[A randomized single blind study of the efficacy of pregabalin in the treatment of opioid withdrawal syndrome]. / Randomizirovannoe kontroliruemoe issledovanie effektivnosti pregabalina v terapii sindroma otmeny opiatov.

AIM: To study the efficacy and safety of pregabalin (lyrica) in the complex treatment of opioid withdrawal syndrome (OWS). STUDY DESIGN: single-blind randomized symptom-triggered protocol with an active control. Thirty-four patients were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group (n=19) received up to 600 mg a day of pregabalin for six days along with symptomatic therapy (basic and symptom-triggered). The second group (n=15) received up to 600 micrograms of clonidine a day as the main treatment along with the same basic and symptomatic regimen. Opiate withdrawal severity, craving, sleep disturbance, anxiety and depression, as well as general clinical impressions and side-effects were assessed daily using internationally validated quantitative psychometric instruments. RESULTS: In the pregabalin group, 15 out of 19 (79%) patients completed treatment compared to 7 out of 15 (47%) patients in the clonidine group (p=0.05; Fisher exact test). There were no statistically significant differences between groups on any assessments of the severity of OWS (reduction of the severity of opiate withdrawal), perhaps because of the small sample size. In the pregabalin group, there were lower indicators of the severity of craving for opiates (p=0.05), anxiety (p=0.05) and depression (p<0.05), while patient-rated self-assessment of their general health condition was significantly better compared to the second group (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in the frequency of adverse events between the groups, though the better tolerability of treatment was noted in the pregabalin group. CONCLUSION: Treatment regimen of OWS with pregabalin is effective and safe and patients tolerate it better that leads to a higher detoxification completion rate (retention).

[Multiple medication resistance of apoptosis-resistant tumoral cells].

A4 clone cells, received by CD95-mediated selection from the parental line of Jurkat T-lymphoblast human leukosis, lost their ability of apoptosis as a result of programmed cell death mechanism breakdown. The complex of their acquired phenotypic properties meets tumor progression criteria: oxidative stress resistance, active immune suppression, and low requirement for growth factors. The loss of A4 cell ability of apoptosis is accompanied by acquisition of the phenotype of multiple medication resistance to a wide spectrum of antineoplastic chemotherapeutic drugs and cytotoxins.

[Preparative isolation of human galactosyltransferase. A comparison of methods]. / Preparativnoe poluchenie galaktoziltransferazy cheloveka. Sravnenie metodov.

Human galactosyl transferase (EC 2.4.1.38), a potential tumour marker, was isolated from the ascite fluid of patients with ovary cancer by three methods based on the use of affinity adsorbents. The highest degree of purification was achieved during chromatography on galactosyl transferase-specific monoclonal antibodies immobilized on agarose. A comparison of physico-chemical properties of purified preparations was carried out. It was found that the enzyme purified on the immunoadsorbent did not practically differ in terms of molecular mass and isospectra from other enzyme preparations, which suggests that the antigenic epitope recognized by these monoclonal antibodies on the galactosyl transferase molecule is common for all enzyme isoforms.

[Blood serum galactosyltransferase in oncologic diseases]. / Galaktoziltransferaza syvorotki krovi pri onkologicheskikh zabolevaniiakh.

The paper is concerned with comparative analysis of the results of the determination of activity of galactosyl transferase, CEA and antigen CA-125 in the blood serum of 44 healthy persons, 70 cancer patients and 12 patients with benign diseases. It was shown that a radiometric test for galactosyl transferase in its diagnostic sensitivity was not inferior to CEA in stomach and ovarian tumors and exceeded the test for antigen CA-125 in ovarian cancer. In colon cancer the diagnostic accuracy of the tests for the activity of galactosyl transferase and CEA turned out to be identical. The most reliable diagnostic test in acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children was the test for galactosyl transferase activity.