[Quality of life, clinical symptoms and nasal passability in patients with allergic rhinitis]. / Otsenka kachestva zhizni, klinicheskikh simptomov i urovnia nazal'noi prokhodimosti u bol'nykh allergicheskim rinitom.

AIM: To examine correlations between quality of life, impairment of nasal passability and severity of clinical symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The examination of 54 AR patients (41 females, 13 males age 18-62 years, mean age 38 years) diagnosed seasonal AR in 19 and year-round AR in 35 patients. Quality of life was assessed by RQLQ questionnaire. Nasal inspiratory peakflowmetry was used to assess nasal obstruction. AR symptoms were registered by self-control score method. RESULTS: Most parameters of quality of life of AR patients correlated significantly with severity of clinical symptoms, the degree of nasal passability. Positive changes in clinical symptoms, nasal peakflowmetry evidence correlated with improvement of life quality in the course of treatment with a present-day antihistamine drug fexofenadin (120 mg/day) for 28 days. CONCLUSION: Quality of life in AR patients correlated with severity of clinical symptoms and the degree of nasal obstruction. Assessment of life quality should be included in the scheme of standard examination of AR patients.

[Prevalence of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis in the adult population of St. Petersburg]. / Rasprostranennost' bronkhial'noi asatmy i allergicheskogo rinita sredi vzroslogo naseleniia Sankt-Peterburga.

AIM: To evaluate prevalence of bronchial asthma (BA) and allergic rhinitis (AR) among adult population of St-Petersburg. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Responders to ECRHS and B. Sibbald & E. Rink questionnaires who gave at least one positive answer were examined clinically, functionally and allergologically. A total of 3634 responders aged 16 to 98 years participated in the study. RESULTS: By the answers of the responders prevalence of BA was 7.2%, of AR--9.9%. Such figures were much higher than official statistics. Atopic BA was most frequent among other types--64%. CONCLUSION: It became evident that BA and AR in many cases are diagnosed late or are not recognized at all. This leads to growing number of patients with moderate and severe course of these diseases and deteriorates effectiveness of BA and AR treatment.

[Effectiveness of detection of bronchial asthma with two international questionnaires]. / Effektivnost' vyiavleniia bronkhial'noi astmy pri ispol'zovanii dvukh mezhdunarodnykh oprosnikov.

AIM: Assessment of two questionnaires (ECRHS and IUATLD) for efficiency in bronchial asthma (BA) detection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 196 patients aged 16-59 years seeking advice of a doctor for pulmonary or extrapulmonary complaints. All of them have not been previously examined for BA. At first stage of the study the patients filled in ECRHS and IUATLD questionnaires. At the second stage patients who had answered positively as least one question of the above questionnaires underwent clinical, functional and allergological examinations. RESULTS: BA was more frequently detected in patients with chronic bronchopulmonary and allergic diseases. New cases with mild disease predominated. CONCLUSION: Both questionnaires were effective for BA diagnosis but ECRHS showed a number of advantages which make it preferable for epidemiological surveys.

[Efficacy and safety of high doses of beclomethasone dipropionate in patients with bronchial asthma]. / Effektivnost' i bezopasnost' vysokikh doz beklometazona dipropionata u bol'nykh bronkhial'noi astmoi.

AIM: To assess efficiency and safety of high-dose beklometasone dipropionate in patients with bronchial asthma (BA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The trial included 14 female and 3 male patients with moderate or severe BA (mean age 43.6 years) in declining exacerbation. The patients inhaled beklometasone dipropionate as a dose-adjusted aerosol with built-up spacer (beklojet) in a daily dose 1000-2000 mcg for 8 weeks. Changes in clinical symptoms, life quality (AQLQ) and bronchial permeability (peak flowmetry, FEV1) were registered. Concentration of H2O2 in expired air condensate was measured spectrophotometrically to evaluate activity of airway inflammation. Oral smears were studied mycologically, hydrocortisone in blood plasma was measured with enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The treatment produced positive trend in clinical symptoms and quality of life. Bronchial permeability improved since the 7th treatment day. H2O2 significantly fell, hydrocortisone levels and fungal flora did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: Beklometasone dipropionate in high doses for 8 weeks is effective and safe against BA.

[Quality of life and characteristics of the external respiration function in patients with bronchial asthma]. / Kachestvo zhizni i pokazateli funktsii vneshnego dykhaniia u bol'nykh s bronkhial'noi astmoi.

AIM: To investigate correlations between quality of life, bronchial obstruction, nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity (NSBH) and response of these parameters to treatment with inhalation steroids in patients with bronchial asthma (BA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 67 BA patients (47 women and 20 men) aged 18 to 62 years (mean age 43 years). 59 of them had the diagnosis of atopic BA, 8 had bacterial BA. Quality of life was assessed with the questionnaire AQLQ, bronchial obstruction was judged by forced expiratory volume per a second (FEV1). Bronchial hyperreactivity was studied with acetylcholine and histamine tests. RESULTS: Quality of life strongly correlated with FEV1 and NSBH. Positive changes in the latter due to treatment with inhalation glucocorticoid budesonide (400 mcg/day) entailed improvement of life quality. CONCLUSION: Bronchial obstruction and NSBH have a significant effect on BA patients' life quality which should be considered in monitoring of BA patients' condition.

[Mechanisms of steroid osteoporosis development in patients with hormone-dependent bronchial asthma]. / Mekhanizmy razvitiia steroidnogo osteoporoza u bol'nykh gormonal'nozavisimoi bronkhial'noi astmoi.

AIM: To examine mechanisms of steroid osteoporosis development in patients with hormone-dependent bronchial asthma (BA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The trial included 73 patients with hormone-dependent BA, 19 BA patients who have never taken oral steroid hormones and 15 healthy subjects. RESULTS: By computed tomography of the lumbar spine, bone tissue density in steroid-dependent BA was significantly decreased vs BA patients who were not treated with steroids. Osteopenia was discovered in 61.9% of the examinees who have received oral glucocorticoids. Development of osteopenia in this case was not dependent of the steroids dose and duration of the treatment. Patients with hormone-dependent BA vs healthy subjects had higher 24-h urine calcium excretion, normal levels of parathyroid hormones, calcitonin, low concentrations of 25-oxyvitamin D3, osteocalcin in the serum. Three subgroups of patients with osteopenia were identified according to the statistics: with prevalent resorption of bone tissues (24.1%), with low concentrations of vitamin D3 and osteocalcin (52.6%), with highly active resorption in combination with low vitamin D3 and weak function of osteoblasts (23.3%). CONCLUSION: Mechanisms of steroid osteoporosis development are heterogeneous. This should be considered in its treatment.

[Hydrogen peroxide--a marker for respiratory tract inflammation in patients with bronchial asthma]. / Perekis' vodoroda kak marker vospaleniia dykhatel'nykh putei u bol'nykh bronkhial'noi astmoi.

AIM: To test H2O2 as a marker of respiratory tract inflammation in patients with bronchial asthma (BA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study entered 70 patients (20 males and 50 females) with atopic asthma (AA) aged 18 to 62 years (mean age 32.6 years). H2O2 concentration in the expired air (CEA) was determined spectrophotometrically (Gallati & Pracht, 1985), content of eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) in blood--with radioimmunoassay kits (Pharmacia & Upjohn, Sweden). Forced expiratory volume per 1 second (FEV1) was used for assessment of severity of bronchial obstruction. Bronchial hyperreactivity was studied by means of the histamine bronchoprovocative test. RESULTS: H2O2 in CEA in BA patients was higher than in healthy subjects (0.127 +/- 0.010 microm/l vs 0.024 +/- 0.004 microm/l). H2O2 concentration significantly correlates with FEV1 (r = -0.449; p < 0.001), bronchial hyperreactivity to histamine (rs = -0.382; p < 0.05) and ECP in blood plasma(r = 0.625; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: It was proved possible to use H2O2 in CEA for evaluation of respiratory inflammation in BA patients.

[Role of biological defects in formation and development of bronchial asthma and potentialities of premorbid diagnosis]. / Rol' biologicheskikh defektov v formirovanii i razvitii bronkhial'noi atmy i vozmozhnosti premorbidnoi diagnostiki.

The paper considers bronchial asthma as a polygenic disease. It presents some data available in the literature on the role of genetic disorders in the development of atopic states and the authors' own findings of various biological defects detected in apparently healthy blood relatives of patients with bronchial asthma. It is concluded that premorbid diagnosis is of importance in high risk persons.

[Therapeutic potential of glucocorticoids inhalation in bronchial asthma]. / Terapevticheskie vozmozhnosti ingaliatsionnykh gliukokortikoidov pri bronkhial'noi astme.

AIM: To assess effectiveness and safety of inhalation glucocorticoids (budesonide, beklometasone dipropionate) in bronchial asthma (BA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 19 BA patients (8 males and 11 females) inhaled glucocorticoids for 9 months. RESULTS: The treatment reduced the need in inhalation of short-acting beta-2-adrenomimetics, episodes of asphyxia occurred less frequently. A significant improvement of bronchial permeability was achieved only after 3 months of therapy. Blood levels of hydrocortisone, concentrations of magnesium, calcium and potassium in the serum, red cells and 24-h urine, serum osteocalcin, lumbar vertebral tissue density 3, 6 and 9 months after the treatment start were almost similar to the baseline. CONCLUSION: Glucocorticoids for inhalation are clinically effective in BA. They should be used for not less than 3 months. Topical steroids in mean therapeutic doses had no negative effects on the levels of hydrocortisone, mineral metabolism and bone tissue.

[Efficacy of lomefloxacin in treatment of patients with chronic bronchitis]. / Effektivnost' lomefloksatsina pri lechenii bol'nykh khronicheskim bronkhitom.

Comparative efficacy of lomefloxacin (400 mg daily for 5 days) and roxithromycin (150 mg daily for 5 days) was studied in the treatment of 24 patients (12 males and 12 females) at the age of 39 to 83 years (the average age of 59 years) with exacerbation of chronic obstructive bronchitis. The efficacy was estimated by the clinical data and the results of the bacteriological analysis of the sputum. The drugs were shown to be equivalent in their clinical and microbiological efficacies. The use of the drugs should be based on the results of the sputum bacteriological analysis and the pathogen susceptibility tests. The tolerance of roxithromycin and lomefloxacin was good. No significant adverse events were recorded.

[Rehabilitation of the hepatocyte glycogen-forming function in the rat cirrhotic liver due to carbohydrate rich diet]. / Reabilitatsiia glikogenoobrazovatel'noi funktsii gepatotsitov tsirroticheski izmenennoi pecheni krys v usloviiakh pitaniia vysokouglevodnoi dietoi.

By cytofluorometric and biochemical methods the content of total glycogen and its fractions was investigated on the smears of isolated liver cells: labile fraction (LF) and stable fraction (SF) and also activities of glycogen phosphorylase (GP), glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) and glycogen synthase. The material was obtained from serial liver biopsies from each investigated animal prior to CCl4 action (control), with cirrhosis (6 months of CCl4 poisoning) and 1, 3 and 6 months after CCl4 poisoning was finished. It was shown that chronic CCl4 poisoning induced a typical liver cirrhosis accompanied with the 2-3 times increase in the total glycogen content, in comparison with the norm, with the decrease in LF to 53%, and also with the fall of G-6-Pase and GP activities by 82 and 25%, resp. After 1, 3 and 6 months following poisoning cessation, the lobule structure, infringed due to cirrhosis, was not restored. But functional parameters of the cirrhotic liver were seen gradually recovering without CCl4 poisoning. The application of carbohydrate rich diet favoured a most complete rehabilitation: the content of total glycogen and its fractions and the activity of G-6-Pase and GP returned to the normal level.

[The efficacy of the magnesium sulfate aerosol treatment of bronchial asthma patients]. / Effektivnost' lecheniia aérozolom sul'fata magniia bol'nykh bronkhial'noi astmoi.

Action of magnesium sulphate (MS) aerosol (solution osmolality 260 mmol/l, pH 6.6) on bronchial sensitivity and reactivity to acetylcholine(AC) and graded exercise as well as bronchial permeability assessed by general plethysmography and pneumotaxography were studied in 49 patients with mild and moderate bronchial asthma. It is shown that when compared to placebo, MS inhalations conducted in the time of attenuating asthma exacerbation improved immediate and long-term responses in atopic and effort asthma. Both in single doses and course administration MS reduced non-specific bronchial hyperreactivity and secretory activity of mast cells. Positive dynamics of bronchoprovocative AC test suggested response to treatment in most BA patients.

[New approaches to the treatment of severe burns: the transplantation of keratinocytes grown in culture]. / Novye podkhody k lecheniiu tiazhelykh ozhogov: transplantatsiia vyrashchennykh v kul'ture keratinotsitov.

On the own experience and medical practice the authors summarize the peculiarities and advantages of a new method of human skin recovery. Keratinocyte sheets greatly improve the treatment of allogeneic cell cultures' accelerates wound healing of the second degree deep burns. The efficacy of the method can be improved by cultivation and follow-up grafting of keratinocytes on the surface of microcarriers.

[Disorders in mineral metabolism at different stages of the development of bronchial asthma]. / Narusheniia mineral'nogo metabolizma na razlichnykh étapakh razvitiia bronkhial'noi astmy.

Magnesium and calcium concentrations were measured by nuclear-absorption spectrometry (AAC-508, Hitachi, Japan) and selective ionometry (Microlyte, Kone, Finland) in the serum, red cells, lymphocytes, 24-h urine and exhaled air humor condensate in 23, 31 and 23 sibs (parents and their children) with preasthma, atopic bronchial asthma, free of these diseases, respectively. All the patients had magnesium deficiency and calcium hyperconcentrations in the blood cells, low urine excretion of magnesium. Parathormone and calcitonin serum concentrations underwent no changes. It is suggested that in contrast to changes of endobronchial homeostasis of bivalent cations, those of electrolyte cell composition are primary and appear prior to clinical manifestations of bronchial asthma.

[Effects of glucocorticoid therapy on mineral metabolism indicators in patients with bronchial asthma]. / Vliianie gliukokortikoidnoi terapii na pokazateli mineral'nogo obmena u bol'nykh bronkhial'noi astmoi.

Magnesium and calcium levels in the serum, red cells, lymphocytes, circadian urine and exhaled air condensate were measured in 40 patients with hormone-dependent bronchial asthma (BA) and 15 BA patients receiving glucocorticoids in inhalations (beclamete, becotide) and injections (hydrocortisone, prednisolone, dexasone). Nuclear absorption spectrophotometry (AAC-508, Hitachi, Japan) and selective ionometry (Mycrolyte, Kone, Finland) were employed. Short-term (10-14 days) intravenous infusions and inhalations of steroids in medium therapeutic doses do not change much homeostasis of two-valent cations. Complications resultant from disturbance of mineral metabolism developed more frequently in BA patients on long-term (4 years more longer) oral glucocorticoids. Increased renal and bronchial excretion of magnesium and calcium in patients with hormone-dependent BA having complications of glucocorticoid therapy suggests that derangement of mineral metabolism is involved in the onset of steroid osteopathy and myopathy.