[Features of the hormonal status in patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction and class II malocclusion].

The article presents data on androgen levels in female patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction of varying degree and class II malocclusion. The study revealed significant correlation between degenerative and inflammatory TMJ changes and androgens level in patients with stigmas of connective tissue dysplasia (p<0.05), probably due to indirect proinflammatory action of androgens as they stimulate inflammatory mediators expression.

Humoral immune response to recombinant viral NS3 protein in patients with hepatitis C.

Full-length recombinant NS3 protein was used in a test system for detection of specific antibodies in the sera from patients with hepatitis C. Possible antigenic determinants in NS structure were predicted. It was demonstrated that serological analysis requires enzyme immunoassay with full-length NS3.

Structure of C-reactive protein excreted in urine during acute rejection episodes.

During acute rejection of renal allografts C-reactive protein is excreted in urine in a monomeric form. We developed an immunochemical method for detecting monomeric C-reactive protein in human physiological fluids, which is based on latex agglutination.

[Molecular forms of human growth hormone and prolactin, secreted by cultured pituitary tumor cells]. / Molekuliarnye formy gormona rosta i prolaktina cheloveka, sekretiruemye kul'turami kletok opukholei gipofiza.

Functionally active cultures of human pituitary adenoma cells producing excessive amounts of the growth hormone (somatotropinomas), of prolactin (prolactinomas) or of the both hormones (mixed type adenomas) have been prepared and their secreted molecular forms studied. SDS-PAAG electrophoresis combined with immunoblotting making use of poly- and monoclonal antibodies revealed that the growth hormone and prolactin are secreted by adenoma cells in several molecular forms typical of normal human pituitary. The major form secreted by the growth hormone is 22K; the minor forms are 20K (the product of alternative splicing of pre-mRNA) and the split-off two-chain form 25K. The major form secreted by prolactin is 23K; the minor form is glycosylated 25K. No significant differences in the ratios of molecular forms of the hormones were found either under basal conditions of culturing or under the influence of the pituitary function regulators, somatostatin and thyroliberin. At the same time, the data obtained suggest that pituitary adenoma cells can secrete some amount of "abnormal" molecular forms of the hormones, e.g., immature products of postribosomal processing or large-sized immunoreactive fragments. Hence, pituitary adenoma cell cultures are an effective tool in biochemical and physiological studies of molecular forms of the human growth hormone and prolactin and of their secretion.

[The hypothalamo-hypophyseal system in patients with multinodular colloid euthyroid goiter]. / Sostoianie gipotalamo-gipofizarnoi sistemy u bol'nykh s mnogouzlovym kolloidnym éutireoidnym zobom.

Eighty patients with multinodular colloidal euthyroid goiter were examined. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test was carried out in 22 patients and 7 healthy women. The results of the test indicate a clear-cut tendency to reduction of hypophyseal TTH reserve in patients with multinodular euthyroid goiter with enlarged thyroid. In other words, clinical diagnosis of an euthyroid condition in the examinees appears to be groundless, particularly in patients with stage IV multinodular euthyroid goiter who may be referred to latent hyperthyrosis group on the basis of TRH test results. Three types of STH reaction were revealed by TRH test in these patients. The authors put forward a hypothesis on STH contribution as a growth factor to the pathogenesis of multinodular colloid euthyroid goiter.

[Humoral autoimmunity markers in autoimmune endocrine diseases]. / Markery gumoralnogo autoimmuniteta pri autoimmunnykh éndokrinnykh zabolevaniiakh.

To clarify the value of autoantibodies as risk factors of complications in various endocrine abnormalities, the incidence of autoantibodies to thyroid microsomal antigen (ATMA), thyroglobulin, and the surface antigens of the rat islet, adrenal cortex, adenohypophyseal cells and human skin fibroblasts was studied in patients with insulin-dependent mellitus (IDDM), at the onset of the disease and during one-year insulin therapy, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), Hashimoto thyroiditis, Graves' disease, diabetes associated with thyroidal dysfunction, euthyroid polynodular goiter, Schmidt and polyglandular syndromes and in the population. The antibodies were determined by ELISA. Polyclonal activation of the immune system was found in all abnormalities, except in polyglandular in children. The proportion of patients with more than one type of antibodies was minimal (26.4%) in IDDM and maximal (62.0%) in Graves' disease. Among IDDM patients, polyclonal activation of the immune system was observed more often in women than in men (48.5 vs 8.5%). The persistence of antibodies to fibroblasts in IDDM patients was associated with the development of vascular complications. The latter were observed in 4 of 7 patients who had these antibodies during a year and in none of negative patients. Thus, fibroblast antibodies may have a predicative significance for the development of late diabetic complications. The highest prevalence of these antibodies was discovered in Graves' disease (37.9%) wherein the antibodies may be involved in the development of exophthalmus and pretibial mixedema. Thyroidal dysfunction developed in all IDDM patients with ATMA preserved during a year and in none ATMA-negative patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Obtaining and morphological characteristics of primary monolayer cell cultures of human somatotropinomas]. / Poluchenie i morfologicheskaia kharakteristika pervichnykh monosloinykh kletochnykh kul'tur somatotropinom cheloveka.

This paper describes the development of method of preparing cell suspension obtained from surgical material of patients with pituitary adenomas and acromegaly as well as the procedure of subsequent long-term cultivation in monolayers of the cells isolated. As judged by visual inspection and measurement of growth hormone and prolactin secretion, tumor pituitary cells kept viability and functional activity for at least 6 days of growing in vitro. Immunocytochemical visualization of somato- and lactotrophs of the same histological preparations permitted us to show that vast majority of cultured cells is represented by somatotrophs; however, a small portion of cell population is represented by lactotrophs and lactosomatotrophs. The peculiarities of cytoarchitectonics in two types of cell cultures of human somatotropinomas were studied.

[Secretory activity of lactotrophs and its regulation by hypothalamic hormones in primary cultures of pituitary cells of rats of different ages]. / Sekretornaia aktivnost' laktotrofov i ee reguliatsiia gipotalamicheskimi gormonami v pervichnykh kul'turakh gipofizarnykh kletok krys raznogo vozrasta.

Basal prolactin (PRL) secretion and the responses of lactotrophs to thyroliberin, dopamine and somatostatin were studied in the experiments employing primary monolayer cultures of pituitary cells obtained from developing rats of different ages. High responsiveness of PRL-secreting cells to the action of hypothalamic hormones was observed in the group of neonatal rats, although basal PRL release was about two orders lower in pituitary cultures of neonatal rats as compared to the cultures of immature, pubertal and adult animals. The investigation performed could reveal quantitative, but not qualitative differences in the reactions of lactotrophs of various age groups. It is concluded that postnatal development in the rat is coupled with significant changes of basal PRL release and to a lesser extent, with changes of lactotroph responsiveness to hypothalamic hormones.

[Regulation of hormone secretion in primary cell cultures of human somatotropinomas]. / Reguliatsiia gormonal'noi sekretsii v pervichnykh kletochnykh kul'turakh somatotropinom cheloveka.

The effects of somatostatin and thyroliberin (thyrotropin-releasing hormone; TRH) on growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) secretion were studied in short-term (0.5-3h) or long-term (21-24h) incubations using monolayer cell cultures of somatotropin obtained from surgical material of patients with acromegaly. High sensitivity of both GH and PRL release to inhibitory action of somatostatin (10(-11) M) was established. We could not reveal the unambiguous influence of TRH on somatotropic function in the in vivo and in vitro conditions, as compared to the action of this tripeptide on PRL secretion. The results obtained permit us to propose that cell cultures of pituitary adenomata represent adequate and convenient models for studying the pathogenesis of tumor processes in the pituitary gland and for the development of new procedures of pharmacotherapy.

[Effect of fibroblast growth factor and nerve growth factor on the cellular proliferation and functional activity of isolated islands of Langerhans]. / Vliianie faktora rosta fibroblastov i nervnogo rostovogo faktora na proliferatsiiu i funktsional'nuiu aktivnost' kletok izolirovannykh ostrovkov Langergansa.

The effects of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) on DNA synthesis and insulin secretion were studied in 4-5-day cultures of the isolated neonatal rat islets. FGF (0.1 ng/ml) stimulated significantly the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA of the isolated islets, but failed to change either insulin content in the islets or the rate of insulin secretion. NGF (0.1-1000 ng/ml) did not affect the above parameters. The responses of the islets of Langerhans to increasing concentrations of glucose and isobutylmethylxanthine were not modified after prolonged exposure to NGF. The role of FGF and NGF in the regulation of proliferation and secretory process in pancreatic islet cells is discussed.

[Regulation of hormonal secretion and DNA synthesis in the lactotrophs of the rat adenohypophysis in vitro in primary cell cultures]. / Reguliatsiia gormonal'noi sekretsii i sinteza DNK v laktotrofakh adenogipofiza krysy in vitro v pervichnykh kletochnykh kul'turakh.

Changes in DNA synthesis in lactotrophs of primary monolayer cultures of the rat pituitary cells were studied, using immunoperoxidase staining in combination with autoradiography. Pituitary cell cultures were treated for 3 days with thyroliberin (TRH), bromocriptine (CB154) or somatostatin (SRIF). The proportion of lactotrophs labelled with 3H-thymidine in the total pool of labelled cells served as a criterion for the estimation of DNA synthesis in prolactin-secreting cells. Prolactin secretion by the same cultures was measured by homologous radioimmunoassay. TRH (10 ng/ml) stimulated DNA synthesis in the total population of pituitary cells, but not in lactotrophs. SRIF decreased selectively the proliferation of lactotrophs, but failed to depress or even stimulated DNA synthesis in some cell types of the rat pituitary gland in the cultures. The quantitative method of studying DNA synthesis in anterior pituitary may be used to evaluate the effects of a number of biologically active compounds on various cell systems.

[Effect of a conditioned medium of pinealocytes on prolactin secretion in primary culture of adenohypophyseal cells of male rats]. / Vliianie konditsionirovannoi sredy pinealotsitov na sekretsiiu prolaktina v pervichnoi kul'ture adenogiopfizarnykh kletok samtsov krys.

Conditioned medium of pinealocytes (CMP, 18-20%) added to primary cultures of rat pituitary cells for 1.5 h changed neither the basal rate of PRL secretion nor dopamine-inhibited release. However CMP markedly attenuated PRL secretion induced by thyroliberin or isobutyl-menthylxanthine. Besides CMP reduced basal PRL release during 18-h-incubation. The results obtained indicate possible involvement of the pineal gland in direct inhibitory control of PRL secretion in male rats.

[Biological properties of structural analogs of thyroliberin]. / Issledovanie biologicheskikh svoistv strukturnykh analogov tiroliberina.

Effects of 8 synthetic tripeptides--structural analogues of thyroliberin (TRH)--in basal and TRH-induced secretion of prolactin (PRL) and thyrotropin (TSH) were studied in primary cultures of rat pituitary cells. 7 tripeptides had chemical structure Pyr-Ser-X-NH2, where X was Leu, Val, Asn, Ala, Ile, Met, Phe. One tripeptide had the structure Pyr-Ser-Gly-OCH3. Some of the tripeptides studied exhibited weak TRH-like effects on PRL and TSH release and other substances were able to inhibit partially the TRH-induced PRL secretion. However, none of the TRH analogues studied changed secretory activity of thyrotropic and lactotropic cells in culture in unidirectional manner. The data obtained suggest heterogeneity of the TRH receptors in lactotrophs and thyrotrophs of rat pituitary.

DNA synthesis in lactotrophs of primary rat anterior pituitary cell cultures. Effects of thyroliberin, bromocriptine and somatostatin.

Prolactin immunostaining in combination with thymidine autoradiography was used to characterize changes in the DNA-synthesizing activity of lactotrophs in primary monolayer cultures of the rat anterior pituitary gland treated for 3 days with thyroliberin (TRH), somatostatin (SRIF) and bromocriptine (CB 154). The number of lactotrophs labelled with 3H-thymidine within the total pool of labeled pituitary cells was used to estimate DNA synthesis in prolactin-producing cells. TRH (10 ng/ml) stimulated DNA synthesis in the whole population of cultured cells but not in lactotrophs. TRH only weakly counteracted the noticeable inhibitory effect of CB 154 (0.75 microM/l) on thymidine incorporation into lactotrophs. SRIF (20 ng/ml) inhibited DNA synthesis in lactotrophs to a lesser extent than CB 154. The combination of methods used in this paper may be useful for studying the selective effects of regulators on the proliferative activity of various pituitary cell types in vivo and in culture.