[Interferonogenic activity of the strain BH-3 duck hepatitis virus type I (Picornaviridae: Avihepatovirus: Avihepatovirus A)].

INTRODUCTION: Duck viral hepatitis type I (DVH-I) is a poorly studied contagious disease caused by RNA-containing duck (Anatinae) hepatitis virus type I (Picornaviridae: Avihepatovirus: Avihepatovirus A). This infection is widespread in many countries, including Russia, and causes significant damage to industrial duck breeding. The study of interferonogenic activity of its etiologic agent strains is of great importance in solving the problem of developing effective means to control the disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Strain BH-3 of duck hepatitis virus type I isolated from the liver of sick ducklings was used in the study. The strain was adapted to developing 10-12 day old duck embryos, to the cell culture of chicken and duck fibroblasts and deposited in the State Collection of Viruses of the D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology of FSBI «National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after the honorary academician N.F. Gamaleya¼ of the Ministry of Health of Russia. Experiments were performed using the standard tissue culture method. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Data on the ability of the viral strain BH-3 to induce interferon (IFN) and its sensitivity to the action of exogenous interferon in the culture of duck fibroblasts are presented. It has been shown that the interferonogenic activity of this strain of the hepatitis virus is in direct proportion to the multiplicity of infection. The maximum induction of IFN (1 : 256 CEPD50) was observed at a dose of 1.0 TCD50/cell in 72-96 hrs after inoculation of the cell culture. Exogenous IFN at a dose of 1 : 128 completely suppressed the cytopathic effect and death of duck embryos infected with hepatitis virus at a dose of 100 TCD50/cell. CONCLUSION: The data obtained allow us to state that the vaccine strain BH-3 of duck hepatitis virus type I has a pronounced interferonogenic activity and sensitivity to the action of exogenous IFN. This may have implications for the development of effective therapeutic agents against DVH-I.

α-Galactosidase A/lysoGb3 ratio as a potential marker for Fabry disease in females.

Fabry disease (FD [MIM:301500]) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the GLA gene. Deficient activity of its product, lysosomal enzyme α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A), leads to excessive accumulation of glycosphingolipids in cells of multiple organs. The establishing of the diagnosis is challenge in female patients because of milder clinical manifestation and normal α-Gal A activity. The globotriaosylsphingosine (lysoGb3) is described as a more sensitive diagnostic biomarker for females with pathogenic mutation in the GLA gene. Thus, the aim of this study is to improve the biochemical diagnostic efficiency for FD in females. Here we report the α-Gal A/lysoGb3 ratio as the novel biochemical criteria for diagnosis of female patients with FD, using dried blood spots (DBS) as test samples. It showed 100% sensitivity in distinguishing our group of 35 female patients from control (n = 140). Whereas measurement of α-Gal A and lysoGb3 alone showed 8.6% and 74.4% respectively. A new approach of using the ratio of α-Gal A activity to lysoGb3 concentration in DBS may provide a more accurate screening tool for identification of FD females.

THE KINETICS OF THE INACTIVATION OF THE HEPATITIS VIRUS TYPE I (AVIHEPATOVIRUS, PICORNAVIRIDAE).

Experimental data on the kinetics of the inactivation of the vaccine strain of the duckling hepatitis virus of the type I with increased temperature and aminoethyl ethylenimine are presented. It was shown that the vaccine strain 3M-UNIIP of the hepatitis virus of ducklings of type I was comparatively thermostable at 56°C and sensitive to the action of aminoethyl ethylenimine; the time of complete inactivation of the virus at a final concentration of 0.1% at 37°C was 24 h. The obtained results suggest that aminoethyl ethylenimine can be used as an inactivator in manufacturing inactivated vaccine against viral hepatitis of ducklings of type I.

Maternal transmission of a ring chromosome 15.

A 5-year-old boy with Silver-Russell-like phenotype and developmental delay was found to have a ring chromosome 15. The same r(15) was found in his slightly mentally retarded mother with mild dysmorphism. Analysis of the literature showed 34 families with direct vertical transmission of a ring autosome. In 30 of these families abnormal chromosomes were inherited from the mothers; both maternal and paternal transmission was shown in different generations of one family; and only in 3 families ring chromosomes were inherited from the fathers. The possible explanations of preponderance of maternal transmission are briefly discussed.

[Role of the pulmonary surfactant in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma]. / Rol' surfaktanta legkikh v patogeneze bronkhial'noi astmy.

The submitted data from the published literature coupled with findings from the authors' own investigations underline the importance of the part that disturbances in the system of the pulmonary surfactant have in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. This permits regarding the substitution surfactant therapy with exogenous surfactants as a pathogenetically validated treatment modality for bronchial asthma as evidenced by the first positive results of its employment.

[Leukocyte indices in infections of premature infants]. / Leikotsitarnye indeksy pri infektsii u nedonoshennykh novorozhdennykh.

The problem of search for objective criteria for the prediction of infectious inflammatory conditions in preterm newborns is still a pressing one. The authors demonstrate the informative value of unsophisticated diagnostic tests--leukocytic indexes--in infections of the preterm newborns born to mothers excreting M. hominis and Ur. urealyticus during delivery.

[Use of a method of color assessment of states for studying the emotional sphere of patients with neuroses]. / Ispol'zovanie metodiki tsvetovoi otsenki sostoianii dlia izucheniia émotsional'noi sfery bol'nykh nevrozami.

Emotionality was studied in neurotic patients using the originally designed method of color-based emotional state assessment. Analyzed were the nature and course of color self-estimation of the on-going and optimal states, as well as their features in different types of neurosis. The method proved useful to verify the data obtained in verbal investigation.