulent B.fragilis phages for further therapeutic application as all phages known up until now were used for detection of fecal water contamination only. The aim of the study was to isolate B.fragilis specific phages for their further use against infections caused by this bacteria Eighteen B.fragilis strains were isolated from human feces using conventional microbiological methods and precise identification was done via MULDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Three ETBF strains were provided by the University of Ghent (Belgium). Three lytic phages (ФVA7, ФMTK and ФUZ-1) of Siphoviridae family were isolated from the waste water samples collected in Tbilisi and in Ghent using conventional phage isolation and enumeration techniques. Electron microscopy was used for the visualization of the phage particles. To determine lytic activity of the isolated phages and estimate their antimicrobial efficacy the spot test assay and efficiency of plating (EOP) were studied using 18 clinical strains of B.fragilis and 12 intestinal commensal strains related to Bacterioides spp. and Parabacterioides spp.. Although according to the spot test results two of the isolated phages expressed high specificity to B.fragilis demonstrating broad host range within this species, however EOP results showed that only ФVA7 can be selected as the best candidate for the model in vitro tissue culture experiments aiming demonstration of the therapeutic and prophylactic potential of phages against ETBF and/or NETBF.

Treatment characteristics in elderly.

The pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of medications, their therapeutic and toxic effects are age dependant. In the treatment of old people polypharmacy is widely used. The most common results of polypharmacy are increased adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions. In this study the use of different medications at the Departments of General Medicine and Cardiology (Tbilisi Republic Hospital) was analyzed. The case histories (1995, 2000 and 2005) of 1708 patients were studied. It was found that in 2005 the number of 60 years and older patients has doubled comparably with 1995, but the number of 24-44 years old patients remained almost the same. The complication rate was higher in elderly as compared with younger patients. It was found that in treatment of elderly population hypotensive drugs, diuretics and cardiac glycosides are used excessively. In the case of excess use of antihypertension medications there is a big risk of developing arterial hypotension. In old people it may lead to orthostatic hypotension, in youth - to dizziness. The frequent use of diuretics in old people may be accompanied with dehydration and risk of developing thromb formation. Hyponatraemia, hypokalaemia, hypomagnesemia lead to heart rhythm disturbances and risk of glycoside intoxication. In old people the therapeutical doses of diuretics depend not only on their biological activity, but also on the ability of their absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, on the organism's resistance and in the case of repeated intake on their cumulation quality and extraction.

[Activity of natural killer cells and their sensitivity to interferon in aged mice]. / Aktivnost' normal'nykh killerov i ikh chuvstvitel'nost' k interferonu u starykh myshei.

The authors studied the activity of natural killers in young and old mice and effects on this activity of interferon and its inducer (synthetic polynucleotide poly-I:C). The activity of natural killers as indicated by the 51Cr-release microtest and the content of the cells that recognize and lyse the target cells, determined in isolated conjugates in agarose were appreciably lower in old mice than in young ones. Administration of poly-I:C or interferon to the animals (or interferon treatment of splenocytes in vitro) led to an increase in the activity of natural killers in young mice, with no significant effect on old animals' cells.