[The sociodemographic portrait of a patient living with HIV and visiting AIDS centers in Russia]. / Sotsial'no-demograficheskii portret patsienta, zhivushchego s VICh i poseshchayushchego tsentry SPID v Rossii.

AIM: To study the sociodemographic data of people living with HIV who visit AIDS centers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A multicenter open-label study was conducted, which included the retrospective model "A patient's portrait". Outpatient records and questionnaires were analyzed in 7,000 patients older than 18 years of age who had visited AIDS centers in 27 regions of Russia from 1 April to 31 July 2014 and signed their informed consent form to participate in the study. RESULTS: There were women accounting for 49% of the study participants, including one transgender. Their mean age was 35.6 years; the median age was 34 (18-79) years. 77.4% of the women were infected sexually; 57.4% of the men were infected parenterally; the men who had sex with men accounted for 2.5% of the whole group (4.7% among the men). Only 9.8% of the respondents reported that they had used intravenous drugs in the past 6 months. 87.8% of the respondents had secondary and higher education; 68.6% of the patients (73% were male and 64% were female) were employed; 59.3% of the respondents were married or cohabited; 66.2% of the patients reported that they had had sexual contacts with one partner, 14.2% had not had sexual intercourses. 38.3% of the women and 48.8% of the men had a permanent HIV-negative sexual partner. 46% of the study participants had dependent minor children. 30% of the women had given birth to at least one child after the diagnosis of HIV infection. CONCLUSION: People living with HIV in Russia and visiting AIDS centers do not differ in main social and demographic indicators from the Russian Federation citizens of the same age who do not have HIV. They represent an economically and socially active population and participate in demographic processes so one of the public health priorities is to maintain and improve their quality of life.

Impact of HIV-positive sera on the functional activity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils from healthy donors.

The impact of the sera from 64 HIV-1-infected patients on the functional activity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) from 9 healthy donors was investigated. Augmentation of PMN oxygen radical production in the presence of sera from HIV-infected patients (PMN chemiluminescence) was demonstrated. This enhancement was connected with intracellular generation of chemiluminescence (CL). A significant correlation between this enhancement and stages of HIV infection was not found. The presence of the sera from HIV-infected patients in the incubation media led to a decrease of PMN phagocytosis. It was found that contrary impact of the sera on PMN CL and phagocytosis was connected with different factors. The decrease of PMN phagocytosis correlated with the level of complement and was independent of other factors. At the same time the increase of PMN CL was not connected with the level of complement activity but correlated with the level of anti-HIV antibody and circulating immune complexes. The reasons for this phenomenon are unclear. It was suggested that one of the serum factors which caused increase of PMN CL is HIV or HIV compounds.

Mononuclear cells from HIV-infected patients produce factors which enhance functional activity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils from healthy subjects.

The influence of mononuclear cell supernatants (MNCS) from nine healthy donors and 35 HIV-infected patients (17 with lymphoadenopathy syndrome (LAS), 15 with ARC and three with AIDS) on functional activity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) from healthy donors was investigated. MNC after short-term cultivation (24 h) produced factors which enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) and chemotaxis of PMN. This augmentation did not depend on stimulation of MNC by mitogens (lipopolysaccharide Escherichia coli (LPS) and concanavalin A (Con A)) or on activation of PMN by FMLP. After 48 h of cultivation only MNC stimulated by LPS produced these factors. MNCS from HIV-infected patients provoked a more pronounced augmentation of PMN CL compared with MNCS from healthy subjects. This enhancement was observed in patients at all stages of infection, but was more pronounced in patients with LAS. MNCS impact on PMN CL was not connected with proliferative activity of MNC but was correlated with the level of CD4 cells. It was shown that removal of adherent cells from MNC fraction resulted in decreased MNCS impact. Treatment of MNCS by antibody to IL-1 beta, IL-8, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) did not decrease MNCS impact on PMN CL.

Effective method for synthetic peptide immobilization that increases the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA procedures.

A procedure is described for the immobilization of synthetic peptide antigens on a plastic solid phase for performing ELISA. The use of a streptavidin-biotinylated peptide system for coating microplates with peptide antigen markedly increased both the sensitivity and the specificity compared to a standard ELISA based on synthetic peptides. The procedure was used for the detection of HIV-1-specific antibodies.

[The epidemiological surveillance of HIV infection in Russia in 1987-1991]. / Epidnadzor za VICh-infektsiei v Rossii v 1987--1991 gg.

The data on the occurrence of HIV in Russia in 1987-1991 are presented and the effects of the epidemiological surveillance system used at that time on the epidemiological process of HIV infection in the Russian Federation is evaluated. The most important features of that system included the centralized registration of all cases of HIV infection irrespective of the degree of clinical symptoms, large-scale obligatory examination of the population for antibody to HIV, epidemiological investigation of all reported cases of HIV infection. The occurrence of HIV infection in 1987-1991 in Russia remained very low, 0.335 per 100,000, showing no trend for increase. Owing to that system of the epidemiological surveillance of HIV infection in the USSR, nosocomial outbreaks were discovered which gave a rise in the number of recorded cases in 1989. In 1990-1991, changes in the structure of the epidemic process occurred. In those years, HIV transmission among homosexuals became most important, increasing from 22.4% to 47.8% which characterized the beginning of a new stage of the epidemic. On the whole, the epidemiological surveillance system for HIV in the USSR, 1987-1991, was effective, although it needs improvement including reconsideration of the population groups to be obligatorily examined for HIV antibody.

[Study of the antigenic structure of human immunodeficiency virus using synthetic peptides]. / Issledovanie antigennoi struktury virusov immunodefitsita cheloveka s pomoshch'iu sinteticheskikh peptidov.

In a search for synthetic peptide antigens fit to detect anti-HIV antibodies, a set of algorithms were used to predict the probable antigenic determinants of gag, pol, env and nef proteins of HIV-1 and HIV-2. Over forty peptides were synthesized by the solid-phase method. The reactivity of the peptide antigens was evaluated in ELISA on panels of HIV-1/2-positive sera. Application of the synthetic peptides for the early HIV diagnostics was examined.

[Clinical manifestations and the problems of classification of HIV infection]. / KLinicheskie proiavleniia i voprosy klassifikatsii VICh-infektsii.

The clinical manifestations and some immunological parameters (CD4 lymphocytes, CD4/CD8 ratio, IgM, IgA, IgG levels, skin test) were examined in 226 adult patients (148 males and 78 females) infected with HIV. These included 58 (26%) asymptomatic patients with seropositive test, 109 (48%) with the only clinical manifestation generalized lymphadenopathy; 54 (24%) with AIDS-related infections, 5 (2%) with AIDS. A subsequent follow-up of 3 months to 3 years demonstrated that AIDS developed in 7 patients, 9 died. The period of infection with HIV and death ranged from 1.5 to 9 years. The signs of cell immunodeficiency were found in 70% of the examinees. Recommendations are given on the classification of HIV infection.

The synthetic peptide from HIV increases functional activity of granulocytes in healthy subjects.

The influence of HIV lysate and eight synthetic peptides which are fragments of HIV proteins on the functional activity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) was tested in 12 healthy subjects. PMN activity in nitroblue tetrazolium reduction (NBT test) and PMN chemiluminescence (CL) was studied. Only one peptide was found to result in a significant increase in NBT test on the whole blood. This was the oligopeptide (G-97) from the CD4-binding site of HIV-1 gp120. The increase of CL response of PMN in the presence of G-97 was revealed after only 15 min preincubation. The same effect in the presence of sera from healthy or infected patients at the persistent generalized lymphadenopathy stage was achieved by increasing the time of preincubation to 30 min. G-97 did not influence the proliferative activity of lymphocytes.

Influence of HIV antigens on functional activity of neutrophilic granulocytes in.

The effect of nine HIV antigens, including eight synthetic peptides, on the functional activity of granulocytes was studied using the reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium test (NBT test). Some peptides partly suppressed the functional activity of granulocytes. The most pronounced suppression was caused by ImVL (HIV-1 lysate immobilized on plates for ELISA) and SP-7 (a synthetic peptide from the gp41 protein of HIV-1). The degrees to which the functional activity of granulocytes was suppressed by ImVL and SP-7 was in inverse proportion to the specific antibody concentrations. No correlation was found between the reduction in the NBT test value and the amount of CD4+, CD8+ cells on CD4/8 ratio.

[Polymerase and immunologic activity of reverse transcriptase of the HIV-1 virus, isolated from Escherichia coli]. / Polimeraznaia i immunologicheskaia aktivnost' rekombinantnoi obratnoi transkriptazy virusa HIV-1, vydelennoi iz Escherichia coli.

The recombinant reverse transcriptase of HIV-1 virus has been isolated from Escherichia coli cells transformed by the plasmid pRT40 DNA. The 103 Kd protein produced by these cells is shown to be processed to proteins with lower molecular masses by the reverse transcriptases own protease activity as well as Escherichia coli proteases. The resulting 103-66 Kd proteins possess the polymerase activity while 51 Kd and smaller proteins are lacking the activity. The 66 and 51 Kd reverse transcriptase fragments demonstrate the positive immunological reaction with the human blood serum from the people possessing antibodies to HIV-1 virus. The recombinant reverse transcriptase of HIV-1 produced by Escherichia coli cells is shown to be useful in AIDS diagnosis in humans.

[A standard panel of human immunodeficiency virus-positive and -negative blood sera for assessing the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic immunoenzyme test systems]. / Standartnaia panel' pozitivnykh i negativnykh k virusu immunodefitsita cheloveka syvorotok krovi dlia otsenki chuvstvitel'nosti i spetsifichnosti diagnosticheskikh immunofermentnykh test-sistem.

The materials on the development of a reference panel of HIV-positive and negative blood sera required for quality control of diagnostic enzyme-immunoassay systems are summarized. Ninety sera (50 HIV-antibody positive and 40 negative) were examined in 2 test systems of national and 3 test systems of foreign companies as well as by immune blotting and immunofluorescence tests. Each serum was characterized by optic density values and antibody titer (for positive sera). The conditions of storage and transportation of serum panels as well as those for control tests were determined. The license and instructions for use for the serum panel have been approved. The serum panel is used in 9 institutions engaged in working out and manufacture of diagnostic test systems.

[Serologic screening of immunodeficiency virus infection in 1987]. / Serologicheskii skrining infektsii virusom immunodefitsita v 1987 g.

Serological screening for HIV infection revealed the presence of antibodies to HIV in 26 Soviet citizens and 200 foreigners from 33 countries. Among the Soviet citizens, the risk factors were homosexual relations with homosexual partners (3 men), homosexual and heterosexual relations with partners found to be HIV carriers (5 men and 7 women respectively), as well as sexual relations with foreigners not examined for the presence of HIV infection (4 women); besides, 5 persons were infected as the result of the transfusion of donor blood containing antibodies to HIV and 1 child was born of a mother with antibodies to HIV.

[Infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 in the USSR]. / Infektsiia, vyzvannaia virusom immunodefitsita cheloveka tipa 2, v SSSR.

The serological study of 20 sera, showing atypical reaction with HIV-1 in the immunoblotting assay, for the presence of HIV-2 infection revealed some cases of this infection among Africans who had arrived to the USSR from Western Africa (5 cases) and Burundi (1 case); besides, in 1 case HIV-2 infection was detected in a Soviet female citizen having had many sexual partners among foreigners.

Influenza virus haemagglutinin: estimation of tryptophan and tyrosine content and localization of tryptophan residues.

The tryptophan and tyrosine content of the bromelain-released subtype H3 haemagglutinin (H3 BHA) of influenza virus were measured by u.v. absorption and fluorescence techniques. The values obtained (8 and 18 residuces, respectively) are in close agreement with those derived from amino acid analysis. Essentially all of th tryptophan residues are demonstrated to be localized on the surface of the BHA molecule.