[The potential of synthetic small interfering RNA-based antiviral drugs for influenza treatment].

Influenza is a worldwide public health problem. Annually, this infection affects up to 15% of the world population; and about half a million people die from this disease every year. Moreover, influenza A and B viruses tend to garner most of the attention, as these types are a major cause of the epidemics and pandemics. Although the influenza virus primarily affects the respiratory tract, it may also affect the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Several antiviral drugs, that target various stages of viral reproduction, have been considered effective for the treatment and prevention of influenza, but some virus strains become resistant to these medications. Thus, new strategies and techniques should be developed to overcome the antiviral drug resistance. Recent studies suggest that new drugs based on RNA interference (RNAi) appear to be a promising therapeutic approach that regulates the activity of viral or cellular genes. As it is known, the RNAi is a eukaryotic gene regulatory mechanism that can be triggered by a foreign double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and results in the cleavage of the target messenger RNA (mRNA). This review discusses the prospects, advantages, and disadvantages of using RNAi in carrying out a specific treatment for influenza infection. However, some viruses confer resistance to small interfering RNAs (siRNA) targeting viral genes. This problem can significantly reduce the effectiveness of RNAi. Therefore, applying siRNAs targeting host cell factors required for influenza virus reproduction can be a way to overcome the antiviral drug resistance.

[Vaccines as an approach to the immunocorrection in herpetic infections].

Development of vaccines for immunologic correction in herpetic infections is an important problem that raises a growing concern worldwide. The data on the experimental studies of the efficacy of an inactivated whole-virion vaccine against herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and -2) using an animal model are discussed. The results of the multiyear application of the vaccine to ophthalmology and dermatology practice are also presented. The results unambiguously show a high efficacy of the vaccine in the prevention of recurrences of the infections based on activation of specific T-cell response. A live vaccine against the varicella zoster virus (VZV) was developed for control of the infection in children. For the cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in adults, inactivated whole-virion vaccines are at the stage of development. An important part of the study addresses a combined application of the inactivated vaccines with immunomodulators.

[Receptor virus-cell interactions as an initial stage of infection].

The overview analyzes an update on and current concepts of the initial stage of viral infection of sensitive cells. It considers the nature of virus receptors, the mechanisms of virus-receptor interaction, methodical approaches to identifying the receptor role of cell molecules for various viruses, and the association of the initial stage of viral infection with its subsequent ones.

[Lead and children's health: results of some Russian studies in 2000-2009].

Environmental pollution by lead and its effects on human health continue to remain one of the most urgent problems of environmental hygiene. The paper gives the results of basic environmental and epidemiological studies conducted in different regions of the country, which prove elevated lead levels in the blood of examined children. The role of the influence of household factors on the elevation of blood lead levels in a child is shown, by using a town that has no large sources of lead emission as an example. Evidence is provided that a program should be elaborated to reduce a risk for human lead poisoning, which involves the introduction of methods for the biomonitoring and treatment of children having elevated blood lead levels.

[Porcine epidemic diarrhea].

The overview presents the currently available data on porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) and its etiological agent, a coronarovirus of swine. Economic losses from the disease are very serious. The overview discusses whether serially Vero cell propagated PED virus strains may be used as live vaccines.

[Breast cancer in Chapayevsk]. / Rak molochnoi zhelezy v Chapaevske.

Numerous epidemiological surveys show the ambiguity of evaluation of stable organic chlorine compounds as a risk factor for breast cancer (BC). This is likely to be, to a certain degree, associated with the specific features of performance of epidemiological surveys. The selection of cases of BC from different areas has provided groups with different levels of exposure that as judged from the content of the above substances in the biological environments. Only few epidemiological surveys have been made in the world to assess stable organic pollutants (SOP) as risk factors of BC mainly in occupational groups. In the local areas highly polluted with dioxins, there is evidence for their role as a risk factor of BS only for women living in Sevezo. These findings are in agreement with the results of the surveys made in Chapayevsk. The analytical epidemiological study using a case-control approach has revealed the significance of biological (BC in relatives, childlessness), occupational (women's work at CVZH) and environmental (pollution, the more frequent ingestion of local pork and fish than in the control group) risk factors of BC. In the 1950-1960s, the largest Russian enterprises of chlorine chemistry worked most actively not only in Chapayevsk, but also in towns with plants of chlorine industry, such as Dzerzhinsk, Novomoskovsk, Sayansk, Usolye-Sibirskoye, and others. Ecological and epidemiological studies should be organized in these towns in order to define the value of SOP as a risk factor of BC for general populational groups.

[Effects of dioxins in the development of malignant tumors and disorders of reproductive health of the population]. / O vliianii dioksinov na vozniknovenie zlokachestvennykh novoobrazovanii i narushenii reproduktivnogo zdorov'ia naseleniia.

The mortality caused by malignant tumors in the town of Chapaevsk, characterized by increased level of dioxins in the environment, is statistically higher than the expected values. For men the relative risk of general morbidity is 1.9 and mortality, 1.8; for lung cancer: morbidity, 3.3 and mortality 3.1; for urogenital cancer: morbidity, 3.6 and mortality, 2.6; for gastric cancer: morbidity 1.9 and mortality, 1.7. In women the morbidity and mortality due to breast cancer (relative risks 1.9 and 2.1, respectively) and cancer of the cervix uteri (relative risks 2.1 and 1.8, respectively) are increased. Changes in the reproductive health of residents of this town are as follows: high incidence of spontaneous abortions, appearance of small-for-date babies, and genital disorders in body (cryptorchidism, phimosis, hypospadia, delayed sexual development).

Spectrally resolved cathodoluminescence analyses in the optical near-field.

By implementing a scanning near-field optical microscope into the specimen chamber of a scanning electron microscope, cathodoluminescence can be locally detected in the optical near-field. The achievable spatial resolution in this set-up is only limited by the size of the aperture in a coated fibre probe and its separation from the sample, rather than by the energy dissipation volume of the primary electrons and diffusion processes of excess carriers inside the specimen. We demonstrate how electronically active defects in polycrystalline diamond can be distinguished and localized with sub-wavelength lateral resolution by spectral filtering of the cathodoluminescence signal.

[An analysis of the blood sera of patients infected with HIV-1 for the presence of antibodies to the gp120 and gp41 sequences]. / ANaliz syvorotok krovi patsientov, infitsirovannykh VICh-1, na nalichie antitel k posledovatel'nostiam gp120 i gp41.

Blood sera, originating four regions of Russia and Byelorussia and previously tested for the content of antibodies to HIV-1 proteins, were studied in the enzyme immunoassay on the basis of recombinant sequences gp160, as well as on the basis of oligopeptides corresponding to sequences V3 of six HIV-1 strains. The possibility of using sequences gp160, contained in fusion polypeptides synthesized in Escherichia coli cells, for the detection of antibodies in laboratory research was shown. Differences in the reactivity of the sera under study with respect to fragments gp160 correlated with the geographical origin of these sera: similarity between the serum samples from Elista and Rostov and their difference from serum samples collected in other regions were shown.

[The expression of a fragment of the HIV-1 env gene in the cells of Escherichia coli bacteria]. / Ekspressiia fragmenta gena env VICh-1 v kletkakh bakterii Escherichia coli.

A recombinant plasmid pEK6 determining the synthesis of a hybrid protein the N-terminus of which was represented by full-size beta-galactosidase and C-terminus by HIV-1 gene env virus-specific sequence was constructed. The analysis of lysates of E. coli HB101/pEK6 bacteria in 6% PAAGE revealed additional proteins with molecular weights from 185 to 130 kDa. These proteins interacted with blood serum antibodies of a virus carrier but formed no specific bands with sera from normal donors. Densitometric analysis of polyacrylamide gels stained with Coomassi R250 demonstrated that the level of production of recombinant protein was at least 15% of the total cell protein. Hybrid polypeptides formed poorly soluble inclusion bodies in the bacterial cells. Study of the immunological properties of the recombinant polypeptides showed that immunization of rabbits with these proteins induced antibodies specifically reacting with viral polypeptides with molecular weights of about 82 and 140 kDa. Such features as a high level of synthesis, technologically feasible purification of inclusion bodies, and adequate antigenic properties recommend this preparation for use in the development of diagnostic test systems.

[The RNA electrophoretypes of the rotaviruses circulating in Moscow and Leningrad in the winter of 1987-1988]. / Elektroforetipy RNK rotavirusov, tsirkuliruiushchikh v Moskve i Leningrade zimoi 1987--1988 gg.

Analysis of electrophoretypes of RNA of rotavirus which had circulated in Moscow and Leningrad in the winter of 1987-1988, detected by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), was carried out. RNA electrophoresis was performed in 10% polyacrylamide gel (PAG) followed by silver staining, Most of the strains isolated in Moscow and Leningrad had a long phoretype (67% and 77%, respectively. The greatest variations in PAG mobility were found in segments 2, 3, and 7-9, segments 1, 4, 10, and 11 showed most unchangeable mobility. According to the pattern of segment migration, 3 variants of the long phoretype and 5 variants of the short phoretype were distinguished. In Moscow the ist variant (confluent 2nd and 3rd segments as well as 7th and 8th segments) of the long phoretype was predominant, which was isolated in approximately 70% of all cases of infection; in Leningrad the dominating variant was intermediate between the 1st and 2nd phoretype (slower migration of the 2nd segment). Variants of the sport phoretype were characterized by greater variability and lack of the dominating strain. The potentials of rotavirus RNA electrophoresis as a method of molecular epidemiology are discussed.