[Levels of proinflammatory cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment]. / Uroven' provospalitel'nykh tsitokinov i faktora rosta VEGF u patsientov s bolezn'yu Al'tsgeimera i myagkim kognitivnym rasstroistvom.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the levels of cytokines (IFNα, IFNγ, IL-2, Il-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-15), IL-1ß receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its antagonist, the soluble form of receptor 1 (sVEGFR1) in the blood serum of patients with Alzheimer's disease, with early onset (ADEO) and late onset (ADLO), and in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Levels of interleukins, IL-1RA, VEGF and sVEGFR1 were measured in 20 patients with AD and 11 patients with MCI using ELISA. These parameters were compared to the severity of cognitive impairment assessed by the performance on neurocognitive tests. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The levels of key cytokines (IL-8, TNFα, IL-12), VEGF and sVEGFR1 as well as anti-inflammatory proteins were different in patients with ADEO, ADLO and MCI. These differences suggest the phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity of the disease that demands further research.

[The participation of the prostacyclin-thromboxane system in the mechanism of the action of calcium antagonists]. / Ob uchastii prostatsiklin-tromboksanovoi sistemy v mekhanizme deistviia antagonistov kal'tsiia.

The experiments with isolated rat aortic circular segments have shown that vasocyclin (natural prostacyclin), verapamil, and diltiazem cause the relaxation of vascular smooth muscles during potassium-induced contracture. The impaired endothelium and acetylsalicylic acid-induced blockade of cyclooxygenase dramatically reduce the relaxant action of verapamil and diltiazem under these conditions. It is concluded that the system of prostaglandin synthesis plays an important role in the vasodilator effects of calcium antagonist.

[The long-term use of antihypoxants in myocardial infarct in rats: their effect on the hemodynamics and contractile function of the heart]. / Dlitel'noe primenenie antigipoksantov pri infarkte miokarda u krys: vliianie na gemodinamiku i sokratitel'nuiu funktsiiu serdtsa.

In the experiments in rats with myocardial infarction induced by left coronary occlusion, effects of antihypoxants were studied during their long-term intraperitoneal injection (daily once during 21 days) on hemodynamics and myocardial contractility. Sodium oxybutyrate, 200 mg/kg, piracetam, 400 mg/kg, and glyo-6, 100 mg/kg, were shown to exert no significant effects on cardiac contractility at rest, however during exercise they normalized aortic blood flow acceleration. The antihypoxants increased the survival of rats with myocardial infarction.

[The protective action of nimodipine on the ischemic myocardium]. / K zashchitnomu deistviiu nimodipina na ishemizirovannyi miokard.

The experiments with unconscious cats and dogs have demonstrated that the calcium antagonist nimodipine has a profound anti-ischemic property. The drug reduces the average value of ST-segment elevation in multiple epicardial ECG leads, during acute myocardial ischemia. Nimodipine maintains cardiac pump and contractile functions, elevates ATP levels in the arbitrarily intact and ischemic myocardium of the left ventricle during 40-min occlusion and 60-min reperfusion of the coronary artery. The protective action of the drug is unassociated with enhanced collateral coronary circulation.

[The prolonged use of calcium antagonists in myocardial infarct in rats: their effect on hemodynamics and the contractile function and morphology of the heart muscle]. / Dlitel'noe primenenie antagonistov kal'tsiia pri infarkte miokarda u krys: vliianie na gemodinamiku, sokratitel'nuiu funktsiiu i morfologiiu serdechnoi myshtsy.

Experiments on rats with myocardial infarction induced by occlusion of the left coronary artery were made to explore the influence of calcium antagonists injected intraperitoneally for a long time (daily, for 21 days) on hemodynamics, contractile function and morphology of the heart muscle. It has been shown that verapamil (0.5 mg/kg), diltiazem (2 mg/kg) and nimodipine (20 micrograms/kg) do not exert under those conditions any noticeable effect on pump and contractile heart functions. Administration of verapamil in a doze of 2 mg/kg enhanced heart failure. The drugs under study normalized the response of contractile heart function to volumetric load, which is related to a considerable measure to the acceleration of reparative processes in the myocardium.

[Changes of lipid peroxidation parameters in children being treated for cancer]. / Izmenenie pokazatelei perekisnogo okisleniia lipidov v protsesse lecheniia detei, stradaiushchikh razlichnymi onkologicheskimi zabolevaniiami.

Lipid peroxidation (LP) occurring in pediatric cancer patients receiving polychemotherapy has been investigated. Plasma level of malonic dialdehyde in children with retinoblastoma (Rtb) was found to drop while it remained unchanged in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The treatment caused different changes in the red cell catalase levels in said groups: the enzyme concentration increased in the Rtb patients in the course of therapy and decreased in the ALL group. A slight decline in alpha-tocopherol and retinol levels the Rtb group was matched by a relevant rise in blood-plasma in the ALL group. To adjust LP regulation and improve resistance, antioxidants should be given to pediatric cancer patients suffering peroxidation-related stress.

[A comparative study of the effect of nimodipine and flunarizine on the intact and ischemic myocardium]. / Sravnitel'noe izuchenie vliianiia nimodipina i flunarizina na intaktnyi i ishemizirovannyi miokard.

In the experiments on anesthetized cats and dogs it was shown that calcium antagonists nimodipine and flunarisine possessing the predominant action on the cerebral vessels exert a significant effect on the blood supply and the activity of the cardiac muscle. Administration of the drugs causes bradycardia, increases the total coronary blood flow. Nimodipine enhances the contractile function of the myocardium, flunarisine fails to change it. Under ischemia of the cardiac muscle the drugs increase the blood supply of only the intact zones of the left ventricle without influencing positively the blood supply of the ischemic focus itself.

[The protective action of vasocyclin (prostacyclin) on the ischemic myocardium]. / Zashchitnoe deistvie vazotsiklina (prostatsiklina) na ishemizirovannyi miokard.

The effect of vasocyclin (prostacyclin) on the blood supply, activity and functional state of the intact and ischemic myocardium was studied in experiments on anesthetized cats. The drug (100, 300 and 500 mg/kg/min) was shown to produce a dose-dependent increase of the coronary blood flow, systolic and cardiac outputs, an enhancement of the myocardial contractile function, a lowering of arterial blood pressure. Under acute occlusion of the coronary artery vasocyclin improves the functional state of the myocardial ischemic focus, stabilizes the contractile and pumping functions of the heart, exerts the antiarrhythmic action.