[Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia].

Sixty-two patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and neurasthenia were studied. The effect of selank (30 patients) was compared to that of medazepam (32 patients). Patient's state was assessed with psychometric scales (Hamilton, Zung, CGI). Enkephalin activity in the blood serum was measured as well. The anxiolytic effects of both drugs were similar but selank had also antiasthenic and psychostimulant effects. The clinical-biological study revealed that patients with GAD and neurasthenia had the decreased level of tau(1/2) leu-enkephalin which was correlated with disease duration, severity of symptoms related to anxiety and asthenia and autonomic disorders. The increase of this parameter and stronger positive correlations with anxiety level were observed during the treatment with selank mostly in patients with GAD.

[Evaluation of the hydrophobicity of bacterial cells by measuring their adherence to chloroform drops]. / Otsenka gidrofobnykh svoistv bakterial'nykh kletok po adsorbtsii na poverkhnosti kapel' khloroforma.

A simple method for measuring the hydrophobicity of bacterial cells is proposed, which is based on the spectrophotometric evaluation of cell adherence to chloroform drops in a biphasic water-chloroform mixture.

[Lipid metabolism in experimental virus infections]. / Lipidnyi obmen pri virusnykh infektsiiakh v éksperimente.

The effect of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and influenza virus (IV) on lipid metabolism was studied. In conditions of acute herpetic infection of rabbits we detected typical dyslipidemia, characterized by increased contents of total cholesterol, beta-cholesterol and triglycerides in the absence of trustworthy differences in concentrations of alpha-cholesterol. The use of antiherpetic preparation furavir, on the background of infection, corrected lipid spectrum of the infected animals. Blood lipid disturbances in acute influenza virus infection of mice were not detected. HSV infection of cell culture of human aorta was accompanied by increased accumulation of free lipids in cells. IV infection, in the same conditions of experiment, did not change the contents of intracellular lipids. The obtained data deepen the existing notions of herpetic and influenza infections pathogenesis and may be useful in understanding etiopathogenesis of certain somatic metabolism diseases.

[Dyslipidemia and an elevated lipid level in the cells in experimental herpetic infection and their correction with antiviral chemotherapeutic agents]. / Dislipidemiia, povyshennoe soderzhanie v kletkakh lipidov pri éksperimental'noi gerpeticheskoi infektsii i ikh korrektsiia antivirusnymi khimiopreparatami.

The influence of herpes simplex virus on lipid exchange and accumulation by blood vessels cells was studied. In acute herpes infection in rabbits, typical dyslipidemia characterised by a rise in the content of total cholesterol, low and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides in the absence of manifest changes in concentration of high density lipoprotein was detected. HSV infection of smooth muscle cell culture of human embryo aorta was accompanied by increased accumulation of free lipids in the cells. The use of antiherpetic preparations during the infection led to correction of the lipid spectrum of the infected animals and was accompanied by normalization of intracellular lipid contents. A possible pathogenetic role of HSV in atherogenesis which may be connected with at least two processes: the development of lipidemic disturbances and formation of pathologic lipid depot in the arterial wall, is discussed.

[Study of the effects of amyotrophic leukospongiosis causative agent on neuroglia cells in vitro]. / Izuchenie vliianiia vozbuditelia amiotroficheskogo leikospongioza na neiroglial'nye kletki in vitro.

The influence of amyotrophic leukospongiosis (AL) causative agent on the ultrastructure of different types of cells of dissociated rat embryo brain and spinal cord cultures was studied. The AL agent belongs to the unconventional viruses (prions) and causes degenerative changes in the CNS. Large neurons and fibrous astrocytes were shown to be most sensitive. It was noted that the time of development and the degree of the dystrophic changes depend on the agent concentration. The destruction of cell membranes resulted in the pair neuron confluence. The formation of giant mitochondria with intramitochondrial inclusions was detected. It is supposed that the energetic apparatus of sensitive cells is primarily damaged by the infectious agent.

[The role of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic leukospongiosis]. / Izuchenie roli astrotsitov v patogeneze amiotroficheskogo leikospongioza.

The use of monolayer brain cell cultures from humans who had died of amyotrophic leukospongiosis and from animals with experimentally induced diseases allowed the authors to explore pathogenetic contribution of astrocytes to this disease. Morphofunctional heterogeneity of astrocyte population as well as the pathologic involvement of some of the cells were demonstrated, using light and electron microscopy and cytochemical technics.