Effect of Peptide AEDG on Telomere Length and Mitotic Index of PHA-Stimulated Human Blood Lymphocytes.

We studied the effect of peptide AEDG on telomere length and mitotic index of PHA-stimulated blood lymphocytes from young (18-22 years, N=5) and middle-aged (49-54 years, N=6) men. In the younger age group, no significant changes in the mitotic index were detected, while in the middle-aged group, a decrease in this parameter was found in one case. The relative length of telomeric regions of metaphase chromosomes was evaluated by in situ fluorescence hybridization with DNA probes specific to telomeres. After incubation with peptide AEDG, significant changes in the relative telomere length were found in 7 of 11 individuals (3 cases in the younger age group and 4 cases in the middle age group). Significant increase in telomere length after exposure to peptide AEDG was revealed in 5 cases, including two individuals of the younger age group (by 41 and 55%) and three individuals of the middle age group (by 156, 18, and 76%). In one individual of the younger age group and in one of the middle-age group, a significant decrease in telomere length (by 37 and 15%, respectively) was found. A tendency to normalization of telomere lengths was noted: this parameter increased in individuals with initially lower telomere length relative to the group mean value and decreased in individuals with initially longer telomeres compared to the mean length in the group.

[Use of tykveol in the treatment of impaired biliary tract function in patients with chronic non-calculous cholecystitis]. / Primenenie tykveola v lechenii narushenii funktsional'nogo sostoianiia zhelchevyvodiashchikh putei u bol'nykh khronicheskim nekal'kuleznym kholetsistitom.

The therapeutic efficacy of tykveol was evaluated in 22 patients with chronic non-calculous cholecystitis and/or dyskinesia of the biliary tract (BT) concurrent with gallbladder deformity (GD). Supplementation of tykveol to the combined therapy in the patients with chronic non-calculous cholecystitis concurrent with GD was shown to exert a pronounced therapeutic effect. This caused positive changes in clinical symptoms and BT function, diminished the lithogenic propertes of bile. With the use of tykveol, recovery of neurohumoral regulation is an important factor that improves biliary tract function, as evidenced by decreased gastrin secretion.

[The frequency of heteroploidy in spermatozoa of patients with infertility]. / Analiz chastoty geteroploidii v spermatozoidakh cheloveka pri narusheniiakh fertil'nosti.

The incidence of heteroploid spermatozoa was studied by mono- and dual-colored fluorescence in situ hybridization in semen samples from donors and patients with normal and impaired spermatogenesis. The frequency of heteroploid sperm in the ejaculate was linearly and inversely correlated with sperm parameters (sperm concentration in the ejaculate and proportion of motile and morphologically normal spermatozoa). The level of heterploidy was the most significant in the semen samples from patients with oligoasthenoteratospermia and oligoasthenospermia.

[Molecular genetic analysis of Y-chromosome micro deletions in men with severe spermatogenic defects]. / Molekuliarno-geneticheskii analiz mikrodeletsii Y-khromosomy u muzhchin s tiazhelymi narusheniiami spermatogeneza.

Microdeletions of the Y-chromosomal AZF loci were revealed in 10 (12%) of 82 patients with severe idiopathic spermatogenetic defects. Deletions involved AZFc in six patients, AZFa in one patient, AZFb + c in two patients, and AZFa + b + c in one patient. Microdeletion analysis employed multiplex PCR with 22 pairs of primers directed to Y-specific STS of deletion intervals 5, 6, and 7 (Yq11). Spermatogenesis in men with AZF microdeletions was assessed with semen analysis, microscopic examination of testicular aspirate, and quantitative karyotypic analysis of immature germline cells in ejaculate or aspirate. The character of spermatogenetic defects was correlated with the size and location of microdeletions in order to study the genotype-phenotype relationship.

[Characteristics of prevention of tuberculosis in the conditions of low prevalence of tuberculous infection]. / Osobennosti profilaktiki tuberkuleza v usloviiakh nizkoi rasprostranennosti tuberkuleznoi infektsii.

Immunologic screening was used for examining children of five St. Petersburg regions (4155 subjects) and workers of two industrial enterprises (7700 subjects). Tuberculosis infection level in children living together with subjects of groups I, II, Va, Vb and VII dispensary record and tuberculin sensitivity in adults were determined. New risk groups of tuberculosis development have been suggested which include children from the families of subjects with residual changes of past respiratory tuberculosis with a high risk of its reactivation and adults having hyperergic tuberculin sensitivity. BCG revaccination postponement in adults aged 27-30 years is valid in conditions of low tuberculosis prevalence.

[Enzyme preparations for research on protein hydrolysates and amino acid mixtures not containing peptides]. / Fermentnye preparaty dlia izucheniia belkovykh gidrolizatov i smesei aminokilsot, ne soderzhashchikh peptidov.

Some properties and the hydrolysing ability of two novel enzyme preparations, a proteolytic preparation "C" from Acremonium chrysogenum (Cephalosporium acremonium) and a peptidase preparation (the producer from the family Pseudomanadaceae), are described. The preparations can be used for obtaining protein hydrolysates with different ratios of free amino acids and peptides. The protein hydrolysis with the preparation "C" enables one to obtain hydrolysates containing 13-18% of free amino acids. The further treatment of the hydrolysates with the peptidase preparation results either in complete hydrolysis of the remained peptide fractions or in obtainment of solutions containing from 60 to 85% of free amino acids and low-molecular weight peptides.

[Isolation of a highly pure preparation of cephalexin amidase from bacteria of the genus Xanthomonas]. / Poluchenie vysokoochishchennogo preparata tsefaleksinamidazy iz bakterii roda Xanthomonas.

A procedure for highly purified cephalexin amidase of Xanthomonas was developed. It consists of preparation of a cell-free extract of the culture after cell disintegration, precipitation with ammonium sulfate, dissolution, concentration and elimination of ballast proteins, gel filtration on Sephadex G-25, sorption of ballast proteins on DEAE cellulose and chromatography on KM-cellulose. The enzyme yield is 45-55 per cent. The purity level is 80-90-fold.

[Comparative study of the basic immunological reactions for assessing tularemia immunity in inoculated persons or those who have had the disease]. / Sravnitel'noe izuchenie osnovnykh immunologicheskikh reaktsii dlia otsenki immuniteta k tuliaremii u privitykh ili perebolevshikh lits.

In the comparative study of immunological tests used for the determination of immunity to tularemia in vaccinees the greatest number of persons with the positive reaction was detected by means of the tularine skin test. Former tularemia patients retained allergic skin reaction to this test irrespective of the time of the disease.

[Lesion of the heart in exotoxic shock]. / Porazhenie serdtsa pri ékzotoksicheskom shoke.

The functional condition of the heart in exotoxic shock, the most severe complication in the early toxicogenic form of acute poisoning, was studied in 230 patients in whom shock had developed on the background of severe acute poisoning with fluid caustics, dichloroethane, organophosphoric insecticides or soporifics. The results of the studies show that in the phase of compensated shock the revealed disorders are mainly due to the compensatory intensification of the cardiac activity in response to the "chemical trauma". Affection of the contractile myocardium in this period of shock does not play any noticeable role in the development of hemodynamic disorders, the only exception are cases in which the preparation that had caused the poisoning possesses a specific cardiotoxic effect ("primary specific cardiotoxic effect"). The increase of the general phenomena of disorders of microcirculation and hypoxia leads to diminution of the enzyme control of metabolic processes in the myocardium and the development of secondary dystrophic changes in the myocardial fibre ("secondary nonspecific cardiotoxic effect").