[Bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in leukemia patients]. / Bronkholegochnyi aspergillez u bol'nykh leikozami.

Among 180 patients with varying leukemias bronchopulmonary aspergillosis was diagnosed in 4 (2.2%). Further development of the methods for the treatment of the main disease in this category of patients permits prognosing a significant rise in the incidence of bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. The character of the clinical course of this infection and the ways for further improvements of its diagnosis in lifetime of leukemia patients have been considered.

[Antibody avidity in candidiasis patients]. / Avidnost' antitel u bol'nykh kandidozom.

The properties of antibodies to Candida albicans in healthy persons, candidiasis patients and patients with somatic pathology of nonmycotic genesis were studied. Healthy persons were found to have the highest avidity of antibodies at the minimal neutralizing dose of the antigen. In all groups the titers of antibodies were inversely related to their avidity.

[Specific circulating immune complexes and antibody titers in candidiasis]. / Spetsificheskie tsirkuliruiushchie immunnye kompleksy i titry antitel pri kandidoze.

Titers of antibodies to Candida albicans and specific circulating immune complexes have been studied in patients with chronic candidiasis of the genitals, skin and mucous membranes. In most patients with candidiasis of the skin and mucous membranes specific immune complexes have been detected in the blood serum; their determination increases the diagnostic value of serological tests in this disease.

[Spontaneous variability in a population of Candida albicans strains]. / Spontannaia izmenchivost' populiatsii shtammov Candida albicans.

The spontaneous variability of the populations of C. albicans strains of different genesis in the morphological properties of their colonies and in the potential of the activity of their extracellular proteolytic and phospholipid enzymes has been studied. The isolated types of colonies, differing in their morphology, have the phenotypic character of variability. Different populations of strains exhibited variability in the activity of enzymes, depending on morphological variants isolated from these populations. Selected morphological variants with high potential of their proteolytic enzymes retained stability in this property for 5 generations and can be used in medical practice for the isolation of C. albicans antigens.

[The use of immunoenzyme analysis in the diagnosis of candidiasis in patients with different variants of hemoblastosis]. / Primenenie immunofermentnogo analiza v diagnostike kandidoza u bol'nykh razlichnymi variantami gemoblastozov.

A total of 84 blood sera taken from patients with tumors of the hematopoietic system, among them 63 blood sera from patients with candidiasis and 21 blood sera from patients without symptoms of Candida infection have been tested in the enzyme immunoassay (EIA). This assay has been found suitable for the diagnosis of the visceral forms of candidiasis in patients with acute leukemia and hematosarcoma. EIA has proved to be an inadequate method for the detection of Candida infection in chronic lympholeukemia patients, as well as in patients with acute leukemia and hematosarcoma, suffering from such local forms of candidiasis as candidiasis of the oral cavity.

[The natural killer and fungicidal activity of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells in candidiasis]. / Estestvennaia i fungitsidnaia aktivnost' mononuklearov perifericheskoi krovi pri kandidoze.

The activity of natural killers and the capacity of peripheral blood mononuclears for the extracellular killing of Candida cells in patients with different forms of candidiasis has been determined in the radiometric test with the use of targets labeled with 3H-uridine RNAase and in the fungicidal test. On the basis of the data thus obtained the conclusion has been made that in candidiasis changes in the activity of natural killers and fungicidal capacity depend on the severity of the disease and the stage of the process. Linear correlation between the activity of natural killers and fungicidal capacity in candidiasis patients at the stage of exacerbation and in healthy persons is absent.

[The effect of cytostatics and corticosteroids on the phagocytic and fungicidal activity of the neutrophilic granulocytes]. / Vliianie tsitostatikov i kortikosteroidov na fagotsitarnuiu i fungitsidnuiu aktivnost' neitrofil'nykh granulotsitov.

In vitro tests have revealed that cytostatic agents and corticosteroids, introduced in vivo, produce an inhibitory effect on the phagocytic activity of mouse neutrophil granulocytes and on their capacity for the destruction of Candida albicans blastospores. The action of the above-mentioned preparations may be an important pathogenetic factor which when introduced into the animals, contributes to the development of candidiasis.

[The phagocytic activity of the neutrophilic granulocytes in patients with chronic candidiasis of the skin and mucous membranes]. / Fagotsitarnaia aktivnost' neitrofil'nykh granulotsitov u bol'nykh khronicheskim kandidozom kozhi i slizistykh obolochek.

24 patients with chronic candidiasis of the skin and mucous membranes have been examined. The following parameters have been evaluated: (1) ingestive capacity, (2) fungicidal capacity, (3) the state of the myeloperoxidase mechanism of respiratory explosion. In chronic candidiasis of the skin and mucous membranes the ingestive capacity of neutrophil granulocytes has been found to remain unchanged, constituting 70 +/- 3.5% in healthy persons and 60 +/- 4.2% in patients 60 minutes after interaction. The study has revealed the decrease of fungicidal activity in 50% of the patients which is probably linked with the constant activation of oxygen-dependent killing mechanisms (the index of the spontaneous nitro blue tetrazolium test has proved to be 8.9 +/- 0.8% in healthy persons and 15 +/- 3.4% in patients with candidiasis of the skin and mucous membranes) and the decreased reserve of the functional activity of neutrophil granulocytes. The activity of myeloperoxidase in patients with candidiasis of the skin and mucous membranes has been found to remain unchanged.

[Diagnosis of mycotic infections in patients with tuberculosis of the respiratory organs]. / Diagnostika mikoticheskoi infektsii u bol'nykh tuberkulezom organov dykhaniia.

The basic clinico-diagnostic criteria are given which detect an intercurrent infection caused by opportunistic fungi of the Candida and Aspergillus genus. The antibacterial drugs of nonspecific action used in patients with destructive forms of respiratory tuberculosis promote the growth and reproduction of fungus flora and aggravate the course of the underlying process in the lung tissue. When there is intercurrent mycotic infection, the antifungal therapy produces a clinical effect in patients with combined pathology.

[Cross-reacting Candida albicans antigens in the pathogenesis of candidiasis]. / Perekrestno reagiruiushchie antigeny Candida albicans v patogeneze kandidoza.

Organ- and tissue-specific antigens with affinity to C. albicans have been detected in some organs and tissues of the body. The occurrence of C. albicans colonization of different organs correlates with the presence of cross-reacting antigens in these organs.

[Delayed hypersensitivity to Candida albicans]. / Giperchuvstvitel'nost' zamedlennogo tipa k Candida albicans.

Conditions and factors influencing the formation of delayed hypersensitivity (DH) to yeast-like fungi of the species C. albicans under experimental conditions have been studied. The intensity of this reaction has been found to depend on the dose and method used for infecting mice, the time of the test and the qualitative state of fungal cells. As the result of this study, the infectious model of DH to C. albicans has been proposed. This model may be used for the study of the influence of different exogenous and endogenous factors of cell-mediated immune response to candidiasis.

[Increased sensitivity to Candida in patients with bronchial asthma]. / Povyshennaia chuvstvitel'nost' k gribam roda Candida u bol'nykh bronkhial'noi astmoi.

As many as 86 children aged 3 to 14 years with bronchial asthma were examined using mycological, immunological and allergological methods including the prick-test, basophil degranulation test (direct Shelley's test) and leukocyte migration inhibition test with Candida antigen. As far as the patients living in the vicinity of a microbiological factory are concerned, hypersensitivity to Candida was detected in 83.3% of cases, primarily that of the delayed type (37%). In children with verified candidiasis, hypersensitivity to Candida fungi was also detectable in 83.3% of cases, but in the majority of patients (47%), it was of the immediate type. In the control group, allergic candidiasis was diagnosed in 20% of cases. Clinically, bronchial asthma associated with allergic candidiasis was characterized by refractory, lingering obstructive bronchitis amenable to antimycotic drugs.

[Functional status of the endocrine and immune systems in women with chronic candidiasis of external genital organs]. / Funktsii éndokrinnoi i immunnoi sistem pri khronicheskom kandidoze naruzhnykh genitalii u zhenshchin.

Sixty three patients with chronic candidiasis of external genitalia (CCEG) were studied. There was no evidence of hypoparathyroidism or adrenal failure in females with CCEG. The possible role of documented hypothyroidism or diabetes mellitus in these patients' condition should be considered. Though the impairment of the B-or T-immune systems failed to be revealed in the aforementioned patients, some of them demonstrated autoimmune processes in some endocrine glands without any significant impairment of their functional performance.

[Comparative analysis of methods of evaluating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity]. / Sravnitel'nyi analiz metodov otsenki antitelozavisimoi kletochno-oposredovannoi tsitotoksichnosti.

Two methods for measuring the activity of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity are compared. One of them is based on the determination of the relative amount of hemoglobin released from lysed sheep target red cells into the incubation medium via benzidine hydrochloride, that joins hemoglobin in the presence of H2O2 and stains the solution blue, the intensity of staining being measured spectrophotometrically. The authors consider radiometry preferable; this method makes use of 3H uridine-labeled chicken nuclear red cells as targets, and the results of the test are analyzed ina beta-scintillator. Less patient's blood is necessary for this test, since lower concentrations of effector cells may be used.

[Functional characteristics of the endocrine and immune systems in patients with visceral candidiasis]. / Nekotorye funktsional'nye kharakteristiki éndokrinnoi i immunnoi sistem u bol'nykh vistseral'nym kandidozom.

A study was made of pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, endocrine pancreatic, adrenocortical and immune system functions in 56 patients afflicted with visceral candidiasis. The clinical and laboratory data obtained point to the presence in some patients with visceral candidiasis of parathyroid, thyroid, pancreatic and adrenocortical dysfunctions, attesting to their importance in the disease pathogenesis. The role of immune disorders, particularly that of the T component of the immunity system is found to be of paramount importance as well in the pathogenesis of candidiasis. Correction of endocrine disorders coupled with antimycotic therapy brought about a more rapid and steadier therapeutic effect.