[The role of cellular adhesiveness in the development of liver pathology]. / Rol kletochnoi adgezii v vozniknovenii patologicheskikh sostoianii pecheni.

The paper gives a review of the data available in the literature and an analysis of the authors' own data of the ultrastructural studies of the intercellular contacts of hepatocytes and epitheliocytes in some pathological states. It also shows an important role of the site of an element compound wherein the major molecular mechanisms of tissue homeostatic regulation display and discusses the contribution of macromolecular adhesive factors such as effector molecules capable of suppressing the development of a pathological process.

[Activity of enzymes of xenobiotics metabolism in peripheral blood lymphocytes in man]. / Aktivnost fermentov metabolizma ksenobiotikov v limphotsitakh perifericheskoi krovi cheloveka.

The activity of NADPH-cytochrome c-reductase, benzpyrene hydroxylase, epoxy-hydratase and glutathione-S-transferase in human peripheral blood lymphocytes was studied. In the presence of NADPH, native lymphocytes were unable to reduce cytochrome c. In order to improve the availability of substrates for enzymes, lymphocytes were degraded by single-stage freezing-melting. At the same time, the activities of NADPH-cytochrome c-reductase, epoxide hydratase, and glutathione-S-transferase were 1.7 +/- 0.6, 49.0 +/- 18.0, and 30.0 +/- 6.0 nmol/min per mg protein, respectively. The lymphocytic levels of cytochrome P-450 were approximately 0.1-0.2 nmol per mg microsomal protein, while those of cytochrome b5 were nearly 0.5 nmol/mg microsomal protein in the lymphocytes.

[Modification of the lipid component of bacterial membranes by the introduction of lipotropic compounds into lyophilized cells]. / Modifikatsiia lipidnogo komponenta bakterial'nykh membran putem vvedeniia lipotropnykh soedinenii v liofilizirovannye kletki.

In order to elucidate potentialities of modifying the lipid component of bacterial membranes, lyophilized cells of M. lysodeikticus, E. coli and other bacteria were treated by hydrophobic compounds dissolved in the organic solvent, with the latter subsequently removed by evaporation or freezedrying prior to cell rehydration. The data obtained by means of spin-probes, fluorescent spectroscopy, electron microscopy, photoreactive label and other methods suggest that following bacteria rehydration at least part of the substance occurs in the membrane structures. The amount of the substance involved in bacterial cells depends on the type of compound and on whether bacterial cells belong to gram-positive or gram-negative microorganisms: the substance content of the latter is greater than of the former.

[The treatment of primary biliary liver cirrhosis with rifampicin]. / Lechenie pervichnogo biliarnogo tsirroza pecheni rifampitsinom.

Seven patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were treated with rifampicin administered for 2 weeks in a daily dose 450-600 mg. Due to the treatment the itch disappeared completely in 4 and decreased significantly in 3 patients. As shown by the antipyrine test, half-life and clearance of antipyrine returned to normal suggesting cytochrome P-450 induction as a result of hydroxylation activity. There was a tendency to lowering of bilirubin, cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase, asparagine--and alanine aminotransferase against an increase in gammaglobulins. The differences were, however, insignificant. Rifampicin tolerance was satisfactory.

[Cholestasis assessment by activity of antioxidant enzymes and composition of plasma lipoproteins in patients with liver diseases]. / Otsenka kholestaza po aktivnosti antioksidantnykh fermentov i sostavu lipoproteidov plazmy krovi bol'nykh s patologiei pecheni.

AIM: Investigation of activity of copper-containing enzymes in plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ceruloplasmin (CP) in comparison with concentrations of lipoproteins (LP) of the main classes in patients with chronic hepatic diseases (CHD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: SOD activity, CP and LP in plasma were measured in 90 patients with CHD. RESULTS: An inverse relationship was found between SOD activity and CP content in CHD. SOD/CP ratio proved informative in cholestasis assessment. An increased ratio beta-LP/alpha-LP was noticed in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. This value and the disease severity correlated. CONCLUSION: Patients with cholestatic hepatic lesions exhibited inhibition of enzyme utilization of superoxide radicals in plasma in line with enhancement of CP secretion.

[HGV and TTV - new hepatitis viruses]. / HGV i TTV - novye virusy gepatitov.

AIM: To examine clinical, immunological and morphological features of HGV- and TTV-infections in patients with chronic hepatic diseases (CHD) and assess efficiency of treatment of HGV-seropositive patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 202 patients with CHD were examined for markers of HBV-, HCV-, HGV- and TTV-infections. Some patients were subjected to puncture biopsy of the liver. Efficiency of interferon-alpha treatment of HGV and HBV/HCV coinfection was studied. RESULTS: HGV RNA and TTV DNA were detected in 19.8 and 11.8% of cases, respectively. Biochemical indices in patients with HGV and TTV monoinfections significantly differed from those in the control group while morphological changes in most of them corresponded to those with hepatitis. INF-alpha was given to 7 patients with HGV + HBV/HCV infections. A response was achieved in 3 months in 2 of them. CONCLUSION: The role of HGV and TTV in hepatic diseases pathology is still unclear. Further studies on detection and examination of patients infected with G and TT viruses are necessary. When choosing therapy, the presence of HGV RNA and TTV DNA in blood serum, virus genome in hepatocytes and histological changes in hepatic tissue should be considered.

[Eradication of Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer following the short course of treatment with azitromycin and amoxycillin]. / Eradikatsiia Helicobacter pylori u bol'nykh iazvennoi bolezn'iu dvenadtsatiperstnoi kishki posle kratkosrochnogo kursa lecheniia azitromitsinom s amoksitsillinom.

The efficacy of short-term treatment with azithromycin in 17 patients with acute doudenal ulcer associated with H. pylori was evaluated. Bioptats of the gastric mucosa taken at the beginning and after one month of treatment were investigated for H. pylori presence by histological, bacteriological methods, by urease test and by PCR. All the patients with positive H. pylori test were treated with Gastrozol (omeperazole, ICN Pharmaceutical) 40 mg per day for 1 week followed by 20 mg per day for 3 weeks, Sumamed (azithromycin, peira) 0.5 g once daily for 3 days and amoxycillin 0.5 mg four times a day for 10 days. Bioptats analysis before treatment revealed H. pylori in 100% for PCR methods, in 94.1% for urease test, in 88.2% for histological test. After the treatment H. pylori was revealed in 12.5% for urease and histological test, in 18.8% for bacteriological test and in 25% for PCR test. Thus the treatment efficacy was 75%. Side effects for short-term azithromycin therapy were shown in 5.9% cases.

[The possibility of Helicobacter pylori being present in the resting state in the gastric mucosa of peptic acid patients after treatment]. / O vozmozhnosti prebyvaniia Helicobacter pylori v pokoiashchemsia sostoianii v slizistoi obolochke zheludka u bol'nykh iazvennoi bolezn'iu posle lecheniia.

AIM: To develop experimental approaches to detection of inactive forms of Helicobacter pylori (HP) in patients treated for gastroduodenal ulcer, to try the role of such HP forms in emergence of ulcer recurrences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Examination for HP was made using a fast CLO test, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), histologically. A simple quantitative spectrophotometric test for urease activity in biopsies of gastric mucosa is proposed. RESULTS: Antibacterial and other treatments led to a significant decline in urease activity dependent on the amount of the agents in the biopsies. PCR found HP in 48% of patients after the treatment. In these cases HP may be in dormancy. This state is not safe because of possible HP activation eventuating in ulcer recurrence. CONCLUSION: PCR can be used for prediction of ulcer recurrence as it is sensitive to HP when wide-spread urease test gives negative results.

[Clinical significance of gel electrophoresis of blood lipoproteins in primary biliary cirrhosis]. / Klinicheskoe znachenie gel'-élektroforeza lipoproteidov syvorotki krovi pri pervichnom biliarnom tsirroze.

Gel electrophoresis was used for separation of lipoproteins of the blood sera in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) of the liver and cholelithiasis. Increased level of beta-lipoproteins in parallel with a reduction of total alpha- and pre-beta-lipoproteins were revealed in patients with PBC, these shifts being more expressed at later stages of the disease. An appreciable increase of beta- to alpha-lipoprotein ratio in PBC was observed. In patients with cholelithiasis no shifts in the lipoprotein profile of the blood serum were observed. The authors claim that the beta- to alpha-lipoprotein ratio is diagnostically significant in chronic hepatobiliary diseases.

[The level of steroid hormones in patients with primary biliary liver cirrhosis]. / Soderzhanie steroidnykh gormonov u bol'nykh pervichnym biliarnym tsirrozom pecheni.

The authors investigated 5 of steroid hormones in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis of the liver and healthy persons. Only cortisol was reduced in the blood of the patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. The authors consider that this reduction may be connected with the change of the activity of 17-alpha-hydroxylase of progesterone of the adrenal glands.

[Localization of polyphosphates in cells of microorganisms using 31-P-NMR-145, 75 MHz of high resolution]. / Issledovanie lokalizatsii polifosfatob v kletkakh mikroorganizmov metodom 31-P-iaMP-145, 78 MGts vysokogo razresheniia.

Using the method of 31P-NMR of high resolution at 145,78 MHz the presence of mobile inorganic polyphosphates in the cells of actinomycetes (Mycobacterium smegmatis), yeasts (Candida albicans and Endomyces magnusii) and bacteria (E. coli) was established. A considerable increase in the intensity and a low field shift of the polyphosphate signal after addition of EDTA to the M. Smegmatis cells can be indicative of possible localization of inorganic polyphosphates in the periplasmic space. The lack of effect of exogenous EDTA and Mn2+ on the polyphosphate signal in the spectrum of E. magnusii cells is probably due to localization of polyphosphates inside the cells. A comparison of 31P-NMR spectra of living cells and bacterial extracts of Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus lysodeikticus, Bacillus antracoides, B. megaterium and Salmonella typhimurium is given.

[Immunochemical study of the proteins of the bacterial membrane outer layers]. / Issledovanie belkov naruzhnogo sloia bakterial'noi membrany metodami immunokhimii.

Incubation of Micrococcus lysodeikticus protoplasts with rabbit immunoglobulins containing antibodies against micrococcal membranes and a subsequent two-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis of solubilized membrane antigens allowed to reveal four main antigens of the outer membrane, of which only two are accessible to trypsin attack. The outer antigens disappear after protoplast treatment with snail digestive juice (active substance - phospholipase) and after incubation of growing cells with cerulenin, the inhibitor of fatty acid biosynthesis. Electrophoresis of the "cerulenin" membrane proteins in the presence of SDS revealed the disappearance of five proteins with molecular weights of 120 000, 150 000, 100 000, 68 000 and 16 000. Goat antibodies against rabbit serum or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I cells (binding IgG gamma-globulins for fragment Fc) being added to the solubilized micrococcal membranes from protoplasts pretreated with antimembrane rabbit gamma-globulins precipitate about 5% of membrane protein. This suggests that the membrane outer layer antigens make up to about 5% of total protein content. The distribution of the components between the outer and inner membrane layers is discussed.

[The determination of phospholipase activity using the 31P-NMR spectroscopic method]. / Opredelenie aktivnosti fosfolipazy s metodom 31P-IaMR spektroskopii.

The authors have developed a rather rapid and convenient method for testing and measurement of phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.3) activity, based on continuous recording of the signal reduction in 31P-NMR spectrum of lecithin phosphate group (chemical sigma shift = 0.2 parts per million as regards H3PO4) or of phosphocholine signal augmentation (sigma = -4 parts per million). This method permits a quantitative estimation of lecithin loss or phosphocholine accrual from the kinetics of integral intensity changes in the course of an enzymic reaction and then calculate phospholipase C activity without resorting to thin-layer chromatography traditionally used for this purpose.

[Study of hepatocyte adhesion in chronic diffuse diseases of the liver]. / Issledovanie adgezii gepatotsitov pri khronicheskikh diffuznykh zabolevaniiakh pecheni.

The method of man hepatobioptate study based on the change of cell adhesion is suggested to diagnose cholestatic syndrome. The quantitative assessment of cell adhesion in the liver was carried out with disconnected coefficient estimated as ratio of the quantity of single cells. Eight groups of patients suffering from chronic hepatic pathologies were studied. The disconnected coefficients of hepatobioptates for patients suffering from cholestatic syndrome were 3-8 times higher than that for patients in other groups.

[31P-NMR spectroscopy of the human liver and bile]. / 31P-IaMR spektroskopiia pecheni i zhelchi cheloveka.

High-resolution 31P-NMR is used for the estimation of phosphate-containing compounds levels in native bile of healthy subjects and patients with primary biliary liver cirrhosis and also in the liver biopsies of patients with chronic calculous cholecystitis. The results demonstrate the possibilities of rapid comparative estimation of the content of main phosphate-containing compounds in human bile and liver biopsies aimed at clinical diagnosis of liver and bile duct diseases.

[Methods of Helicobacter pylori detection]. / Metody vyiavleniia Helicobacter pylori.

There is the HP diagnostic methods review. The classification of main methods is presented. Diagnostic significance and defects of all these methods were demonstrated. There are own data of HP and its strains revealing in the patients with duodenal peptic ulcer.