[Characteristics of common wheat cultivars of West Siberia carrying the wheat-rye 1RS.1BL translocation].

Using genomic in situ hybridization, among the common wheat cultivars produced in West Siberia (Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture, Omsk) with the involvement of the winter wheat cultivar Kavkaz carrying the wheat-rye 1RS.1BL translocation we identified three cultivars with this translocation: Omskaya 29, Omskaya 37, and Omskaya 38. The protein and crude gluten contents in the grain of these cultivars are equal to or exceed the levels observed in cultivars without the wheat-rye translocation. The common wheat cultivars carrying the wheat-rye translocation were evaluated in terms of resistance of plants reaching wax ripeness to leaf rust and powdery mildew in the natural field conditions. The cultivars Omskaya 37 and Omskaya 38 displayed a high field resistance to leaf rust and were resistant to a variable extent to powdery mildew. The cultivar Omskaya 29 was susceptible to leaf rust and powdery mildew pathogens. Importance of the selection direction and the role of the genetic background in developing common wheat cultivars carrying the wheat-rye translocation is discussed.

[The etiological pattern of diseases in pregnant women with enhanced blood ALT and AST activities, admitted to the obstetric unit of infectious disease hospital].

AIM: to define a role of hepatotropic (HAV, HBV, HCV, and HDV) and opportunistic hepatotropic (HGV, CMV, EBV, HHV types 1, 2, and 6) viruses in the etiological pattern of diseases accompanied by enhanced blood AlAT and AsA T activities in pregnant women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and eleven pregnant women, including 123 patients with chronic viral hepatitis, 74 with enhanced blood AlAT activity and no markers of viral hepatitis (EAlA T-NMVH), and 14 with acute viral hepatitis were examined. RESULTS: Most pregnant women with chronic HBV and HCV infections were found to have HBV DNA and HCV RNA in the blood in the presence of normal and enhanced activities of transaminases. In the EAlAT-NMVH group, there was none of the opportunistic hepatotropic viruses in more than 7% of cases. No genetic material of HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, HGV, CMV, EBV, HHV types 1, 2, and 6 was found in the blood of all 10 patients with hepatitis of unspecified etiology. CONCLUSION: In the absence of serologic data supporting the presence of infectious pathology, blood testing using the polymerase chain reaction is of low informative value in detecting opportunistic hepatotropic viruses in pregnant women with hepatitis of unspecified etiology. However, by keeping in mind that the spectrum of opportunistic hepatotropic viruses is not confined to those included in this study, it is expedient to examine additionally pregnant women with enhanced blood AlAT and AsAT activity in order to identify TTV, B19V, HHV-8, SEN and NV-F in the blood.

[Bioactive substance used for treatment and preventive maintenance of liver diseases].

In the present article the review of bioactive substances rendering beneficial effect on an organism at diseases of a liver is resulted. Action of such classes of bioactive substances as amino acids and their derivatives, vitamins, macro- and microelements, herbal bioactive substances, cytamins is described. Bioactive substances can be used in manufacture food supplements or foodstuffs of a medical and prophylactic feed.

[Comparative analysis of hepatitis C virus core protein in the plasma and serum samples from HCV-infected blood donors and patients with hepatitis C].

The aim of the study was to develop a sensitive and specific method for revealing the direct marker of hepatitis C virus (HCV)--core protein in the serum and to test it in the laboratory setting. Experiments were made on plasma and serum samples from asymptomatic HCV-seropositive blood donors (n=65), patients with acute (AHC) and chronic (CHC) hepatitis C (n=295), and HCV-seronegative blood donors (n=20). The processing protocol for serum included their concentration by means of polyethylene glycol and subsequent treatments of pellets to detect core protein in free virions, nonenveloped nucleocapsids, and immune complexes. This allowed an assay to be developed for the detection of core protein, by using a sandwich ELISA. Inclusion of a combination of three original monoclonal antibodies into the sandwich could reveal in the samples core proteins of at least 3 genotypes of HCV (1, 2, and 3) with a sensitivity of 20 pg/ml in the majority of HCV-infected subjects. The results of determination of core protein and HCV RNA correlated with a high degree of sensitivity. To detect HCV in the blood of patients with AHC, it was shown to be sufficient to find freely circulating virions whereas an analysis of immune complexes should be included in cases of CHC to achieve more sensitivity. The findings are a basis for developing a test system for the diagnosis of hepatitis C, including its early stages before seroconversion and for determining a viral load during interferon therapy. Introduction of the method into practice increases the reliability of the diagnosis of hepatitis C and virus-free safety of blood transfusions.

[Hepatitis C virus proteins in the liver cells in acute hepatitis C: their association with liver damage and with the outcome of the disease].

The accumulation of individual hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins in the liver cells of patients with acute hepatitis C (AHC) and their association with the course and outcome of the disease were studied. AHC protein expression in the cryostat liver sections from 20 patients with AHC was estimated by immunohistochemical assay using original monoclonal antibodies to 5 HCV proteins (core, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5A). The results of HCV detection in the patients were compared with their biochemical, clinical, and morphological findings. HCV proteins were totally revealed in the livers of all the patients, individual proteins were identified with a frequency of 89-95%, which is significantly more than those in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The hepatic expression of core protein was shown to inversely correlate with the duration of an acute period. There was a direct relationship between the accumulation of core, NS3, and NS5A proteins and the liver tissue damage caused by stepwise necrosis rather than intralobular necrosis. The presumed convalescence was ascertained to be associated with the larger count of hepatocytes containing the proteins NS4A and NS3 early after AHC manifestation.

[Prospects for interferon therapy in chronic hepatitis C with normal transaminase levels]. / Vozmozhnosti interferonoterapii pri khonicheskom gepatite C s normal'nym urovnem transaminaz.

AIM: To study effectiveness of recombinant interferon-alpha (Ifna) in patients with chronic hepatitis C with normal transaminases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 26 patients with positive tests for abHCV and RNA HCV with a normal level of alaninaminotransferase (AlAT) entered the study. 16 patients of the test group received recombinant Ifna three times a week in a dose 3 mln IU. Mean duration of interferon therapy was 7.44 +/- 4.27 months. Control group consisted of 10 patients with natural course of the disease. Biochemical, virusological and morphological examinations were conducted in all the patients. The patients were followed up for 1.5-2 years, on the average. RESULTS: Treatment with recombinant Ifna was well tolerated. A persistent positive virusological response after the treatment was achieved in 25% of the test patients. They exhibited improvement of histological structure of the liver. In control group the dynamics was opposite. CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic hepatitis C with normal transaminases level interferon therapy improves structure of hepatic tissue. Puncture biopsy of the liver is the main method which determines the validity of the treatment and its efficacy.

Virus-specific antibody titres in different phases of hepatitis C virus infection.

This study aimed to examine anti hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody titres, their changes and differences in acute, chronic and past HCV infection and to examine them after IFN-alpha-therapy. Ninety five patients were studied in a cross-sectional investigation and 18 of them were followed long-term. Titres of IgM and IgG antibodies against core, NS3, NS4 (A + B), NS5A proteins were determined by the third generation enzyme immunoassays. Patients with acute hepatitis C developed IgG antibodies against core protein in titres 1/5-1/800 and against individual NS proteins at the same titres. During the first to second month of acute hepatitis C IgG antibody titres to HCV proteins were very low, but they had risen considerably by the fourth to sixth month. Anti-HCV IgM antibodies were found in half the acute hepatitis serum samples, titres were 1/5-1/40. Sixty individuals with chronic hepatitis C showed IgG antibodies against core in titres 1/800-1/40,000 and against individual NS proteins in titres 1/5-1/20,000. Eight patients with chronic hepatitis C had invariable anti-HCV IgG antibodies over 2-3 years. About 81.7% of chronically infected patients had anti-HCV IgM antibodies in titres 1/5-1/160. Patients with resolution of HCV infection showed only anti-core IgG antibodies (titres 1/5-1/200) or no virus-specific antibodies. Individuals with different response to IFN-alpha-therapy showed two distinct patterns of anti-HCV antibody titres. Acute and chronic HCV infection may be distinguished by anti-core titres.

Mapping and characterization of B cell linear epitopes in the conservative regions of hepatitis C virus envelope glycoproteins.

Forty-eight overlapping octapeptides covering highly conservative regions of E1 and E2 hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope proteins were synthesized and tested by ELISA against different groups of sera obtained from HCV-infected patients. All sera from patients with acute infection, except a single case of serum reactivity with the region HINRTALN, were nonreactive with any peptide. Sera obtained from chronic patients reacted with 12 peptides from five selected regions. Two immunodominant B epitopes were found, one being the precisely mapped antigenic site RMAWDM positioned inside the earlier shown immunodominant epitope from E1, and the second site, PALSTGLIH from E2, detected for the first time. New minor antigenic site was determined as PTDCFRKH from E2. We found only minor seroreactivity for one of the putative sites involved in CD81 binding, PYCWHYAP.

[Viral hepatitis markers in saliva specimens from patients with acute hepatitis A, B and C]. / Markery virusnykh gepatitov v obraztsakh sliuny bol'nykh ostrymi gepatitami A, B i C.

Anti-HVA IgM, HBsAg, anti-HBc IgM, anti-HVC were determined in the blood sera and saliva specimens obtained from patients with acute hepatitis A, B, C (HA, HB, HC) and from healthy persons of the control group. 37 HA patients, 27 HB patients and 24 HC patients, observed in the dynamics of the disease (for a period of 1 month and longer from the appearance of manifestations of the disease), as well as 30 practically healthy persons (the control group) were examined. Anti-HVA IgM could be found in saliva specimens taken from the HA patients 100% of cases, but could not be found in saliva specimens from the persons of the control group and HB patients. The presence of HBsAg was established in 92.8% and anti-HBc IgM, in 100% of cases in saliva specimens from patients with acute HB. In no case HB markers were found in saliva samples obtained from HA patients and from the persons of the control group. In HBsAg-positive saliva specimens HB virus DNA was detected by the method of polymerase chain, reaction, which opened new aspects for the modern interpretation of the role of saliva as a factor in the natural transmission of HB. Anti-HVC could be found in all patients both in the blood serum and saliva specimens, but proved to be absent in the persons of the control group, as well as in HA and HB patients. The dynamic study of HA, HB and HC patients for the detection of anti-HVA and anti-HBc IgM, HBsAg and anti-VHC demonstrated the possibility of detecting these markers for 1 month and longer in the blood sera and in saliva specimens. The results of these investigations suggest that saliva specimens may be regarded as an alternative to blood sera in the diagnosis of HA, HB and HC in patients with acute viral hepatitis; these results also open prospects for the use of saliva specimens as an object of study in diagnostic laboratories, the deciphering of viral hepatitis outbreaks, the diagnosis of HA in persons with anicteric forms of HA.

[Chronic hepatitis delta--the course and approaches to therapy]. / Techenie khronicheskogo gepatita del'ta i podkhody k lecheniiu.

Variants of chronic hepatitis delta (CHD) course were studied in 94 patients. Slow progress (for decades) occurred most frequently, while rapid progress to hepatic cirrhosis (for 1-2 years) or benign course presenting as greater than 3-year remission were rare findings. In addition to routine therapeutic modalities, except corticosteroids, 43 CHD patients received recombinant alpha 2-interferon (reaferon). Follow-up results evaluated separately for hepatic cirrhosis and free of it CHD patients support clinical promise of Soviet recombinant alpha 2-interferon against CHD.