[The application of forensic medical knowledge for the reconstruction of historical events].

The objective of the present study was to summarize the results of many year investigations on the application of forensic medical methods and experience for the reconstruction of historical events including identification of the ancient Russian saints' hallows and statesmen's remains, elucidation of the genuine causes of death of the members of the Russian Imperial House of Romanovs based on the recently discovered archival materials, restoration of the character of the injuries suffered by Aleksander II, M.I. Kutuzov, P. Demidov, G. Gapon., and G. Rasputin, the attribution A.S. Pushkin's memorial belongings based on the biological traces, and the like.

In vitro evaluation of the permeation of cytotoxic drugs through reconstructed human epidermis and oral epithelium.

BACKGROUNDS: Occupational exposure to antineoplastic agents may represent a risk to health care workers, although the relevance of different exposure routes is not fully understood. The objectives of this study were to determine in vitro permeation of four widely used cytotoxic drugs (cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and fluorouracil) through two reconstituted tissue models representing human skin epidermis and oral mucosa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experiments were conducted with reconstructed models of human epidermis and oral epithelium, cultured in a chemically-defined medium under conditions simulating possible exposure scenarios (6 h duration, three concentrations corresponding to commonly used application doses). The amounts of drugs permeated through the tissues into the receptor media were determined using ultra performance liquid chromatography with photospectrometric detection. RESULTS: The highest epidermis permeations (P = 0.2 x 10(-3) - 1.5 x 10(-3) cm x h(-1)) were observed with three polar drugs (cisplatin, cyclophosphamide and fluorouracil), while permeation by more hydrophobic doxorubicin was minor (P(max) = 0.03 x 10(-3) cm x h(-1)). As expected, more pronounced tissue permeation was observed with the reconstructed oral epithelium having the maximum permeability coefficient (P = 180 x 10(-3) cm x h(-1)) for cisplatin and fluorouracil. Histological evaluation of the exposed tissues revealed cytotoxic effects at higher doses, especially for oral epithelium. CONCLUSION: Although the skin epidermis with keratinised stratum corneum provided relatively good protection, uptake (of at least some investigated drugs) via both types of tissue should not be underestimated. Our results provide basic experimental data on the skin and oral epithelia permeation for further modelling of exposure and health risk assessment.

Endocrine effects of contaminated sediments on the freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum in vivo and in the cell bioassays in vitro.

Lake Pilnok located in the black coal-mining region Ostrava-Karvina, Czech Republic, contains sediments highly contaminated with powdered waste coal. Moreover, population of the endangered species of narrow-clawed crayfish Pontastacus leptodactylus with high proportion of intersex individuals (18%) was observed at this site. These findings motivated our work that aimed to evaluate contamination, endocrine disruptive potency using in vitro assays and in vivo effects of contaminated sediments on reproduction of sediment-dwelling invertebrates. Chemical analyses revealed low concentrations of persistent chlorinated compounds and heavy metals but concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were high (sum of 16 PAHs 10 microg/g dw). Organic extracts from sediments caused significant in vitro AhR-mediated activity in the bioassay with H4IIE-luc cells, estrogenicity in MVLN cells and anti-androgenicity in recombinant yeast assay, and these effects could be attributed to non-persistent compounds derived from the waste coal. We have also observed significant in vivo effects of the sediments in laboratory experiments with the Prosobranchian euryhaline mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Sediments from Lake Pilnok as well as organic extracts of the sediments (externally added to the control sediment) significantly affected fecundity during 8 weeks of exposure. The effects were stimulations of fecundity at lower concentrations at the beginning of the experiment followed by inhibitions of fecundity and general toxicity. Our study indicates presence of chemicals that affected endocrine balance in invertebrates, and emphasizes the need for integrated approaches combining in vitro and in vivo bioassays with identification of chemicals to elucidate ecotoxicogical impacts of contaminated sediment samples.

[Autologous transfusion of UV-irradiated blood in the complex treatment of children with dysplasia of deep veins of the extremities]. / Autotransfuziia obluchennoi ul'travioletom krovi v kompleksnom lechenii detei s displaziei glubokikh ven konechnostei.

Under examination there were 12 patients aged from 5 till 14 years. An investigation of hemostatic potential of blood in the diseased extremity and peripheral blood was performed. A mosaic character of blood coagulative alterations in this category of patients was detected. Autotransfusion of UV-irradiated blood is a pathogenetically grounded and accessible method of correction of hemocoagulation and may be included in the complex treatment of patients with dysplasia of the profound veins of lower extremities.