[Effects of relic microorganism B. sp. on development, gaseous exchange, spontaneous motor activity, stress resistance and survival of Drosophila melanogaster].

The effect of relic microorganism B. sp., living in severe environment of Siberian permafrost during thousands and millions of years, on development and stress resistance of Drosophila melanogaster has been studied. In manipulating with such objects with practically "eternal life span", molecular carriers of the unprecedented longevity potential and possibilities of their transmission to other biological objects should primarily be addressed. Here we discuss for the first time the influence of B. sp. application on development, survival, stress resistance and the gross physiological predictors of aging rate in D. melanogaster. To establish optimal and toxic doses, wide range of B. sp. concentrations were tested (1-500 million cells of B. sp. per 1 ml of the flies feeding medium). Surprisingly, no toxic effects of B. sp. could be registered even on such a "sensitive" model as the developing larvae. In fact, the rate of development, survival and body mass gradually increased with elevation of B. sp. concentration. The gain of higher body mass within shorter periods of development could indicate enhanced anabolic and/ or declined catabolic effects of B. sp. Higher motor activity and gaseous exchange rates were observed in imagoes developed on the mediums with B. sp. application. Survival of these flies at the heat shock (30 min at 38 degrees C) and ultraviolet irradiation (60 min, 50W UV lamp) was increased, indicating elevated stress resistance, apparently due to stimulation of DNA-repair and chaperone-mediated protection of macromolecules. Further research is clearly warranted to identify more efficient anti-stress and antiaging preparations and schemes of B. sp. application on models of laboratory mammals and human cell cultures.

[The activity of gas metabolism, thermoregulation, and antioxidant enzymes in aging C57Bl/6 mice].

The distribution type and correlative links between physiological and biochemical indices characterizing functional condition of the systems of gaseous exchange (V(O2) and V(CO2)), thermoregulation (body temperature and coefficient of thermoconductivity) and antioxidant defense have been studied in 62 young (3-5 mo.) and 58 old (23-26 mo.) male C57Bl/ 6 mice. The coefficients of variation differed significantly depending on the variable but not the age-group. Mean values of V(O2) and V(CO2), body temperature and thermoconductivity, but not activities of the antioxidant enzymes, declined in aging. Moreover, the activities of catalase, glutathione-peroxidase and glutathionereductase, i.e. enzymes involved in regulation of hydrogen peroxide level, increased in aging. The correlations between V(O2) and V(CO2), V(O2) and body temperature or V(O2) and the liver pH, as well as between the antioxidant enzyme activities exhibited little age-changes. However, three-dimensional non-linear models revealed significant age-changes in relations between the studied variables.

[Mechanisms of nitric oxide activity in cardiovascular system as a basis of pathogenetic therapy of related diseases]. / Fundamental'ni mekhanizmy diï oksydu azotu na sertsevo-sudynnu systemu iak osnovy patohenetychnoho likuvannia ïï zakhvoriuvan'.

General characteristics and mechanisms of effects of nitric oxide (NO) and its role in the development of pathology are reviewed. Presented are the data about NO participation in the regulation of circulation and cardiovascular system; NO-dependent mechanism of regulation of cardiovascular reactivity against the background of dysfunction of endothelium; cGMP-independent mechanism of NO effect upon Ca homeostasis and the sensitivity of myofibrils of smooth muscle cells to Ca ions; pharmacological correction of disturbances of NO metabolism and related endothelial dysfunction; role of age changes of the endothelial function in the development of cardiovascular pathology.

[Correlative links between superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities in mouse liver]. / Korreliativnye sviazi mezhdu aktivnost'iu superoksiddismutazy, katalazy i glutationperoksidazy pecheni myshei.

Qualitative and quantitative differences in correlative and regressive links between superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase were assessed in the mice liver by two- and three-dimensional statistical methods. Paired linear correlation analysis indicated SOD-CAT tandem as the correlatively acting enzymatic pair. Three-dimensional analysis revealed uniform response surfaces which exhibited higher activities at disproportional values of the other two and lower activities at proportional activities of the other two enzymes. The direct effect of the enzymes on each other was positive [table: see text] while the effect of their product was always negative.

[Correlation between gaseous exchange rate, body temperature, and mitochondrial protein content in the liver of mice]. / Koreliatsiina zalezhnist' mizh hazoobminom, temperaturoiu tila ta vmistom mitokhondrial'noho bilka pechinki myshei.

Correlative and regressive relations between the gaseous exchange, thermoregulation and mitochondrial protein content were analyzed by two- and three-dimensional statistics in mice. It has been shown that the pair wise linear methods of analysis did not reveal any significant correlation between the parameters under exploration. However, it became evident at three-dimensional and non-linear plotting for which the coefficients of multivariable correlation reached and even exceeded 0.7-0.8. The calculations based on partial differentiation of the multivariable regression equations allow to conclude that at certain values of VO2, VCO2 and body temperature negative relations between the systems of gaseous exchange and thermoregulation become dominating.

Basic gerontology research in Ukraine: main trends.

The main trends of basic research in gerontology in Ukraine are presented in this paper. The greatest attention is paid to the directions of research which have been traditionally followed in Ukrainian gerontology, such as neurohumoral regulation of the activities of different organs and systems and mechanisms of its age-related changes, metabolism in ageing, age-related immunology, elaboration of the ways and approaches to life-span prolongation. In recent years, more attention has been paid to research into the molecular--genetic mechanisms of ageing, the development of genetic and gene-regulatory therapy methods, the study of the mechanisms of accelerated and, above all, radiation-induced ageing and the elaboration of prophylactic methods against it.

[The hypothalamic and brain stem mechanisms in the development of arterial hypertension during aging]. / Hipotalamichni ta stovburovi mekhanizmy formuvannia arterial'noï hipertenziï pry starinni.

Effects of stimulation of hypothalamic and brain stem nuclei on arterial blood pressure were studied in adult and old rabbits and rats. In aging, thresholds of pressor reactions due to stimulation of anterior and posterior hypothalamic areas were decreased, while thresholds of depressor reactions didn't change. Long-term stimulation of nuclei of anterior and posterior hypothalamic areas induced stable hypertension, more pronounced in old animals. In old rats, as compared to adult ones: pressor responses due to stimulation of N. tr. solitarius developed more often and thresholds of these reactions were lower; amplitude of pressor responses due to stimulation of locus coeruleus was higher; changes in ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei electrogram were induced by lower electric stimulation of locus coeruleus; pressor reactions due to intracerebroventricular norepinephrine injections developed more often; ouabain microinjections into cerebral ventricles and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei induced higher pressor reactions. Age-related changes in hypothalamic and brain stem mechanisms of blood pressure regulation may be of importance in development of arterial hypertension in old age.

[The hypothalamic mechanisms of the development of arterial hypertension in old age]. / Gipotalamicheskie mekhanizmy razvitiia arterial'noi gipertenzii v starosti.

The electrical activity of hypothalamic nuclei was found to change in accordance with changes in arterial blood pressure in old rabbits with reflexogenic hypertension. Stimulation of the hypothalamus induced an obvious increase in the blood pressure, considerable changes in cardiac activity, coronary insufficiency occurrence and alteration of the myocardium structure. An increase in excitability of the pressor structures of the anterior and posterior hypothalamic areas occurred with ageing. The age-induced changes in the hypothalamus could be either the primary mechanisms of development of hypertension, or they can be involved at later stages of the hypertension pathogenesis.

Self-care ability and institutional/non-institutional care of the elderly.

This paper discusses the relationship between demographic change, health status, self-care ability, and the needs of the elderly for medico-social care. The author introduces ASKORUSS, an instrument used to assess self-care ability and the need for assistance. ASKORUSS organizes the results of the assessment in a visually accessible and compelling way and can be used to determine the patient's needs for level of care, treatment, and rehabilitation. The instrument also can be used to evaluate the efficacy of an institution and its services, the outcomes of the care provided, as well as other purposes.

[Scientific prediction in the management system of gerontological studies in the USSR]. / Nauchnoe prognozirovanie v sisteme upravleniia issledovaniiami po gerontologii v SSSR.

The paper characterizes the current status of gerontological studies in the USSR, defines the directions in which the USSR is in the lead or behind other foreign countries, provides long-term predictions for developing the studies in gerontology in this country, outlines the measures needed for their implementation, and emphasizes the significance of the goal-oriented financing of priority research developments.

[Effect of adrenergic and cholinergic blocking agents on the intensity of RNA and protein biosynthesis in the liver of adult and old rats]. / Vliianie adreno- i kholinoblokatorov na intensivnost' biosinteza RNK i belka pecheni vzroslykh i starykh krys.

The uptake of labelled precursors of RNA and protein and their incorporation into corresponding macromolecules were studied in the liver of adult and old rats after pharmacological blockade of the adreno- and cholinoreceptors. The data obtained suggest direct neural regulation of transcription and translation intensity as well as the weakening of these mechanisms in aging.

[Gerontology in the USSR: yesterday, today and tomorrow]. / Gerontologiia v SSSR: vchera, segodnia, zavtra.

Main stages of the development of gerontological studies in this country are specified. The genetic mechanisms of aging, intra- and supracellular regulation, age-specific immunological shifts, and functional systems of the organism are defined as priority targets of research. More attention is to be focussed on the development of the biological age criteria, studies of interrelationships between aging and age-specific pathology, analysis of age factors underlying main diseases of the old, on the development and trial of new geriatric drugs, and the search for effective life-prolonging agents. In the field of social gerontology, special attention is to be paid to the research into the causes of relatively low life expectation in this country, the lifestyle rationale, and to the improvement of medico-social services for the elderly population.

[Morphofunctional characteristics of adrenal reactivity in rats of different ages]. / Morfofunktsional'nye osobennosti reaktivnosti nadpochechnikov krys raznogo vozrasta.

Ultrastructural peculiarities of the cortical and medullary substance of the adrenals have been studied in mature (8-month-old) and old (26-month-old) intact white male rats and in rats of the same age groups in 3 h after electrical stimulation of the hypothalamic ventromedial nuclei. By means of certain biochemical methods contents of hormones (corticosterone, adrenaline and noradrenaline) have been estimated, as well as that of cholesterin and ascorbic acid in blood and adrenal tissues. After the hypothalamus is stimulated in the mature rats, certain peculiarities in the adrenals reactivity are revealed; they demonstrate positive ultrastructural and functional correlation of secretory cells in the cortex and medulla and are characterized with hypertrophy of the nuclei, increased amount of polyribosomes, hypertrophied Golgi complex and canaliculi of the endoplasmic reticulum and increased contents of corticosteroids and catecholamines in blood. In the old rats after stimulation of the hypothalamus, certain unequal ultrastructural and functional peculiarities are revealed. They demonstrate both disturbance of the hypothalamic regulation of the adrenal function at ageing and decreased adaptive possibilities of the adrenal secretory cells at the subcellular level.

Age changes in the ultrastructure and function of rat adrenal glands during stimulation of the hypothalamus.

Studies were undertaken on the ultrastructure and function of the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla three hours after an electric stimulation of the ventromedial nucleus area of the hypothalamus in the adult and old albino rats. The electron microscopic and biochemical findings revealed a significant decrease in the hypothalamic control over catecholamine and corticosteroid syntheses in the old rats. The regulatory influence of the hypothalamus on the secretory activity of the adrenocortical and adrenomedullar cells showed an irregular pattern of changes during aging, i.e. a more marked impairment of the adrenal medulla and a less marked impairment of the cortex.

[Functional and ultrastructural changes in the adenohypophysis in obesity]. / Funktsional'nye i ul'trastrukturnye izmeneniia adenogipofiza.

The indices of some tropic adenohypophyseal functions of obese patients were compared with ultrastructural reaction of the adequate adenocytes of rats with experimental hypothalamic obesity. It was shown that in obesity significant functional and structural changes occur in adenohypophyseal cells, their extent being considerably associated with the excessive body mass. In pronounced obesity, a decrease in somato- and thyrotropic- and an increase in gonado- and corticotropic adenohypophyseal functions are seen, manifesting in ultrastructural changes of appropriate adenocytes. The results obtained allow a conclusion, that one of the mechanisms of obesity development is the changed secretory potency of adenohypophyseal cells, producing hormones, which exert a substantial influence upon lipogenesis and lipolysis processes.