[Concentration and protein composition of circulating immune complexes in the blood of patients with schizophrenia and subjects with positive familial history of disease].

A comparative study of blood serum concentrations and pathogenic properties of circulating immune complexes (CIC), along with identification of their protein composition, was conducted in 45 patients with schizophrenia, 15 their healthy relatives and 39 normal controls. In patients and their relatives, mean concentration of small CIC was within the normal range, while concentrations of giant, large and middle CIC were higher than those of the controls (p<0.001). Over 80% of schizophrenic patients and their relatives had pathogenic immune complexes in the circulation. Clinical and immunologic analysis of patients with schizophrenia revealed a correlation between the illness duration and CIC concentration for all sizes. Smokers had significantly lower levels of small CIC comparing to non-smokers. Determination of CIC composition in patients and relatives revealed a presence of specific proteins in the immune complexes with molecular weights of 36 and 25 kDa. The results suggest genetic determination of autoimmune processes in schizophrenia.

[Complement componenets, C3 and factors B, in the blood of patients with acute ischemic stroke].

Several studies suggest that activation of compliment cascade contributes to the development of the inflammatory immune response in ischemic stroke and results in tissue injury by initiating apoptosis and necrosis. It is proposed that suppression of the compliment activation may have positive effect on stroke severity and outcome. However, the majority of data relevant to involvement of the compliment in the pathogenethic mechanisms of stroke have been obtained in animal models of stroke that does not allow to extrapolate these data to humans. Our previous studies were the first ones demonstrated the involvement of both the classical and the alternative complement activation pathways in the pathogenetic mechanisms of generation and development of stroke in humans. In the present work, using immunoblotting, we determined the levels of key components of the classical and alternative pathways of complement activation, C3 and factor B, in the blood of patients with ischemic stroke. Comparing to healthy controls, patients with ischemic stroke are characterized by the increased level of C3 and decreased level of factor B.

[AMP-deaminase activity of rat brain nuclear and mitochondrial fractions]. / AMP-dezaminaznaia aktivnost' iadernoi i mitokhondrial'noi fraktsii tkani mozga.

It is established that purified nuclear and mitochondrial fractions of the rat brain possess a noticeable AMP-deaminase activity. ATP is an effective activator of AMP-deaminase in the both fractions, but this enzyme is also stimulated by hexokinase in the mitochondrial fraction. The ammonia production from ADP in the mitochondrial fraction is connected with the formation on ATP and AMP under the influence of myokinase and subsequent deamination of AMP by AMP-deaminase.

[Venous stasis and state of the microcirculatory bed in the synovial membranes]. / Venoznyi zastoi i sostoianie mikrotsirkuliatornogo rusla v sinovial'nykh obolochkakh

Microcirculatory bed of the synovial membranes was investigated in experiments on dogs during venous stasis. Ligation of the femoral vein and circulatory disturbances led to the alteration of the microcirculatory bed of the synovial membranes, to the overfilling of the venules. Capillary walls became thinner and there developed swellings and protrusions. The extent of the vascular wall changes depended on the calibre of the vessels. One month after the ligation of the vein congestive phenomena in the tissue of the joint capsule proved to decline. This indicated development of collateral venous circulation.

[AMP-aminohydrolase activity of the nuclear fraction of rat brain]. / AMF-aminogidrolaznaia aktivnost' iadernoi fraktsii mozga krys

AMP-aminohydrolase activity has been found not only in mitochondrial and soluble fractions but also in nuclear fraction of rat brain. The regulation of nuclear AMP-aminohydrolase activity differs from that of mitochondrial and soluble fractions. 1. Hexokinase does not enhance deamination of AMP in intact nuclei while it activates the enzyme in extracts of acetone powder of nuclear fractions. 2. The AMP-aminohydrolase activity of rat brain nuclear fraction is considerably inhibited by GTP and phosphate but in contrast to other fractions the stimulatory effect of ATP on enzyme activity is preserved.