[Natriuretic peptide--independent marker of cardiovascular diseases in patients with diabetes mellitus].

The review depicts the findings of the foreign and Ukrainian researches focused on high blood level of natriuretic peptide (NP), which possesses, by itself, the risk of cardiovascular diseases in patients with diabetes mellitus regardless of its stage.

[Structure-functional features of homologous domains of angiotensin-converting enzyme]. / Strukturno-funktsional'nye osobennosti gomologichnykh domenov angiotenzinprevrashchaiushchego fermenta.

Somatic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) consists of two homologous domains, each of them containing an active site. Differences in substrate specificities and affinity to inhibitors of the active sites of the two domains of bovine ACE are described. The ACE domains demonstrate different thermostability, and the reasons for this difference are analyzed. A structural model of the ACE domains is suggested, which allows us to reveal the structural subdomain important for the protein stability and localize the hydrophobic and the carbohydrate-binding sites.

[Sulfonylurea receptors and their interaction with glimepiride]. / Retseptory k sul'fonilmochevine i ikh vzaimodeistvie s glimepiridom.

In the review, data are presented on glymepiride (amaril), a 3-d generation sulphanylamide. The drug interacts with receptors to sulphonylurea--SUR X, that are found only in B-cells of the pancreas, which fact has been shown to be associated with a higher secretion of insulin, an increased sensitivity of peripheral tissues to this hormone and with insulin-like extrapancreatic effects as well. Amaril does not affect SUR of the myocardium, myocytes of cerebral vessels and nervous cells. The use of the above drug combined with metformin, insulin, repaglynide, and nateglynide has been shown to be an optimum treatment option, however in the latter case, hypoglycemic states may come to be seen more frequently along with a rapid exhaustion of B-cells. In view of the fact that in many instances, type 2 diabetes mellitus runs its course concurrently with other illness, it is necessary that interaction of amaril with other drugs be taken into account.

[Immunomodulating effect of berlithione in clean-up workers of the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident]. / Immunomoduliruiushchii éffekt berlitiona u likvidatorov posledstvii avarii na ChAES.

Effects of the antioxidant berlithione (alpha-lipoic acid) on indices for the immune system, such as complement titer, C3-component of the complement, reaction of the autorosette formation were studied together with those on parameters characterizing cell-bound and humoral immunity. 11-12 years following the Chernobyl accident, nine liquidators of its aftermaths were examined, aged 51.8 +/- 7.2 years, body mass (BM) 27.3 +/- 4.2 kg/m2, radiation dose 73.2 +/- 35.3 rem, who took part in the elimination of the effects of the accident for no more than 3 months in 1986--at the beginning of 1987. All examinees were prescribed the drug berlithione (alpha-lipoic acid), 600 mg per day over two months. A two-month treatment with berlithione, 600 mg/day, resulted in normal levels of indices for unspecific defence; among these were phagocytic activity of neutrophiles, content of the complement, its C3-component, and reaction of autorosette formation in the accident effects liquidators, but no impact was found on cell-mediated and humoral immunity.

[Effect of eprex in therapy of anemia of nephrogenic genesis in patients with chronic renal failure concurrent with diabetic glomerulosclerosis before hemodialysis]. / Opyt primeneniia épreksa pri anemii nefrogennogo geneza u bol'nykh s khronicheskoi pochechnoi nedostatochnost'iu na fone diabeticheskogo glomeruloskleroza v dodializnom periode.

Data are submitted of results of treatment of anemia of nephrogenic genesis in 44 patients with diabetes mellitus complicated by diabetic glomerulosclerosis and chronic renal failure (CRF). In the patients, blood count was determined together with the corpuscular volume, blood serum level of creatinine, total protein, trace elements (calcium, sodium, potassium), total cholesterin, and beta-lipoproteins (beta-LP). Two drug regimens were adopted: 21 patient received iron preparations, folic acid, cyanocobalamin, calcium preparations, those preparations to be employed to reduce blood level of creatinine, antihypertensives, and eprex, 1000 u. four times daily for up to 4 weeks; these very preparations were given to 23 patients during the same time range but without eprex in the regimen. Four weeks later, those patients having taken eprex demonstrated significant (though not very high) elevation of the content of hemoglobin, corpuscular volume, erythrocytes and drop in total cholesterin and beta-LP in the blood serum. In those patients having had no eprex in their regimen, there were no changes in the studied parameters. Patients with diabetic glomerulosclerosis concurrent with CRF and nephrogenous anemia should be prescribed eprex and preparations of iron, folic acid, cyanocobalamin combined in correction of the above anemia even in the predialysis period. Iron preparations are not to be administered in those settings where there is no reduction in its level.

[Analysis of irradiation dose, body mass index and insulin blood concentration in personnel cleaning up after the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident]. / Analiz dozy oblucheniia, kontsentratsii insulina v krovi i indeksa massy tela u likvidatorov posledstvii avarii na ChAES.

Liquidators of aftermaths of the Chernobyl accident (LCA) who had worked within the 30-km zone for not more then 3 months in 1986 and early in the year 1987 were examined in 1988-1992, 1997-1998. They were divided into two groups of persons with normal body mass index (BMI) and abnormal BMI. The dose of irradiation received, BMI and insulin concentration in the blood were analysed. The comparison group consisted of persons having been exposed to acute psychogenic stress--they were servicemen in their first year of military service. The control group comprised normal subjects. Hyperinsulinemia was recordable in LCA with normal and abnormal BMI for the space of 3 to 12 years after the accident. The above hyperinsulinemia, as we see it, is related to direct or indirect action of irradiation because those persons with prior acute psychogenic stress and healthy people have been found to be free from hyperinsulinemia. The possibility cannot be ruled out that hyperinsulinemia is a predictor of increased body weight gain and obesity in LCA reported by other authors.

[Ceruloplasmin, transferrin and insulin blood levels in those with diabetes mellitus type II and in nondiabetics who participated in the clean-up after the Chernobyl accident]. / Uroven' tseruloplazmina, transferrina i insulina v krovi likvidatorov posledstvii avarii na ChAES, bol'nykh i ne bol'nykh sakharnym diabetom tipa 2.

In those persons who had taken part in the elimination of the effects of the Chernobyl accident (AEEP), an oxidative stress with disturbed functioning of the antioxidant defence extracellular factors ceruloplasmin and transferrin is recordable over a long time range together with direct and indirect manifestations of insulin resistance. Submitted in the paper is an analysis of indices for ceruloplasmin, transferrin, free iron (FI), and insulin in the blood plasma of AEEP in different age groups and in those AEEP suffering from type II diabetes mellitus (DM) as well. The group of comparison was participants in the military operations (MOP) in Afghanistan. In the older age group AEEP (beyond 40 years of age) and in those AEEP presenting with type II DM similar alterations have been shown to be the case, such as decrease in the content of transferrin and augmentation of ceruloplasmin against the background of hyperinsulinemia. The above alterations can be regarded as a risk factor for origination of type II DM in Chernobyl AEEP.

[Hyperinsulinemia as a factor preceding body mass increase in liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear accident]. / Giperinsulinemiia kak faktor, predshestvuiushchii povysheniiu massy tela u likvidatorov posledstvii avarii na ChAES.

Basal hyperinsulinemia has been recordable over several years in liquidators of the effects of Chernobyl Accident (ChAEL). There was no dependence of hyperinsulinemia on age, body mass or lenght of service of those persons having worked within the 30-km zone. The findings secured suggest to us that increase in the body mass index (BMI) in ChAEL is preceded by a rise in the blood level of insulin; there is no relatedness of the basal level of insulin in the blood to BMI.

[Structural effects in the sarcolemma of the cardiomyocytes under the action of modulators of the polyphosphoinositide system]. / Strukturnye éffekty v sarkolemme kardiomiotsitov pri deistvii moduliatorov polifosfoinozitidnoi sistemy.

The influence of activators (Ca(2+)-channels stimulator BAY K 8644 and phospholipase C stimulator fMLP) and inhibitors (Ca(2+)-channels blocker verapamil and alpha 1-adrenoceptors blocker prazosin) of the polyphosphoinositide system on cardiomyocytes sarcolemma, was studied. The structural effects of the PPI modifiers seem to be one of the mechanisms of the PPI physiological activity at the membrane level.