[Explanation of some physiological characteristics of homeostasis in elderly patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction].

Most number of patients, particularly adult and older women with temporomandibular disfunction suffers from pain reaction in maxillofacial area. Pain symptom associated with temporomandibular disfunction is followed by some changes of physiological statistics (high sympathetic level). Temporomandibular disfunction in adult and older women is most pronounced and can serve as an indicator of concomitant chronic diseases among patients with endocrine disorder (hypothyroidism), cardiological pathology (arterial hypertension).

[Surgical tactics in acute paraproctitis].

Individualized tactics of radical surgical treatment, applied in 100 patients, suffering an acute paraproctitis, was presented. Performing comparative estimation of the treatment results in 110 patients, in whom the conventional surgical approaches were applied, there was established, that an active surgical tactics secures essential reduction of the patients stationary treatment duration, the rate of the disease recurrence occurrence and transformation into the chronic illness.

[Some peculiarities of aetiological factors of chronic pyelonephritis development in the childhood].

The paper provides literature data concerning the role of heredity, anatomico-physiological peculiarities which contribute to the chronic pyelonephritis formation in the childhood. The conditions of the infectious-inflammatory process development in the urinary tract are specified and some reasons of its chronization are mentioned. The peculiarities of the immunological reaction are analysed, as well as the role of nonimmune mechanisms, such as the lipid peroxidation process during the pyelonephritis development in the childhood.

[Regulation of ceruloplasmin gene activity in mammary gland cells].

Tissue-specific regulation of the expression of ceruloplasmin (CP) gene, which encodes major copper-containing extracellular glycoprotein was investigated. A decrease of the CP concentration associated with copper amounts in milk during the first 3 days of lactation was used as phenotypic index for evaluating the CP enzyme activity in the mammary gland. Computer analysis of mammalian CP gene promoter region has revealed conserved sequences of cis-elements, which potentially were capable of regulating the enzyme activity. It has been shown that changes in the nucleotide sequence of specific transcriptional factor binding sites located at 5'-end of CP gene were associated with disturbance of the regular downregulation of CP gene activity during lactation.

Rate, extent and concentration dependence of histamine-evoked Weibel-Palade body exocytosis determined from individual fusion events in human endothelial cells.

The rate, concentration dependence and extent of histamine-evoked Weibel-Palade body (WPB) exocytosis were investigated with time-resolved fluorescence microscopy in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells expressing WPB-targeted chimeras of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Exocytosis of single WPBs was characterized by an increase in EGFP fluorescence, morphological changes and release of WPB contents. The fluorescence increase was due to a rise of intra-WPB pH from resting levels, estimated as pH 5.45+/-0.26 (s.d., n=144), to pH 7.40. It coincided with uptake of extracellular Alexa-647, indicating the formation of a fusion pore, prior to loss of fluorescent contents. Delays between the increase in intracellular free calcium ion concentration evoked by histamine and the first fusion event were 10.0+/-4.42 s (n=9 cells) at 0.3 microM histamine and 1.57+/-0.21 s (n=15 cells) at 100 microM histamine, indicating the existence of a slow process or processes in histamine-evoked WPB exocytosis. The maximum rates of exocytosis were 1.20+/-0.16 WPB s(-1) (n=9) at 0.3 microM and 3.66+/-0.45 WPB s(-1) at 100 microM histamine (n=15). These occurred 2-5 s after histamine addition and declined to lower rates with continued stimulation. The initial delays and maximal rate of exocytosis were unaffected by removal of external Ca2+ indicating that the initial burst of secretion is driven by Ca2+ release from internal stores, but sustained exocytosis required external Ca2+. Data were compared to exocytosis evoked by a maximal concentration of the strong secretagogue ionomycin (1 microM), for which there was a delay between calcium elevation and secretion of 1.67+/-0.24 s (n=6), and a peak fusion rate of approximately 10 WPB s(-1).

[Identification of the rat ceruloplasmin mRNA isoform putative coded of a protein localized in mitochondria].

Alternative expression of ceruloplasmin (Cp) gene, whose product, blue multicopper ferroxidase, is a neuron survival factor, was studied in the current work. Computer analysis showed that Cp-mRNA isoform, coding for 109 kDa polypeptide, can be formed as a result of the transcription from the alternative promoter in 3'-region of intron 2 of rat Cp gene. Alternative Cp form starts with 25 amino acid residues sequence, coded with intron 2 region. It is followed by amino acid sequence of the main Cp isoform starting from Gly 113. In silico data were experimentally confirmed using RT-PCR. It was demonstrated that the predicted mRNA was generally localized in liver and brain cells of adult rats. Direct sequencing of the obtained PCR-product showed the entire coincidence of the real and predicted mRNAs. It was in vitro showed that approximately 110 kDa Cp-like protein was completed and accumulated in the absence of mitochondria. This protein is transferred into the isolated mitochondria in the reconstructed system. Transport is energy-dependent, it is not accompanied with the shortening of Cp polypeptide length and needs the presence of cytosolic factors. Probably import is determined by the inner protein mitochondria import signal with amino acid sequence KVVYREFTDSTFRE, located in 756-769 region of mature Cp. Possible role of Cp in iron metabolism in mitochondria is under discussion.

Regulation of ceruloplasmin gene in mammals.

A site of rat DNA (about 1800 b. p.) adjacent to the first ceruloplasmin gene contains, apart from regulatory sequences common for all eukaryotic promotors, cis-elements, which are potential binding sites for soluble nuclear receptors of some hormones. Sequences characteristic of genes expressed in liver cells and mammary gland cells during lactation were detected. Full-length fragment of this locus of ceruloplasmin gene (1800 b. p.) was synthesized by PCR and used in gel shift experiments. It was found that soluble proteins extracted from purified nuclei of mammary gland cells during lactation and from the liver of adult and newborn rats, contain proteins specifically interacting with the PCR product. A fragment of chromosome gene containing exons encoding the central part of rat ceruloplasmin was cloned in pTZ19 bacterial vector. Gel shift assay showed that the cloned fragment contained binding sites for specific transcription factor YY1, whose level in nuclear protein fractions varied during ontogeny (according to immunoblotting data). Monoclonal antibodies detected protein YY1 in the complex of cloned DNA-nuclear proteins. Possible mechanisms of tissue-specific regulation of ceruloplasmin gene varying during ontogeny are discussed.

[Clinical and immunological studies of the therapeutical effect of cytokines combined with 5-fluorouracil in metastatic kidney cancer]. / Kliniko-immunologicheskoe izuchenie lechebnogo vozdeistviia tsitokinov v sochetanii s 5-ftoruratsilom pri metastaziruiushchem rake pochki.

The authors present the results of a six-year clinicoimmunological study of a therapeutic effect of cytkins combined with 5-fluoruracyl in metastatic renal-cell carcinoma. Two therapeutic regiments have been used: rhIFN-a + 5-FU and rhIL-2 + RHifn-A + 5-FU. In cytokin-sensitive patients, both therapy protocols vrs conventional therapeutic alternatives (cytostatics, hormones, irradiation) have been shown to increase the frequency of achievement of remission by objective scoring and life span of the patients. There was an improvement in patients on having received the complex with IL-2 but a higher therapeutic effect appeared to be accompanied by substantial side effects. Recommendatory measures well-targeted to those patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma who are to be placed on cytokinotherapy are presented together with immunological indices to monitor the treatments administered and prognosis.

Low-frequency scattering of acoustic waves by a bounded rough surface in a half-plane.

The problem of the scattering of harmonic plane waves by a rough half-plane is studied here. The surface roughness is finite. The slope of the irregularity is taken as arbitrary. Two boundary conditions are considered, those of Dirichlet and Neumann. An asymptotic solution is obtained, when the wavelength lambda of the incident wave is much larger than the characteristic length of the roughness iota, by means of the method of matched asymptotic expansions in terms of the small parameter epsilon= 2piiota/lambda. For the Dirichlet problem, the solution of the near and far fields is obtained up to O(epsilon2). The far field solution is given in terms of a coefficient that have a simple explicit expression, which also appears in the corresponding solution to the Neumann problem, already solved. Also the scattering cross section is given by simple formulas to O(epsilon3). It is noted that, for the Dirichlet problem, the leading term is of order epsilon3 which, by contrast, is different from that of the circular cylinder in full space, that is, of order epsilon(-1) (log epsilon)(-2). Some examples display the simplicity of the general results based on conformal mapping, which involve arcs of circle, polygonal lines, surface cracks and the like.

Association of some potential hormone response elements in human genes with the Alu family repeats.

Short interspersed repeats of the Alu family located in promoters of some human genes contain high-affinity binding sites for thyroid hormone receptor, retinoic acid receptor and estrogen receptor. The standard binding sites for the receptors represent variants of duplicated AGGTCA motif with different spacing and orientation (direct, DR, or inverted, IR), and Alu sequences were found to have functional DR-4, DR-2 or variant IR-3/IR-17 elements. In this study we analyzed distribution and abundance of the elements in a set of human genomic sequences from GenBank and their association with Alu repeats. Our results indicate that a major fraction of potentially active DR-4, DR-2 and variant IR-3/IR-17 elements in the genes is located within Alu repeats. Alu-associated DR-2 elements are conserved in primate evolution. However, very few Alu have potential DR-3 glucocorticoid-response elements. Gel-shift experiments with the probe (AUB) corresponding to the consensus Alu sequence just upstream of the RNA polymerase III promoter B-box and containing duplicated AGGTCA motif indicate that the probe interacts in a sequence-specific manner with human nuclear proteins which bind to standard IR-0, DR-1, DR-4 or DR-5 elements. The AUB sequence was also able to promote thyroid hormone-dependent trans-activation of a reporter gene. The results support the view that Alu retroposons played an important role in evolution of regulation of the primate gene expression by nuclear hormone receptors.

Interaction of the transcription factor YY1 with human poly(ADP-ribosyl) transferase.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl) transferase (ADPRT) is a nuclear enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of ADP-ribose polymers from NAD+ as well as the transfer of these polymers onto acceptor proteins. The function of ADPRT is thought to be related to a number of nuclear processes including DNA repair and transcription. The transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a potent regulator of RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-dependent transcription. In this study Alu-retroposon-associated binding sites for YY1 located in the distal region of the promoter of the human ADPRT gene have been identified suggesting a possible involvement of this protein in the regulation of ADPRT-gene expression. In the presence of the recombinant automodification domain of the ADPRT the formation of specific YY1 complexes, detected in gel-shift experiments, was strongly inhibited, indicating that this domain of the enzyme may interact directly with YY1. In accordance with this result YY1 was specifically precipitated from nuclear extracts by ADPRT immobilized on sepharose. These results suggest a direct ADPRT-YY1 interaction which may be of importance in the regulation of Pol II-dependent transcription. They also indicate that in some human promoters this regulation may be mediated by retroposons of the Alu family.

[The DNA-binding activity of the membrane protein annexin II and its interaction with antibodies to the chromatin nuclear ribonucleoprotein (alpha-RNP)]. / DNK-sviazyvaiushchaia aktivnost' primembrannogo belka anneksina II i ego vzaimodeistvie s antitelami k iadernomu ribonukleoteinu khromatina (al'fa-RNP).

By screening with labeled Alu DNA, a clone was isolated from cDNA expression library, which appeared identical in sequence to the well-known Ca-phospholipid-binding protein annexin II. To evidence the DNA-binding activity of recombinant annexin II and its presence in the cell nucleus, we have expressed full-length mouse annexin II cDNA in bacteria with pGEMEX vector. The expressed protein was studied with electrophoretic mobility shift assay and for its reaction with polyclonal antibody to chromatin-associated ribonucleoprotein (alpha-RNP), which is one of the major acid-dissolvent components of the nucleus. The obtained results confirm the DNA-binding activity of recombinant annexin II. Annexin II reacts with polyclonal antibody to rat alpha-RNP. So, annexin II is a major nuclear DNA-binding protein in mammalian cells.

[A comparative evaluation of the subfractional composition of the blood plasma by using laser correlation spectroscopy in orthopedic-traumatological diseases]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka subfraktsionnogo sostava plazmy krovi s pomoshch'iu lazernoi korreliatsionnoi spektroskopii pri zabolevaniiakh ortopedo-travmatologicheskogo profilia.

Analysis presented by the authors confirms that laser correlative spectroscopy may be in principle a method for a study of plasma homeostasis on subfractional level in various orthopedic and traumatological diseases. The method allows to assess changes in the inner environment of the body with regard to diversity of structural and functional reorganization induced by various pathological processes.

Methods of limb elongation with congenital inequality in children.

During the period 1973-1978 elongation with a distraction-compression apparatus was performed on 78 children with congenital limb length inequality. The length of follow-up ranged from 2 to 6 years. Inequality in limb length measured 4 to 6.5 cm in 51 children, 6.5 to 8 cm in 24, and more than 8 cm in three. The final results in 72 children were judged satisfactory in that equal limb length was obtained. Equalization was accomplished with lengthening up to 6 cm in a one-stage procedure; lengthening greater than 6 cm was accomplished in two stages. During distraction two fractures and six pin tract infections occurred; four patients with joint stiffness adjacent to the segment under elongation required additional measures.