[The issue of quality of Russian cause-specific mortality statistics at old ages].

The paper presents a brief analysis on the quality of cause-specific mortality statistics at old ages in Russia. Two aspects are in focus: the regional differences in approaches for choosing the underlying cause of death and the comparison of Russian coding practice with the practices of some other European countries. The results obtained indicate that there are certain problems with the quality of cause-of-death coding at old ages in Russia. No unified approach to coding deaths as caused by «Senility¼ is used at a sub-national level. This leads to the distortion of the regional cause-specific mortality structures. Furthermore for many groups of causes Russian death rates are much lower than those in European countries. This peculiarity is caused by the specificity of Russian cause-of-death coding practice, which results in underestimating the mortality from certain causes at old ages.

[Application of polyguanidine solution for fixation of biological and anatomical specimens].

A new method for fixation of biological material is described, and its effectiveness is compared to that one of formalin fixation. As an embalming agent, polyhexamethylenguanidine (PHMG) hydrochloride was used. Using the proposed method of fixation, the anatomical and histological preparations of human organs and of chick embryos at developmental 12 days, were produced. The anatomical preparations obtained show the appearance, similar to that of the recently removed organs. Histological preparations were free from significant distortions of the microscopic characteristics of the specimens, which are typical to the material fixed with formalin. The results of the study suggest the possibility of PHMG application in the morphological studies.

[Comprehensive study of the major morphological forms of gastric cancer in relation to the indices of their prognostic assessment].

The results of a comparative study of a complex of clinical, morphological, prognostic, and immunohistochemical features and parenchymatous-stromal relations in gastric cancer (GC) suggest the rationality of identifying three basic classification histological forms of GC: intestinal, diffuse, and mixed, rather than two forms. The proposed additional identification of the mixed form of GC (MGC) encompasses a significant, early unclassified, tumors of complex structure with the heterodirectional differentiation of the cancerous epithelium, by the type of P. Correa's cascade. When there is tumor growth, this feature completely realizes individual cell kinetic regularities. The decreased tumor parenchymal maturity, which is characteristic of MGC, with complicated and/or distorted parenchymatous-stromal relations at different levels and stages of tumor growth may affect the lower therapy indices. It is obvious that the standard of an inpatient study of GC as a particular cancer nosological entity should take into account the indices of not only the pTNM system, but also the perfected group histological classification of this tumor.

[Primary lung osteosarcoma simulating gastric carcinoma].

The rarest case of primary lung osteosarcoma is described. Despite the fact that an extended clinicoinstrumental study was conducted, the clinicians who interpreted the process to be a destructive gastric carcinoma did not diagnose the site of the tumor. Autopsy identified the unusual form of primary lung malignancy progression with an advanced invasion into the organs on both sides of the diaphragm, including the gastric wall.

[Clinicomorphological variants of gastric cancer].

A complex clinicomorphologic investigation of 136 gastric cancer cases has been done to reveal the applied character of P.Lauren's classification proposed in 1965 and extremely popular at present with an attempt to classify all the above cases into the so-called intestinal and diffuse-type gastric carcinoma. Significant number (37,5%) of heterogenous tumours with compound topographic and morphologic interrelation between glandular and diffuse compartments in the zones of cancerous transformation and progression has been revealed. This author's approach makes it necessary to improve well-known P. Lauren's classification.

[Effect of regional (wound) revaccination with tetanus anatoxin on the functional activity of immunocompetent cells in the region]. / Vliianie regionarnoi (ranevoi) revaktsinatsii stolbniachnym anatoksinom na funktsional'nuiu aktivnost' immunokompetentnykh kletok regiona.

The study made with the use of complex methods established that the local (wound) application of tetanus toxoid rapidly made the manifestation of the lysosomal apparatus more pronounced, increased the oxidizing activity (determined in the nitro blue tetrazolium test) and phagocytic activity of the mononuclear phagocytizing system in the wound and in the regional lymph nodes. The wound application of tetanus toxoid significantly increased blast transformation of T lymphocytes in guinea pigs simultaneously with tetanus wound infection. The study confirmed the pathogenetic expediency of the proposed method for the stimulation of anti-tetanus immunity by the application of tetanus toxoid on the wound which specifically inhibited the primary stage of the infectious process.

[Variants of fractionation of irradiation in intracavitary gamma-therapy]. / Varianty fraktsionirovaniia oblucheniia pri vnutripolostnoi gamma-terapii.

Under study was the efficacy of three schedules of dose fractionation in intracavitary gamma-therapy in cervical cancer patients treated on the machine "AGAT-B". Single doses were 1000, 700 and 500 rad, while total dosage at point A depending on the stage of the disease was within the range of 4000-5000 rad. The survival during the first, second and third years following termination of the radiotherapy was found to be identical for patients of all the groups under examination. No differences were noted in them also in the character of early radiation reactions on the part of the adjacent organs. The frequency and severity of late radiation injuries of the urinary bladder, rectum and vagina were related to the dose fractionation regimen.