[there any association of metabolic disturbances with joint destruction and pain?] / Sakharnyi diabet 2 tipa pri osteoartrite: sushchestvuet li sviaz' metabolicheskikh narushenii s destruktsiei sustavov i bolevym sindromom?

Osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes mellitus represent two the most common chronic diseases. They possess many shared epidemiologic traits, have common risk factors, and embody heterogeneous multifactorial pathologies, which develop due to interaction of genetic an environmental factors. In addition, these diseases are often occurring in the same patient. In spite of the differences in clinical manifestation both diseases have similar disturbances of cellular metabolism, primarily associated with ATP production and utilization. The review discusses molecular mechanisms determining pathophysiological processes associated with glucose and lipid metabolism as well as the means aiming to alleviate the disturbances of energy metabolism as a new a therapeutic approach.

[The role of growth factors in inhibition of collagen degeneration and chondrocyte differentiation in patients with osteoarthrosis].

Degeneration of collagen in 23 explants of articular cartilage from patients with osteoarthrosis (OA) was suppressed by a combination of growth factors that were used in the past to inhibit hypertrophy of oral plate chondrocytes, viz. transforming growth factor -beta 2 (TGFb2), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), and insulin. Their integrated inhibitory activity amounted to 56%, with TGFb being the most efficient of them (59%). Inhibition of enhanced collagen degeneration by these growth factors was associated with reduced expression of the genes controlling chondrocyte hypertrophy, type 10 collagen (COL10A1), collagenase-3 (MMP-13), matrix-9 metalloproteinase (MMP-9), cytokines IL-la/b and TNFa, prostaglandin E synthase (PGES-1), and release of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) into the culture medium. On the other hand, these growth factors alone or in different combinations did not inhibit degradation of proteoglycans (such as aggrecan), with the exception of TGFb2 that in certain cases stimulated degradation. To conclude, growth factors TGFb2, FGF-2, and insulin suppress in vitro collagen degradation and chondrocyte differentiation in cartilaginous tissue of patients with OA, possibly with the participation of PGE2. They can be used to prevent collagen-2 degeneration in these patients.

[Upcoming value of gene expression analysis in rheumatology]. / Perspektivy ispol'zovaniia analiza ékspressii genov v revmatologii.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, which involves disturbance in immune system signaling pathway functions, damage of other tissues, pain and joint destruction. Modern treatment attempts to improve pathophysiological and biochemical mechanisms damaged by the disease. However, due to the RA patient heterogeneity personalized approach to treatment is required; the choice of personalized treatment is complicated by the variability of patient's response to treatment. Gene expression analysis might serve a tool for the disease control and therapy personification for inhibition of inflammation and pain as well as for prevention of joint destruction.

[The effect of various physiological and genetic factors on the transition process of enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli into uncultured state]. / Vliianie nekotorykh fiziologicheskikh i geneticheskikh faktorov na protsess perekhoda énterotoksigennykh shtammov Escherichia coli v nekul'tiviruemoe sostoianie.

Factors accelerating the transfer of enterotoxigenic E. coli strains in unculturable state have been revealed. These factors were illumination, aeration, hypertonic conditions of the microcosm, and exposure to cobalt chloride. Enterotoxigenic E. coli cells were seeded in solid nutrient media from microcosms with 0.9% NaCl solution for the longest time. The rate of transfer in unculturable forms of the examined bacteria changed depending on the medium of preliminary culturing and the phase of culture growth. Effects of mutations in some chromosome genes on the rate of transfer of bacteria in unculturable state were studied. Switching off the chromosomal genes gltB, livJ, and ompR accelerated the transfer of bacteria in unculturable forms. The vegetative functions of uncultured forms of the model enterotoxigenic strain IG187 recover in the presence of low concentrations of streptomycin or chloramphenicol.

[Biotinylated DNA probe for detection of streptotricin acetylation genes]. / Biotinilirovannyi DNK-zond dlia obnaruzheniia genov atsetilirovaniia streptotritsina.

The biotin-labelled DNA probe for identification of functioning and silent genes for streptotricin acetylation has been constructed. The probe is homologous to sat1 gene of the movable genetic element Tn1825. The simplified modification of the hybridization technique using the biotin-labelled DNA probe is described.

[A possible mechanism for the endemicity of modern cholera (the role of noncultivated forms of Vibrio cholerae 01)]. / O vozmozhnom mekhanizme éndemichnosti sovremennoi kholery (rol' nekul'tiviruemykh form Vibrio cholerae 01).

The surface water sources of some CIS territories have been screened for cholera toxin genes by the polymerase chain reaction. The vct-genes have been found in the majority of water samples indicating the presence of noncultivated vibrio cholerae cells of an epidemiologic significance. The bacteriological methods failed to isolate the active causative agent of cholera. Additional criteria are proposed for epidemiological typing of territories for cholera. The absence of long deletions or insertions in the vct-genes of noncultivated cholera vibrios has been shown in comparison with analogous gene of the active causative agent of cholera.

[Structural-functional characteristics of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis plasmid pVM82]. / Strukturno-funktsional'naia kharakteristika plazmidy Yersinia pseudotuberculosis pVM82.

The restriction map of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis plasmid pVM82 was established using the "chromosome walking" method. According to transpositional mutagenesis, the plasmid pVM82 appeared to be conjugative and was able to be transmitted from Y. pseudotuberculosis to the E. coli K-12 cells.

[The creation of a test system for detecting Mycoplasma pneumoniae based on a method of directed DNA amplification]. / Sozdanie test-sistemy dlia vyiavleniia Mycoplasma penumoniae na osnove metoda napravlennoi amplifikatsii DNK.

A system for the rapid detection of M. pneumoniae, the causative agent of pneumonia in humans, has been developed. This system is based on the amplification of M. pneumoniae chromosomal DNA sequences in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The use of two primer sets, for nucleotide sequences of adhesion protein P1 and for nucleotide sequences of variable regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA, has permitted the detection of individual M. pneumoniae cells. The application of this technique for the study of simulated clinical material has shown that PRC is a sensitive and reliable assay and may be useful for the early detection of M. pneumoniae in infectious clinical material (blood and sputum samples).

[Nonculturable forms of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in the soils of a natural focus of pseudotuberculosis]. / Nekul'tiviruemye formy Yersinia pseudotuberculosis v pochvakh prirodnogo ochaga psevdotuberkuleza.

Soil samples taken from the natural focus of pseudotuberculosis, characterized by the persistent presence of Y. pseudotuberculosis, were studied. Bacteria were detected by means of polymerase chain reaction with the use of 2 test systems; one of them was specific to the chromosomal invasiveness gene (inv) and the other, to gene yopA, localized on plasmid pCad. In 10 out of 24 sample of genetic material of the total soil microflora, Y. pseudotuberculosis gene inv was detected, two of these samples being also containing gene yopA. The calculated concentration of Y. pseudotuberculosis varied 10(2)-10(4) microbial cells per 1 g of soil. Bacteriological studies yielded negative results, which is indicative of the existence of Y. pseudotuberculosis in the soil of the natural focus in the nonculturable form.

[Study of the epidemic significance of noncultivated forms of Vibrio cholerae by the polymerase chain reaction]. / Issledovanie épidemicheskoi znacheimost nekul'tiviruemykh form kholernykh vibrionov metodom polimeraznoi tsepnoi reaktsii.

A specific method of the isolation of the cholera toxin gene by the directional amplification of DNA in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been developed. The product of this reaction has a molecular weight of 440 sequence pairs and is a DNA fragment located on the A-subunit of V. cholerae gene vct. The sensitivity of the method permits the detection of one bacterial cell in the reaction mixture. The method is effective when V. cholerae purified DNA, cell lysates and the DNA of total microflora isolated from the water of natural springs are used. The study of water samples from natural water bodies by the method of PRC has revealed cholera toxin genes of V. cholerae noncultivated forms ni 5 out of 7 water samples taken from natural water bodies at the regions of Azerbaijan endemic for cholera and made it possible to evaluate the number of V. cholerae. The prospects of using PCR for the control of the epidemiological situation in regions endemic for cholera are discussed.

[Immunological characteristics of Methylomonas methanica membranes]. / Immunologicheskaia kharakteristika membran Methylomonas methanica.

Immune sera were prepared against the antigenic complexes in the fractions of Methylomonas methanica cell wall, cytoplasmic membrane and intracytoplasmic membranes. The membrane fractions were studied immunologically in the reactions of agglutination, immunofluorescence and immunodiffusion. Some common features as well as differences were found among the membrane fractions in the antigenic structure. The membranes of M. methanica were shown to contain species-, genera- and type-specific antigens.

[Isolation and identification of Methylomonas methanica membranes]. / Vydelenie i identifikatsiia membrane Methylomonas methanica.

The crude membrane preparation of Methylomonas methanica was fractionated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and in an aqueous dextran -- polyethylene glycol two-phase system. Fractions of a higher purity were prepared by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Two subcellular fractions were isolated and characterized. One of them enriched in lipopolysaccharides was represented by the cell wall debris; the other possessing greater specific activities of the enzymes contained mainly intracytoplasmic membranes. The effect of various factors on the separation of membranes and on the specific enzyme activities was investigated.

[Isolation and characterization of membranes from Methylomonas methanica]. / Vydelenie i kharakteristika membran Methylomonas methanica.

The cell wall (CW), cytoplasmic (CM) and intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM) fractions were obtained by sucrose linear gradient centrifugation of membrane preparations of Methylomonas methanica. The CW fraction represented by large open fragments with 5-layer structure is enriched in lipopolysaccharides and is similar in its protein composition to the CW fractions of other gram-negative bacteria. The CM vesicles are surrounded with a unit membrane, have high activities of marker enzymes (NADH dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase and ATPase), a higher phospholipid content, cytochromes of a-, b- and c-types and differ qualitatively in its protein composition from the CW fraction. The ICM fraction has much in common with the CM fraction but differs from it by a higher level of marker enzymes and cytochromes of b and c types.