[On the problem of HIV infection in the objects of forensic medical expertise]. / O probleme diagnostiki VICh-infektsii v ob''ektakh sudebno-meditsinskoi ékspertizy.

The authors overview the current state of research in the field of diagnostics and identification of the signs suggesting the presence of HIV in the materials obtained from the human corpses undergoing forensic medical expertise at different stages of their post-mortem changes. Another objective of the present work was to evaluate the risk of HIV infection for the medical personnel involved in the autopsy studies taking into consideration the significance attached in different countries to the problem of anti-infectious protection of the staff of the state institutions of forensic medical expertise. The authors discuss the possibilities and limitations of the application of the methods for HIV diagnostics, such as immunoenzymatic assays. The special attention is given to the advantages of the molecular genetic methods based on the use of the specific fragments of the viral RNA genome as the diagnostic markers. The solid methodological basis for molecular genetic diagnostics of HIV infection is provided by PCR-amplification with the detection in the real-time regime. It is supposed that this approach will make it possible not only to determine, with the high degree of accuracy and specificity, the presence of the viral genome in the biological materials but also to reduce to a minimum the probability of both false-positive and false-negative responses.

[The interpopulation differences between nucleotide sequence polymorphisms in alleles of the STR-loci of human chromosomal DNA]. / Mezhpopulyatsionnye razlichiya polimorfizma nukleotidnoi posledovatel'nosti v allelyakh STR-lokusov khromosomnoi DNK cheloveka.

The objective of the present work was to study the phenomenon of nucleotide sequence polymorphism in alleles of the STR-loci of human chromosomal DNA and to estimate its interpopulation differences with a view to the search for the molecular-genetic markers to be used as an efficient tool for the determination of belonging of the subjects of interest to a given population. We undertook the comprehensive analysis of amplified DNA fragment sequence polymorphism (AFSP) and amplified DNA fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) with the use of the PLEX-ID-TM analytical mass-spectrometry platform (Abbott Molecular, USA). The interpopulation differences were estimated in terms of the presence or the absence of single nucleotide replacements (SNP) in the STR markers based on a few population samples. Some of the loci of interest were found to have allelic variants the occurrence of which was significantly different in individual samples. Such alleles are of importance for the further investigation since they can be regarded as potential ethno-geographical markers. Their application opens up the new promising prospects for the expert detection of the ethnic affiliation of individual subjects.

[Polymorphism of DNA nucleotide sequence as a source of enhancement of the discrimination potential of the STR-markers]. / Polimorfizm nukleotidnoi posledovatel'nosti DNK kak istochnik uvelicheniya diskriminiruyushchego potentsiala STR-markerov.

The objective of the present pilot investigation was to reveal and to study polymorphism of nucleotide sequence in the alleles of STR loci of human autosomal DNA with special reference to the role of this phenomenon as a source of the differences between homonymous allelic variants. The secondary objection was to evaluate the possibility of using the data thus obtained for the enhancement of the informative value of the forensic medical genotyping of STR loci by means of identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) for the purpose of extending their allelic spectrum. The methodological basis of the study was constituted by the comprehensive amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis and amplified fragment sequence polymorphisms (AFSP) analysis of DNA with the use of the PLEX-ID^TM analytical mass-spectrometry platform (Abbot Molecular, USA). The study has demonstrated that polymorphism of DNA nucleotide sequence can be regarded as the possible source of enhancement of the discriminating potential of STR markers. It means that the analysis of polymorphism of DNA nucleotide sequence for genotyping AFLP-type markers of chromosomal DNA can considerably increase the effectiveness of their application as individualizing markers for the purpose of molecular genetic expertises.

[The evaluation of the prospects for the application of mass-spectrometric analysis of the amplified DNA fragments for the purpose of forensic medical expertise].

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the prospects for the application of the mass-spectrometric analysis for the solution of the problems facing modern forensic-medical genetics as illustrated by the example of the new experimental multiplex approach to the typing of human DNA with the use of the complex PLEX-ID platform. The validation study involved all stages of the processing chain. The results of the study were used to develop the recommendations for the optimization of the analytical system being used. The comparative analysis of the experimental PLEX-ID technology and the traditional electrophoretic system for the analysis of polymorphism of amplified DNA fragments has demonstrated the potential advantages of the mass-spectrometric technique, such as the enhanced informative value of the forensic expert evaluation of polymorphism of STR-loci due to the possibility of identifying SNP and extension in them and therefore their allelic spectrum.

[Neonatal injections of pharmacological agents and their remote genotype-dependent effects in mice and rats].

Experimental data were reviewed which demonstrated that the neonatal injection effects of certain biologically active drugs (ACTH(4-10) fragment and its analogue Semax, piracetam, caffeine, levetiracetam, busperone, etc.) could be detected in adult animals as changes in physiological and behavioral reactions and in several morphological traits as well. Audiogenic seizures proneness, anxiety-fear and exploration behavior as well as pain sensitivity were analyzed. The remote effects discovered were either similar in direction to those applied to an adult organism, or opposite to it. Pharmacological treatments of such type presumably interfere the CNS development during early postnatal ontogeny and change the normal pattern ofbrain development. These modulatory influences could be due to changes in neurotransmitter system development and are presumably capable to induce CNS morphological deviations (numbers of neurons, adult neurogenesis).

Audiogenic epilepsy in mice with different genotypes after neonatal treatments enhancing neurogenesis in dentate gyrus.

Pups of Wistar and KM rats (with predisposition to audiogenic epilepsy) were daily injected with neuropeptide semax (50 mg/kg) or NO-synthase inhibitor L-NAME (50 mg/kg) on days 7-11 of life. Alterations of audiogenic seizures pattern were revealed in rats of both strains at the age of 1 month, while changes in seizure severity were genotype-dependent. Both agents enhance neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the delayed effect in the form of altered seizure pattern seems to be determined by this factor. Genotype-dependent alterations of seizure severity after administration of semax and L-NAME were differently directed. These effects are suggested to be underlined by physiological and biochemical mechanisms not related to the intensity of postnatal neurogenesis.