[The development of Endo growth medium for detection and identification of enterobacteria.]

The purpose of study is to develop a traditional Endo's growth medium with the view of suppression of swarming of Proteus vulgaris and Proteus mirabilis. The object of study was a commercial dry Endo's growth medium. The inoculation of reference strains of enterobacteria and clinical sample (feces, urine, phlegm) was implemented according the normative documents. It is demonstrated that brining into Endo's growth medium tryptophan and sodium salts of bile acids in a particular ratio of their concentrations suppressed swarming of Proteus vulgaris and Proteus mirabilis. The obtained results demonstrated that application of enhanced Endo's growth medium significantly increases its differential and diagnostic characteristics.

Urgent reaction of the complement system to hypoxic exposure in rats sensitive to hypoxia.

Different modes of hypoxic exposure led to phasic changes in activities of the complement system components in rats sensitive to hypoxia starting from the first minutes of the posthypoxic period and persisting for 24 h and longer. The direction of shifts in the complement system depended on the duration and intensity of oxygen deficiency. Single one-hour interval hypoxia led to a moderate elevation of activities of virtually all the studied components. A more intense hypoxic exposure (1-h hypobaric hypoxia at a height of 5000 m) induced a biphasic response: reduction of activities of the majority of complement system components during the first hour of posthypoxic period and subsequent elevation of these activities above the normal. Exposure to severe hypobaric hypoxia (7000 m) led to a longer and more pronounced primary reduction of complement components activities, while the phase of their activity increase was blurred. Animal capacity to the formation of urgent tolerance of hypoxia was retained and increased with increasing the severity of hypoxic exposure. The complement consumption during the posthypoxic period was presumably a programmed reaction preventing hyperactivation of complement system components and essential for tolerance formation.

[Colonization resistance and immunological reactivity of children's oropharyngeal mucosa in health and bronchopulmonary pathology].

The study group was comprised of 27 practically healthy children, 51 patients with acute bronchitis, 15 with chronic bronchitis and 11 with pneumonia. It was shown that changes of microbiocoenosis in back of the throat (BOT) were related to increased mucosal contamination with normal microflora and opportunistic microorganisms. The highest degree of contamination was observed in children with acute bronchitis. Normocoenosis was detected only in 13 practically healthy children. The disorders of microbiocoenosis took the form of disbiosis and acute inflammatory processes in patients with acute and chronic bronchitis and pneumonia. However, the large amount of normal flora together with the high Ig level ensured marked colonization resistance as evidenced by the values of natural colonization coefficient of nasopharyngeal epithelium (NCCNE) and balance coefficient (BC). These data suggested development of compensated secondary immunodeficiencies. In patients with acute bronchitis and pneumonia, local synthesis of Ig prevailed. It is shown that BC can be used to screen children for disorders of mucosal immunity. The presence of increased saliva IgE levels in patients with acute and chronic bronchitis supports the generally accepted concept of bronchi as a "shock organ" in allergic condition. It was demonstrated that IgE levels in saliva increase earlier than in serum and may be used as a prognostic criterion in patients with bronchopulmonary pathology.

[Isolation and determination of activity of IgA1 protease from Neisseria meningitidis].

A method of the isolation and purification of IgAl protease from a culture of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A has been developed. Three inactivated intermediates of the production of the meningococcal vaccine, a culture liquid, as well as a supernatant and sediment obtained by the precipitation of bacterial cells by cetavlon, served as a starting material. The purity of IgA1 protease was determined by SDS-PAGE. An immunoenzyme assay for determining the IgA1 protease activity has been devised. The yield of the enzyme with a specific activity of 0.5 to 4 million units/mg from 103 g of the cetavlon precipitate (40 l of culture liquid) was about 600 mug. It was shown that IgAl protease isolated from serogroup A meningococcus is capable of protecting experimental animals (mice) infected with meningococcus of serogroup B.

[Determination of protease activity in blood and in microorganisms].

For determination of protease activity it is possible to use immunoglobulins. Since proteolytic products apparently do not retain substrate antigenic determinants, it is possible to use ELISA methodsfor monitoring for enzymatic process. ELISA determination of functional activity of specific IgA1-protease has been applied not only for detection of this enzyme, but also for measurement of its inhibition constants. Fixed on a micropanel IgG may be used for evaluation of total proteolytic activity. Depending on pH values, it is possible to measure activity of neutral, alkaline and acid proteases. This approach has allowed to estimate total proteolytic activity of neutral proteases of serum. Measurement of a total level of serum pepsinogene activity can have diagnostic importance in gastroenterology, due to decisive contribution of pepsinogen I to the measured activity.

[Protease activity of microflora in the oral cavity of patients with periodontitis].

Microbial spectrum and non-specific as well as specific IgA1 protease activity of isolated microorganisms were investigated in gingival liquid of patients with periodontitis. Microorganisms from the gingival liqud of these patients belonged to conditional-pathogenic obligate and facultatively anaerobic bacteria. 24 strains of microorganisms have been identified. Nonspecific proteolytic activity was found in the following microorganisms: Actinomyces israelii, Actinomyces naeslundii, Aerococcus viridans, Bifidobacterium longum, Neisseria subflave, Streptococcus parvulus, Eubacterium alactolyticum, Lactobaccilus catenoforme, Bacillus spp. Specific IgA1-protease activity and lack of proteolytic activity towards IgG was found in Streptococcus acidominimus, Streptococcus hansenii, Streptococcus salivarius, Leptotrychia buccalis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Neisseria sicca. No proteolytic activity was found in cultivation medium of Eubacterium alactolyticum (1 strain), Prevotella buccalis, Aerococcus viridans and Streptococcus sanguis.

[Effect of medicinal preparations on the complement: inhibition of subcomponent C1q binding to a target].

A method is developed for determining the inhibition constants of substances capable of acting on the complement system at the stage of target recognition (immune complexes) by the first component of the complement (and, hence, blocking activation of the classical pathway of the complement). The ability of some drugs to inhibit the binding of subcomponent C1q to a target has been studied. It is shown that some drugs possess a pronounced ability to block the complement activation. The inhibition constants are compared to the therapeutic dozes of drugs. Some of the investigated preparations (suramin, sodium deoxiribonucleate, curcumin, heparin, sulfetron, guttalax, lysozyme) upon administration can present in the blood flow in concentrations capable of blocking the complement. The method is useful in the search for preparations capable of inhibiting the complement and in the study of side effects of medicinal preparations.

[Influence of serum IgG antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis on the functional activity of complement components].

The immunoenzyme analysis and the method for the determination of IgG-containing immune complexes, carrying C1q component of the complement, were developed. In human blood sera the functional activity of components C3, complex C1r2s2, the content of C1 inhibitor and complement-activating immune complexes were determined. The comparative analysis of the activity of components C3 and C1r2s2, as well as between the content of C1 inhibitor and the activity of complex C1r2s2 for seropositive and seronegative sera, was made. Pronounced correlation for seropositive sera was observed. In addition, for seropositive sera correlation between an increase in IgG immune complexes and a drop in the functional activity of complex C1r2s2, as well as a drop in the functional activity of complex C1r2s2 and a growth in the titers of IgG antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis, were established. The decreased functional activity of key complement components, simultaneously with the presence of complement-activating immune complexes and high titers of specific antibodies could be the diagnostic criteria of carrier state.

[Comparative effects of complement inhibitors in vitro and in vivo experiments: an immunoenzyme method in studying subcomponent C1q inhibition and complement inhibition in model animals]. / Sravnenie deistviia ingibitorov komplementa v opytakh in vitro and in vivo: immunofermentnyi metod izucheniia ingibirovaniia subkomponenta C1q i ingibirovaniie deistviia komplementa na model'nykh zhivotnykh.

Methods of analysis of inhibition of complement system in vitro and in vivo have been developed for study of effects of medical drugs on the complement. The first one, ELISA method, for determination of inhibition of the first stage of complement activation includes binding of C1q subcomponent to immunoglobulin. The second method is based on capacity of mink serum to kill mice at the intravenous administration due to the action of mink complement. The effects of heparin, known anticoagulant, and suramin, used for treatment of trypanosomiasis, have been studied using these systems. The inhibition constants of binding suramin and heparin binding evaluated by the first method C1q were 411 +/- 29 micrograms/ml (or 0.287 +/- 0.020 mumole/l) and 36.4 +/- 1.7 micrograms/ml (or 2.28 +/- 0.10 mmole/l), respectively. This indicates that heparin binding with C1q in 10 times is higher, than that for suramin (as weight ratio) or 100 times higher in molar ratio. Administration of 3 mg of suramin or 0.3 mg of heparin to mice protected them against lethal action of intravenously injected 0.08 ml of mink serum. Blood concentrations of these compounds approximately correspond to inhibition constants for C1q binding, obtained using in vitro method.

REM sleep in depressed patients: different attempts to achieve adaptation.

Twenty-seven depressed patients and 10 healthy subjects were investigated in the sleep laboratory during two to three consecutive nights. Eleven of the 27 patients demonstrated the "first night effect" (group I) and 11 other patients demonstrated a clear absence of the "first night effect" (group II). Five of the 27 depressed patients were omitted from the study because they did not fit criteria for first night effect. The 10 healthy controls demonstrated a first night effect. In group I, the duration of the first rapid eye movement (REM) sleep episode was increased on the first night and on the second night the REM sleep latency was decreased, whereas REM sleep duration and eye movement (EM) density was increased. The number of the short sleep cycles (less than 40 minutes) was greater in group I versus group II and the percentage of slow-wave sleep (SWS) was also higher in group I. In depressed patients with the "first night effect" the enhanced REM sleep requirement is satisfied not only by an increased REM sleep duration but also by the improved REM sleep quality that is crucial for adaptation. The adaptive role of the increased first REM period and the increased EM density in this period is very limited.