Peculiarities of Tentacle Innervation of Flustrellidra hispida and Evolution of Lophophore in Bryozoa.

The study of the lophophore organization is of great importance for the reconstruction of lophophorate phylogeny and for understanding the evolutionary transformation in each phylum of Lophophorata. The innervation of the lophophore in ctenostome bryozoan Flustrellidra hispida was studied using immunocytochemistry and confocal laser scanning microscopy. It has been demonstrated that this species has an outer nerve ring giving rise to the tentacle nerves. The outer nerve ring was earlier described in some ctenostomates and cyclostomates, but not as connected with nerves. The discovered feature of lophophore innervation in F. hispida suggests the evolutionary transformation from a hypothetical phoronida-like ancestor lophophore bearing a prominent outer nerve ring with numerous tentacle nerves emanating from it, to the complex bell-shaped lophophore of F. hispida with a well-pronounced outer nervous ring bearing a few tentacle nerves. The next one in this hypothetical row is the lophophore of the other ctenostomates and some cyclostomates with no ring-nerve connection and cheilostomates lophophore with no outer nerve ring at all.

[The modern approaches to the restoration of postural balance in the patients suffering from the consequences of an acute cerebrovascular accident (CVA)].

BACKGROUND: the most frequent and severe consequences of an acute cerebrovascular accident (CVA) are locomotor and coordination disorders which significantly increase the risk of falling in a static position and when walking. The methods used for the rehabilitation of the affected patients are designed in the first place to enable the patients to acquire the skills necessary for maintaining the static balance. The modern equipment allows to carry out coordination training in the static position and also during walking. AIM: The objective of the present study was to evaluate, based on the results of our original research, the feasibility and effectiveness of the application of the «Balance tutor¼ system developed for the restoration of static and dynamic balance in the framework of the combined rehabilitation treatment of the patients suffering from impaired postural balance as a consequence of acute cerebrovascular accident (CVA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 56 patients presenting with impaired postural balance following CVA were available for the examination. All of them underwent functional testing to assess the static and dynamic balance, walking abilities, and the risk of falling down including the study with the use of computer-assisted stabilometry. RESULTS: The study has demonstrated that the inclusion of the «Balance tutor¼ system for the restoration of the static and dynamic balance in the combined rehabilitative treatment of the patients having postural balance disorders after the CVA reduces the risk of fall for a walking patient, improves his (her) static and dynamic balance, increases the patient's ability to move without exterior help. The patients comprising the main study group were found to experience a decrease of statokinesiogram space in the «eyes are open¼ position (p = 0.0576, the Mann-Whitney U test) as well as a reliable decrease of the statokinesiogram space in the «eyes are closed¼ position (p=0.0063, the Mann-Whitney U test). Similar changes occurred in speed of pressure center relocation. By the end of the rehabilitation course, the patients of the main group exhibited a reliable enhancement in the dynamic balance rates estimated with the use of the Berg Balance Scale (p=0.028, Tukey's criterion), an increase in stability based at the Tinneti scale, p=0.0291; Tukey's criterion), and a decrease of the risk of falling during walk assessed with the application of Dynamic Gait Index scale (p = 0.0001, Tukey's criterion). DISCUSSION: The results of the present study with the inclusion of the «Balance tutor¼ system in the program of combined rehabilitation of the patients suffering from the consequences of CVA in the form of the postural balance impairment give evidence of the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach. There is reason to believe that its application is likely to reduce the risk of falling down and to improve characteristics of static and dynamic balance. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of the «Balance tutor¼ system in the program of combined rehabilitation of the patients suffering from the consequences of CVA in the form of the postural balance impairment is both feasible and effective.

[Current protease-antibody-based serodiagnostic tools and their use in the diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid diseases].

The purpose of the investigation was to comparatively study the possible clinicodiagnostic and clinicoprognostic value of thyroglobulin (TG) autoantibodies (anti-TG autoAB) and thyroid peroxidase (TPO) (anti-TPO autoAB) with proteolytic activity (protease-AB) and to develop additional clinicoimmunological criteria for working out a protease-AB-based laboratory serodiagnosis protocol. Sera from 240 patients with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), 124 with diffuse toxic goiter (DTG), and 172 with other thyroid diseases were studied. Serum from 40 clinically healthy donors served as a control. Sera were screened for anti-TG and anti-TPO autoAB by enzyme immunoassay and/or radioimmunoassay. Nonspecific proteolytic activity was determined, by incubating a highly purified AB IgG-isotype solution with nonspecific substrate (such as BSA-FITS or thyoredoxine/Trx), followed by the measurement of relative fluorescence shifts at a wavelength of 470 nm. The blood samples taken from patients with AIT or DTG and the highly purified anti-TG or anti-TRO autoAB of IgG isotype were incubated with appropriate human substrates to determine AG-specific proteolytic activity. Proteolysis products were detected by PAAG electrophoresis. An association was found between the rise in the frequency of protease AB, their catalytic activity, a tendency toward autoAB between themselves, and the degree of thyroid tissue degradation in AIT and DTG; some specific features of a serological pattern were noted in diferent dorms of AIT and DTG. For example, the prevailing autoABs have been shown to be TG-specific in AIT and TPO-specific proteases in DTG; also, the detectable catalytic activity of both autoAB in AIT is an order of magnitude higher than that in DTG. No protease ABs have been recorded in other forms of thyroid diseases in which antithyroid autoABs are also frequently detected. The screening procedure for protease AB may be considered as a highly sensitive and specific indicator test in the diagnosis and prediction of AIT and DTG, which allows one to diagnose not only within the framework of major thyroid nosological entities, but much broader, by covering a great variety of syndromal forms of pathology.

[Antithyroid antibodies of varying specificity in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid diseases].

AIM: To compare the possible pathogenetic and clinicodiagnostic value of antithyroid autoantibodies (autoAB) different in specificity, such as monospecific ones to thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase (anti-TG and anti-TPO autoAB) and bispecific ones to thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase simultaneously (anti-TGPO autoAB), in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sera from 240 patients with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and from 124 with diffuse toxic goiter (DTG) were examined. The sera from 40 healthy donors served as a control. The sera were screened for anti-TG and anti-TPO autoAB, anti-TGPO autoAB, by employing enzyme immunoassay and/or radioimmunoassay. The results were statistically processed using the variation statistics-based programs. RESULTS: The specific features of an autoantigenic component to thyroid tissues were found in the sera of patients with AIT and DTG. An association was established between the progression of disease and the phasic change of autoAB populations or their combinations. CONCLUSION: The procedure for evaluating seropositivity for antithyroid autoAB, which is referred to as non-invasive studies, can be considered as a criterion test in the diagnosis and prediction of the course of AIT and DTG.

[Catalytic autoantibodies as a new molecular instrument in rheumatological practice].

AIM: To compare clinicopathogenetic value of DNA-hydrolizing autoantibodies or DNA-abzymes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied sera from 180 patients with SLE, 180 RA patients and 128 healthy donors matched by age and gender; assessed catalytic and cytotoxic activity of DNA-abzymes in patients with different variants of SLE and RA course. RESULTS: The highest catalytic and cytotoxic activities of DNA abzymes were observed in SLE patients. In SLE catalytic and cytotoxic activities of DNA abzymes ranged widely and their mean values depended on SLE activity in patients with systemic lesions. DNA-abzymes in RA patients showed lower catalytic and cytotoxic activities in relation to substrate DNA and target cells than in SLE. DNA-abzymes occurred most frequently in patients with high activity of RA, slow-progressive and lingering course of RA, especially in early development of visceral (extra-articular) pathology. Characteristic for DNA-abzymes in RA and SLE is the phenomenon of wide-range fluctuations due to factors determinating probability of induction of function of Ab-mediated catalysis and, therefore, incidence rates of DNA-abzymes, probably catalytic autoAb of the other specificity in a population of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases. CONCLUSION: The data indicate the validity of DNA abzymes use in clinical practice for realization of diagnostic and therapeutic programs in SLE and RA.

[Catalytic autoantibodies--a new molecular instrument in cardiology and ophthalmology].

AIM: To develop a conceptual model of using catalytic autoantibodies as diagnostic and monitoring tools in organ-specific autoimmune disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 99 patients (56 males and 43 females aged 21-52 years) with autoimmune myocarditis (AM) and 198 patients (77 males and 121 females aged 8-79 years) with autoimmune uveitis (A U) participated in the study. AM patients were examined for anticardiomyosin and anti-DNA autoantibodies (ACM, ADNAab), AU patients - for autoantibodies to S-antigen, IRBP, redopsin, phosphocine, autoDNA. RESULTS: AM patients had double level of DNA-binding autoantibodies. In 1/3 of them there was hydrolysing DNA and cytotoxic activity. In AU patients maximal titers were in Behcet's disease, sympathic ophthalmia, generalized uveitis and viral uveitis. CONCLUSION: Autoantibodies with different specificity and function including DNA-abzymes can be additional diagnostic and prognostic markers.