Impact of ligand-centered excited states on luminescence sensitization in Pr3+ complexes with ß-diketones.

In this study, two novel Pr3+ complexes with different 1,3-diketonate ligands were synthesized and investigated. To study the effect of the ancillary ligand on the energy transfer mechanisms in the complexes, a phenanthroline ligand was introduced. To take into account the influence of the ligand environment composed of different ligands on the energy transfer and relaxation processes, we compared the synthesized compounds with a similar complex containing the phenanthroline ligand. The spectroscopic studies in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions were supplemented with DFT and TD-DFT calculations. We found two ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT) states, with one state corresponding to energy transfer between 1,3-diketones and the other - to energy transfer from the 1,3-diketone to the phenanthroline motif. It was demonstrated that optical excitation via the latter channel leads to a fourfold increase in the luminescence quantum yield as compared with excitation via the π-π∗ transitions in 1,3-diketones. Moreover, both LLCT states provide sensitization of the Pr3+ luminescence involving the 3P0 and 3P1 levels.

[Modern methods for the evaluation of qualitative and quantitative changes in the characteristics of intestinal and vaginal microflora]. / Sovremennye metody otsenki kachestvennykh i kolichestvennykh pokazatelei mikroflory kishechnika i vlagalishcha.

Disturbances in normal intestinal and vaginal microflora in women have recently become quite frequent. This accounts for the need of bacteriological laboratories for introduction of reliable methods for the diagnosis of such disturbances. Correct methodological approaches to objective evaluation of the state of intestinal and vaginal microflora are described. The methods used in the study of anaerobic microflora (lacto- and bifidobacteria, eubacteria, peptostreptococci, clostridia, bacteriods, fusobacteria) and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (enterobacteria, staphylococci, streptococci, Gardnerella, fungi of the genus Candida) have been analyzed. All stages of the study are described in consecutive order: the transportation of the material under study, its treatment in a laboratory, the spectrum of selective nutrient media for the isolation of microorganisms, methods of their identification.

[Microbial ecology of the vagina]. / Mikrobnaia ékologiia vlagalishcha.

In this review recent information on relationships between the vaginal environment and microflora, including new taxonomic groups of microorganisms, is updated. The role of normal microflora in formation of vaginal colonization resistance and possible participation of some representatives of normal microflora, mainly nonsporulating anaerobic organisms, in the development of perinatal, neonatal and gynecological infectious complications are considered.

[Characteristics of microorganisms colonizing human intestine]. / Kharakteristika mikroorganizmov, koloniziruiushchikh kishechnik cheloveka.

Introduction of novel methods of microbial diagnostics has considerably broadened our conceptions on the qualitative and quantitative variety of microorganisms inhabiting human gastrointestinal tract. In this review morphological and functional properties of obligate anaerobic bacteria (bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, eubacteria, peptostreptococci, clostridia, bacteroids, fusobacteria) and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (enterobacteria, staphylococci, streptococci, yeast-like fungi of the genus Candida) capable of colonizing human intestine are briefly characterized.

[Effect of the lavage of the digestive tract on microflora in patients with polyps in the large intestine]. / Vliianie lavazha pishchevaritel'nogo trakta na mikrofloru u bol'nykh s polipami v tolstoi kishke.

The microbial status of the intestine and the influence of lavage with polyethylene glycol and balanced electrolyte solution (PEG + E), used in the process of the preparation of patients to polypectomy, on this status were evaluated. The study of microflora was made before oral lavage after, and 48-72 hours later its completion. For control, a group of healthy volunteers, also subjected to oral lavage with PEG + E, was used. The lavage of the digestive tract with PEG + E led to a sharp change in the microbial status in both groups. Some microorganisms, previously absent in the intestine, were found after lavage. The processes of the restoration of intestinal microflora after lavage in healthy volunteers and in patients with polyps had certain differences. In healthy volunteers intestinal microflora was completely restored, and even improved, 48-72 hours after lavage with PEG + E, while at the expiration of this time intestinal microflora in the patients with polyps could be characterized as dysbiotic.

[Qualitative composition of the normal intestinal microflora in individuals from the various age groups]. / Kachestvennyi sostav normal'noi mikroflory kishechnika u lits razlichnykh vozrastnykh grupp.

The study of the microflora of the large intestine in healthy adult volunteers of different age groups (25-36, 55-68 and 88-94 years old), living in Switzerland, has been carried out. As revealed by the analysis of the result obtained in this study, normal intestinal microflora in adults has different qualitative and quantitative characteristics at different periods of their life. The greatest diversity of intestinal microflora is observed at a mature age (55-68 years old), while the poorest microflora is observed in people more advanced in age. The amount of microorganisms inhabiting the intestine reaches its maximum in people of mature age and is low in elderly people. Changes in normal intestinal microflora are probaly linked with morpho-functional transformations in the host body at different periods of life. It is expedient to work out the criteria of norm for the microflora of different age groups with a view to use these criteria for the evaluation of the microbial status of the intestine in persons of different age.

[Intestinal microflora in children from Mongolia, Russia, and Switzerland]. / Mikroflora kishechnika u detei Mongolii, Rossii i Shveitsarii.

Intestinal microflora was studied in 3 groups of children; 55--living in Mongolia, 18--in Switzerland and 28--in Russia. Age of children of both sexual groups was 1.5-3 years. This study revealed that in none of these groups of clinically healthy children living in different regions and having different diet normal intestinal microflora corresponded to the standard considered to be the norm. The revision of norm criteria for normal intestinal microflora in children is recommended.

[Intestinal microecology of the adult population of Mongolia, Switzerland, and Russia]. / Mikroékologiia kishechnika vzroslogo naseleniia Mongolii, Shveitsarii i Rossii.

The study of intestinal microflora was made in clinically healthy young adults living in rural areas of Mongolia, in Russia (Moscow) and in Switzerland, as well as in Swiss citizens of elderly age groups (55-68 and 87-94 years). Essential differences in the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of intestinal microflora both in the inhabitants of different countries as well as in people belonging to different age groups in the same country were established. The results of the study demonstrated the expediency of working out the criteria of the norm for intestinal microflora both for the population of different countries and for people living in the same country, but belonging to different age groups.

[The study of aerobic bacterial background and antibiotic-sensitive isolated strains in the ENT department]. / Issledovanie aérobnogo mikrobnogo fona i antibiotikochuvstvitel'nosti vydelennykh shtammov v otorinolaringologicheskom otdelenii.

Aerobic microbes in ENT departments were studied. The following strains were isolated: Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Acinetobacter, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Flavobacter, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Aspergillus, Candida. 54.5% of the isolated strains were of hospital origin. Comparative evaluation of antibiotic resistance has shown a wide spectrum of resistance of the isolated microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs, among those to the drugs used in the ENT departments.

[The use of the biotherapeutic agent Zhlemik for correcting the microflora in bacterial vaginosis]. / Primenenie bioterapevticheskogo agenta "Zhlemik" dlia korrektsii mikroflory pri bakterial'nykh vaginozakh.

The vaginal microflora in 11 women suffering with bacterial vaginosis was corrected by BTA "Zlemik" contained highly adhesive strain Lactobacillus. BTA was administered intravaginal in dose 1 suppositoria at night during 15 days. It was established in majority cases that clinical symptoms and discharges have disappeared. The value of pH has decreased from 5.6-6.2 to 4.6-4.8. After biotherapeutic therapy significantly increased of the levels of Lactobacillus and percentage of the presence Bifidobacterium. The number of non-spore-forming obligatory anaerobic bacteria, Streptococcus and Gardnerella decreased in 10 and 100 times respectively.

[The use of biological preparations for correction of microbial status in pregnant women]. / Primenenie bioterapevticheskikh preparatov dlia korrektsii mikrobnogo statusa u beremennykh zhenshchin.

15 pregnant women with pregnancy lasting 28-32 weeks, whose medico-laboratory data (the positive result of the amino test, high pH value and the detection of "key" cells) suggested the presence of bacterial vaginosis, were placed under observation. The bacteriological study of vaginal microflora in all these women revealed pronounced disturbances simultaneously with the development of intestinal dysbacteriosis. The local application of the bacterial preparation "Zhlemik" containing freeze-dried live lactic acid bacteria of vaginal origin and the oral administration of lactic acid bifidumbacterin containing live bifidobacteria of intestinal origin permitted the successful restoration of vaginal and intestinal microbiocenosis. The capacity of biotherapeutic preparations for inducing non-specific immunostimulation led to a significant rise in the levels of IgA, IgM and IgG in vaginal secretions.

[An experimental study of the patterns in the development of an inflammatory process in the mandibular bone tissue caused by exposure to anaerobic microflora]. / Eksperimental'noe issledovanie zakonomernostei razvitiia vospalitel'nogo protsessa v kostnoi tkani nizhnei cheliusti, obuslovlennogo vozdeistviem anaérobnoi mikroflory.

Inflammatory process in mandibular bone was induced in 39 outbred rats by a pure culture of Bacteroides fragilis and by an associative culture of B. fragilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Anaerobic microflora notably aggravated the course of inflammation. In contrast to inflammation in other parts of the skeleton, inflammation of the jaws involves a high risk of infection of the oral cavity by pathogenic microflora. A variety of microorganisms is isolated from the focus: from gram-positive staphylococci to gram-negative enterobacteria, which fact should be borne in mind when planning antibiotic therapy. Combined use of antibiotics active towards the entire spectrum of agents detected in this study is the most effective.

[The primary screening of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli strains to develop effective probiotic preparations based on them]. / Pervichnyi skrining shtammov bifidobaterii i laktobakterii s tsel'iu razrabotki na ikh osnove éffektivnykh preparatov-probiotikov.

10 Bifidobacterium strains and 10 Lactobacillus strains were studied for their antagonistic activity with respect to Escherichia coli, Klebsiella ozaenae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and for their sensitivity to antibiotics, widely used in clinical practice. L. acidophilus strain 5/4, L. acidophilus strain 18/4, B. adolescentis strain UX, B. longum strain 44 exhibited the highest antagonistic activity and the highest degree of antibiotic resistance. The restriction analysis of the chromosomal DNA of these strains was then made and their plasmid content was studied, making it possible to recognize these strains in future in the course of in vivo experiments.

[The antagonistic activity of bifidobacteria in vitro and in vivo studied by using gnotobiological technology]. / Izuchenie antagonisticheskoi aktivnosti bifidobakterii in vitro i in vivo s izpol'zovaniem gnotobiologicheskoi tekhnologii.

The antagonistic activity of 4 strains of bifidobacteria (B. adolescentis 2 F1, B. longum Z4, B. breve R2 and B. bifidum G1), isolated from the vagina of healthy females of the reproductive age, with respect to Escherichia coli, Klebsiella ozaenae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gardnerella vaginalis were studied in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro experiments revealed that all above-mentioned bifidobacteria were capable of inhibiting the growth of all indicator bacterial strains. Still of all the bifidobacteria under study had different levels of activity. B. adolescentis strain 2 F1 exhibited the highest inhibiting activity in vitro. In contrast to in vitro experiments, in vivo experiments with B. breve R2 demonstrated its high antagonistic activity with respect to E. coli. The data thus obtained indicate that in the study of antagonistic activity the use of the in vivo model as also expedient, for it is mainly in vivo that probiotic preparations show their activity.

[The vaginal Bifidobacterium flora in women of reproductive age]. / Izuchenie bifidoflory vlagalishcha u zhebshchin reproduktivnogo vozrasta.

The composition of vaginal bifidoflora in 56 clinically healthy women of reproductive age was studied. The study revealed that four species of bifidobacteria, viz. Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. breve, B. adolescentis 2 and B. longum, dominated in the composition of this bifidobacterial population. Nine out of 11 isolated strains were found to be capable of inhibiting indicator microorganisms Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis when tested in vitro; in addition, strains B. adolescentis 2 F1, B. bifidum G1, B. breve P2 and B. longum Z4 inhibited Klebsiella ozaenae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and were also active acid producers. Three of these 4 bifidobacterial strains were capable of adhesion to vaginal epitheliocytes, while B. bifidum G1 was practically incapable of adherence to these cells, similarly to B. bifidum strain 791 of intestinal origin. In addition, the spectra of antibiotic susceptibility varied from strain to strain, but all bifidobacterial strains were susceptible to benzylpenicillin and resistant to lomefloxacin, most of them being also resistant to cyprofloxacin and gentamicin. Thus the data presented in this work are indicative of the possibility and advantages of using bifidobacterial strains belonging to this ecological niche as probiotics for the correction of the microflora of the urogenital tract in females.

[Rational approach to correction of intestinal microflora]. / Ratsional'nye podkhody k probleme korrektsii mikroflory kishechnika.

This paper reviews the present notions of the mechanisms of probiotics' action and analyzes selective approaches to correcting the intestinal microflora, such as the use of antibiotic-resistant and highly-adhesive probiotics, treatment with autostrains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, and the application of fermented-milk probiotics. Methods for optimization of the intestinal microflora in the newborns by using the maternal strains of bifidobacteria and the drug Zlemik that contains highly-adhesive lactobacilli are discussed. It is shown that parameters of immunotropic activity and involvement in the bacteriocin-mediated interactions may be used to design new probiotics. In future, the application of gene engineering methods will aid in designing a new generation of probiotics with predicted biological properties.

[The use of gnotobiological technology for producing and maintaining experimental, animals with different microbiological states of the intestines]. / Primenenie gnotobiologicheskoi tekhnologii dlia polucheniia i soderzhaniia éksperimental'nykh zhivotnykh s razlichnym statusom kishechnika.

The standardization of all components ensures the optimum experimental conditions; for this reason the obtaining and maintenance of animals meeting GLP requirements is one of the development of scientific research in biology and medicine. The aim of the present work was the study of the possibility of using gnotobiological technology for obtaining animals with different microbial status of the intestine and their maintenance. Our investigations revealed that obtaining animals with different microbial status of the intestine and their maintenance under the conditions of total gnotobiological isolation (TGBI) prevented the contamination of the animals, thus facilitating the standardization of research procedures. Gnotobiological technology made it possible to create the optimum maintenance conditions and to ensure constant microbial status in animals, free from pathogenic flora. The maintenance to totally decontaminated mice under TGBI conditions ensured the total germ-free status in these animals for 9 days.

[The correction of the vaginal microflora in patients with a papillomavirus infection associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia by using the new bacterial preparation Zhlemik]. / Korrektsiia vaginal'noi mikroflory u bol'nykh s papillomavirusnoi infektsiei v assotsiatsii s tservikal'noi intraépitelial'noi neoplaziei s pomoshch'iu novogo bakteriinogo preparata "Zhlemik".

The microbiological study of vaginal microflora in 40 patients of the reproductive age (20-30 years) with papilloma virus infection in association with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of the uterine neck revealed dysbiotic disturbances in vaginal microflora, manifested by a decrease in the isolation rate and amount of lacto- and bifidobacteria and by excessive growth of opportunistic microorganisms. The 10-day course of corrective therapy with the new bacterial preparation "Zhlemik" was carried out. Group 1 (81 women) received the preparation intravaginally on a tampon, group 2 (19 patients) received the preparation in the form of vaginal suppositories. The results of this treatment were indicative of a high sanative effect of the preparation irrespective of the method of its application. This was demonstrated by the results of the bacteriological study made after bacterial correction: the amount of the Lactobacillus was restored, and they could be isolated from all patients; the level of contamination of the cervicovaginal niche with opportunistic microbial strains considerably decreased. The positive clinical effect after bacterial therapy with "Zhlemik" was observed in 93-95% of cases, depending on the form of its application.