[Results of the participation of 360 laboratories of Russia in the external quality assessment program for HBsAG tests].

During their first participation in the external quality assessment program (EQAP), 78-81% of the laboratories detect positive samples of control panels containing 0.125 IU/ml of HBsAg; 95-97% of them identify negative samples of the control panels. The high efficiency of EQAP was established when the results of the same laboratories that had participated in two cycles were compared. For correct detection of positive samples of the control panel, it is necessary to use disposable containers and tips for example for solutions of conjugate concentrate, tetramethylbenzidine, buffer for conjugate dilution, and citrate-phosphate solution. The ranges of 95% confidence interval were established for the individual values of CV values of the commercial preparation ILC-HBsAg in the laboratories: from 0 to 11.3% with estimated convergence and from 0 to 14.2% with estimated reproducibility. In making an intralaboratory control of the quality of HBsAg test using ILC-HBsAg, one should be guided by the test accuracy indices given in the application sheet.

[The results of implementation of the external quality assessment program for tests for HBsAg by "Vector-Best" in 68 laboratories of Russia].

The external quality assessment program (EQAP) for tests of blood samples for HBsAg has been developed, which comprises a control panel of blood samples containing various levels of HBsAg; a control set for HBsAg detection; test assignments including a number of questions on the theory and practice of enzyme immunoassay; accompanying documents stipulating the conditions and procedure of participation in EQAP. Examination of the association of the results of tests using control panels with the answers given by the staff of 68 laboratories responding the questions of test assignments has revealed that the correction determination of positive control samples is significantly associated with the use of disposable vessels for the solutions of the conjugate, TMB, buffer for conjugate dissolution, CFR, with that of the boiling stage for the treatment of non-expendable tips, or with the use of disposable ones.

[The development and certification of the Hepabest anti-HBc IgG test system for detecting antibodies to the core antigen of the hepatitis B virus]. / Razrabotka i aprobatsiia test-sistemy "Gepabest anti-HBc IgG" dlia vyiavleniia antitel k korovomu antigenu virusa gepatita B.

The comparison of the newly developed "HepaBest anti-HBc IgG" assay system for the detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) core antigen with the reference system "ImmunoComb HBc IgG" (Orgenics, France-Israel) and its approbation on 91 serum samples from patients in the Infectious Clinical Hospital were carried out. The coincidence rate of the results obtained with the use of the two assay systems was 87.9%. The system "HepaBest anti-HBc IgG" permitted the detection of patients whose sera contained no other HBV markers, except anti-HBc IgG. This assay system may be recommended for use in clinical and epidemiological investigations for ascertaining the diagnosis.

[Prevalence of serological markers for viral hepatitis B and C in patients and medical personnel in the hematologic ward of Novosibirsk city hospital No. 2]. / Vstrechaemost' serologicheskikh markerov virusnykh gepatitov B i C patsientov i meditsinskogo personala gematologicheskogo otdeleniia gorodskoi bol'nitsy No. 2 Novosibirska.

Blood samples of 60 patients and 19 staff members were tested for serological markers of hepatitides B (HBV) and C (HBC) using the Vector-Best JSC enzyme immunoassay kits. HBV and HBC markers were found in 25 in 30% of patients and in 15.8 and 5.3% of staff members, respectively. Part of the sera with HBV and HBC markers were tested for the HBV and HBC RNAs by polymerase chain reaction. The findings confirm that donors should be more thoroughly tested for hepatitis markers, as well as the patients and staff of hematology departments.

[Frequency of encountering markers of viral hepatitis A, B, and C in the aboriginal inhabitants of the northwest region of Siberia]. / Chastota vstrechaemosti markerov virusnykh gepatitiv A, B, C u korennogo naseleniia severa zapadnoi sibiri.

A minor population of Nenets living near the village of Samburg in the Purov District, Tyumen region was screened for serological markers of virus hepatitides A, B, and C (VHA, HVB, and HVC, respectively). Commercial kits manufactured by VectorBest JSC, Russia, were used. All the tested sera contained antiHVA IgG; IgM antibodies to VHA were detected in none of the tested sera, anti-HVC IgG were found in 1 (0.93%) serum, antiHBc IgG in 11 (10.2%), and HBsAg was detected in 2 (1.85%) serum samples. The sera positive by antiHBc IgG and HBsAg were tested for DNA by the polymerase chain reaction. HVB DNA was found in two HBsAg-positive sera with the HBsAg subtype determined as "non ad".

[Markers of malignant transformation in mouse cell lines]. / Issledovanie markerov zlokachestvennoi transformatsii v liniiakh kletok myshei.

The expression of three phenotypic markers of transformation in vitro, i.e. serum dependence, contact inhibition and anchorage dependence of growth has been investigated using the lines of mouse cells obtained from spontaneously in vitro transformed embryonal fibroblasts (three stages of a continuous passage in vitro being considered) and from induced tumours. The results obtained indicate that in the cell lines arising spontaneously in the continuous passage in vitro the origin of the transformation features can be observed. Anchorage independence demonstrates not high (r = 0.69) but much better correlation with tumourigenicity than other studied markers.

[The "immunologic portrait" and tumorigenicity of neoplastic cells induced in mice by 3-methylcholanthrene]. / "Immunologicheskii portret" i opukholerodnost' kletok novoobrazovanii, indutsirovannykh u myshei 3-metilkholantrenom.

Immunogenicity of 11 3-methylcholanthrene-induced tumours has been tested in vitro, which was a necessary step in constructing a complex characteristic of cell resistance to the host immune reactions. Such a complex estimate is shown to be useful for predicting the extreme tumourigenicity variants in vivo.

[Comparative analysis of the sensitivity to natural killers and macrophages of 3-methylcholanthrene-induced tumors in mice]. / Sravnitel'nyi analiz chuvstvitel'nosti k estestvennym killeram i makrofagam opukholei, indutsirovannykh 3-metilkholantrenom u myshei.

The sensitivity of 3 primary and 13 continuous tumour cell cultures 11 of which were induced with 20-methylcholanthrene to natural killer cells and cytotoxic macrophages has been tested. It is shown that the sensitivity of target cells varies markedly to both types of effector cells and that the level of susceptibility correlates with transplantability of tumour cells but not with their growth rate in syngeneic animals. Cells with high or zero transplantable capacity proved to be resistant, while cells with intermediate transplantability were sensitive to nonspecific immunity effector cells.

[Comparative analysis of the malignancy of tumors in mice induced by 20-methylcholanthrene]. / Sravnitel'nyi analiz zlokachestvennosti opukholei myshei, indutsirovannykh 20-metilkholantrenom.

Malignancy of 13 cell cultures cultivated in vitro was studied. 11 cultures were induced by subcutaneous injection of 20-methylcholanthrene to 3 lines of mice. The malignancy was studied by transplantability, growth rate and metastasis formation after subcutaneous injection of a various cell number into normal and sublethally irradiated syngenic mice. A convenient model for studying the significance of certain immunological properties of tumour cells in determination of the malignancy was obtained.