[Markers of the course of obliterating atherosclerosis of lower limb arteries]. / Markery techeniia obliteriruiushchego ateroskleroza arterii nizhnikh konechnostei.

AIM: The purpose of the study was to determine the level of substances damaging the vascular endothelium, as well as to assess their effect on the functional state of the endothelium and the course of obliterating atherosclerosis of lower limb arteries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included a total of 112 people, subdivided into three groups: those with an unfavourable course of obliterating atherosclerosis of lower limbs arteries (n=48) - group 1, patients with obliterating atherosclerosis of lower limbs arteries with a conventionally favourable course (n=48) - group 2, and apparently healthy volunteers (n=16). In all subjects, the following parameters were analysed: stable metabolites of nitric oxide II, endothelin-1, homocysteine and basal insulin. RESULTS: The level of stable nitric oxide metabolites (p<0.001 as compared with group 1; p<0.045 compared with group 2) was lower in the groups of patients with obliterating atherosclerosis of lower limb arteries (88.5±7.3 µmol/L in group 1; 161.5±8.6 µmol/L in group 2) as compared with healthy volunteers (226.0±28.6 µmol/L). In its turn, the level of nitric oxide was statistically significantly lower (p<0.001) in group 1 patients as compared with those of group 2. The level of endothelin-1 turned out to be higher (p<0.001) in group 1 (2.1±0.1 ng/ml) as compared with group 2 (1.6±0.1 ng/ml). Comparing group 1 patients with healthy volunteers (1.4±0.1 ng/ml), the level of endothelin-1 had also higher values (p<0.001). The level of endothelin-1 did not differ (p=0.270) as compared with group 2 and healthy volunteers. Comparing the homocysteine level in patients of the examined groups (20.7±0.8 µmol/L in group 1 patients and 18.1±0.6 µmol/L in group 2 patients) with healthy volunteers (13.0±0.4 µmol/L) demonstrated an increase in the parameters (p<0.001). The level of homocysteine turned out to be higher in group 1 patients than in those of group 2 (p<0.001). The level of basal insulin turned out to be significantly higher in the studied groups of patients with obliterating atherosclerosis of lower limb arteries (24.9±4.6 mIU/L in group 1; 8.0±0.7 mIU/L in group 2) than in healthy volunteers (5.1±0.5 mIU/L). Statistically significant (p<0.001) hyperinsulinemia was observed in group 1 as compared with group 2. CONCLUSION: Hyperhomocysteinemia and hyperinsulinemia are predictors of an unfavourable course of the disease. In a high level of these parameters, one may predict an unfavourable course of obliterating atherosclerosis of lower limb arteries.

[Viability of facultative anaerobic bacteria in commercial transport systems]. / Vyzhivaemost' fakul'tativno-anaérobnykh bakterii pri ispol'zovanii kommercheskikh transportnykh sistem.

The possibilities of the transport systems manufactured by Copan (Italy) and Deltalab (Spain) were studied on 15 microbial strains: representatives of the family Enterobacteriaceae (enterobacterial swabs with Cary-Blair medium) and the genus Streptococcus, as well as the species Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae (universal swabs with charcoal-enriched Amies medium). Microorganisms were shown to retain their viability (in colony-forming units, %) for 48 hours in the systems of both firms. H. influenzae exhibited greater viability in the system manufactured by Copan than in that manufactured by Deltalab (respectively, 62% and 28% in 24 hours, 19% and 6% in 48 hours).

[The interrelationship of biomass and toxin accumulation to the dynamics of the physicochemical parameters of Corynebacterium diphtheriae PW8 cultivation]. / Vzaimosviaz' nakopleniia biomassy i toksina s dinamikoi fiziko-khimicheskikh parametrov kul'tivirovaniia Corynebacterium diphtheriae PW8.

As established in the process the controlled cultivation of C. diphtheriae PW8, the rate of the accumulation of biomass and antigenic material increases with higher values of the redox potential of the nutrient medium (exceeding 11.0 mV). The data obtained in this study are indicative of the expediency of using the value of redox potential as an additional criterion in the evaluation of the quality of the nutrient media. The direct relationship between the productivity of the process of C. diphtheriae PW8 cultivation as regards the accumulation of biomass and antigenic material and the economic coefficients of the accumulation of biomass and antigenic material as determined by the utilized substrate has been established. The above relationship may facilitate the prognostication of the course of the process of microbial cultivation and the accumulation of diphtheria toxin, evaluated by antigenic activity.

[The estimation of the amount of diphtheria toxin and its activity by various tests in the dynamic cultivation of Corynebacterium diphtheriae PW8]. / Otsenka kolichestva difteriinogo toksina i ego aktivnosti raznymi testami v dinamike kul'tivirovaniia Corynebacterium diphtheriae PW8.

Direct correlation between the results of tests for the biological activity of diphtheria toxin, carried out in vivo guinea pigs and in vitro in the microcytotoxicity test in CHO cell culture, has been established, which makes it possible to use the latter as one of the methods for the rapid, reproducible and economic evaluation of diphtheria toxin. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation of diphtheria toxin in the enzyme immunoassay with the use of monoclonal antibodies and in the microcytotoxicity test demonstrates that these two tests, when used for controlling cultivation processes, have essential advantages over the flocculation test as regards their specificity and information content.